Halloween is the only time all year adults can dress up as somebody else without others thinking they’re
weird. Therefore, any successful Halloween party will involve costumes. Make it known when you invite people that costumes are not only acceptable; they’re expected. Borrowed, rented or hand made makes no difference, only that guests do not arrive as themselves. Besides costumes, there are other things to consider in order for your party to be the Halloween hit you want it to be.
Decorations
Whether you go all out and transform your residence to a house of horrors or you keep it simple and put up some friendly Jack-o-lantern cut outs, do something different. Your guests are wearing costumes; so should your house. It makes it feel more festive.
Food
Basic foods with a little added food coloring can add just enough of a “creep out” factor to make guests pause before taking that first bite. Don’t forget the apples. Cover them with caramel or put them in a washbasin and make people bob for them, but apples are a Fall staple.
Set up one corner of your home or even your back porch for pictures. You convinced your friends to wear costumes, so you should have evidence of how much fun it was. No photo booth is complete without a background and some props. Create your own background with some basic Fall or Halloween supplies. For props, create cardboard tombstones on which guests can write their own epitaph before taking the picture. Provide some examples to get their creative juices flowing. “Died laughing”, “Undead”, “Grand Finale”, etc. You can choose a designated photographer or simply set up a tripod for the camera and let guests shoot themselves.
Contests
There are countless contests you could instigate, but for truly cutting edge entertainment, try one or
all of the following:
If you have any guests who show up not wearing a costume, make them judge all of your contests, just to remind them how much fun they’re missing.
Give a prize for the most original costume, and the next time you throw a Halloween party the costume-less might try a little harder.
Which singer looked most like the origina lperformer? Whose performance was the scariest? Who sang the most creative Halloween rendition of a non-Halloween song? For all of these singing competitions to be possible, you need some extensive karaoke
Encourage guests to carve their own pumpkin and judge which Jack-o-Lantern looks most like its carver.
Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your costume or your party. You don’t want all the good karaoke options to be gone.
