Halloween is one of the best times to throw a get-together for friends and acquaintances. The spookiest day of the year makes planning easy — after all, holidays take a lot of the guesswork out of themes and decorations. But for the hostess looking to go a little beyond “It’s Halloween, let’s celebrate,” there are tons of party ideas and Halloween party themes you can use to make your party a cut above the rest.
Here are our favorite 7 Halloween Party Themes for 2018
Literary
Ghosts, witches, sorcery, and fairies? Shakespeare was all about the supernatural and spooky. Shakespeare’s works
Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula were books before they were movies. And for those who’d like to play to the theme without being scary, literature offers a pantheon of oddball characters who’d make great costumes. From Ms. Havisham to the Mad Hatter, the only limit is your library. This is a great Halloween party theme for anyone who likes books!
Scary Movies
Scary movies are always in style. From the movie adaptations of
Carnival
Carnivals can be a place for the weird and the wondrous, and that makes them perfect for a Halloween party theme. From colorful sequins to sideshow attractions, a good carnival has it all. A carnival theme can work for parties of all ages; decorations and games won’t be too over-the-top scary for children. If you like, you can even turn it into a spooky carnival — fortune tellers can give out spooky fortunes, balloons can have jack o lantern faces, etc. Food is pretty easy for a carnival theme: popcorn, hot dogs, and any other traditional fare will do.
Murder Mystery
Play acting can be a lot of fun, especially when it lets your friends and family (and even children if you play the story right) ham it up and get involved in an interactive story and game all wrapped up into one. The nice thing about a murder mystery, aside from the fun role-playing supplies, is that the more
Crime Scene
This one is most definitely suited for the adults only. For those fascinated with true crime (or procedural TV shows), turn your party into a crime scene. Put down plastic and splatter red paint around. Make your murder victim out of a dummy or decorative Halloween body parts from a party store. You can even turn your crime scene into a puzzle and offer a prize to the first person to figure out who the culprit is. Serve traditional gross Halloween snacks like peeled grapes. You can go as bloodless or “Dexter” as you like with this Halloween party theme — whatever best suits you and your guests.
Not Scary
Halloween doesn’t have to be about the things that go bump in the night or keep us from getting a good night’s sleep. If you’re throwing a party where scary might not be the most appropriate thing (for example, if children are on the guest list) think of going for a non-scary theme. The key is to come as you aren’t. There’s a lot of Halloween fun that trends towards cute instead of spooky — even bats, jack o lanterns and ghosts can be cartoonish and sweet. Non-scary activities can also be more treat than trick. For children’s parties, you can encourage creativity with activities like decorating pumpkins and writing them a biography.
Skip the Dress Up
Don’t want to get all gussied up but still want to celebrate the spookiest day of the year with your friends?
After you decide on a Halloween party theme, check out these Halloween articles before planning your get together!
