New Tricks, Old Treats: Make This Year’s Annual Halloween Party Stand Out!
- Aly
- Aug 5
- 9 min read
Everyone loves your Annual Halloween party! The costume contest, the signature candy, and everything that makes it special! But you can’t throw the same party forever — at some point, it all starts to blend together: last year’s, the year before that, and even the year before that.
Before you start from scratch, you don’t need to reinvent your whole celebration. You just need this year’s bash to stand out! So keep the fan favorites, ditch the old dirty spider webs, and get ready to make this your best year yet!
Pick a Theme (Yes, a New One)
Whether you’ve always had a party theme or you’ve never even considered one, this is your sign: you need a new theme this year. It sets the tone, gets guests excited, and gives your party a fresh twist from the start. Not sure where to begin? Start by reading the ideas in our other blog and see what jumps out at you. The key is to pick something fun, memorable, and different from what you’ve done in the past.
Costume Contest Refresh
Oh the costume contest...we all do it, you know it well. The costume contest is everyone's friend, but it's kinda generic. I know, I know! I may have just offended your favorite part! But you can do better! Trust me it's possible!
Now keep in mind the costume contest is still a very important part of your party! DO NOT get rid of it! Instead, you're gonna make it into an event, not just that thing you always do.
To do that, you need to add three main components!
1. Categories: We all know the usual categories, Scariest, Cutest, Most Creative, whatever it is you usually do. But you need some fresh ideas! Something that's worth striving for! Something that's exciting to win! So if all of that sounds good, check out our list of: Better Costume Contest Categories! (it's a working title)
Funniest Multi-Person Costume
Most Detailed Costume
Best Glow in the Dark / Light Up Costume
Most Over The Top Costume
Best Classic Costume Reinterpretation (new take on ghosts and mummies and such)
Best Combo Costume (Combining two unrelated costumes into one)
Most Realistic Costume
Best Candy Costume
2. Rules: Add some fun and interesting rules to your contest! Having unique rules that change every year makes your costume contest something to get excited about, well before the party! Feel free to use some of our favorites like:
Costumes must be homemade
Disgusting costumes not allowed
No t-shirts that say "I'm a ghost"
You can't use your costume that won last year!
And don't forget to give out the full list of rules in advance, so nobody gets a last minute surprise!
3. Prizes!: You could just buy those plastic trophies from the dollar store, but that isn't epic! The much better and much spookier option is to get a varity of halloween themed trophies or prizes! Personally I like doing either these fun squishy Halloween characters or picking a few of these customizable Halloween trophies and adding your own prize names to them! Or you could get to DIYing! Crack out the glue gun and make those dollar store trophies something special!
Ghostly Games
Get ready for some bone rattling fun! These are new and different games you won't find anywhere else! Not only will you surprise your guests with something different, but you'll have some new fan favorites!
Ghost Busters
Who you gonna call? Everyone. Because this is no ordinary Ghostbusters game. This one’s got brains, teamwork, strategy, and yes, plenty of running around like a maniac.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Get some ghosts! Like 10-20 of them depending on your party size. They could be tiny resin ghosts, ghost shaped pillows, or printed paper ghosts. (Or if you can get yourself some real ghosts, that would be amazing!)
Step 2: Give them each a different challenge and either write or tape it on them. (or if you're that person with real ghosts then make sure they memorize their lines.) You can make it silly for little kids (“Do your best zombie dance!”) or spooky-smart for older players (“Solve the riddle to escape the crypt”).
Step 3: Before the party starts, hide your ghosts all around your party space!
How to play: Here’s where it gets interesting. Each ghost has a challenge. To collect a ghost, teams must find it AND complete its task. It might be a riddle, a silly physical challenge, or a Halloween trivia question. Some will be easy. Others will be sneaky. A few might even be trickster ghosts that send you back a step!
The goal? Find as many ghosts as you can and complete their tasks, before all the ghosts are gone! The team with the most completed ghosts wins — or, if you want to turn up the pressure, leave the ghosts in place and make it a race to finish all the ghosts first.
Add music, time limits, glow-in-the-dark clues — whatever makes it feel epic.
🕸️ Want to level it up? Design ghost types with different point values. Throw in a cursed ghost that subtracts a point. Make some team ghosts that require two teams to cooperate. Trust us — this game can grow with your party.
Ghosts caught. Memories made.
So in short: Teams race to find as many ghosts as possible, each ghost has a different task to complete before you can move on, and after all ghosts have been found the team with the most ghosts wins!
Candy Taste Test
Every year there's that one person that just knows everything about candy! (you know who they are) And this year, you're gonna pick a new candy champion! This year you're doing a Candy Taste Test! This game will level the playing field, because everyone thinks they know candy until they’re blindfolded!
How to Play:
Step 1: Set Up Your Tasting Station. Pre-select 5–10 types of Halloween candies and chop or unwrap them into bite-size pieces. Then stick them each in a bowl. Make sure each bowl is numbered so the answer key stays a secret!
Step 2: Prep Your Contestants. Blindfold each player and make sure nobody can see the candy! Then give each player the mystery candy and the fun will begin!
Step 3: Make Your Guess. After each bite, players must say what they think the candy is. You can make this multiple choice to keep it easy, or you can make it open-ended for a real challenge!
Step 4: Tally the Scores. Whoever guesses the most correctly wins a sweet and spooky prize!
Bonus Challenges:
These extra challenges are for that Tie Breaker Taste Test or the Candy Connoisseur!
