How to Plan a Halloween Party

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How to Plan a Halloween Party

Let’s face it; party planning isn’t for the faint of heart. There is a lot to think about when organizing any event, even if it’s casual. So figuring out how to plan a Halloween party can be a little scary in its own right.

Luckily, you only need the right checklist to keep you on track and moving in the right direction. There is a lot to keep track of, but you can stay ahead of the game with a little help.

With all the right tips, tricks, and inspiration, you’re well on your way to throwing the best Halloween party. The best part about Halloween is the endless possibilities.

We’re here to help you accomplish all your goals in the easiest possible way. So strap in and get your party planning notebook out because we have plenty of tips and tricks.

Checklists Are Everything

If you want to know how to plan a Halloween party, there is a secret.

You need to come up with a list that you can follow from beginning to end. You can break your checklist down into a few categories and check them off as you go.

  • Come up with a guest list
  • Pick a theme
  • Choose a costume
  • Select decorations
  • Plan food
  • Prepare games

All in all, it sounds easy, right?

Well, yes and no. The truth is, you probably knew what the party planning entailed, you just need tips to pull it off. Now you need to know how to plan each aspect successfully.

We know how significant parties are, they bring friends together and help everyone let loose for once. It’s the perfect way to de-stress and have fun. But you will only have fun if you aren’t under a ton of stress during the planning process.

The Guest List Is Crucial

The guest list is essential for a few reasons. First of all, you want to narrow down how many people will be comfortable in your venue of choice.

Most people like to have parties in their homes. It’s more comfortable, more cost-effective, and you already have everything you need. If the weather is good, you might be able to make it an indoor and outdoor event. Otherwise, there might be a limit on space.

If you have extra money, renting a local space would be a fantastic idea. But you also need to figure that out ahead of time and include the address on your invites.

Your guest list is vital for another reason too. You need to determine what kind of party you want to throw. Will it be kid-friendly or adult-centered?

You don’t need to feel guilty for excluding kids, especially when most parents could use a night out. However, you do need to give them a heads up so they can find babysitters.

In addition, if you’re organizing a kid-friendly event, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. For instance, you don’t want to make the theme too scary or gruesome. You also don’t want the party to overlap with Halloween too much.

Regardless of the guest list, many people aren’t going to be able to make it if the party falls on Halloween. It’s such a child-oriented holiday, and they won’t want to miss a night of trick-or-treating. Whether kids are coming or not, make sure you plan for a weekend before or after the actual holiday. Planning around the holiday will make things easier for everyone and boost attendance.

Theme Options Are Endless

When it comes to planning a party, Halloween is probably one of the best. There are so many different ways you can go with your event.

Coming up with a theme for your Halloween party can boost the fun even more. It will force people to think outside the box and get a little more creative. You can ask people to dress according to the theme.

You could even have a few extra outfits or props to force on guests who don’t dress up. You sent out the invitations, after all. Force the spirit of the season on them if you have to!

There are a few ways to boost the creepiness factor of your party as well. You could have people come as their favorite villains, horror movie characters, or let them know there will be a contest for the creepiest costume.

Decades Party

If you’re going with any theme, picking a decade is an excellent idea. It’s also a great way to have fun for Halloween without making things too creepy. Moreover, you have all kinds of options.

You could go with the roaring 20s for an extravagant flapper style party. The 70s give people a chance to get groovy and dress up as hippies or Disco queens. And the 80s were full to the bursting with a colorful array of musicians.

Not only could you dress up in the popular style of times, but you can take advantage of pop culture. That includes dressing up as characters from popular movies, legendary musicians, or historical figures.

For decorations, you can put up movie or music posters of the time. Play popular music of the time. And, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could make trendy food of the time as well. Although, you might want to avoid the Jello salad of the 1930s and stick with the deviled eggs instead.

Horror Extravaganza

When it comes to Halloween, you should take advantage of the season and have a horrific party. Ask everyone to come up with the creepiest costume they can think of. You can promote participation by announcing a scary costume contest.

In the case of this theme, the more terrifying your party looks, the better. You might only be able to pull it off properly with all the best horror decorations. Honestly, if you’re going to do this theme the right way, it could cost a pretty penny. But it would be well worth the money when you see how cool it looks in the end.

Keep in mind; you might want to ask your friends to leave the little ones at home for this one.

Heroes and Villain Party

If you want everyone to get in the spirit of things, without creeping out the little ones too much, this is the perfect plan. Have the parents come as the villains, and kids come as their favorite characters. And if any guests don’t have kids, they could do couple-costumes with their significant other or best friend.

Some fantastic ideas include the Little Mermaid and Ursula, the Joker and Batman, or Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Those are only a few ideas. There are countless fun options, and everyone will have a great time trying to think outside the box.

