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How to host a successful potluck Halloween party
Ghostbusters Floating Slimer Animated Prop
Hosting a potluck Halloween party can be lots of fun for the attendees and the host alike. As the hostess, when you host a party, you are most of the time stuck in the kitchen, preparing food and drinks. However, with a potluck Halloween party, you won’t be frustrated at all and will be able to take part to the fun with all the guests.
Adults consider that kids love Halloween because they commonly love sweets. But children do not just enjoy the profusion of Halloween candy. They love partying, wearing fancy dresses, watching torchlight parades… and is there a best way to take pleasure in all these activities than through Halloween party?
Grownups also love Halloween and more particularly entertaining parties. While reading tons of Halloween tips and tricks online, I often found out that they always provide party hosts with tips to spend less time in the kitchen but rarely how to host a Halloween potluck party. I thus built this page to provide you with tips to host the greatest pot luck Halloween party you’ve ever dreamed of. And these Halloween party ideas suit both children and adults.
Celebrate Halloween at home with family only
Spending the Halloween eve with the kids and your significant one is a first option when it comes to Halloween. Staying at home with with the kids and your soul mate doing some special activities.
When the trick or treating has come to an end, kids come back home bringing their candy bag along with them. Parents would check the quality of these sweets and then everyone goes to the sitting room. Mum will serve pumpkin juice and cookies for everyone. Meanwhile, Daddy will tell some Halloween stories.
This is a good way to celebrate Halloween. But there is a wonderful way to make Halloween even more fun and enjoyable for the whole family. And this includes both grownups and kids…
Gather as many party guests as you can
Smoking Cauldron
The more guests attend your Halloween party, the more fun you’ll have. So you are about to host a Halloween potluck party and you want to have as many guests as possible. I hear you. I suggest to let your family, your friends and even neighbors know that you’re hosting a fun get together this 31st October. More particularly let them know that kids are welcome to join the fun.
There is a major problem with big parties however. The housewife is most of the time stuck in the kitchen, cooking the meal and ensure there is always enough drink to serve. But this year, it is entirely different. The hostess is going to take part to the celebration and enjoy it. As it is all about a potluck Halloween party that I am going to walk you through.
The principle of this event is very simple: each guest brings different dishes; whether a meal, dessert, pie or beverage. Because you are the hostess, you will provide the party room and plan the different activities.
Prepare your Halloween party checklist on time!
When planning a Halloween potluck party, it is important to make a checklist so that you know what to do on time!
Potluck Halloween party invitation cards
Send your Halloween invites on time. Once you have put your guest list together and decided on a suitable date for everyone, it’s time for you to prepare your Halloween invitation cards.
Prepare your Halloween potluck party for everyone by creating invitation cards with funny Halloween images. This can be an agreeable job if you make those cards yourself.
Select a scary, comic or TV series related theme, add some colors and make your guests know the type of aliments and/or beverage they will have to get and whether they have to wear a costume or not.
Do not forget to add an RSVP request so that you know how many guests you will have to hire chairs for and supply glasses, cups, plates, etc.
Ask your children to help you do this so that they take part to the event from the start.
Tip: if you are short on time, you can buy ready-made cards.
Halloween Custom Invites
Black Purple Halloween Party Skeleton Bone DanceAngels And Devils Halloween Invitation (CA)Witch pumpkin head flying broom Halloween CustomSpooky Halloween Castle Party invitationHalloween Invitations Custom Halloween Mummy CardsJack-o-Lantern Invitations Custom Halloween CardsMummy Halloween Party Invitation
Choose a Halloween party theme
Add more fun to your potluck party by setting a costume theme.
One of the funnest parts of Halloween is that everyone can wear a costume. I would recommend to set up a party theme. Having a theme will enable you to ask your guests to get dressed in a specific type of costume. It will also allow you to have the matching decorations and dinner sets prepared beforehand.
What about a Hollywood party, where everyone comes as a film star? Or perhaps a film theme night, where everybody dresses like their favorite movie character, for example?
