Halloween is the ultimate excuse to let your hair down and throw the party of the year incorporating absolutely everything ghoulish to your eagerly awaited event. The great advantage of throwing a spooky Halloween party is unlike many others seasonal celebrations and party themes, it’s super easy to adhere to the theme and almost every aspect can be created through a little DIY.

6 Tips For Throwing A Spooky Halloween Party

From costume choice dilemmas to picking a menu that suits everyone’s taste buds, planning a party is never a walk in the park, but we can guarantee that it will all be worth it when you see your final creation come together. It’s never too early to start planning, so why not get a head start by taking a browse through our favourite ideas and helpful tips!

Pick Your Halloween Style

You’re probably thinking, what do you mean pick your Halloween style? Surely Halloween is just one big theme in itself? Of course, if you want to keep it generic and comfortable, you can stick to just a general scary theme, but why not be unique and go for something a little different?

Before deciding on a theme, first, take into consideration what age group you plan to invite. If small children and all members of the family will be attending, you may want to go for something a little less gory. But if it’s an adult only party, then you can pretty much pick any option you like the sound of the most!

When we hear ‘Halloween fancy dress’ there are a whole host of generic costumes that come to mind, from witches to skeletons. To avoid guests opting for the same old outfits, go for a particular theme. You could go for a spooky fairytale theme, zombified film characters or even a pumpkin theme where everyone dresses in orange!

The earlier in the planning process that you decide on a theme, the earlier you can spread the word to your guests giving them plenty of time to search for the perfect outfit!

DIY Decorations

Getting your hands dirty and showing your creative side is all part of the fun of party planning. If you’re having your party at home, even better, you can transform your home into the ultimate haunted house!

One of the best (and most fun) ways to create a ghostly feel is to pick up black spray paint and get spraying. Purchase some artificial plants or flowers along with a vintage pot and spray the whole installation black. Artificial roses work particularly well as they create a real ‘Corpse Bride’ vibe with an eery feel. Before your next recycling day, grab any old beer, wine or juice bottles, wash them out and spray these also, they can be your ‘bottles of poison’ used to serve drinks.

If you wanted to go for a more sophisticated, ‘Day Of The Dead’ theme, purchase a large plastic model skull and fill it with an arrangement of artificial flowers to create a stunning centrepiece for your table. Always go for artificial flowers as the holes in the head will limit you from being able to fill it with water to keep the flowers alive. Popular colour schemes for this arrangement is deep reds and purples.

For many, the scarier the decor, the better, so if this is you, then these next ideas are for you! Floating ghost heads can be made using polystyrene mannequin heads draped with thin cheesecloth. Make a collection and then attach some transparent thread, these can be hung on the ceiling and from your porch. For a real ‘Paranormal Activity’ feel, consider hanging different sized battery operated candles from your ceiling at different heights as if a supernatural being is elevating them.

A handy tip is to cover all furniture such as sofas and coffee tables with white sheets. It not only makes your guests feel as if they are in an abandoned haunted house, but will also keep your furniture safe from any spillages and damage.

Food Options

As a tasty, yet spooky snack, bake your guests a graveyard chocolate cake. Once ready and cooled down, cover your chocolate cake with crushed up oreo biscuits, they will create the appearance of dried mud in an old cemetery. Gravestones can be made out of sugar fondant and for an extra touch, you could even get some old doll arms and position them as if they are reaching up from beyond the dead like the famous ‘Thriller’ video.

If you wanted to give your guests a more substantial meal that is easy to prepare and keep warm, make a big pot of soup on the morning of your party, this could be your ‘Witches Cauldron’. Go for soup flavours that will bring a pop of colour such as tomato and red pepper for a blood-like red soup or pea soup for a gremlin coloured green.

Cocktail Menu

You just cannot have a Halloween party without a giant bowl of fruit punch. Whether you opt for an alcoholic or non-alcoholic punch will depend on the age of your guests.

Many different Halloween themed accessories can be picked up to compliment your chosen cocktail or mocktail for a reasonable price. Our favourites are skeleton shaped ice cube tray and skull-shaped mason jars. The great thing about mason jars is that they come with a lid, so your guests can dance to their favourite tunes without having to worry about spilling their drink – whats not to love!

For a whole host of amazing cocktail recipes to perfectly fit your Halloween them, take a look at this Cosmopolitan article!

Entertainment

Entertainment is vital especially if you have some little ones attending your party. The old favourites such as apple bobbing and pumpkin carving always bring many laughs and are guaranteed to keep the kids entertained for a large chunk of the party.

Keeping it traditional in regards to entertainment will always go down a storm, but for a larger party at a big venue, you may want to consider hiring something a little extra such as an inflatable photo booth. Your guests would have put a lot of time and effort into their fancy dress costume, so of course, they would love to have photos to take home with them to remember the occasion. Inflatable photo booths are full of innovative new technology, allowing you to make instant social media uploads with your very own personalised hashtag. All printouts are tailored to your party, your name or #Halloween2018 can be added along with the date. Bring your theme to life through a green screen with a haunting, scary backdrop to emphasise your Halloween outfits!

Make It A Party To Remember!

We hope that our article has given you some exciting inspiration for your next Halloween party, we’d love to see how you got on and your ghostly creations!