The great thing about Halloween is that it offers something fun for people of all ages. From trick-or-treating to midnight horror movies, there’s a little for everyone to enjoy. That’s why Halloween parties are so popular. There’s a huge variety of activities, refreshments and decorations you can experiment with depending on what appeals to you and your guests. If you’re planning to throw an outdoor Halloween party, here are some ideas you can try for a fun and spooky evening the entire family is sure to enjoy.
Gather Around the Fire Pit
The weather is starting to cool down around Halloween in many places, making it an excellent time of year to gather with friends and family around a cozy fire pit. Your guests can roast marshmallows and make s’mores by the fire. Just make sure you have a fire safety plan in place to keep your party warm and safe.
Read and Share Scary Stories
Sharing spooky tales is a time-honored Halloween tradition for many families. Set aside time at your outdoor party to share scary stories. Tell old ghost stories, act out parts from your favorite scary movie or look up thrilling tales online to share with your guests.
Show Off Your Costumes
If your Halloween party is a costume party, your guests will likely have put a lot of effort into getting dressed up. Organize a costume parade if you have young kids at your party. If your guests are a bit older, you could hand out costume awards or let guests vote on their favorite outfit.
Decorate and Carve Pumpkins Pumpkin carving and outdoor parties are a perfect match. It’s much easier to manage the mess of carving pumpkins outside. Make a pumpkin patch in your yard supplied with carving tools for your guests to use. Another option is to buy miniature pumpkins and give your guests paint, stickers and other craft supplies they can use for decorating.
Adapt Kid-Friendly Games
Any party games or activities your little ones and their friends enjoy playing can be adapted to fit the Halloween theme of your party. For example, set up a game where kids try to pin a spider on a web while blindfolded. Get a Halloween-themed piñata at your local party store. If your family likes to play bean-bag toss, decorate the bean bags to look like pumpkins or black cats.
Make Space for Grown-Ups
While the kids are at play, create a space for the grown-ups at your party to relax and chat. Invest in some comfortable patio furniture. Consider an outdoor structure like a pergola that can create shade during the day and turn into a covered outdoor room in the evening. You can even build it yourself if you order a pergola hardware kit.
For the men, consider an archery tournament or a turkey shoot with airsoft weapons.
Prepare Festive Refreshments
There are many fun Halloween-themed appetizers, snacks and desserts you can serve at your party. For example, you can decorate rice crisp treats to look like ghosts or roll up hot dogs in crescent rolls to make tasty mummies. You could even make a Halloween punch that looks like a witch’s potion and serve it in a cauldron.
Create a Spooky Atmosphere
Use sound and lighting to create the ultimate spooky atmosphere at your Halloween party. Warm, gentle lighting is nice in the evening, but you can also use outdoor holiday lights in bright colors like purple, orange and green to turn your outdoor space into a creepy environment. Make a party playlist of Halloween hits or look up scary soundscapes on your favorite streaming service to play in the background.
If you want to host an outdoor bash the entire family can enjoy, try these tips at your next Halloween party.
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