Things to Consider When Picking Your Theme

No matter what your theme is, you should let everyone know in the invites. It’s always more fun to see what everyone comes up with. Of course, if you don’t want to follow a particular theme, that’s okay too. Fortunately, this entire holiday has a theme that speaks for itself.

If you do decide to pick a theme, it’s important to select it as early as possible. That will give you a chance to include it in the invitations, so everyone gets the memo.

It will come in handy during the rest of your planning process. You will be decorating and planning your own costume according to the theme as well.

Exploring Your Invitation Options

In this digital age, you have more money-saving options at your fingertips than ever before. You don’t have to send out invitations through the post office unless you want to.

While paper invites are fun, they will cost you. At least, depending on where you get them.

Creating your own invitations is another excellent way to save money. However, you will still have to fork over money for paper, ink, envelopes, and stamps. Otherwise, you will also be paying to get them through a company, which will only add to the cost.

There are also plenty of online options at your disposal. That includes creating an event on Facebook or sending out email invitations.

Granted, any sort of electronic invitation will feel less personal. But if that’s the only price you have to pay to get your invites out there, it’s not so bad. Plus, it’s becoming more common as the years go by, so you should take advantage of it if you have a tight party budget.

Time to Get to Business

Now that you have all the fine details hammered out, you should get to work on the rest of the party. That includes your costume, the decorations, and the entertainment.

Keeping things simple is a great way to go. It’s fun to go completely over the top sometimes, but you can do that in small ways. Instead of spending your entire budget on decorations, you can focus on setting the mood and having fun.

Food and drink is a more necessary expense. Make sure you know how much to want to spend, and how much the food is going to cost first. At least ballpark that number if you can, even if you won’t be preparing food yet.

Picking the Perfect Costume

Halloween is all about having fun and dressing up. So if you want to go crazy with anything, you might want to save it for your costume. There are plenty of great ideas out there for couples costumes, themed costumes, and so much more. It’s the one time of year you can be anything you want, so you should have fun with it.

If you choose a theme for your party, it might help you narrow down your outfit. However, it isn’t necessary, and there are still endless costume options.

Keep your party in mind when you’re planning your costume. If you are planning a lot of dancing, games, or activities, you might want to pick a flexible costume. As in, something that isn’t going to be too hot or uncomfortable to wear the entire night.

Setting the Mood

Picking decorations is another incredibly fun part of your planning process. Unfortunately, it’s tempting to go over the top.

If you’re on a budget, you might want to focus on the atmosphere. Instead of buying tons of expensive decorations, you could focus on lighting. It’s a fantastic way to set the mood and get in the spirit of Halloween.

Halloween is all about being dark and spooky, which is pretty easy to achieve in any home. Flick off some of the lights and pick up some realistic electric candles. Purple or orange string lights also make a fabulous addition. Between those lighting options, you’ll have a much darker atmosphere.

As tempting as real candles are, they’re hard to keep track of in a house full of people. So you should limit your use of real candles and opt for the safer, battery-operated variety. In fact, you could even string them up from the ceiling and make them look like they’re floating.

Of course, you shouldn’t forget about the classics along the way, like cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and spiderweb lace tablecloths.

Many affordable decorations are all around you if you know where to look. Take advantage of sales at the end of the season to prepare for the next year. Take a look online if you have time and browse the local 99-cent stores in your area.

Everyone is going to have fun, even if you don’t have the budget to deck out your house. People are coming to have a great time, regardless of the money that you throw into the party.

Besides, if you have annual Halloween parties, you will build up most of the basics through the years.

Eventually, you will be able to skip the small stuff and add bigger and creepier items to your collection.

The More Food the Merrier

No party is complete without delicious food. However, it will probably be the most expensive aspect of your party. At least, depending on how many people you invite.

If you’re making all the food yourself, it will only be an additional stress. By making a plan in advance, you will know how much food you need and how much time you need to prepare. Straightening up those details ahead of time will make the whole process much more comfortable and reduce stress.

As always, try to work smarter, not harder. Crockpots are a fabulous way to save time and effort. You can make nearly anything and keep it hot for the duration of the party. If you’re planning a hot meal, it’s the perfect way to prepare and still have time for other snacks or baked goods.

Save Time and Money

If you’re having a large party with a lot of close friends and family, they may be more than willing to help. Making a ton of food can be an expense that will take a considerable chunk out of your budget. Instead of taking it on yourself, you can ask for help.

A potluck is never a bad idea. That way, you can get a wider variety of party favorites. Plus, everyone will be able to bring something they like and can eat. Considering how many people have dietary restrictions nowadays, potlucks might be more practical than ever.

After all, it can be challenging to cater to everyone’s needs. If you know about any dietary restrictions ahead of time, you can make an effort to make some safe options. But if you have a potluck, you give them a chance to bring something that they can enjoy. No guesswork involved.

