Thread: Alternate party location?

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This year I won't be able to have the party at the house. Have any of you had your party somewhere other than your home? Any suggestions?

My neighborhood has a clubhouse that they rent out for special occasions. Ample parking and I believe pretty cheap considering. I haven't gone that route as our guest list never gets over 25 people...

I'd also check out your local clubs (Lions, Kiwanis, VFWs) for rental info on their halls/facilities. Also check your local schools. I know in my area, the schools rent out their auditoriums...

Restaurants that have large meeting rooms would be cool especially if they cater the event...

Of course this is all stuff that will cost money and probably more than a few hundred unless you're VERY lucky.

SO, the best solution would be find a friend that has a large house they'd be willing to host it at.

I have never had a Halloween party anywhere else other than at home.

Frankie's Girl has excellent suggestions. Your best bet is to see if one of your friends would be willing to co-host the party - mainly at your expense (unless they love Halloween as much as you do then maybe they could help out with some of the cost).

I have hosted quite a few parties offsite without too much trouble HOWEVER. I have even done even set up for weddings and perhaps you don't realize this now but a descent Halloween party requires WAY more setup then even a wedding!!! Last year we hosted off site and managed to get a great deal by using Craigslist but it was a nightmare. I was so tired and crabby after starting setup at 9 that morning that I could barely enjoy myself. I had guests arriving as I was still getting into my costume and had TONS of decorations that I had spent time and money on that were still boxed up because I started running out of time. I also wasn't thrilled with the end result either. A lot of things looked half finished to me. My brother who co-hosts with me lost his costume in the boxes we brought and we didn't get the food out until 45 into the party.

I have even done even set up for weddings and perhaps you don't realize this now but a descent Halloween party requires WAY more setup then even a wedding!!!

I watched a very successful event coordinator once say that some of her more elaborate weddings might take her 5 hrs and a team of professionals to setup. She does a Halloween event for one of her affluent clients every year that takes a whole week and an ARMY of people to setup. So it's not too far fetched to think that you'd need to have at least a couple days for setup which is near impossible when renting.

The difference is with Halloween you are having to transform say a living room into Frankenstien's castle VS taking a garden and making it into a garden that matches your bridesmaids dresses. See my point?

If you HAVE to do this I have 2 suggestions: Get a dedicated ARMY as people tend to flake out when it comes to set up or clean up for that matter, AND look for places that require less setup like creepy historic buildings.

Frankie's Girl is right, the best thing is just to find someone who will let you use their house. That is why we adult siblings are hosting at our parent's house this year. LOL!

I have way too much stuff..... am way to anal over details and setting up, so for me it would not be an option. I start decorating the weekend of labor day through the middle of Oct. I enjoy doing this too much............... to be stressed out by having to go somewhere else. If it will work in your situation and you are comfortable leaving your stuff then I would.

I have often thought about doing it off-site only because I would love to be able to host it in an old spooky building or house but as others have mentioned the setup is a lot of work. Work that I love and enjoy but still very time consuming and if I am going to go through all the bother of renting I want the decorations to be spectacular and just how I dreamed!

Not for this purpose but for out of town company coming in or us going on a trip I have used vrbo.com to find great homes to rent (even in another country!) - perhaps if you rented for at least a week but hopefully longer in a town near you then you could pull it off. If you go that route and got multiple bedrooms perhaps some family members or friends would be willing to chip in for the price since they get a room for the night and won't have to drive after the party.

My only complaint on vrbo.com is of course they don't list rundown creepy houses and a search online doesn't turn up much...anybody have suggestions in how to go about looking for one of those??

I host mine off site every year..... in my barn 2500sq ft of dance clubbing Halloween fun