The best time of the year is finally here...the fall! The weather is cooler, the sports are better and people just seem all around happier. Halloween is the first major holiday of the year and is becoming one of the most highly celebrated days. With that being said, more and more people are throwing Halloween parties both at home and at work. It’s such a fun day so why not celebrate the heck out of it?! Whether you are throwing a Halloween party at your home or your office, I came up with a few tips and tricks on how to throw the ultimate Halloween party! Read on to learn more 😊
First things first. When it comes to a good Halloween party, having a solid theme is first priority. No party that has random decorations scattered throughout is ever really a good one. Come up with a fun theme like Monster Mash, Mummies and Mimosas or Cosmos & Cauldrons. Once you pick your theme, really go for it! Make your decorations, activities, drinks and food all relate to your theme to really tie the party together. Your guests will appreciate a good theme and it can even help the party flow all on its own!
Next on the list is a costume contest! This might seem overdone, but they are really fun! It’s an easy activity to incorporate in both a work party or a home party. Let your guests know there will be prizes for certain categories like best costume, most original costume or whatever categories you would like. At some point during the party, set aside time where all of your guests can show off their costumes, kind of like a runway so everyone can see the costumes out there. Once that’s done, pass out ballots and let your guests choose which costume they like best! The costume with the most amount of votes for that category wins the prize. Super easy and really fun.
One important thing to note when it comes to costumes and costume contests is not everyone at your party might feel comfortable with it. Some people might not like dressing up and some people might not want to show off their costumes or participate in the contest. This is totally okay! Don’t make people do something they aren’t comfortable with, that’s awkward and not very fun. Your costume contest should only include those that want to participate and it will be guaranteed fun. Not to mention it’s super easy on your end and really doesn’t cost you anything!
Up next we have window graphics & wall graphics! You had to know I was going to bring this up...not only because we are a window film company, but also because custom graphics are literally perfect for parties and events. When we talk about custom graphics in our other blogs and case studies it’s typically as a more permanent design factor. What’s cool about window graphics and wall graphics is that they don’t have to be long term, they can be a temporary, which is why they are so perfect for parties or events. Create custom designs that go perfectly with whatever your party theme is. If you are going for a more scary and spooky feel, you could have graphics of bloody hand prints installed on windows or walls. If you are going for a more fun and relaxed theme you can choose any fun saying to install on pretty much any surface. With custom graphics you have the ability to design anything you want!
When it comes to custom graphics you get to work closely with our in house graphics team to create the perfect graphic for your party. If you don’t know exactly what you are looking for, not to worry, our graphics team can help you through every step of the process. They can help you figure out which material would work best for the install as well as help you come up with a design. On the flip side, if you found something on Pinterest or Etsy that you like, our graphics team can help recreate the design and bring it to life for your party. Once the party is over, you can simply call up Solar Art and our installation team will remove the window graphic or wall graphic. It’s one less thing you have to worry about which is really nice when you are hosting a party.
If you are looking for a more long term decoration, you could have a custom graphic installed on a sign or a board instead of a window or wall and have it for Halloween parties for years to come. Like I said, the options are endless when it comes to custom graphics!
Having a great playlist is key in throwing a successful party. Music not only helps keep everyone interested in the party, it's always a good talking point. Keep the playlist related to your theme and keep the music coming! Also, be sure to throw in some classic Halloween songs because you can never go wrong with the classics 😊
Now we get to the fun stuff...food 😋 Who doesn’t love talking about food?! But in all seriousness, food is a huge factor in throwing a successful party and it doesn’t have to be a big, stressful task. With that being said, I do think there are two things to keep in mind when figuring out food for a Halloween party, and just any party in general. The first is to balance the mix of unhealthier snacks with healthy snacks. The second is to keep in mind dietary restrictions and have food of all kinds for your guests. There’s nothing worse than going to a party and realizing you don’t eat anything there. Other than those two things, I think the sky's the limit with food and treats. Get as creative as you want and again, try to incorporate your theme wherever you can. And most importantly, have fun with it!
Now that we have kind of gone over the basics of the do’s and don’t of party food, we can dive into the more specifics. The first thing I talked about was finding a balance between healthy and unhealthy treats. Obviously we all love our salty and sweet treats, but too much can be overwhelming, which is why it’s nice to have a good mix of options. Regardless of whether the food is healthy or not, you can make it festive. I am clearly a big fan of Pinterest as you can probably tell by how much I reference it, and saw really cute examples of both healthy and unhealthy Halloween treats. When it comes to some healthier options, you could do mandarin orange pumpkins. It’s so easy and so cute. All you have to do is get a pack of mandarin oranges and draw a pumpkin face on them. Boom. Done. Super cute, festive looking and really healthy! You could also serve ghost fruit kabobs, mummy pretzels, spider cookies and so much more! All you have to do is do a quick search and you will find and a bunch of affordable and super creative options!
Last but certainly not least, a pumpkin carving contest. A classic. I’m a sucker for the classics. I just feel like you can’t really go wrong with a good pumpkin carving contest. It works great for both work parties and home parties. They are a little messy though, so keep that in mind. I would do the same thing as the costume contest and have a ballot and let your guests decide the winner. It’s an easy way to have some time where you and your guests can all just talk and hangout!
There ya go! Five pretty easy ways to throw a Halloween party. If I could reiterate anything it would be to pick a theme and stick with it. Once you have a good theme, everything else will just fall into place. If you think window graphics or wall graphics would be a good fit for your Halloween party or any other event, give Solar Art a call to learn more about it, we would love to hear from you!