Halloween Party Ideas: 16 Creative Tips for a Spooktacular Night

Written by: Nena Aichholzer, 21.09.2023

October is a season of its own and Halloween the most important (not yet official) holiday of the year for you? You are still looking for extraordinary party ideas for your next Halloween party? We’ve put together 16 spooky tips to help you plan the best Halloween experience ever! After all, the season of fright should not only be great fun for kids who go from house to house asking for candy, but it should also be a thrilling evening for the adults too.

Table of content:

What is Halloween and why is it celebrated?
Halloween Party Ideas for at Home
Halloween Party Ideas for Outdoors
Conclusion

What is Halloween and why is it celebrated?

Before we get to the Halloween party ideas for at home and outside, let us explain to you what Halloween actually is and why it is celebrated first.

Halloween originated in Ireland, but nowadays it is celebrated in many parts of the world, especially in the USA and Canada. It takes place every year on October 31st.

The name “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows’ Eve”, which means “All Saints’ Eve” and the origin of Halloween lies in ancient Celtic customs. The Celts celebrated the festival of Samhain on October 31st, which marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year. They believed that on this day the boundary between the world of the living and the dead blurred, allowing spirits to return to earth.

This led to traditions such as carving pumpkins (originally turnips were used), lighting fires to ward off evil spirits and dressing up to fool the spirits. Even today’s “trick-or-treat” comes from the former custom of placing meals outside one’s house to appease the dead.

Meanwhile, however, Halloween is celebrated in many parts of the world, mainly for fun and entertainment. Even in Europe, Halloween has become a real autumn highlight which we can no longer do without!

Halloween Party Ideas for at Home

Before the party can start, your home needs to be transformed into a haunted castle! Creepy decorations like spiderwebs, skeletons or pumpkins are a must to pay homage to the witches, ghosts and half-dead on October 31st. If you want, you can also come up with a theme for your party: Zombie Apocalypse, Witches and Magicians or a Wednesday Adams theme, the spookiest night of the year offers plenty of opportunities to get dressed up.

Here’s how to make your Halloween night unforgettable:

1. Host a Halloween costume contest

Ask your guests to dress up as scary as possible. The best outfit will then be chosen as a winner. The costume contest is especially fun if there is a theme and all outfits are coordinated. To motivate everyone to participate, you can also organize small prizes for the best, funniest or scariest costumes. You can also give out whole new categories like a laziness prize for the costume with the least effort. It’s best to announce the prize categories as a surprise, so it stays exciting for everyone!

Your outfit is planned, but that certain something is still missing? Here you will find 6 simple Halloween Make Up Looks to level up your costume!

2. Scary movie night in the home theater

The absolute Halloween classic: a movie marathon with your top 3 scary movies! What’s very important here: make sure you always have plenty of scary snacks on hand! Whether IT scares you, The Conjuring won’t let you sleep, or you want to confront a real life horror problem, racism, in Get Out, October 31st is the perfect opportunity to coax your roommates and housemates into a movie night! If you have a projector available you can even create your own movie theater!

During a scary movie night, you can support each other if things get too scary! ©Adobe Stock

3. Halloween “What’s in the box”

A spooky Halloween “What’s in the box”-game is the perfect addition to any Halloween party! All you need is a box covered with a cloth so the contents can’t be seen from the outside. In this box, you can put spooky or strange items. Your guests will then have to guess what’s in the box by feeling the contents only. It may sound harmless, but it requires a lot of bravery to put your hand in a box with unknown contents! Fill the box with cooked spaghetti, blanched tomatoes, jelly or moss (the “spooky” consistency is key here) and give your guests goosebumps and thrills!

4. A fun game night

A fun game night is a great alternative to celebrate Halloween more casually, especially for the people who are easily frightened. Instead of focusing on the scary factor only, your guests can look forward to a wide variety of party games, card games and guessing games. Ask your guests to bring their favorite games, so you’ll have plenty to choose from and can be sure to find something everyone will like and participate in. If you want something a little spookier, we suggest solving mystery puzzles or playing werewolf!

Game Tips:

Deadly wink: Designate one person as the “murderer” during the party. All those winked at by them must “die” in the most dramatic way possible. If someone sees the “murderer” winking, they can call “witness” and convict the “murderer”. This way the guests win. But if the “murderer” kills everyone before he gets exposed, he wins the game.

The cursed word is a game that will provide fun throughout the whole evening! At the beginning of the party, a word is chosen (make sure it fits the Halloween theme, for example vampire, witch, etc.). This word may not be used. If it is used, a “counter curse” (a shot) must be drunk immediately.

Guess the Song: This game can be played in two different ways. First, you can play the first three seconds of a song and then ask guests to guess the song. This quick guessing can lead to funny moments as guests try to remember the tune and start singing melodies. Alternatively, you can read lyrics from classic scary songs to your guests and ask them to guess the song that goes with it.

Here you can find a Halloween playlist with the perfect songs which is perfect for this game!

5. Carve a pumpkin

You prefer the coziness over the spookiness of halloween? Invite your friends over to hand out and carve pumpkins! Everything you need are some pumpkins, knives for carving, and a candle to light up your scary faces once you finish! This works well as a party prep or fun activity with your roommates as well. Additionally, pumpkin carving is super sustainable and much more creative than hanging garlands made of plastic, for example! After carving, simply place a candle or electric tea light inside the pumpkin and your Halloween decorations are complete!

Bonus tip: Instead of an ornamental pumpkin, buy an edible pumpkin, roast the seeds and make pumpkin soup!

