Halloween Party Ideas

Halloween Party Ideas: Okay, so October 31st may not really be the scariest day of the year these days, but it is certainly an opportunity for families, neighbors and even communities to come together and celebrate all that is ghoulish and ghostly.


Fast becoming one of the most popular celebrations in the year, Halloween appeals to people both young and old, all of whom need different party ideas to suit their needs.

Halloween is also one of the only celebrations acknowledged in various forms the whole world over.

So, whether you are planning a spooky party for your young ones or an adult haunting get-to-gether, there are plenty of Halloween party ideas below on this page to ensure the event is a scary success.

Halloween Party Ideas, Halloween Recipes and Games:

Pumpkin-Carving Party

Treat family and friends to a Halloween party they will never forget by letting them make their own Jack O' Lantern with a pumpkin-carving party.

    

No matter what Halloween party ideas you decide to go with, every one should have home-made invitations to round off your party's theme.

Therefore, the obvious decoration for a home-made invitation for a pumpkin-carving party is a pumpkin! - complete with ghoulish smile.

This type of party is ideal for a daytime celebration with the family, outside if weather permits. However, no matter where you are ensure your tables are covered with Halloween-themed craft paper to prevent mess.
 
You will need to ideally provide one pumpkin per guest or per family, this is so they can take their Jack O' Lantern home with them at the end of the party. If you are working to a budget, ask guests to bring their own pumpkin and you can provide the Halloween party food and drink.

Ideal food for a pumpkin-carving party is popcorn, macaroni cheese and soup – preferably pumpkin soup if you're not sick of the sight of them.

Drinks should be warm, especially if your party is at an outside location. You can also carve out the innards of any leftover pumpkins and make your own candy dishes, full of Halloween treats.

Guests will obviously be kept busy carving faces in their pumpkins, so no Halloween party games will be needed for this. Utensils for carving safely include a melon baller or small cooking spoons and scoops.

If you feel like making life a little easier for guests, print Jack O' Lantern templates from the Internet, so your guests can make a professional looking lantern.

                         


Verdict – Of all the possible Halloween party ideas you have to choose from, this is probably the most family-orientated one.
Ideal for people of all ages, the carving will allow everyone to bond and each guest has something better than a party bag to take home with them when the party ends.


 

Monster Mask Ball

Halloween party ideas don't come much better than a monster mask ball.
 
A bit of a twist on the classic masquerade ball, ask all your guests to come to the party in a monster mask or costume.

Ideal for children, as well as adults, ask guests to make their own masks or costumes so you can judge whose is the best and give out prizes once the party has finished.
Monster mask balls can be as big or small as you want and will depend entirely on how many guests you plan to invite.

However, whether you hold the party in your home or at a venue, the decorations you use will be exactly the same.

Cut refuse sacks into strips and hang from doorways for your guests to walk through. Cover walls with pictures or stencils of spider webs, witches hats and of course, monsters.
You could even ask someone you know to dress up as Frankenstein for the evening, to act as greeter to your guests as well as a waiter serving Halloween-themed drinks from a tray.

No monster mask ball would be complete without some Halloween party food for you and your guests.
Cover a table with a suitable Halloween-themed cloth, velvet would work really well if you have it, and add a variety of dishes to the table.
Basic sandwiches can be spruced up with some interesting carved tomatoes and cucumber, the same with sausage rolls, quiches and other classic party fare.

You can satisfy your monster guests' sweet tooth with monster cupcakes – make each one with a different face – and caramel-topped apples.
Soft drinks can be made instantly ghoulish by adding a candy snake to the bottom or rim of each glass.
This idea works just as well with adult guests who may be drinking something stronger than soda.

Halloween party games could include pin the nose on the monster, a Halloween twist on a childhood favorite that is sure to make adults smile, as well as children.
Simply make or print out a picture of a monster's face minus the nose, which will need to be kept separate. The monsters face will need to be big enough to go on the wall. Then, in good ol' pin the tail on the donkey style, blindfold the player, spin them twice and then get them to pin the nose back on the monster's face.

Surprisingly entertaining, this game will keep your guests busy and amused. The person who manages to get the monster's nose as close to the correct location as possible is the winner.
Halloween party prizes are readily available from dollar stores at this time of year, so there is no need to break your budget.


