45 Halloween Party Ideas for Kids & Adults

35 Halloween Party Ideas and ThemesPlanning your 1st or 15th Halloween party and need a Halloween Party Idea or Theme for your event? Well, we have put together a list of Halloween Party Ideas for Kids at the top of the page and Adults at the bottom to get you started.

Each Halloween Party Theme offers a brief idea of the theme idea, so you can get started on your Halloween Party planning. Many of these Halloween party ideas tend to be broad and are best used as a catalyst to help you come up with a unique and successful Halloween theme. So start planning your Halloween bash today and come up with a great ideas that will result in a spectacular Halloween themed party.


Not So Scary – Kid’s Halloween Party Ideas

Pumpkin Patch
Decorate with pumpkins, a happy scarecrow, corn stalks and faux fence posts to create a country theme. Create a pumpkin patch of pumpkins and gourds where the kids can select one to decorate. Have simple crafts, markers and supplies ready so they can decorate their pumpkin or gourd.


Spooky Walk
This theme is great if you can move from room to room or if there are visual barriers so the kids cannot see what is next on the Spooky Walk. Curtains can also be used to help separate decorated areas.

To create a Spooky Walk create small Halloween scenes that are fun spooky. Kind of like Scooby Doo scary, but not horror movie scary, some ideas include Witch’s House, Corn Field with Scarecrow & Pumpkin, The Bat Cave, Cemetery with a Skeleton and a Haunted House with a Ghost.

Take the kids through the scenes and tell a story about each area. Story could include How the Witch likes to Bake Cookies, How Bats like hanging Out, How the Skeleton Like to Dance and so on, this way it is a lot less scary. At the end of each story, the kids receive a treat.


Pumpkin Decorating Party
The name of this party is the theme, Pumpkin Decorating, so invite guests to come a few days before Halloween to decorate pumpkins, watch Halloween cartoons and play games like Mummy Wrap, Eyeball Bounce, Pumpkin Brains, Pumpkin Bowling view more kid’s Halloween party games. We recommend you plan 20 – 30 minutes for decorating the pumpkin and do this activity in the last hour of your party.

We found that small pumpkins work best for this event, and it is easier and less messy than a pumpkin carving party. Use paint or markers to decorate the pumpkins.

Here is the party plan that worked for me. Game, Game, Cartoon with Snacks, Pumpkin Decorating, Game.


Monster Mash Dance
For kids dancing is fun so have a Monster Mash party for Halloween. The kids can dress in any costume or come as a monster like the Mummy, Frankenstein, Wolfman, Vampire or a strange alien creature.

Once the kids arrive teach them different Monster Dances, which you can make up, like the Frankenstein where you dance with your arms out in front of you, the Vampire where you move your hands like you are pulling the cape to cover your face, the Wolfman where you itch for fleas or howl at the moon, the Mummy where you rock back and forth slowly. Just be creative and have fun.

Then tell the kids whenever they hear the song Monster Mash being played they must dance like a Monster, so random play the song for 15 – 30 seconds during the party. (Maybe every 10 minutes of so) Then after you have had food have a Monster Mash Dance where all the kids can dance for fun or you can award prizes for best dancers.


Caramel Apple – Halloween Cookie Decorating Party
Caramel Apple Party IdeaA tasty way to celebrate Halloween is with a food themed event before the holiday. We found this is a great time for kids in youth groups as they get to make something and eat it too!

Caramel apples are pretty easy to put together as you need melted caramel, apples, sticks and then a variety of toppings that will stick to the caramel. Popular toppings are nuts, sprinkles, and chocolate which can be drizzled on. To make things interesting you may want to include crushed Oreo cookies, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, gummi worms for fun, and maybe some of your kids favorite candy. It could be terrible or it might be the next caramel apple trend.

Another food activity would be a cookie decorating event where moms and/or kids come together to decorate cookies. The parents can prep the cookies and set up decoration stations. Then different groups of children can come in and decorate their favorite shapes with icing (after baked), sprinkles, colored sugar and whatever you’ve picked up. Then baked the cookies and make sure that the kid’s get to eat or take home the ones that they made.  

