If there’s one thing you want to do in your life just once, it’s knowing how to plan an adult Halloween party the proper way!
Planning a party is one of those things that brings me complete joy.
And planning a Halloween party for adults is no different. There are a few more things to worry about, but I’ll get to that pretty quickly.
Halloween is that holiday where you can be incredibly creative, where you can be as spooky or creepy as you want, and it is simply filled with possibilities. What those possibilities are? Down to you and your imagination.
Go as laidback or as fancy as you want for Halloween and if there’s anything I tell you now: plan thoroughly and early!
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Related: 50 of The Best Halloween Activities
Well, I think that’s it. You’re here for the ultimate question after all …
Table of Adventures
1 // How Do You Throw a Great Halloween Party for Adults?
There are two main things to think about when you’re planning any type of party, including Halloween parties:
- Think about your guests and how well they will mesh. Are they from different socioeconomic groups? Are they into the same (or cohesively different) things? Do they have strong opinions about particular issues that may make them more or less relatable to someone else in your friend group? Are they actually into Halloween!? Also, co-workers or not?
- Think about the theme of your party. Is this a singles-friendly kind of party where most people are drinking or is this more of a mature dinner party? A scary movie night?
Knowing the theme can help you figure out who you want to invite, but also keep in mind the previous points. Some people don’t like hanging out with coworkers outside of work. Some people are super into politics or religion, and while you might love them, they get a little over-the-top with people who disagree with them… maybe you don’t want them at the same party.
At the same time, if you have a friend that has children and is kind of settled down, are they going to enjoy the same vibe as your single friends who want to have a dance party? Just some things to think about. You want people who are going to mix well and add to the party, not people who are going to get on each other’s nerves.
2 // How to Choose the Date for Halloween Party
If you’re a planner like me, you know that the date is super important, and it can take a while to pick the best one. What day of the week is best for the people you want to attend? Are there other parties going on?
Halloween is a busy season for get-togethers, and if one of your other friends is planning their own party, a scheduling conflict means that, at best, they can’t come, but at worst, you might end up in an argument over who has dibs.
If you’re having your party outdoors, you are going to want to come up with a plan in case it rains. Maybe a rain date, or maybe an indoor venue you can quickly shift to in the event that the weather turns against you. Late October is no time to be outside in the rain, especially at night!
Here’s a helpful idea that might work for you: choose three dates that work for you, and then pick out the people in your friend group that you most want to attend, and then narrow it down from there. You can come right out and ask a few people, or you can be a little more discreet and find out if anyone has plans and on which days. Usually, there’s a particular day that’s a dead-ringer for the best, so go with that one.
One important thing though: when the majority of your friend group is on board with a certain date, go with that one. Commit to it. If your Aunt Merle or even your favorite cousin can’t make it, don’t sweat it. If you derail the party to accommodate a particular person’s schedule, you risk throwing everyone’s plans into disarray, and then the whole event could fall apart.
It can sometimes feel a bit awkward not going above and beyond for people, at least for me. But if you’re planning a party and 10 or 15 people are coming, you gotta remember that you’re inconveniencing all of them if you’re changing plans that were already set in stone.
The closer to Halloween you go, the harder it will be to wrangle a large enough group as a lot of your friends may have been invited to other shindigs, so plan early and quickly.
Related: 50 Things to Do For Halloween (You Don’t Want to Miss)
3 // Figure Out Your Budget
So, I can’t stress this enough: don’t overextend yourself monetarily for a party.
Set yourself a firm financial budget for this party and then stick to it. The budget will help you coordinate a plan of attack for making this the best Halloween party you can throw for the money, and it’ll keep you from getting stressed out thinking about how much everything costs.
A couple of things to consider: location, theme, how many invited guests, and how intensive you want to go with the decor. Of course, you’ll want food and drinks, and you might also spring for party favors. Those are based pretty directly on attendance, but you can also pull a few tricks to defray the costs if you’re into it.
You can tell people to bring a dish, which is a good way to make sure everyone has enough food without having to cook everything yourself. Or you could create the majority of what you want to offer or pay a hefty catering bill.
You could also do BYOB, but that can come off as overly frugal, depending on your crowd. A good compromise is to supply some alcohol, but then to suggest that guests bring their own personal favorite.