Verdict – The monster mask ball is one of those Halloween party ideas that can be adapted to suit the age group of the guest list.
Smaller children will appreciate being able to make their own monster mask and maybe win a prize, while adults will appreciate letting their hair down while playing a childhood classic – with a Halloween twist.

Wacky Witches Party

Halloween just wouldn't be the same without an ugly woman in a pointy hat, the very traditional and slightly scary witch.

Although children may enjoy dressing up as witches, you may find that other Halloween party ideas are more suitable for the younger age group – leave the witches to the grown ups.
Again, plump for home-made invitations – simple green card, a black witch hat topper complete with a cobweb will more than convey your Halloween party intentions.
Don't forget to encourage guests to dress as witches, the uglier the better.


Decoration for a wacky witch party is more of the same, although if you can get hold of a makeshift cauldron this will only add to your party's visual effect.
Silly string strewn over light fittings and dangling from pictures, clocks and furniture will make ideal cobwebs.
Make some spooky witch silhouettes using black card for your walls and grab some black (if you can't find black, spray paint a different color) tinsel to run around doors and windows.
As the host you will have to ensure you are dressed appropriately, and roping other members of the family to act as drink servers or games hosts will give your party star witch appeal.

Halloween party games for a wacky witches party should include bobbing for apples.
Ideally you should fill a barrel with water, although a large bucket on a table is often sufficient and fill it with apples for your witch guests to pick up – with their teeth of course.
Joke plastic spiders, snakes and rats in the water will add to the “errrrrgh” effect.

If only adults are attending, you could also play “Switch the Witch” this involves people breaking up into pairs. One pair are required to stand behind a blanket, where they have sixty seconds to swap as many items of clothing as possible. This game is best played by couples who are married or in a relationship – with each other obviously.

Let your imagination run wild when it comes to Halloween party food for your wacky witch party. The food doesn't have to be expensive and if you use your imagination you can make the food appear spookier than it actually is. Cover the usual party food, such as sandwiches, sausage rolls and crisps, with candy spiders and other insects your guests can remove – or leave on- before they eat. Decorate your party food table with plastic rats and more cobwebs.

No witches party would be complete without a witches brew – which would really be home-made punch made with or without alcohol depending on your guests. Again candy insects and animals will liven up the brew and give it a Halloween touch.

Verdict – Although men and women could enjoy this witchiest of Halloween party ideas, this type of bash is ideal for women who are maybe looking for a theme for a Halloween bachelorette party. Because the witch is a classic Halloween icon, designing your party to a witch theme cannot really go wrong.

Murder Mystery

One of the quirkier Halloween party ideas involves murder – well not real murder but a dramatized version that will leave your guests remembering your murder mystery party for many Halloween celebrations to come.

You will be required to write a story involving enough characters to ensure each guest invited can play a part.
You will need one person to play the murder victim and only you and the victim will know the identity of the killer. Even the murderer will be completely in the dark until his identity is revealed.
You will need to provide each guest with a run down of their character and what they were doing during the time of the murder.

You will also need to pick a setting, a castle, a library or a high school reunion and decorate your party room accordingly.
You should also leave several clues around the room, cryptic messages that will help give your detective guests give an insight into who committed murder most foul.
You should also encourage guests to interview each other, to find out there whereabouts for when the murder took place.

Sleuthing will be hungry work, so ensure you have plenty of Halloween party food on hand for your paranoid guests. You could even make up a stew, chili or curry for your guests to eat around the table, where they can discuss their suspicions on who they think killed the victim. Tell guests they must stay in character however, and whether you choose to serve alcohol is up to you.

Your guests will be having so much fun playing detective, you won't need any additional Halloween party games to keep them occupied.

Verdict- Halloween party ideas do not get more grown up than this, so this type of party is most definitely better confined to an adult guest list.
However, if you want to gear your Halloween party towards children, transform the theme into a mystery scavenger. Again leave ghoulish clues around the room or house and let the children figure out where the treasure is.

Canni-Ball

Halloween party ideas do not get gorier than the Canni-Ball theme.
This type of Halloween bash is all about cannibals – flesh eating zombies, body snatchers and skin-eating mummies.