The Halloween food making theme can be adapted to other foods, so get ready for a great time and tasty treats. 


Mad Scientist Halloween Party
Not quite ready for Frankenstein and bring the dead back to life, well a Mad Scientist party can allow you to create and lab like Halloween theme and you can do fun Science Experiments during your party and even have the guests participate.

You can create a Jack-o-lantern that foams at the mouth and other fun experiments. If you need activities or lab ideas check out these Science Kits that provide you with everything you need and will make your Mad Scientist mesmerizing.


Witch’s Spell
Create a Halloween Party around the theme of a Witch. You can use Witch’s Brew, Witch Hunt, Witch Way Do She Go? or another Witch theme and base you party around that theme.

For Witch’s Spell the Witch could be trying to make a beauty potion, an evil potion or a potion that helps her grow the biggest pumpkin. We would recommend you have the Witch using her spell book create a potion three times and on the last time it should be successful.

As with any Witch party you can visit the Witch’s house, stage Witch’s brooms around the party and create a spooky cauldron. Remember a Witch can be a friendly witch as well wicked witch, so adjust your Witch as needed.


Down on the Farm Harvest Party
Kids love animals so creative a down on the farm Halloween theme and decorate with farm animals, pumpkins and if you have the space a simple but fun corn maze using cardboard or hay bales. If you make a maze in your yard or room make it basically a simple path for kids 5 and under and include silly pictures of pumpkins, witches and ghosts so it is fun to walk through.


Superheroes Party
Kids love Superheroes like Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and many more from the DC and Marvel Universe. Plus lots of boys and girls look up to police officers, firefighters, doctors and nurses.

Well turn that enthusiasm for Superheroes into a party filled with kids with super powers. Games can include include feats of speed, strength, balance, and accuracy and winners receive a prize.


 



Adult & Teen Halloween Party Ideas

Horror Movies
Guests are invited to come to your Halloween party dressed as a Horror Movies Villain or Victim. This is fun when you have groups dress up as one movie and guests try to guess which movie. Sure Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Saw are popular costumes but don’t be afraid to go back to The Birds and other Hitchcock favorites.

Another take on this Halloween theme is pick a tv or horror movie franchise as inspiration for costumes. You could choose Friday the 13th, American Horror Story, Saw, Nightmare on Elm Street, or your favorite.

Last idea is to select a director or horror writer and allow guests to come as any character from the movies or books. Just think of the possibilities choosing from John Carpenter, George Romero, Jordan Peele, Wes Craven, Alfred Hitchcock, and Stephen King!


SNL Halloween Party
My friends had a Saturday Night Live Halloween Party and I must say it was a blast as guests dressed as favorite SNL characters. Plus guests also had fun acting out the characters.

Great SNL ideas Rosanna Rosanna Danna, Blues Brothers, Two Wild & Crazy Guys, Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood, Spartan Cheerleaders, Church Lady, Pat, Wayne & Garth, and Gilly are just some of the great costumes you might see on Halloween.


Dead Celebrity
Ask guests to come as a Dead Celebrity. Guests are at their leisure whether to add haunting accents. Favorite Dead Celebrity costumes – Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Whitney Houston, John Wayne are just a few to get you starter.


Haunted House Ideas & Tips
Creating a Haunted House for Halloween is a time honored tradition and we had so many haunted house ideas and tips we created a page of helpful ideas concerning lighting, sound effects, transition elements and more.

Guests can come in any costume or ask them to come as something they would expect to find in a haunted house.


Drag Race – Drag Me To Hell Party
If you are a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race or drag in general then this Halloween party idea might be ideal for creating a memorable event.

If your friends are up for the ultimate Halloween makeover challenge then have all your guests come in drag. (Which means wearing clothing of the opposite sex.) All we can say is that expect the unexpected if you throw such a party, and know in advance that guys doing their own makeup for the first time can result in very scary results.

Halloween activities during a Drag Race party can include walking the runway, RuPaul’s Drag Race trivia, and even a Lip Sync for Your Life competition. Just don’t f-it up.

If you want to take this idea to the next level, then consider the theme of Drag Me to Hell, which combines doing drag but with a horror twist. We went to such a party and it was truly mind blowing and we went all out, and even hired a make-up artist to help us pull it off. Check out my Lilly DeVour character below.

