Halloween, along with Christmas and Thanksgiving, is easily one of the most popular holidays. And this is for a good reason – candies, costumes, and celebrations of every kind. Such events have become even more meaningful to us as a result of social isolation during the pandemic. Hopefully, this year, Halloween brings back some of the activities that we enjoy.
In this regard, we’ve put together the essential Halloween party checklist 2023 items to help you get started with your planning.
Food and drinks
Think of delicious food and drinks for your Halloween party guests. You can serve easy appetizers, drinks, and, of course, candies. Also, consider using Halloween-themed straws, napkins, plates, and cups to support your holiday spirit.
- Sweets
Load up on traditional candies such as KitKats, Skittles. Twix, Snickers, and M&M’s. A lot of special edition options are available in supermarkets before October 31. If you enjoy cooking, you can create a “Worms in Mud” dessert with gummy worms, chocolate pudding, crushed Oreo cookies, or Halloween cupcakes with spiders.
- Sandwiches
While you may think guests will be fine with a wide range of Halloween desserts and drinks, we recommend you balance the sweet stuff with some Halloween sandwiches. They are so simple to make with ham, cheese, beetroot, olives, and some sauce or ketchup.
- Napkins, plates, utensils
Buy napkins, plates, and other utensils in colors and patterns that match your party scheme.
- Punch
Is it even a Halloween party if you have no spooky punch? Have one or a couple and label them with creative Halloween names. For example, make a red punch and name it “Vampire Blood.”
- Cups
If you’re serving alcoholic drinks at your party, plan on three to four drinks per guest (for a short party). And don’t forget to prepare something alcohol-free for the younger generation or non-drinkers. If you plan to serve hot beverages, stock up on heatproof cups. Buy a bunch of orange, black, or clear cups to decorate for your Halloween party.
Create a free Halloween to-do list, print it for yourself, or share it with friends.
You could even make some Halloweeny crafts at your party – why not check out this Spooky Halloween Crafts To Do This October blog for some inspiration?
Decorations
Choose some decorations to accent your Halloween party theme. You can create the decorations yourself or purchase them from a local store. These can be red light bubbles, black sheets, spider’s web. Or you can even rent a fog machine from a party store to add to the haunted house effect. Keep in mind that time will be limited on the day of the Halloween party because you’ll need to prepare food and socialize with people. So make sure you decorate everything a day or two in advance.
- Red light bulbs
Replace your regular light bulbs with red ones to add ambiance to Halloween scenes.
- Pumpkins
Buy pumpkins to put them in clusters around your home. You can simply light the pumpkins or paint them to make faces or write messages.
- Black sheets
Dress up everything from costumes to haunted houses with black Halloween sheets.
Entertainment
Think about how you will entertain guests at your Halloween party.
- Halloween playlist
Create a list of creepy songs and terrifying tunes for your party. Adult guests will appreciate something like “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran, or “Sympathy For The Devil” by The Rolling Stones. Consider adding the hits like “Shivers” by Ed Sheeran or “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish. Look for film and television soundtracks. For example, “This is Halloween” by the Citizens of Halloween Town (from The Nightmare Before Christmas).
- Board games
This is an excellent way to bond with friends and loved ones. The best horror board games for Halloween include “Eldritch Horror,” “Mysterium,” “Zombicide: Black Plague,” “Nyctophobia,” and “Shadow Hunters.”
- Scary quiz
Let your guests prove their knowledge of Halloween with a scary quiz. Prepare questions like “What are vampires scared of?”, “Where does Halloween come from?”, “Who was Frankenstein?”, and more.
- Scary movies list
Play classic horror movies in the background to get your Halloween party guests in the mood. The most popular films are “The Exorcist,” “Friday the 13th,” “The Addams Family”, and “Ghostbusters.” You can also set up a screen in your garage and open the doors of your monstrous new movie house. Boo!
Also, there are so many Halloween cartoons you may like. These are “The Corpse Bride,” “Frankenweenie,” “Hotel Transylvania,” and more.
Halloween night
This is it! The big day has arrived. There are many things you can do on Halloween night. Start with the essentials.
- Put out a bucket of candies
Set up a candy station where you can hand sweets. After all, Halloween is the sweetest holiday of the year.
- Take pictures
Schedule time for pictures. Then create an online photo album and email it to each guest after the party. Adults will certainly appreciate this kind of favor. After all, who doesn’t love holiday pictures?
- Trick or treat!
This is one of the most beloved parts of this holiday. Although the tradition is popular among kids, there are a few fun ways you can incorporate it into the adult party. For example, you can hide candy inside one cupcake or another kind of snack. The guest who finds the surprise can win something or privilege related to the rest of your activities.
- Have fun
Halloween is the perfect time to break out from the “normal” and have a good time with your loved ones. Switch off your phone and have fun together.
Wrap Up
Many people associate October with Halloween, and that’s the focus of this article. We prepared a Halloween checklist to help you plan your party in 2023. You can also create a printable checklist using these free templates. Have a scary good time!
