Are you terrified of the idea of throwing together a Halloween party? Well, Don’t be! Everyone loves Halloween and nothing *screams* Halloween like a spooky costume party! Face your fears and follow these tips to throw a wickedly fabulous party without screaming!
Let’s get festive with devilishly delicious food and drinks, eerie entertainment and crazy costumes!
Easy Tips for Hosting a Halloween Party
Set the Scene – To create a mystical ambiance for the gathering, dress your home in its bewitching best! Do this by including twinkling lights and candles, painted pumpkins, skeletons, cobwebs, and witch hats and black cats. Choose a color scheme, but don’t be limited to traditional orange and black… Try black and white, red and black, black and grey and purple, or green and purple. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to look like a haunted house… I find cost effective decorations at Target, Dollar Tree, Homegoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, The Christmas Tree Shop, and Hobby Lobby!
Have a Killer Menu – I would strongly suggest having a scary smorgasbord with a little something for everyone. Guests can enjoy a vegetable dip or guacamole with chips, chicken wings, pizza bites, cheese and crackers, deviled eggs, ghoul-ash, jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers, meatballs, small pot pies, or pigs in a blanket. For dessert, try dipping pretzel rods or cookies in chocolate and adorning them with sprinkles or bake cupcakes and decorate them with icing! Be sure to have large cauldrons filled with candy placed strategically around the room for a quick trick-or-treat for guests!
Spooky signature cocktail – While chowing down, your guests will love to sip on a spooky signature cocktail! Depending on the party’s atmosphere, create a non-alcoholic or alcoholic signature drink using seasonal favorites like apple cider, black cherry, blackberry, orange soda or citrus seltzer. For an alcoholic kick, combine flavors with wine, champagne, rum, or vodka.
Party Playlist – To set the mood for the evening you need to have soundtrack that will cast a spell on partygoers! Create a playlist of scary noises to play while guests are nibbling and conversing. Switch things up once the party gets started by blasting some classic Halloween favorites like “Thriller”, “Monster Mash”, “Ghostbusters”, and “I Put a Spell on You”!
Dress the part – Encourage guests to come to the party dressed in costume… It is Halloween, after all! I’m betting that you’ll have some guests who won’t be as enthusiastic as others about dressing up, so it is a good idea to have some costume pieces on hand, in case they change their mind once they arrive. Try to have a few character hats, glasses, and masks set out for people to freely wear. BONUS! Set up a DIY photobooth to capture the fun and to give your guests something to remember the party! Click here to learn more about setting up a DIY Photobooth!
Entertain the Folks – I love the idea of having festive activities, games, or movies at the Halloween party to keep everyone busy. Set up a Jack-o-Lantern station where guests can enjoy carve or paint pumpkins! Leave some hilarious games out to play like “Cards Against Humanity“, “Speak Out” or”Beanboozled“! If people are looking for something more low-key to do, have a Halloween Movie Marathon showcasing classic horror movies or fun non-scary Halloween movies! Check out my post on my Favorite Non-Scary Halloween Movies by clicking here!
Throwing a Halloween Party doesn’t have to be scary!
With a little creativity and a festive spirit, you can easily put together a Spooktacular gathering!