Halloween Party Ideas Drag Race -Drag to Hell Party Theme


Glow in the Dark Halloween Party
This can be a fun theme for kids Halloween parties or scary adult Halloween parties. In either case guests are told that you are having a Glow in the Dark party, where guests can either adapt their costumes to include Glow in the Dark items or paint their costumes to have glow in the dark accents or for kids parties you can paint Glow in the Dark masks and decorate t-shirts.

Get black lights and use glow in the dark paints to decorate your party area. You can also pick up glow in the dark party supplies like necklaces, rings, drink cubes, buttons party favors and more here.


Pet Cemetery
Guests can come as animals found in the pet cemetery or in regular Halloween costumes. However, the decorations and sound effects involve pet tombstones, zombie critters, barking dogs and other items to pull together this theme.


Bloody Mary
English folklore states that if you go into a dark room with a mirror, stare into a mirror, and then call Bloody Mary’s name 3 times and she will appear. We even found some Haunted Mirrors that would be a great addition to any Bloody Mary party.

Bloody Mary is thought to be the spirit of a young woman whose baby was stolen from her, so add baby zombies, creepy baby dolls, dim rooms with candle light and spider webs to set the tone. You might also want to have Bloody Mary victims scattered around your party as a reminder that Bloody Mary wants her baby back!


1,000 Ways to Die Halloween Party
This Halloween theme is inspired by 1,000 ways to R.I.P. and the TV show that showcased strange ways people have passed. Ask guests to watch the show or research strange deaths and then adapt a costume based on 1 of the 1,000 ways to die for the Halloween party.

Add some novelty by writing up some of the unique ways people have passed on and consider creating a True or False 1,000 ways to die trivia game for fun entertainment.


Escape Room Party
escape room party themeYou might feel a little bit like Jigsaw as you challenge groups of guests to complete an Escape Room during your Halloween party.

If you want to raise the stakes and have the space consider dividing your guests into groups and have them compete against other. Each team would be given the same Escape Room challenge and the first to finish wins. If you have 4 teams or more than consider host 1 or 2 Escape Room rounds. So if you have 4 teams, the first two to finish move to the final Escape Room and if you have 5 or more teams then take the top three. The winners of the second challenge are then the Escape Room Champions.

We think that some of these already created Escape Rooms games might work well for a Halloween party.


Butcher Shop
Meat Cleavers, Meat Grinders and Cold Storage make a Butcher Shop a gross and scary place to be on Halloween or any night. Now set the stage for a butcher shop that serves up nightmarish cuts.

The Host of this Halloween party should be in a bloody apron, decorate with weapon’s garland, meat hooks, garbage bags with body parts hanging out, a package or two of today’s special cuts, a cutting board / butcher’s block with a head or body limb waiting to be sliced. Find a good mix of Halloween butcher accessories at Spirit Halloween.

Foods can include finger shaped finger food, beef jerky can represent dried meat, pork rinds and ears can be used to suggest body parts, place gizzards and odd parts in a jar with colored liquid for a gross look and try to make sure one jars looks like pickled eyeballs.


Creatures of the Night
Something moves in the darkness, is it a man, an animal or the undead? The Creatures of the Night theme is one that allows guests to dress as something that lurks in the shadows. Guests could dress as rats, snakes, bats, zombies, werewolves, vampires, grave robbers, ghosts or a variety of costumes.

Decorations and your atmosphere should be dark and lots of corners where creatures of the night can lurk.
– A Dark Room with a black light, fog machine and add a full moon as an accents.
– If you do a bat cave you can also drape cheesecloth from the ceiling to make it cave like, hang bats (animated, paper and fake bats) and add a strobe light to this room along with fog.
– Use animated zombies, vampires and ghosts to spook guests
– Create a vampire room where all the windows are blacked out and place a coffin in the room.

Food Ideas include blood red punch, spider cookies (Oreos with legs), Werewolf hairball – cotton candy, and so on.


Heaven or Hell
Guests are invited to dress in the spirit of Heaven or Hell. Decorate your house so one room is white, bright and dreamy, then have another room that has flames, pitchforks and dark and evil looking.