I’ll talk more about the venue and decorations/entertainment in the next sections, but come up with an amount that you’re willing to spend on these items. You can always just plug in Spotify and crank the music, so these shouldn’t be points of stress, but if you do have the means, or at least the time, you can make your shindig something to remember.
Something else to consider is how long you expect the party to go on. Three hours? Five? All night? Keep this in mind because it’ll help you determine both a good venue, as well as planning for enough food and drinks for the whole time.
Overall, going over budget isn’t worth it just for one night, but a little bit can also go a long way towards making the party a success. So come up with what your budget is and then respect it.
4 // Where to Host Your Halloween Party
When you decide to host a Halloween party, you probably already have an idea in mind of where you want to host it… otherwise, why are you planning a party? That said, thinking of the party you want to throw can help you decide which of the many locations are more appropriate.
On the other hand, if you only have one option of where to have your get-together, then you know that you have to treat the venue as something to plan around, making the best use of the space you have.
The fact is, you need a location – even if it’s just your living room or a public park, there has to be a sanctioned space where you’re going to hang out.
So, obviously, if you have a home or an apartment, your place is a possibility. There might be complicating factors, of course… noise, kids, pets and the guests with allergies, and so on. So here are some other possible ideas for locations, just in case hosting at your place isn’t ideal.
If there’s a public park or a campground nearby (or an abandoned greenhouse?!), that’s always a possibility. There might be rules related to drinking or gatherings over a certain size, but these are pretty inexpensive options, and having a costume party out by a lake could be a really fun change of pace.
If you’re hoping for something indoors, you can look at Airbnb, VRBO, or the like, for a house rental; so long as you clean up after yourself, that opens a whole world of possibilities up to you.
If you have co-hosts to share the cost, you could even rent a fairly large place a little farther away, so you can go for a whole spooky haunted mansion vibe, and if anyone enjoys themselves a little too much, there will be extra space for them to crash.
If you want to stay local and you live in the suburbs, there’s usually a 4H club or an American Legion fairly close by. They aren’t usually the fanciest places, but they’re affordable and tend to be pretty flexible.
If you’ve got a larger budget and want a posher venue, country clubs or nightclubs can host private parties as well.
Whatever you choose, use it to your advantage! Even if in your area you’re ‘stuck’ renting out the high school gymnasium, then do a creepy school haunting! That’s not the greatest example though, because I feel like more than a few adults might not be super excited about partying in an actual school, but you know what I mean!
When you’re choosing your location, think about all the variables that will go into creating the mood you want for your guests. If it’s outside, pay close attention to the weather and try to pick a date that’s typically warmer, such as earlier in the month. If not, plan for a fire pit or space heaters so that people have a place to warm up.
If you’re indoors, on the other hand, cordon off the rooms you don’t want people to go into. Caution tape or tables filled with decorations can be placed to keep people from going into certain doors. You can also add a sign to the bathroom door so people know how to find it, instead of stumbling around your house and into an area you don’t really want people in.
No matter what you do, though, remember your budget. That’s all I’m sayin’.
Related: Halloween Bucket List
5 // Choose Your Halloween Theme and/or Aesthetic
This is the fun part – choosing the theme for your Halloween party!
There are a plethora of ideas out there that could definitely work for whatever you envision, and if there isn’t, keep it simple or create your own.
One year, my boyfriend and I did Stranger Things for our party. We hosted it in our basement, bought chunky, multicolored lights, had a mini-fridge filled with Eggos (and put a toaster on top for anyone who actually wanted any), and we managed to create a dark atmosphere with black drapes, a Dungeons and Dragons board game, and a few other nods to the awesome show.
While everyone (and their grandma) was toasting to the greatness of Stranger Things, we simply borrowed the elements that really symbolized the series to us, and it didn’t require us to make a life-sized Demogorgon or learn telekinesis.
The point is: fall in love with the theme for your party before doing anything else. It makes the next couple of steps easier.
6 // Invite Your Friends
This should be one of the easiest things to do.
I mean … you do have friends, right? If not, I’ll be your friend, friend. (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ ♥
Most people have a few separate friend groups. A few people they know from here, a few from there, etc. You can invite them all or be as picky as you want.
The reason I put invitations after choosing a theme is simple: some guests aren’t necessarily well-suited for certain kinds of themes. If you have laid-back friends, they might not want to come to your formal attire fancypants murder mystery dinner party.
I have a blast hanging out with some of my family members, but if I’m throwing a raging party with all the drinks, I’m not going to invite my mother. Sorry, mom.
