How to Plan the Best Halloween Party
Halloween, otherwise known as “goth Christmas”, presents the perfect opportunity to enjoy your spooky interests to the max. Throwing a Halloween party is a great way to gather your friends and family and embrace this goth-friendly season. Whether you’re a seasoned host or a first-time party planner, this guide will help you plan the ultimate Halloween bash. From spooky snacks to creepy cocktails, outfit inspiration and more, Attitude Clothing has got you covered this spooky season.
TLDR: To host the best “goth Christmas” bash, start by picking a date, time, and location and establishing a fun theme early (e.g., horror movie, zombies, or non-Halloween-based ideas) to give guests time to plan costumes. Send out creative invites (digital or handmade) that include all essential details.
For the party itself:
- Plan spooky, themed snacks and drinks (like witch finger hot dogs) after checking for dietary requirements.
- Organise entertaining games like a costume competition, pumpkin carving, apple bobbing, spooky stories, or a murder mystery.
- Curate a spine-tingling playlist to set the mood.
Table of contents
How to plan the best Halloween party
How to plan an adult Halloween party
What to wear to a Halloween party
How to plan the best Halloween party
- Pick a date, time and location.
Whether you are hosting a cosy soiree at home or hiring a venue, establishing the details ahead of time and letting guests know the details is always a good idea so they have plenty of time to plan.
- Pick a theme.
Establish your theme early if it involves costumes – this allows your guests time to plan the perfect look. Halloween is the best excuse for dressing up, so go wild with your theme! You could choose a horror movie theme, spooky masquerade or classic options like zombies, ghosts and ghoulies.
You could always pick a costume theme that isn’t strictly Halloween-based, like dressing as something that starts with the same letter as your name, something that rhymes, your favourite food or film, the possibilities are endless!
- Have fun with the invites!
Party invites are a great way to stretch your creativity! Get crafty and handmake your invites. Adding spooky details and decorations like ghosts, pumpkins and black glitter to get your guests in the mood. If digital is more your vibe, design your invites online and send them via email for a paper-saving party!
Remember to include all the key information – date, time, location and theme if there is one.
- Set a budget.
Hosting a good Halloween party doesn’t need to break the bank, and there are plenty of ways to save cash. Reusing old decorations or making your own, using clothes you already have to make your costume, and cooking your party food instead of ordering in are great ways to save money.
If you can spend money on your party, set a budget and stick to it. Don’t get too carried away!
- Plan a spooky menu.
Before starting your food plans, ensure you’ve found out any dietary requirements of your guests to ensure everyone is included. Then, get creative with Halloween-themed foods and decorations! Some fail-safe party classics are hot dogs decorated as witch fingers, cakes decorated with spiders or ghosts and coloured food dyes to keep everything on the theme.
- Organise party activities.
While a strict party itinerary doesn’t scream “fun”, it’s good to have a few Halloween party games to keep your guests entertained. No need to reinvent the wheel – have a costume competition, carve pumpkins, tell spooky stories, create a scavenger hunt or set up an apple bobbing station.
For a more planned out game, choose a murder mystery theme and assign each guest a character, giving out clues and stories as the evening progresses.
- Curate a spine-tingling Halloween playlist.
This is the best part of the Halloween party planning process – getting to choose the perfect playlist to set the spooky tone!
We couldn’t resist getting involved, so here are ten of our favourite tunes to get you started.
October Country – My Girlfriend is a Witch
October Country released just one album in their short-lived time as a band, but that time produced this absolute classic Halloween tune. It does what it says on the tin – it’s about a man and his peculiar girlfriend, a witch. Its upbeat yet mysterious rhythm makes it the perfect party playlist pick.
Talking Heads: Psycho Killer
Written from the point of view of a serial killer and with characters such as Alice Cooper and Hannibal Lecter in mind, Psycho Killer has appeared on slasher TV and film soundtracks ever since!
The Specials: Ghost Town
Offering a bleak but realistic view of Britain in the 80s, The Specials’ Ghost Town transforms Britain into a ghost town worthy of the spookiest and most haunting settings. Although not strictly Halloween themed, the title and ghostly sound effects are enough to tip in into Halloween playlist territory!
Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Packed full of voodoo symbolism, Jimi Henrdix’s Voodoo Child (Slight Return) is hailed as one of the greatest pieces of guitar work ever recorded.
Duran Duran: Hungry Like the Wolf
If this doesn’t get your guests on the dancefloor, we don’t know what will. The second single from 1982’s Rio, this track draws on classic fairy tales, mixing them with the signature synth sound of the time.