Word Play Costume Party
Change things up this year and have guests plan out a costume that makes you think. Each costume must represent a word or phrase. Here are ideas Quarterback, Chick Magnet, Cereal/Serial Killer – click here for more Word Play Halloween Costumes.


Halloween Prom
Guests can now relive their Prom Night but with a Halloween twist. Halloween Prom can be a take on anything related to Halloween and Prom, so guests could be inspired by the movie Carrie, zombies, vampires, or be about each their scariest prom fear.


Michael Jackson, Beatles, or Music Group / Genre Party
This Halloween Party idea involves identifying a specific artist with a wide variety of well known music and looks. Then guests are asked to dress like that artist / group or create a word play costume based on one of the artist’s songs.

There is so much to work with here you might want to narrow the idea to a specific decade. The 1980s and 1990s had lots of crazy costumes and trends that this would be a great time.


Video Game Costume Party
Adults and kids can enjoy this theme that invites guests to dress as their favorite Video Game. Guests can come as real life World of Warcraft, Fortnite, Halo, Pac-Man and Mario Bros. characters.




More Adult & Teen Halloween Party Ideas

Haunted Cemetery
Place tombstones and skeletons in the frontyard and spray cobwebs around them, then inside add animated skeletons and zombies that blow fog into the room. Take this further by including an open casket with bones or a motion activated Halloween props.

If you have a backyard then add ghosts, zombies and other ghouls to create creepy scenes. Invite guests dress up in anything that reminds them of a Haunted Cemetery.


Cocktail Making – Tasting Party
Halloween cocktail making party theme partyThis adult themed Halloween party will challenge your friends to research and come up with a devilish drink to share with others. Guests should be informed that they should come with a drink recipe that they can make and share with the group. FYI – If you are hosting a large group, consider limiting how many cocktails will be tasted to 6 to 8. This way those who want to participate can sign-up, rather than feel forced to make something.    

The party hosts should provide the alcohol, mixers and basic ingredients for your guests. (You may want to include a list of items that you will supply.) Then the guests can choose to bring any additional items in order to make their cocktails or mocktails.   

Step up your Cocktail Making Station prior to the party and when guests arrive randomly give those guests making a cocktail a number. These numbers determine the order of the making of the drinks. Then once everyone has arrived let the drink mixologists start creating their masterpieces. 

Each cocktail making participant will make their signature Halloween cocktail. At least one cocktail should be presented as a full drink, but for tasting you may want shot or tasting glasses so every one can sample the drink. 

The host can decide whether you want guests to vote on which Halloween beverage they thought was best or just enjoy sampling them all.  


Morgue Halloween Party
Nothing is more final than when a body arrives at the Morgue or is it? A Morgue theme ties into gross interaction as guess might have to reach into the guts of the dead, pass around eyeballs, play real life operation or move dead bodies around. Create scene of bodies in stages of death, stage an autopsy or add a moving body bag or rising from the dead prop to keep your guests on edge.

Fun games for a Morgue Halloween party include The Morgue AssistantBody Parts and Miserly Man. Check out our Halloween party supplies page to discover tableware, body mold items and more. Plus you’ll want to consider gross Halloween candy for gross morgue fun.


Evil Circus – Creepy Carnival Halloween Party
If you love Halloween and hate clowns and circus freaks then consider a Evil Circus – Creepy Carnival Halloween party idea where guests can dress as creepy clowns or side-show living wonders. Add carnival posters and decorations to complete this Halloween theme. To make things more entertaining asks guests to dress as their favorite side show entertainer, create a unique name and back story to go with their costume, and even have a act or gimmick.

Here are a few costume ideas for this theme Bearded Woman, Man with Two Faces, Sword Swallower, Fire Eater, Knife Thrower, Headless Man or Woman, Strongest Man, Tallest Women, Mystic Madam, Lion Tamer, Ring Master, and of course Clowns in all shapes and sizes.

We found this creepy backdrop that would work perfect for a Evil Circus theme


’80s or ’90s Halloween Party
Bring back Big Hair, Twisted Sister, Madonna, Richard Simmons, Wham, parachute pants, double layered polos, neon fluorescent shirts, leggings and everything 80’s. This not so scary Halloween party theme is a fun way to dance the night away in your favorite 80’s costumes.