The Canni-Ball is all about the food, which should all be in the shape of human body parts. When it comes to the Halloween party food get creative, Gello makes wonderful body parts, mashed potatoes are ideal for brains, intestines made from linked sausages will make your guests do a double take as the tuck into their Halloween grub.
Mix lemonade with cranberry juice and a splash of red food coloring and you have a blood punch for your guests to drink.
You can even print cartoon-effect body parts from your computer and use them to decorate your food table.

Ask your party guests to come dressed as mummies and zombies – which ever they prefer.

You can meet them at the door with a plate of peeled grapes, which can be made to look surprisingly like eyeballs if you think outside of the box.

Halloween party games for this sort of spooky gathering could include Pass the body part – a Canni-Ball take on pass the parcel, which is bound to be a hit with younger guests. Musical zombies may appear childish but it is a good way to get your party guests dancing, as well as encouraging their stamina.

Verdict – Once again this is one of those Halloween party ideas that could appeal to party guests of all ages. Plus, it can be put together on a budget and your guests won't have to spend a lot of money making a zombie costume.
It doesn't matter what type of Halloween party games you decide to play with your guests, the ambience of the party will ensure everyone enjoys themselves.

Trick or Treat

This doesn't really belong in a list of Halloween party ideas but it does have to get a mention. Not only is trick or treating probably the most popular of all Halloween activities, it is also an age-old tradition enjoyed in different forms by people all over the world. Also known as”Guising”, trick or treating sees children, although it is common for adults to accompany them, go from door to door in their neighbourhood asking for treats. The treats are usually candy, although in some cultures it is traditional for children to receive money.

The trick part is an idle threat that, should a treat not be given, the children will perform some sort of mischievous act on the home-owner or their house. Trick or treating dates back as far as 1890, where people who were considered to be poor would call door to door offering to say a prayer for the home owner's dead loved ones, in return for food.

Although considered a much more fun practice these days, trick or treating is not enjoyed by everyone. In fact, in some countries, homes that do not have any Halloween decorations on their door are considered strictly “off limits” and trick or treaters will not bother calling at that home.

  

        

So if you want to share the Halloween with all the hopeful kids out there, be sure to place a pumpkin head at your door.

No matter which of the many Halloween party ideas you decide to go with, breaking up the party for a little trick or treating is not just fun, it would not be breaking with tradition.

 History of Halloween

You might want to make yourself aware of some of the history surrounding Halloween.

Also known to many as All Hallows Eve, Halloween takes place on the eve before All Hallows, a popular Western Christian feast.
Depending on who you listen to the celebration of Halloween is loosely based on other traditions that celebrate the dead and Pagan festivals.

Unfortunately, in generations gone by certain cultures viewed the celebration of Halloween as wrong, and accused those who followed Halloween traditions of being witches. Thankfully, attitudes are much more relaxed these days and the chances of being burned at the stake for holding a haunting party are slim to none.

Traditional Halloween party games include trick or treating and apple bobbing, with Halloween party food including treacle cake and pumpkin pie.

Traditional Halloween parties will nearly always include ghosts, witches, pumpkins, spiders and vampires.


           

Where Would You Like to Go Next?

 

Halloween Cards: Funny free printable greeting cards for Halloween with ghosts, bats, spiders and witches.	Halloween Clip Art: All kinds of drawings and cut-outs for Halloween greetings and invitations.
Halloween Borders and Frames: Borders with skulls, witches, cats and more, and also some Halloween frames.	Halloween Sayings: This is where you find the perfect Halloween quote and saying for your invitations and greetings.
Cat Clip Art: Lots of cat clip art, and you will also find black cat silhouettes to use for your invitations and decorations for Halloween.	Halloween Pictures: Original photos of Halloween themed decorations with lots of pumpkin men and witches.
Halloween Coloring Pages: Find and print these great coloring sheets with Halloween themes.	Halloween Decorating Ideas: You will love these Halloween plates and table decorations.
Vintage Halloween Cards: If you don't find the card you are looking for on the page with Halloween cards, maybe you should take a look here?	Bat Clipart: Wonderful images of bats of any kind as well as bat silhouettes and Halloween bats.

 

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