If you’re having a potluck, let people know what main dish you will be serving and ask them to bring snacks. Then you can make any additional food you like, but you won’t be under as much stress to do so.

Have Fun with Themed Snacks

If you want to know how to plan a Halloween party, there is one fantastic tip we have for you. Double up those baked goodies as decorations.

There are so many fun ideas for themed food and snacks. It will take some extra time and effort, but you could save money on decorations by making fun snacks instead. Many of the options are simple enough and can be made ahead of time.

That includes things like cookies in Halloween shapes. You could use them to set up a cookie or cupcake decorating station for kids.

You can also take typical Autumn snacks and dress them up in a spooky way. Give your pumpkin pie a jack-o-lantern face with cutout pie crust. Make “poison” candy apples. Make brownies and dip them in green chocolate melts and decorate them like Frankenstein.

There are endless possibilities. All you need to do is get creative, look up some ideas, and dress up your favorite desserts.

Amp Things Up with Fun Drinks

If you’re going to dress up other treats, you might as well dress up your drinks too. There are a lot of fabulous ideas for Halloween drinks. Make sure you separate the drinks for kids and adults if you’re planning to make any alcoholic mixed drinks.

Punch is an indisputable classic, and there are a lot of things you can do with it. You could make a blood-red or eerily green punch and put fake eyeballs or frogs in it. You can make a hand out of ice to float in the middle.

If you want to add a special effect to take your punch over the top, you only need a bit of dry ice. If you can find a cauldron, it will certainly add a nice touch. Put dry ice in the bottom of the cauldron and pour hot water over it.

Then you can put a bowl with your punch in the cauldron on top of the dry ice. As long as there is space around the container, the eery steam will pour over the edges like a true witches brew.

How to Keep the Party Moving

If you’re going to have a fun party, you need to keep people entertained. Music is a tremendous part of that. Not everyone wants to dance, but they will get a kick out of Halloween songs mixed in with typical party music.

After all, what Halloween party is complete without the “Monster Mash”?

Parties can get a little awkward when it’s too quiet. Music is a great way to make everyone feel more comfortable as they get to know new people. If you have a Bluetooth speaker, everyone can take turns being the DJ. So you might not even have to worry about making a huge playlist.

Games for the Kiddos

If you have kids at the party, there are a lot of fantastic ways to keep them busy too. Remember, most of them are excited about this holiday for the candy. Who can blame them? Fortunately for you, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of that.

You can have a few guessing games. All you need to do is fill some jars with candy that you counted ahead of time. Anyone who guesses a number closest to your actual count wins. Remember to pick a time to announce the winners of any games or contests.

Your Halloween party is also an excellent time to have a candy scramble too. All you need is a nice big area and candy to throw all over the ground. Then have all the kids line up with paper bags, countdown, and release them to grab as much candy as they can.

Party Game and Activity Ideas for Kids

When you’re picking your games, remember that you are the one putting things in motion. So organized games with a lot of rules can present their own challenges. They’re still a lot of fun, but very time-consuming.

Instead of coming up with too many complicated games, try to set up independent games as well. Most of those activities will speak for themselves. We will be touching on a lot more stand-alone games next. They’re mostly adult favorites, but kids can enjoy many of them too because they’re classics.

Adult Games

If you’re having a strictly adult party, beer pong is a classic. It’s a great way to get your friends to show their competitive side and have their own tournament. Flip cup is another fabulous choice. You can involve a lot more people, and it’s another fun competition. Any drinking games will make for a fun time. The simpler, the better.

You could also consider card games, such as Cards Against Humanity or Cyanide and Happiness. These can be pretty inappropriate games, so they aren’t a great option when you have kids who want to play. If you need an alternative so kids can play too, you could play Apples to Apples instead.

There are also a plethora of yard games that would make a marvelous addition to your party.

Game Ideas for Adults

  • Beer pong
  • Flip cup
  • Giant Jenga
  • Cornhole
  • Bocce ball
  • Blackjack
  • Poker
  • Yard bowling
  • Darts
  • Ladderball
  • Giant Checkers
  • Horseshoes

The truth is, there are plenty of adult party games. But if you aren’t designating the night as a game night, most people want to socialize, eat, and enjoy themselves. So setting up things for them to do on their own is a great plan. Don’t overthink it too much.

Now That You Know How — Time to Get to Business

Figuring out how to plan a Halloween party can be daunting. There’s a lot to remember, and it can be easy to overlook certain aspects of a party.

No matter what, you should remember along the way that people are going to have fun no matter what you do. People love parties because they love meeting new people and catching up with old friends.

Food, drinks and good music is a bonus. It will keep people full, energized, and going all night. Games and activities are a huge plus if you have time for them. If you don’t, don’t worry about it. Nobody is going to hold it against you. It’s time to start your checklist and get all your pumpkins in a row.

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