6. Prepare Halloween snacks

Pumpkin soup is not what you imagine when talking about Halloween snacks? Do not worry, we have a few inspirations for the perfect snacks for the night of horror for you. To spoil your guests tastebuds, we recommend the following recipes:

Severed fingers – heat up some sausages, cut them in half, use a sliced almond as a fingernail and serve with ketchup (as blood)!

Foam ghosts – paint faces on marshmellows with food coloring, totally easy and super cute!

Spooky candy – for those who don’t have time or simply do not like to cook, we recommend buying gummy animals like sour worms, gummy eyes or licorice bats and offering them to your guests.

Click here for more scary Halloween recipes for your Halloween party!

Spooky cocktails are real eye-catchers at any party! ©Adobe Stock

7. Make Halloween drinks

What can’t be missing at a successful student Halloween party? Exactly, the drinks! To not only spoil your guests tastebuds but satisfy their thirst as well, we have some inspiration for Halloween drinks for you!

The classic Halloween cocktail is the Bloody Mary. But if vodka, tomato juice and Tabasco doesn’t fit your idea of a good time, why not try Halloween cocktail recipes like a Black Magic Martini or the Potion de Muerto this year!

Decorations will take your cocktail to the next level! Embellish your favorite cocktails with rubber spiders (from your nearest dollar store), or matching rubber snacks like sour worms, rubber snakes, or maybe even eyeballs! If your budget allows, you can also serve the drinks in unusual glasses like test tubes or disposable syringes from the pharmacy!

Bonus Tip: For the non-alcoholic option, we recommend blood orange juice or different types of syrups like woodruff or grenadine!

8. Freaky Photo Booth

A Freaky Photo Booth is the ultimate addition to any Halloween party. Decorate a photo area to match the Halloween theme and organize props, makeup and costumes for it. This way, your guests can let their creativity run wild, take unique pictures and capture their weird and spooky sides forever.

9. Wine or candy tasting

A wine or candy tasting will treat and challenge your guests at the same time! You can encourage everyone to bring their favorite sweets, then test your way through a variety of treats together. You could also pretend to be at a vampire party with deep red merlot. One thing’s for sure, your guests’ taste buds will definitely get into the festive spirit here!

10. Read a scary book

Scary stories immerse you in exciting adventures while creating an eerie atmosphere. The stories of ghosts, monsters, and unexplainable events have goosebump potential and will keep you all spellbound. With candlelight and a cup of hot tea, you’ll give your Halloween party the right atmosphere. It’s a great opportunity to spend quality time and get spooky with friends or family. Grab an exciting book and let’s go!

Scary stories are not for the faint of heart! ©Adobe Stock

Halloween Party Ideas for Outdoors

You don’t want to sit at home on Halloween, but dance around the Blocksberg with the other witches? With the help of the following ideas, an unforgettable night of excitement and wonder awaits you. Prepare to sharpen your senses and immerse yourself in a world of eeriness and mystery!

11. Outdoor Halloween Parade

Many cities have Halloween parades or processions where you can roam the night with friends and fellow students. It’s a great opportunity to show off your costume. But be careful, at midnight the ghosts come to life!

12. Escape Room

You don’t just want to be there for the next horror story, you want to be right in the middle of it? Then an Escape Room is just the right adventure for you!

The Escape Room trend is already very well established in Austria. Whether it’s Vienna, Graz or Villach – many cities already have Escape Games that combine exciting challenges and thrilling group games. Halloween Special Editions guarantee goose bumps and creepy factor! The only question that remains unanswered: Are you brave enough?

13. Visit the cinema

Many movie theaters are offering a Halloween special on October 31st. Grab your best friends, buy a pack of gummy worms and watch a scary classic or the new “The Exorcist”! You can never go wrong with cult Halloween movies like the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

14. Visit a museum

Why not try something completely new this Halloween? Find out if there are any museums in your town that will give you chills! Torture museums, ancient catacombs or crypts aren’t usually on the typical Halloween schedule, but might be a cool alternative this year! Funny for some, scary to others, a clown museum would be a great idea for Halloween!

15. Haunted house tour

An absolute thrill! A haunted house tour will give you the opportunity to experience the spooky side of Halloween night. Haunted house tours take participants through alleged “haunted houses” or historic sites known for paranormal activity. During the tour, guests can hear spooky stories associated with these locations and learn about the mysterious events that supposedly took place here. In some cases, ghost hunters or paranormal activity experts are also present to make the tour even more exciting.

It’s an experience that will take your breath away and can be a conversation starter, as you’ll experience the eerie and mysterious together. If you’re looking for a way to spice up your Halloween night, a haunted house tour is definitely a tip to consider. Prepare to heighten your senses and traverse the darkness with your eyes wide open – it could be an adventure you will never forget.

16. Night hike

A night hike can also be a memorable and unique way to celebrate Halloween. It offers the opportunity to explore the darkness and mysteries of the night and experience the thrill of Halloween together with friends and family. But what does such a night hike actually look like? First, find a suitable place for the hike. A nearby forest, park, or your own backyard will work well. Again, you can decide if there should be a theme for the hike.

Research (or make up) some spooky stories about the place that you can later tell on the hike. You can also prepare some stops along the way, from Halloween decorations – to hidden treasures – let your imagination run wild!

Bonus tip: End the night hike with a bonfire and/or a cup of hot chocolate as a reward and to warm up!

Conclusion

Whether you decide to have a spooky Halloween party indoors or outside, these ideas will help you to plan the perfect Halloween night. Also, remember to set the atmosphere with appropriate music and lighting for that extra creepy factor!

Have fun celebrating and Happy Halloween!

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