Spooktacular Halloween party ideas

Spooktacular Halloween party ideas

Whether it’s the candy, the costumes or the creepy decorations, there’s something for everyone when it comes to Halloween. If you’re looking for some fresh yet frightening ideas, look no further! We’ve got 8 Halloween party ideas with plenty of fun activities and crafts, decor picks and even some food suggestions.

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How to prepare for a memorable Halloween party

Planning a Halloween party can sound like a scary undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s our Halloween party-planning breakdown:

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Step 1: The invitation

• Select an invitation that matches the theme of your party. Evite has dozens of Halloween invitations with designs ranging from cute to creepy. We’ve even put together this fun list of ways to word your Halloween invitation!

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Step 2: Gather the goods

• In the weeks leading up to your party, start getting your decor from Halloween stores or placing online orders. Just make sure to leave ample time for potential delivery delays if you take the online route!

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Step 3: Plan the menu

• Figure out what you want to serve at your party and make sure you’ll have enough food based on the number of guests you’re expecting. Prep anything you can in the days leading up to your party so you aren’t too overwhelmed the day of. 

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Step 4: Don’t forget the drinks!

• Whether you’ll be picking up cans of soda or setting up a bar at your party, make sure you’ll have enough beverages to keep your guests hydrated and happy. Pro tip: big batch cocktails are a fuss-free way to serve up something exciting.

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8 Halloween party ideas

Make the most out of the spookiest time of year with these frighteningly fun Halloween party ideas. 

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Haunted mansion

Turn your home into a haunted house to give your guests a scary good time. Choose a different theme for each room, like graveyard, skeletons, dolls or vampires. Then, lead guests through each room or allow them to explore on their own. 

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Spooky scavenger hunt

Hide prizes, on-theme objects, candy or pumpkins around your house and write out cryptic clues leading guests to each object. 

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Example Halloween scavenger hunt clue:

Object: Pumpkin

Location: Pantry

Clue: “Pumpkins near and pumpkins far, find one where the dried goods are!”

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Halloween potluck

From autumnal eats to Halloween treats, a Halloween potluck is the perfect way to gather your ghouls for fun and food. This one’s pretty straightforward: just ask each guest to bring a dish! To make sure you’ve got enough to feed everyone, delegate different dish types to each guest. For example, ask some guests to bring an appetizer while asking others to bring a dessert. 

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And of course, don’t forget to go all out on the decorations for this one, too! Even though the tasty treats and eats might be the star of the show, you’ll still want to give your guest a fang-tastic atmosphere.

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Costume contest 

If you and your guests are anything like us, you’ve probably been planning your Halloween costume for months. Give everyone a chance to really show off their ’fits by hosting a Halloween costume contest! 

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Ask guests to dress up for the party, then invite everyone to vote for their favorite costume. You can even go the extra mile by setting up a runway and having a full-on fashion show to get your guests strutting their spooky stuff!

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And make sure to check out our list of 2023’s top 23 Halloween costume ideas if you need some inspo. We’ve even included links to costume pieces for each idea!

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Chilling game night

Everyone loves a classic game night, so why not host one for Halloween? Give your favorite games a spooky flair to stay on-theme and get ready for a night of fun!

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Here are some of our favorite Halloween games & activities:

Halloween piñata

• Pick up a Halloween piñata from a local party shop or purchase one like this from Amazon. Fill with Halloween candy and start whacking!

Pumpkin tic, tac, toe

• Set up a grid on the ground using duct tape or party streamers. Then, use pumpkins as your tic, tac, toe pieces! Just make sure to have two different colors of pumpkins so players know which are theirs.

Jack ‘o lantern bean bag toss

• Set up trick or treating buckets at various distances, give players different colored bean bags and have them try to toss their bean bags into the buckets! Whoever gets the most bean bags into the buckets wins.

Halloween bingo

• Make your own Halloween-themed bingo board or purchase one like this from Etsy. 

Musical chairs

• Play some of your fave Halloween tunes and get a game of musical chairs going! Monster Mash is obviously a must.

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Creepy crafts

Throw a creepy, crafty Halloween party to get your guests’ creative juices flowing! Set up different craft stations, including pumpkin carving, pumpkin painting, face painting or creepy cookie decorating.

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This spooky bat pumpkin craft by Erika Domesek of P.S.—I Made This is the perfect kid-friendly craft. All you need is some faux or real pumpkins, glue, paper and a couple other craft supplies to make the cutest little pumpkin bats. Plus, the tutorial includes a printable template!

Mystical mixology

Costumes and cocktails is always a good combo, so a Halloween cocktail party is BOO-tiful idea. Add a terrifying twist to your favorite cocktails by tweaking the ingredients. Here are some of our faves:

• Crow’s blood champagne cocktail
• Spooky spiked apple cider
• Blood orange martinis
• Vampire bite cocktail
• Pumpkin punch
• Blood of grapes sangria

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It’s easy to turn a cocktail into a mocktail to give the kiddos something tasty to drink. Simply replace any alcohol with club soda or juice for a family-friendly fix.

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Scary movie night

Grab a projector like this one from Amazon and queue up your favorite Halloween classic. Some of our kid-friendly faves: Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown and Coraline. Don’t forget to prep plenty of Halloween treats for your guests to snack on during the movie!

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Halloween sweet treats

It wouldn’t be Halloween without something sweet. Amp up your treat game with these creative recipes:

• Halloween caramel apples
• OREO witches’ hats
• DIY candy apple bar

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Our decor picks

When it comes to Halloween, the bar is pretty high for decorations. But fear not! With just a few wow-worthy pieces, you can totally transform your space.

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For a terrifyingly terrific tablescape:

Spiderweb Tablecloth

Orange Table Runner

Ghost Salt & Pepper Shakers

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Dinnerware that scares:

Black Cat Dinnerware Set

Halloween Dinnerware Set

Black BOO Dinnerware Set

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For a spooky charcuterie:

Bat-Shaped Cutting Board

Pumpkin Cocktail Sticks

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Browse More Halloween Decor

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Invite your loved ones to an unforgettable Halloween extravaganza 

Now that you know what kind of party to throw, it’s time to send out those invitations! Evite offers plenty of free and Premium digital Halloween invitations that are certain to set the tone for your frightening fête. Customize your invitation with stamps and stickers, change the color of your envelope and edit and adjust invitation text to your heart’s content. Or, opt for a photo invitation and upload a pic of your own directly onto the invitation template. Once you’ve personalized your dream invitation, send it out via email, text or shareable link. Next, watch the RSVPs roll in in real-time and message guests to remind them to let you know whether or not they can make it. We make party planning a breeze so you can save the scary stuff for the actual party! And if you’re a total socialite expecting lots of parties in the coming year, make sure to check out Evite Pro. This annual subscription allows you to send an unlimited number of Premium invitations. Now that’s pretty fa-boo-lous.