More potluck Halloween party themed ideas:
- Monster party theme
- Golden oldies (50’s)
- Hippie (60’s)
- Agatha Christie or Cluedo
- Scooby-Doo
- Hairspray
- Game of Thrones
- Star Wars
- Transformers
- Harry Potter or witchcraft
- Zombie
and more
Hosting a sit down dinner or a buffet
Decide on the type of party you are going to host. When planning a Halloween potluck party, it is good to decide on the way you are going to set the dinner. Should you host a sit down dinner or a buffet dinner?
The simplest way to host a Halloween party is by having a buffet. You will easily convert your dining table into a buffet table by placing it in a corner of the room. Utilize a big jack-o-lantern or other Halloween centerpiece on the center of the tale and place dishes all around it. A smaller table next to the buffet could host the dinnerware and glasses.
A buffet is terrific way to have your guests in condition to communicate with everyone. They will make new friends this way. On the other side of the room, place another table to as to define the bar area. Ensure you provide enough chairs for everybody to sit down. If you have enough place in that room, ensure that its center can be converted into the dance floor.
As the host, you have been carving pumpkins these past days. Recycle the flesh into pumpkin soup for the guests. This enables you to serve food and ask your guests to bring along other dishes than soups.
Tip: a creative idea is to turn two big pumpkins from which you removed the flesh into drink containers. One that you can fill with sangria for grownups and one with non alcoholic drink for the children.
How to make witch eyes for cocktails
- Ingredients : Canned peeled and drained litchis
- Directions : Incorporate a maraschino cherry into each litchi.
Now you have a bunch of creepy eyes to pour in your different drink containers.
Dish washing shortcut: get paper dinnerware
One of the easiest way to skip the dish washing after the party is using paper plates and cups. These are often themed so that you can find assorted dinnerware for the party you host. You can purchase such sets from the stores. Most of these sets include: dinner and dessert plates, cutlery set, napkins, paper cups or plastic glasses and decorations such as streamers, balloons, etc.
 Eat, Drink Be Scary Ultimate Party Pack |
 Spooky Scenes Ultimate Party Pack Kit |
 Dancing Skeletons Ultimate Party Pack Kit |
 Skull Terror Ultimate Party Pack Kit |
Halloween party decorations and props
Creatively decorate the home for Halloween. Halloween is dealing with witches, macabre creatures, spiders, specters, jack-o-lanterns. And the most favorite Halloween party theme is the haunted house. Thus I suggest to decorate using reduced lighting, skeletons, images of specters and ghouls, spiders and webs and sound effects.
Of course there is no real Halloween party without some Jack-o-lanterns, in various sizes with a tea light inside them. Another great idea is to bring some fog to the party so that it adds to the creepy atmosphere. While you are not obliged to wholly decorate your house, you should at least put Halloween decorations in the rooms where the party is held.
Some Halloween light ideas
Fun World 14
Halloween Spider Tea Light Candle holders,Halloween Ghost & Pumpkin Center PieceBat Shaped Metal Hanging LanternsSet of 3 Lighted Halloween SkeletonTerra Cotta Jack O’ Lantern Hurricane
Halloween party musical background
Last but not least, set the musical ambiance by creating different play lists of Halloween music and sound effects.
However, there are chances that your guest would want to dance to the popular music of the day so make sure you have a compilation of such a type of music ready for the party.
Add even more fun by setting up a Halloween karaoke for the whole company before the kids retire. Once the children are off to sleep, you can start playing more frightful DVDs that can become part of the Halloween decor.
Plan Halloween themed activities for the guests
Printable Halloween & Harvest Games Collection
Have a few fun Halloween party activities that both grownups and kids can do in common such as a costume contest with gifts for everyone.
Halloween games such as bingo, crosswords and other trivia games can also be planned for more fun. These are the types of activities that can be done with the children and provide them with great memories to cherish.
Have some age adapted Halloween DVDs for the children to watch as the evening progresses. As you will see it is an excellent way to have them asleep. Once the kids are sleeping – preferably in a separate room – you can start the adult fun with activities like a murder game or so.
Once the children are gone to sleep, your Halloween party may become more scary and activities such as a murder enigma can add more fun.