Or go all in 90’s with grunge, boy bands, crop tops, oversized shirts and stovepipe jeans, rap, overalls, Dr. Martens, Friends haircuts, and more.

Theme Variation – Death to the ’80s or ’90s Party
This totally changes your Halloween party theme and now your guests can dress in something, someone, or a trend that they would want to kill off or banish from memory. A fun spin on a decades party that really challenges your guests to be creative.


’60s and ’70s Halloween Party
Hippies, free love, disco, Star Wars, and more all took place in the 1960s and 1970s, so celebrate these free spirited decades by basing your party around one of these decades or both. Plus some of the most classic horror movies came out of these decades (Night of the Living Dead, Psycho, Halloween, Jaws), that you could do a decade themed horror movie party too. It’s your choice fun and flirty or creepy and scary, either way you can’t loose with a ’60s and ’70s party theme.

Theme Variation – Death to the ’60s or ’70s Party
This totally changes your Halloween party theme and now your guests can dress in something, someone, or a trend that they would want to kill off or banish from memory. A fun spin on a decades party that really challenges your guests to be creative.


Ghost Story Party
Dim lights, spooky cobwebs, skeletons, fog machines and those trick pictures help set the mood for a Ghost Story Halloween Party. For costumes ask guests to interpret their idea of a ghost. They might come as Casper, a Ghost Pirate, a haunted ghost or one shackled in chains.

Add a unique twist to the party by sending out the beginning of a ghost story and then asking each couple / guest to complete the ghost story. Then at the party have each guest read their Ghost Story ending. This Halloween party theme works well for creative groups and kids from 8 – 12 years old.


Unhappily Ever After
What if a fairy tale went bad, sad and down right frightening? Well, you can make it so by hosting an Unhappily Ever After Halloween party where guests are asked to turn their favorite fairy tales into a tragic tale of woe, misery and misfortune.

Just think of all of the fun you and guests will have taking Cinderella, Beast & The Beast, Snow White and others fairy tales. Ask guests to come up with a story to share about their tragedy, as it will make the event more interesting.


Vampire Halloween Party
Vampires tend to rise and fall in popularity, a few years ago Twilight, True Blood and Vampire Diaries drove the vampire theme to new heights. However the general vampire theme remain popular and you can use it any year. You can choose a specific vampire theme or just have a general Vampire theme. Key elements for your party are a coffin, blacked out windows, vampire teeth, bats, a deep red beverage, messy props of vampire victims and you might want to include crosses too so that guests ward off vampires. Guests can dress as Vampires or Vampire Hunters for this theme.


Zombies – Night of the Living Dead
Afraid of the dark, the apocalypse or the dead rising to take back what is rightfully theirs, then consider a Zombie / Night of the Living Dead Halloween Party where you decorate you house with zombies. Consider getting animated zombies that rise from the dead, move their arms and lurk just outside the door.


Archnophobia
They crawl, they drop, they have hairy legs, they have sharp pinching teeth and lots of people hate them; Spiders. Set the mood with posable spiders, jumping spiders, dropping spiders, spider webs and already cocooned spider food. Food accents can include spider cupcakes, cookies and edible spider webs (cotton candy).


Insane Asylum / Hospital of the Damned
Crazy Doctors, wondering residents and a missing patient help set the stage for this haunted theme. Cover your walls in cloth, ask guests to wear hospital gowns (if you choose) and give guests their own candy blood bag.

Ask guests to dress like their worst insane asylum fear – They can be like the Joker in Batman or any character from AHS Season 2 – Asylum.


Crime Scene Investigation / Murder Mystery
crime scene outline body tape murder mystery party

You love CSI, problem solving and challenging your friends. Then consider creating a CSI rooms/photo boards or hosting murder mystery. These themes take work and preparation, but the key to choosing the right one for you is knowing whether your guests are best suited to observe and guess who did it or if they want to dress up in a theme and be part of a live murder mystery.