Ray Parker Jr.: Ghostbusters
Written by Ray Parker Jr as the theme for the 1984 film, Ghostbusters swiftly became much more than a theme tune. Covered by artists such as Run-D.M.C, The Rasmus and Fall Out Boy over the years, Ghostbusters has become a staple of Halloween parties and pop culture at large.
Rob Zombie: Dragula
One of Rob Zombie’s most recognisable songs. Opening with a line from Horror Hotel spoken by Christopher Lee, Dragula’s horror roots run deep by drawing inspiration from the drag racer from The Munsters, “DRAG-U-LA”, and even features the Munster Koach in the music video!
Rockwell: Somebody’s Watching Me
Rockwell’s paranoid anthem was released in 1984 and features the voice of Michael Jackson. Its sound is undeniably spooky – perfect for Halloween.
Andrew Gold: Spooky Scary Skeletons
This classic Halloween song came from Andrew Gold’s 1996 album Halloween Howls, which he made to “fill a void of availability of fun and scary Halloween original songs”. It would be criminal to leave this off your party playlist!
Nina Simone: I Put a Spell on You
Not strictly a Halloween song, but this mesmerising track by Nina Simone is too good to miss. The hypnotic vibe of I Put a Spell On You would be perfect to play at the end of the night when things are winding down.
How to plan an adult Halloween party
If your Halloween party is 18+, you might want to add some grown-up fun. Making some Halloween-themed cocktails is a great place to start, and there are plenty of fun recipes to try out.
Vampires Kiss Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 20ml raspberry liqueur
- 25ml vodka
- Ice
- Frozen raspberries
- Champagne or prosecco
Method:
- Chill a cocktail glass. Pour your raspberry liqueur and vodka into a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice and frozen raspberries.
- Shake until the shaker feels cold.
- Strain the cocktail into your chilled glass and top with the champagne or prosecco. To add extra pizazz, dip the rim of the glass into red sugar before pouring in the cocktail.
Top tip: If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, don’t worry. Almost any container with a lid will work just as well, and you can use a sieve as a strainer!
Witch’s Brew Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 20g caster sugar
- 50g frozen mixed berries
- 200ml vodka
- 100ml raspberry liqueur
- 50ml blue curaçao
- 100ml lemon juice
- Ice
- Edible glitter and cocktail cherries (optional)
Method:
- Make the fruit base by pouring 60ml water into a saucepan with the caster sugar, and tip in the berries. Cook for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat until the berries have softened and the liquid is bubbling. Take off the heat and leave to cool before straining into a jug.
- Pour your fruit base into a cocktail shaker with the vodka, raspberry liqueur, blue curaçao, lemon juice and ice. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
- Strain into chilled glasses before sprinkling with the edible glitter and finishing with a skewered cocktail cherry (if you’re using them).
Hot Apple Pie Punch
Wind down for the evening with this warming mocktail.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- A pinch of ground cloves
- ½ whole grated nutmeg
- 2L apple juice
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 scoops vanilla ice cream
Method:
- Add the cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, apple juice and vanilla extract into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
- When the apple juice has warmed through, add the vanilla extract and whisk until melted and combined. The ice cream should make a frothy top on top of the juice.
- Serve in your mug of choice. You can add a splash of dark rum into the bottom if you prefer.
If you’re serving alcohol, make sure your guests have the details of local taxi companies, or ask those who aren’t drinking if they’re willing to give lifts to ensure everyone gets home safely.
What to wear to a Halloween party
Whether looking for a costume or just some Halloween-coded garms for your upcoming party, Attitude Clothing is here to help.
The Dark in Love Dolly Princess Preppy Dress is the perfect base for any Halloween party outfit.
If dresses aren’t your thing, pair the Forest Ink Spider Web Mesh Long Sleeve Top with your favourite jeans or skirt for easy Halloween glam that’s wearable all year round.
Don’t forget to accessorise! The Pamela Mann Twickers Stripy Tights could not be more perfect for Halloween, while the Restyle Moon Bat Bag carries all your party essentials.
Finish the look with DemoniaCult’s Emily 322 Bat Buckle Boots. The incredible bat detailing and platform will ensure these become a wardrobe staple no matter the season.
For a more masculine vibe, the Godmachine “Portrait of a Lady” T-Shirt perfectly fits the bill, with the striking print fitting into any Halloween plans effortlessly.
Bring in some extra Halloween-y details with the Alchemy Gothic Personal Baphomet Necklace and the Extreme Largeness Crow Skeleton Enamel Pin.
Get Halloween-ready with Attitude Clothing
Whether you’re the host with the most this season or have a handful of spooky soirees to attend, Attitude Clothing is the place to find all your Halloween essentials. Find decorations and accessories in our gothic homeware collection and perfect your look with our women’s and men’s alternative clothing.
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