Source: kipgodi / Getty
Halloween parties are a great chance to connect with and expand your circle. They are also a chance to dust off your hosting skills in preparation for the holiday season.
Throwing a party is about more than finding the perfect playlist and putting it in a catering order. Gatherings are special because you can invite your line sisters, cool coworkers, and play cousins to converge. The goal is to create a welcoming environment where friends fellowship smoothly and beautifully.
In other words, setting a tone of comfort and peace throughout your home so that guests feel welcome is vital. Take a chance by adding some unexpected drama to your next function, or up the ante by partying for a cause.
We consulted three event planning experts on simple ways to elevate your next Halloween party.
Pick A Theme For Your Halloween Party
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
Anyone can throw a costume party, but choosing a specific theme helps bind everyone together. Lakarra Clerveaux, Founder and Creative Director of SYP Event Group, recommended leaning on the charts to spark a fun time.
“From a theme perspective, you can do like a music mayhem so that it can be inspired by a popular artist like Michael Jackson or Beyoncé,” she told HelloBeautiful. “You can have all of your guests dress up as the artist with different iconic looks from their albums and music videos.”
Kelly Roberts of Kelly Roberts Events recommends insisting on participation to get everyone in the partying mood. “Halloween allows us to be whoever or whatever we want to be for just one night, so why not make costumes a requirement for all your guests,” she said.
Switch Up The Color Palette
Clerveaux highlighted other options beyond “the textbook Halloween colors.” A bit of glam can surprise guests who were expecting blood and gore.
“You can take a different approach and girlify things and have more pinks and purple. You can still add the spider elements and things of that nature. But you can girlify it with pink drinks and pink and purple decor, but still added those little Halloween elements,” she said.
Hop On The Charcuterie Board
Source: MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images / Getty
If you are not doing a sit-down dinner but still want to offer something to nosh on, consider a charcuterie board. There are different kinds of boards, so you can do the traditional array of meats and cheeses or switch things up by going with a dessert board. This option not only nourishes guests it can add to your tablescape.
“Food boards can kind of service both food and decor simultaneously, killing two birds and one stone. So you can do a nice, beautiful food spread,” Clerveaux continued.
Take Your Cocktails To The Next Level
Source: Jovanmandic / Getty
“You can add eyeballs or even your own edible image on your cocktails,” said Clerveaux. “You can use acrylic stirrers.”
Dry ice can be purchased to give a visually stimulating element to drinks. You can also “add fun elements within the ice cube to incorporate them into your cocktails,” according to Clerveaux.
Give People Something To Do
“Find ways for your guests to interact,” suggested Roberts. Consider having a best costume contest, coordinating a “throwback MJ Thriller dance” moment, or setting up games.
Clerveaux proposed putting a twist on the traditional murder mystery game.
“A lot of people do like a murder mystery, but I think you can kind of make it more modernized by dressing,” she said. With a little direction, you have your mini The Black Dahlia right at home. She recommends. “Having your guests dress up as Hollywood elite but still adding that new murder mystery flare to the theme.”
You can also have people carve pumpkins and allow them to take them home as favors.
Make It Inclusive
“Keep in mind that when you have events, you’re going to have different types of personalities that come,” said Maple and Monroe founder Shakira Johnson. “Some are going to be introverted, some are going to be extroverted, some are even going to be neo-divergent. So when you do anything, you always want to have things that are built into the timeline of your event that make sure that everybody gets included.”
Consider the neurodivergent people in your circle by adding a quiet corner for guests to decompress. If you live in a small space and this isn’t possible, consider adding a discreet sign that lets guests know how to get outside to take a moment to gather themselves.
More people are sober and curious than ever, so don’t leave them out when choosing refreshments. Prepare mocktails and put as much thought into them as you would your alcoholic options.
“They even have non-alcoholic wines and beer that you can still incorporate to give you that flare,” said Clerveaux.
Think Sustainably
Source: senata / Getty
Paper plates are not only wasteful; they can make a party appear cheap. Consider pulling out real utensils and drinkware to make the party more upscale.
“That one is just going to create a more elevated experience for your guest, and then at the same time, it’s going to reduce waste because, as you may know, parties create a ton of waste. So this allows you to be considerate of the planet, but simultaneously, you create this elevated experience for your guests because they’re using real china, real plates, and real glassware,” said Johnson.
Make Your Halloween Party About Something Bigger
“Another thing that I think that will be memorable to the guest is if you create a community involvement component, and what I mean by that is you could connect with like a local charity or a shelter and everybody who comes to your event, could bring a donation, like a canned food item or clothing or blanket or something like that,” said Johnson.
DON’T MISS:
15 Pop Culture-Inspired Halloween Costumes
Afro Unicorn Is An Adorable Character Brand Little Black Girls Can Call Their Own
