Author: Amber Brubaker
Many adults have the mindset that Halloween is just for kids. However, Halloween becomes a holiday for all ages if it involves a great party.
Halloween parties are often very unoriginal, with the same old snacks, orange and black decorations, drinks, and music you see at every other Halloween bash. This year, spice up your Halloween party by coming up with a theme. A theme brings any party together, since the costumes, decor, food, and games will all match. Consider using one of the five themes below:
1. The Wild West
You can go several haunting or playful directions with this party theme. If you like spooky, turn your venue into a ghost town. If possible, rent out an old barn and fill it with spider webs, broken down carriages, and a skeleton in a stockade.
For kids, fashion your party around the cowboys and Indians era. Make a “wanted” poster with the middle cut out so that guests can stand behind it and have their photo taken.
And of course everyone will need cowboy hats like these and boots, which will keep the theme unified and make for some great memories!
2. Crime Lab
For a mysterious theme, turn your home into a crime scene. Invite guests to put their investigative caps on for this party and dress up as cadavers, coroners, lab technicians, or even test tubes.
Create a made-up murder scenario and invite guests to help solve the case using various forensic clues. Create four or five profiles of possible suspects as well as a background of the victim and include the information in the invitation along with a picture of the “dead body” and a forensic clue (different for each invitation), such as a fingerprint, a strand of hair, or a drop of blood (fake of course).
Then, leave clues throughout the party (perhaps a scrap of cloth snagged on the staircase or a fake suicide note on the coffee table) that will eventually lead your guests to the killer. Your guests can “interrogate” others to learn which clues they had in their invitation. All the while, serve them blood-red drinks and lady fingers. Offer a prize for the first person to both guess the culprit and produce enough evidence to convict him or her.
3. Hollywood
Only the rich and famous are invited to this party—though no one needs to actually be rich or famous; they just have to look like someone who is! Everyone gets a chance to be the star they’ve always dreamed of at this family-friendly party. Invite Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, and Elvis to sip some sparkling cider at the drink table, and have every star stop on the red carpet for a photo-opp.
For games, consider pinning a celebrity’s name to the back of each guest’s costume. Each guest will then guess which star they have on their back by asking other guests yes or no questions regarding his/her assigned celebrity. Or tape pictures of celebrities to the wall and invite guests to match up the correct star with his/her romantic partner.
4. Carnival
If you love a party with plenty of games, this one is the theme for you. With lots of helpers, you can have a cake walk, darts, bean bag toss, and bobbing for apples, all with great prizes! Your treat table can be filled with cotton candy, popcorn, corn dogs, fried oreos, funnel cakes, and all the delicious snacks you find only at carnivals.
For a haunted approach, fill your venue with distorted mirrors and have a spook alley with skeletons, a graveyard, and a ghost or two.
5. Monster Bash
Only monsters may step foot in this party, and your definition of a monster is entirely up to you. Your guests can throw a monster spin on traditional costumes by having cheerleaders and football players grow fangs and fur. Or they can dress up as traditional Halloween monsters like vampires, werewolves, and giant spiders.
For kids, don’t make it a scary party. Have them dress up as friendly monsters such as the ones on Sesame Street or Monsters Inc. Your kids will love seeing their favorite friendly monsters everywhere they look, and be delighted to sample the furry, fanged cupcakes you made.
Now that you have a few ideas, go out there and pull off the best Halloween party yet! Use these ideas, or come up with your own, but remember that a great theme is the secret recipe for a great Halloween party.
zerry ht says
I think, the Crime Lab theme will work best for my kids and I am sure they will love it. Now I just have to look for suitable venues for events and after that I will start planning with decoration and other stuff.