Just keep in mind the points from the introduction; some of your friends are not going to be well-suited to some of your other friends. Obviously, the point here isn’t to exclude people, but try to think of your friends and what they would enjoy, and use caution when inviting people out of their comfort zone. Chaos can ensue.
Now, invitations can be as simple as a group text or an email, or you could send out paper invitations if you want to stress the ‘fancy’ vibes of your shindig. Make sure you send the invites out about a month before the party; most of the planning has been on paper at this point, and you’re going to need time to physically prepare for the event.
Plus, people need time to check their own schedules and to RSVP accordingly.
Now, a week before the party, send a reminder, as well as one a day before. Something casual, like “yessss, I’m so excited to see your costume tomorrow!” The text really conveys that they are personally invited and it’ll make them way more excited to show up.
The last thing you want is for people to bail at the last minute saying that they forgot or made other plans because something changed.
7 // Collect Ideas for Decor
Now that you’ve gotten around to choosing the date, location, your budget, and you’ve invited the friends that’ll share the night with you, it’s time to pick out decor that will match the theme you’ve chosen.
Depending on what you’re trying to do, your decor can be anything from a simple tablecloth, some decorative tchotchkes, and candles, to all manner of things, like larger centerpieces, sound effects, smoke machines, and so on. The world of Halloween decorations is literally endless, so just look on Pinterest if you’re stumped. There are a million ideas!
You can DIY a lot of your decorations if you’re so inclined, or you can take a trip to Party City, or to Target, Walmart, or really any big box store near you. Michael’s and JoAnn Fabrics also have a lot of seasonal decorations, so they’re good choices as well. Just keep this in mind: buying everything can get expensive, so if you don’t have a budget, the rule with DIY is that a little bit can go a long way. If you have the time, you can make a huge impact with some carefully applied spiderwebs and the like.
If you need something specific and you can’t find it at the store, remember to check Etsy, because someone, somewhere, has probably made it.
8 // Choose the Halloween-inspired Food and Drinks
I love food.
You love food.
Your guests also love food.
Depending on the time and length of the party, there are different expectations for food, but since this is a Halloween party, you can get really creative here. I’m sure you’ve seen sour jelly worms being used as worms in a cup of chocolate cake “dirt,” or even using gumball “eyeballs” in a bowl for a cake topper.
If you’re looking for something more stylish than funny/creepy, you can try a creepy cheeseboard and eerie black cocktails. A little green food coloring can make the cheese look moldy, for example.
The fun thing with food is that you don’t need to be kitschy, but you can be if that’s your vibe. If you bake, you can go super simple and just make some orange frosted Halloween cookies, or you can go over the top and have a multilayer chocolate cake with raspberry filling, which can ‘bleed’ out of it when cut.
For Halloween parties, I enjoy making three signature dishes; that way I don’t have to make a million things, but I can still feel like a good host. Anything outside of that I buy, or I ask someone else to bring. If I’m buying it, I can always zhuzh it up before the party to make it more Halloween-y.
So, for example, I once bought premade sugar knives, took a dollop of red jam, and ‘stabbed’ them into the tops of some frosted red velvet cupcakes I made. My boyfriend called them murder-cakes. I mean hey, it was a hit, so. へ‿(ツ)‿ㄏ
So flex your imagination when it comes to the food. I’ve seen candy ‘cheeseboards’ (pictured below), murderous muffins, and everything in between. Match your food choices as closely as possible to your theme and you’re guaranteed to have a deliciously scary evening.
P.S. Don’t forget to find a signature drink for the evening. The same theming rules apply: If you’re throwing a Disney Villains or Alice in Wonderland-themed party, for example, how about trying the Red Queen Cocktail?
9 // Pick A Couple Games
Now, my friends and I like games, but this isn’t everyone’s guaranteed cup of tea.
That said, having the option to play a game or two gives guests something to participate in and it can help the groups meld and get to know one another. Choose a maximum of two games; you don’t want to overwhelm people with options and let your guests take the reins here if they want to.
Here, you want to worry less about the theme of the party, although you can certainly work it in, and more about the ‘format.’
If it’s a dinner party for a small number of people, then you can play a board game, but for parties where people will be milling around, board games can take up a lot of space and time. For parties like that, card games are great, as are active games like charades.
