My first Halloween party
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Hi Wowzie - I think you may have better luck with this is you re-post it in another section of the forum. Maybe put under General Halloween? This section seems to be used mainly for posting jokes and other funny stuff.
There is also a costume section that you can get great ideas from. I am pretty new here but the people are great. I am sure they will give you lots of ideas.
Good luck!
There is also a costume section that you can get great ideas from. I am pretty new here but the people are great. I am sure they will give you lots of ideas.
Good luck!
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moved to the party section...
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Hopefully this year's festive halloween party once 
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88 Posts
What kind of space? How many people? What's your budget? What are your tastes? Do you have help organizing and hosting it?
Figure out your priorities, and allocate a budget and time/energy expenditure to each. Decorations, costumes, food, booze (if you're of age), games.
Figure out a date that most of your friends can make it. At this time of year, this may be your biggest challenge, and what you should address first so you can figure out a head count. Knowing how busy October is for most of our social circles, we claimed Oct 18 for our party back at the beginning of August.
For decor, there are lots of options - Party City, Spirit, Amazon (especially if you have Prime), dollar stores, Big Lots. Figure out a specific theme that fits your taste, and stick with it - that way you can grow your collection over the years.
Don't be afraid to start kinda small. Our first Halloween party had 8 people, last year we had 50(ish), this year we'll probably have around 40.
Figure out your priorities, and allocate a budget and time/energy expenditure to each. Decorations, costumes, food, booze (if you're of age), games.
Figure out a date that most of your friends can make it. At this time of year, this may be your biggest challenge, and what you should address first so you can figure out a head count. Knowing how busy October is for most of our social circles, we claimed Oct 18 for our party back at the beginning of August.
For decor, there are lots of options - Party City, Spirit, Amazon (especially if you have Prime), dollar stores, Big Lots. Figure out a specific theme that fits your taste, and stick with it - that way you can grow your collection over the years.
Don't be afraid to start kinda small. Our first Halloween party had 8 people, last year we had 50(ish), this year we'll probably have around 40.
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Whenever people ask for advice on their first Halloween party, I assume they don't have a ton of decorations, so I recommend starting with things that can cover some major square footage without too much expense. White sheets to cover furniture, tons of cotton cobwebs, black plastic or landscape fabric... that kind of stuff makes a major impact. Then, lighting. Candles, orange/red/green lights, black lights... pretty much all the natural white light should be taken out.
I think the music is really important as well. If you don't have time to curate a spectacular custom Halloween playlist for your party, Pandora has some appropriate stations you can try, or you can generate a station based on a horror movie soundtrack.
Add friends, costumes, plenty of snacks and beverages, and you've got yourself a Halloween party.
I think the music is really important as well. If you don't have time to curate a spectacular custom Halloween playlist for your party, Pandora has some appropriate stations you can try, or you can generate a station based on a horror movie soundtrack.
Add friends, costumes, plenty of snacks and beverages, and you've got yourself a Halloween party.
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Break yourself in easy. I suggest disposable plates and cutlery for your first-ever party. (You can start accumulating more permanent stuff at the after-Halloween sales.) Cool patterns on plates and napkins will add a lot to the decor for cheap, and disposable will make clean up easy.
Also don't be afraid to ask friends to bring something -- like Halloween-oriented snacks. That will take some of the pressure off you, while allowing them to put as much or as little effort as they want into it.
As mentioned above, lighting is big, but need not be terribly expensive. You can get packs of battery powered votives at Dollar tree, and light strings for not much more.
Check out second-hand stores for some interesting decor, too. You'll be surprised what a can of black spray paint and some spider webbing can do for old figurines or candle-holders.
If you're having just a few people over, you can do a couple organized games or activities all together. When I have a bigger group, I like to scatter around (on the kitchen table, on the coffee table...) a few games that don't take much attention (zombie dice game -- a real no-brainer, a Jenga-style game with bones)-- easy mindless stuff that small groups can pick up and play if the whim hits them. They keep the conversation going and satisfy the competitive.
Have fun!
Also don't be afraid to ask friends to bring something -- like Halloween-oriented snacks. That will take some of the pressure off you, while allowing them to put as much or as little effort as they want into it.
As mentioned above, lighting is big, but need not be terribly expensive. You can get packs of battery powered votives at Dollar tree, and light strings for not much more.
Check out second-hand stores for some interesting decor, too. You'll be surprised what a can of black spray paint and some spider webbing can do for old figurines or candle-holders.
If you're having just a few people over, you can do a couple organized games or activities all together. When I have a bigger group, I like to scatter around (on the kitchen table, on the coffee table...) a few games that don't take much attention (zombie dice game -- a real no-brainer
, a Jenga-style game with bones)-- easy mindless stuff that small groups can pick up and play if the whim hits them. They keep the conversation going and satisfy the competitive.Have fun!
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Would suggest having it a pot luck supper. That way you are not stuck paying for all the food & drinks yourself. Setting a theme & lighting it with black lights, etc. Plan for a number of activities (movies, dancing, pumpkin carving, games) to keep everyone involved, less chance of boredom sets in. Could have the best decorated themed space with food & drinks... with nothing to do.
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Potluck for sure! Cheap decor from Dollar Tree and Walmart, streamers!! I always underestimate how much they can help with party atmosphere. I streamered up my place tonight since my party is on Saturday. Jello shots are always enjoyed by guests, it's so cheap and easy, Jello costs nothing, cheap vodka cuz no one will notice and disposable tiny cups can be found in paper towel/paper plate aisle. Do BYOB along with the potluck, but having the Jello shots is a nice lure for guests and always appreciated.
Do you have a theme?
Do you have a theme?
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20 Posts
Going into my 4th Annual Halloween Party, the two big musts are lighting and music. Maybe even more important than food and booze.
Make it dim (I've gone with colored light bulbs), make sure there's always music playing (without youtube commercials) and bonus points if you can get a hold of a small fog machine.
If you've got the booze to go with it (an alcoholic punch is best), the party should be in full swing before you know it.
Also, if your heart is really into throwing a huge party, don't get too disappointed if a lot of people show and then run off to the next party. This happened to me my the first year I went big, and it was a bit lame that I was just a stop on the Halloween party tour, BUT the next year people stayed and it was huge because they knew it was going to be great based on what they saw the previous year. So it may take time to make it the MUST Halloween party.
Make it dim (I've gone with colored light bulbs), make sure there's always music playing (without youtube commercials) and bonus points if you can get a hold of a small fog machine.
If you've got the booze to go with it (an alcoholic punch is best), the party should be in full swing before you know it.
Also, if your heart is really into throwing a huge party, don't get too disappointed if a lot of people show and then run off to the next party. This happened to me my the first year I went big, and it was a bit lame that I was just a stop on the Halloween party tour, BUT the next year people stayed and it was huge because they knew it was going to be great based on what they saw the previous year. So it may take time to make it the MUST Halloween party.
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Great suggestions guys!
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I'm glad you mentioned this because I always used to get semi offended when people would hit other Halloween parties after mine. Luckily, my party has built up enough of a reputation that it's always the last or only stop.
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We're finally in the same boat. Out of about forty guests, we only had two couples leave our party to go to another party. And we had about a dozen stay for the night! (we were prepared for this in advance, of course, didn't want them driving home after partying hard until 3am)
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