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Here are some easy tips, tricks, and treats for a scary good Halloween party. Whether your house is the base camp for gangs of trick-or-treaters (and their adults) or the scene of a stand-alone scarefest, these 10 ideas promise a screaming ghoul time.

If you’re after more than just Halloween-themed treats, check out my Ultimate List of Halloween Recipes! You’ll find plenty of fall favorites like pumpkin goodies, appetizers, and other treats that are perfect for the spooky season. But first, here are those 10 Halloween tips and 8 fun snacks to kick things off!

10 Tips for Throwing a Halloween Party

1. Decorate: Greet guests with decorations at the door and add some surprises. Maybe scrawled message in red lipstick on the bathroom mirror: “Vampires must wash hands,” etc. Or keep it simple with some 3D plastic flying bats.
2. Know your audience: The littles call for a gentler experience: think pumpkins and dancing.
3. Add Some Savory Foods: If your house is the homebase for trick or treaters, big pots of soup or chili work with the ebb and flow, as do platters of finger foods. Go for roll-up sandwiches, cut-up veggies, dips and chips.
4. Carve pumpkins: A Halloween party classic for a reason. Carve or decorate with markers and stickers.
5. Make the sweets magically disappear: Especially on the 31st, providing a healthy dinner is better than oodles of goodies. The kids may have pre-gamed at other parties, too.
6. Consider the bonfire: A bonfire or outdoor fireplace makes the perfect gathering spot.
7. Tell a tale: Gather round the campfire or candle-lit table. Warm up with macabre info on famous deaths from How They Croaked. Then segue into a local ghost story, standard campfire yarns, or read from books like True Ghost Stories for Kids.
8. Chill: Halloween is extra: Candy, monsters, the dark! Space permitting, provide a mellow place, where kids can relax and watch something gentle like It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
9. Trick ’em: For older kids, maybe a “ghost” shows up on a baby monitor or a mysterious group text goes out.
10. Play music: You’ve got: “Monster Mash,” and “Thriller.” Don’t forget creepy organ classics like Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D [from The Haunted Mansion,] Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” Lady Gaga’s “Monster,” The Addams’ family theme, Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy!”

Fun Halloween Party Games

These games work well for kids or adults and add some fun to the party.

1. Spook up a classic. Do Halloween versions of classics, “Would You Rather” be a ghost or a Vampire? Halloween-only charades, or Truth or Scare. Play Party Plan has ideas and templates.
2. Guess the grossness: Blindfold guests and guide them to mystery bowls or boxes of things like cold, oiled spaghetti (worms?), cooked rice (lice?), mushy cauliflower (brain?) or various dried fruit for body parts.
3. Costume Parade: Line up your crew, play music and have them enter a room, or yard, one-by-one. Announce the monsters and princesses. This can be the start of a dance party.
4. Scour the neighborhood: Use your neighbor’s decorations and landmarks to make a scavenger hunt. “Find the house with seven ghosts outside,” etc. Kids can look while they are trick or treating and compete for a prize upon return.
5. Frankenmasks: Use flexible paper plates or mask shapes cut from sturdy paper. Sit around a table. Each person draws one part of the face before passing it on to the next one.

Easy Halloween Treats

Keep the snacks fun and festive with these easy Halloween treats! Whether you’re going for sweet or savory, these quick bites are perfect for your party spread and will definitely bring the spooky vibes.

Halloween Themed Recipes

If you’re looking to make some easy homemade recipes and treats, try some of these below – from dirt pudding cups and mummy pizzas to the spookiest edible spiders and mummies!

Pre-made Snacks

Your guests will expect lots of treats. Here are some great ideas for store-bought ones or with easy recipes you can whip up beforehand:

• Trail mix
• Granola bars
• Pre-cut fresh fruit plates or crudite
• Chips and guacamole
• Hummus and pita bread
• Cheese and crackers
• Deviled egg
• Pre-made or easy to make sandwiches
• Healthy chicken nuggets
• Mini pizzas
• Dried fruit
• Healthy-ish bagged snacks like cheesy Pirate’s Booty or dried pea snacks or popcorn

If you find this guide for Throwing a Halloween Party useful, we’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below! It helps to create a dialogue with others who find this article. And if you snapped some shots of any of these tips and tricks, please share them on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!