Of course, if your party is a whole Murder Mystery theme, then the entire night is a game, so everyone should be able to participate in that as they want. Here are some other suggestions to try:
The Grave Keeper. This game is best played with a medium-sized group and a lot of space. One guest is the designated grave keeper, and their job is to watch all the other guests, who drop to the floor ‘in their graves.’ If the grave keeper has their eye on you, then you can’t move, but when the grave keeper isn’t looking, they can move. The game ends when one of the “undead” fully rises.
There’s also Halloween Name That Tune… which is basically Name That Tune with Halloween songs. You can find a free printable to this game on Play Party Plan.
Death by Trivia. This is a trivia card game that tests guests on their knowledge of “the dark, disturbing, debauched and diabolical.” It’ll engage your friends and let your more Halloween-enthused friends to show off their knowledge of the holiday.
Just remember to choose games that the majority of your friends will actually enjoy; you could be the biggest Star Trek fan in the world, but if none of your friends are into that fandom, then it doesn’t really do you any good.
(Not singling out Trekkies, Spock on witcha bad selves ^-^)
Related: 50 Easy Things to Do This Halloween
10 // Host a Contest or Two
This can easily be combined with a game or event for the night, or it can be as laid back as a raffle ticket or a costume contest, where the contest doesn’t take center stage at the party, but it helps break up the night.
Do you know that invitation that you’re going to send out? Add a little note about the contest you’re holding, so that your guests know to participate. Then think about the gift card, bottle of liquor, or bespoke skeleton trophy that you’re going to buy and/or hot glue together for the winner(s).
Here are some examples; feel free to use as many as you want.
- The Jar Guessing Game
- Costume Contest (Best Solo, Best Couple, Scariest, Naughtiest, etc.)
- Karaoke Contest
- Murder Mystery, find the killer
- Dance Contest
- Trivia (General or Specific)
There are endless options when it comes to what the contest is. You can tailor it to your theme and people will usually be down to be a part of it. For things like ‘best contest,’ give people a chance to campaign and strut their stuff under the metaphorical spotlight before voting, and make sure it’s anonymous so no one has any specific hurt feelings.
As far as timing goes, announcing the winner is going to cue that the party is almost over, so if you plan it for about an hour before the end, that will give people time to celebrate (or mourn their loss), and then to say their goodbyes.
11 // Pick Out Party Favors
I personally love party favors, since they’re a great way to remember parties past. That said, this is definitely more of an optional choice, especially for a Halloween party. You’ve already paid for everything else, so adding party favors to the budget might not be a great use of funds for you.
That said, if you can squeeze in a little ‘take home’ gift, you’re well on your way to being the best host of your generation, at least as far as your friends are concerned.
Party favors don’t need to be large or extravagant; they are, by nature, just little tokens of appreciation for coming to your event. They might be those little ‘nip’ bottles of alcohol, a hangover kit, or some memento that fits with the theme of the party.
12 // Pick the Spooky Music!
Grab your phone and turn on your music player of choice (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Pandora, Tidal, etc).
Look for Halloween playlists, check out the song selections, play a few, choose your favorite list.
Easy peasy.
If you don’t pay for your music service, though, find a friend that does and ask to use their phone. No one wants to stop dancing to listen to ads. Seriously.
If your budget is fairly large, you could think about a DJ or a live band. Based on noise constraints and the fact that that’s probably a relatively pricey undertaking. Live music definitely adds to the vibe of a party though, especially if you and your friends like to dance, or if there is sort of a ‘singles’ vibe you’re going for.
Other ideas could be going with a creepy classical music vibe, especially if you’re going the dinner party or haunted mansion routes, or search ‘creepy versions of kids songs’ for your haunted dollhouse aesthetic.
Just remember when it comes to the kitschy stuff, it goes a long way to set the tone, but you might not want to hear it the entire night, so keep something in reserves for when the effect has worn off.
Conclusion to Planning A Halloween Party
So you’ve done it all: from choosing your date to inviting your friends, to picking out the decor.
Now all you have to do is sit back, eat some caramel popcorn and candy pumpkins, and allow your friends to have the time of their lives. Don’t forget the alcohol, the good tunes, and the right space for people to conversate, dance, and maybe roast some marshmallows on your ‘zombie apocalypse trash can fire,’ if that’s your thing.
Hope your festivities are as spooky and as chilling as you want them to be. ↜(╰ •ω•)╯ψ
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