Murder mystery parties can be a lot of fun, and we have pulled together some of our favorite Halloween murder mysteries for your review. However if you don’t think you can pull murder mystery party, then set up a Halloween Crime Scene and include a victim (or outline tape), police tape and elements of the crime in a room or place in your area of your home. If you don’t have a lot of space, then consider staging the crime scene, taking photographs, and then crime a crime scene board or wall where you have photos, evidence, suspect bios and notes about the crime. Your crime scene should be set up to include tips and clues that identify the killer / perpetrator.

Was it an accident, crime of passion, planned or random event by a psycho? In your planning come up with 3-5 Crime Solving Questions for your guests to answer, then place the clues into your crime scene, during the party hold 1 or 2 press conferences to release news about the murder. After an hour into the game collect the Crime Solving Questions (what killed them, reason/motive, killer, etc…)  and tally up everyone’s scores. Once done gather everyone around and go one by one over the questions and note the answers. If there is one winner then announce who scored best and give them a prize. If 2 or more people tie for the most correct answers, be ready to have a tie breaker question that can be about the murder or about Halloween. A number question, that involves guests writing the answer down on paper is best and most fair. The person to answer closest to the correct number wins.

A more structured CSI game would be these Unsolved Case Files each comes with ready to go suspects, several mysteries to solve and there is even an online element. You may need to adapt this idea to make it work for your party, but it gives you a story, plot and answers.


Mummy Themes
Mummies rise from the dead to seek revenge and curse the living. Mummy Themes can range from Egyptian Mummies to a fun and silly Who’s My Mummy. For decorations consider watching The Mummy to get inspired. For kid’s parties you can play games like Mummy Wrap or a Mummy Walk Relay game.


Haunted Hayride
Live on a farm or in the country then consider a Haunted Hayride theme where you can actually go on a Hayride and set gross haunted scene, have a haunted story reading on the hayride, get friends to terrorize the hayride or do a combination of all three. Activities could include games like Pumpkin Hunt or Capture the Pumpkins or you might want to weave in a murder mystery into your Halloween party.


Stranger Things
Stranger Things is so unique and has so many characters. It can be a fun and interesting theme for those who are enamored by the “Upside Down.”

There are a variety of characters to choose from include Eleven, Will, Nancy, Steve, Barb, Hopper, Joyce, Billy, Max, the Demogorgon, and more. Plus party goers could come with Eggo waffles, blinking Christmas lights, have magnets that don’t stick to a fridge, or create and Upside Down costume.

To create an upside down environment for your Stranger Things party have low lighting, fog machines, and try to have a spooky entrance to your party. You can create Stranger Things trivia game to learn who is a true Stranger Things superfan!


Fortune Teller – Psychic Reading Theme
Is there money, love or a career change in your future? Find out with a fortune teller themed party.

You can choose to hire a local fortune teller, tarot card reader or psychic for the night or just dress the part and be ready to predict the future.

If you are being the mystic fortune teller, consider these decorations we found online – crystal ball, psychic reading backgrounds, and a fortune teller costume or turban. Here is another useful tip if you are doing the fortune telling. Have each guest picks a card from an deck of cards prior to the reading and then have a fortune or fortune card associated with that card which you can pull and read. This makes your readings a bit more unpredictable, fun and not personal.


Color Theme – Black & White, Black & Orange, or Black & Red
Open up guests imagination by choosing a color theme over focused concept. Color theme parties allow guests to dress in any costume but the main colors of that costume needs to be the theme colors.

The Halloween party host needs to create and environment that prominently features the theme’s colors. Tip – Use colored light bulbs or colored lighting filters to give a room an eerie and spooky glow. Then create foods and drinks that match your Halloween’s party theme and you are ready for a great time.


Fear Factor
This tv show turned eating gross foods into an art, now take elements of Fear Factor and turn it into your Halloween theme with scenes that cause Fear. A pit of snakes, rats eating a corpse, spiders descending onto a victim and so on, these scenes should creep out your guests and make them squirm. For added fun integrate our Halloween Fear Factor game into your party and adapt what you must eat based on the age of your guests.


Party Game Ideas offers a wide variety of Halloween party themes and ideas, we will continue to add new party themes to inspire you have a great Halloween event.

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