Top 10 Halloween Party Themes for a Spooktacular Time
Before the invitations, the decorations, and the food, a magical Halloween party begins with a theme. The inspiration can come from anywhere, and if you team up with your guests on a theme that ties together your DIY Halloween décor and everyone’s costumes, all the better.
For instance, pair movie theater-themed decorations with a request that everyone comes dressed as characters from their favorite Halloween movies. Or, go for a Halloween pun party theme: Everyone dresses in their most clever word-play costumes and you pepper your decorations and Halloween buffet with punny signs (think: “Bone Appetit” by the appetizers, “Goblin candy all night” by the candy bar, and so on.)
For a 21-and-up crowd who’s keen on crafty cocktails, a Pick Your Poison party is fun. For wholesome fun for any age, a Halloween baking or pumpkin decorating party theme might be in order. To get the brainstorming started, check out these 10 fun Halloween party themes for a ghoulishly good time guaranteed.
More Halloween ideas for wicked good times:
Dress Up Like Your Favorite Song Halloween Party Theme
Partygoers can come up with individual or couple’s costume ideas, or they can team up to collaborate on group costumes like this one (“All My Ex’s Live in Texas.” Get it?)
See more ways to dress like a country song for Halloween.
Country Fair Halloween Party Theme
Step right up and channel the spirit of the midway with these playful pumpkin pastimes: beanbag toss (using carved pumpkins as the target), knockover game (using stacked pumpkins with number scores on each), and ring toss (using butternut squash and plastic rings). Decoupage pumpkins with colorful tickets, and hand out mini pumpkin “fish” as prized party favors.
Get instructions for Country Fair Games Pumpkins.
Scary-Good Appetizers Halloween Party
Just a few tweaks can turn party food favorites into wickedly good Hallows’ Eve-worthy fare. Think spooky charcuterie, hot dog rattlesnake bites, mozzarella ghost pizzas, a scarecrow cheeseball, and more!
Try these fun Halloween appetizer recipes for a monster bash.
DIY Pumpkin Decorating Halloween Party Theme
Clear out your crafting closet and fire up the hot glue guns—it's time to make some craft-o’-lanterns! Tell friends to BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) and get psyched for a little friendly competition. Once the no-carve creations are ready, line them up on a long table and let the voting begin. May the best gourd win!
For inspiration, checkout 100+ of our favorite pumpkin decorating ideas.
Halloween Baking Party Theme
How about hosting your kids’ friends or girlfriends for a night (or afternoon!) of baking delicious, spooky treats? There are so many recipes to choose from—just check out our full list of homemade Halloween treats and cakes—but we’ve got to admit that these Marshmallow Ghost Brownies are calling our names.
Nancy Drew Halloween Party Theme
Let tenacious teen detective Nancy Drew help you uncover the secrets to a magnificent mystery-themed meet-up. Take a cue from the first Nancy Drew mystery, The Secret of the Old Clock, and deck the walls with new, vintage, and DIY clocks and keys (can you spot the paper ones?). Decoupage pumpkins with photocopies of book pages from the series. Serve guests Death in the Afternoon Cocktails and Magnifying Glass Cookies.
See more ideas for a Nancy Drew-themed Halloween party.
Fall Festival Halloween Party Theme
This not-so-scary setup is more sweet than spooky—and totally kid-appropriate. Country Living contributor Lauren Akins imagined this fall festival-inspired theme for her young daughters, complete with candy corn garland, a simple menu for younger palates, and those adorable cutting-board-turned pumpkins strung up on the barn.
To make candy corn garland: Start with a white paper plate, then paint a yellow acrylic border on the outer edge, followed by orange. Once paint dries, cut into triangles, punch holes, and thread with twine.
Get all the details from this harvest-themed Halloween party.
Pick Your Poison Halloween Party Theme
Turn your home into a spooky vintage apothecary with “poisonous” treats and “dangerous” libations. Try Breadstick Rattlers and Tart Cherry Eyeball Punch to really creep out your guests! If you want to set a costume theme, you could either ask guests to dress in Prohibition era garb, or ask them to reimagine their favorite cocktail or beverage as a costume.
To make our apothecary-inspired labels: Download the free PDFs, then print on sticker paper. Give the apothecary labels a glossy look by covering that page with clear laminate. Then, cut out all the designs, and stick them onto bottles decanted with the beverage of your choice.
Now, time to pick your poison…
Browse dozens of Halloween cocktail recipes that’ll make your party a hit.
Favorite Book Character Halloween Party Theme
Kids and adults alike will love this creative party theme. Invite guests to come dressed as their favorite book character. The host can join in on the fun or dress like a librarian (check out that library card canvas tote as an on-theme candy carryall!). Haunting book jackets make for a spine-chilling entrance.
Get book character costume ideas.
Into the Shadows Halloween Party Theme
If you want to host a party that's chilling but not too scary, just throw some shade! This shadow-themed get-together has spooky silhouette cutouts of everything, from birds and bats to witches and candelabras. For extra fun, hire a silhouette artist to trace your guests.
Get more ideas for the Into the Shadows party theme.
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