Speed Round: Players race to guess 3 candies in 30 seconds. (Speed it up even more for a lightning round!)
Candy Roulette: One round of candy is secretly super sour, spicy, or gross (but still edible). Hilarious to watch and fun to play!
Team Play: Two contestants sit back to back. One person tastes, one person guesses based on their teammate's reaction and description. Great for a hilarious time and finding out everyone's favorite (and least favorite) candies!
Leftovers: To make it a real challenge, use all the obscure leftover candy that no one could possibly recognize! (Like that weird candy that always melts before you try it)
Set Up Your Spooky Space
Turn your Halloween Party into an immersive experience! Your front door is where you go from Normal Halloween Fun, to Complete Halloween Epicness!
You have your perfectly unreasonable amount of decor that you've used for years, you know the three large bins in your attic & all the outside decor in your garage, all just waiting for this party. Normal. Right?
Step 1: Sort Through The Old Stuff
Your decor is great, but some of it's got to go. You know that stretchy spiderweb that get's a little dirtyer and more stretched out every year? Yeah that one, just no, don't use that.
Now I don't know your stuff, so I'm gonna let you have fun sorting! But if you need some help, here's some examples of stuff that can't stay another year.
Dirty spiderwebs
That decoration that's so creepy you almost can't touch it
The thing with the weird smell
The "they'll work if you wack it the right way" Tea lights
I don't know...it's your stuff!
Step 2: Add Some New Stuff
You want your party to feel alive and different! (It's Alive!!!) And this is not the time to be a minimalist! This is the time to go all out!
Here's a list of some of our favorite Halloween decor!
Spiderwebs (New ones)
I know i just said "chuck the spider webs!" but these will last a lot longer, and look a lot better! Plus you can cut it down to any size you need, so you can either have one massive sheet or small individual pieces. (That is unless you put it on a dry thorny bush, then it's done for!)
Kraken! & Tentacles Galore!
Wow your friends and neighbors by putting this Giant Kraken in your yard! Not only will you have a Giant Kraken, but you can get extra tentacles to stick on the side of your house! How cool is this! (Bonus points if you're having a pirate themed Halloween Party!)
These are small but many! These 3D bats really transform a space! Surprisingly enough, by the time you have 168 tiny bats stuck to your wall it changes the whole feel of the room!
Looking for something to spook your guests? This broom is the perfect prop to set the stage for some spooktacular fun! With it having both sound and motion sensors it's sure to make a ghostly apperance! (Plus it cleans for you!)
BOO! Did I scare you? No, hmm. Well maybe this guy will! Check out what I think is the cutest and largest stuffed spider you'll ever see!
And if you were wondering, yes we do have a list compiling all the best Halloween decor and cool stuff we could find on Amazon! You can check out our full list here! (it's pretty epic)
Step 3: Everything Else! (The most important part)
Oh my favorite part! Literally everything else! This means music, fog, sound effects, lighting, all the stuff that makes that perfect subtle difference!
Music
I think music is the single most important thing for a Halloween party! It sets the mood and truly makes it feel like Halloween!
This is hands down the best Halloween Playlist you're gonna find, especially for kids!
We play it all season long! While pumpkin carving, decorating, during our Halloween Party, basically 24/7 all of October! So I can most definitely say it's a must have for any kids or family Halloween party! And while you wait for everyone to arrive, you can start the night with creepy whispers, distant thunder, or ambient ghostly sounds!
Lighting
Lighting is a very important aspect of your party! (almost as important as the music) To start, you want the amount of light required to see. Like having fun candles, up-lights, string lights, or other cool Halloween lights! The second phase of lighting is the accents! Things like glowing spider webs, glowing eyeballs, and floating candles! Once you've layered your favorite styles, colors, and spooky surprises you'll be all set!
Get Your Guests in the Spooky Spirit!
You know that your party's epic, but your guests still think that they're coming to the party you've thrown for years. Get them excited for your new vibe by getting them in the spirit early! We just so happen to specialize in spooktacular video invites that are sure to get everyone excited!
Ghoulish Grub
Your snack table is more than just a place to grab a treat, it's a monstrous experience. You can either create creepy snacks like jello brains and mozzarella eyeballs or you can do it potluck style! Get everyone to bring a creative food display that feels like part of the decor. Use things like spooky lighting, spiderweb netting, glowing jars, Halloween props tucked between the goodies. Themed labels make even simple snacks feel party-ready.
Want to go next-level? Add a few interactive food stations that double as activities! Try:
A Build-Your-Own Monster Treats Bar with cookies, icing, and candy eyeballs
A DIY Caramel Apple Station with drizzles and crushed toppings
A Potion Punch Lab, where guests mix spooky-colored drinks like butterfly pea flower tea with skull shaped ice and dry ice fog
Whether you’re serving up store-bought sweets or handmade horrors, presentation is everything. Keep it fun, messy, and over-the-top! You’re feeding ghouls, after all. 🧁🕸️
Photo Booth
Last but not least, you need a photo booth to capture everyone's amazing costumes that they worked so hard on! No matter what kind of dark and spooky lighting you have in the rest of your party, your photo booth should have really good bright lighting to capture all the details of everyone's costumes! You don't want your photos coming out like the grainy trick or treating pics under the street lamp!
Mic Drop You Did It…
But Don’t Ghost Us Yet
That’s a wrap, and not just the mummy kind. Whether you use every eerie idea in this guide or just pick a few ghostly gems, we hope you’re feeling ready to throw a haunting Halloween party better than ever before! This isn't just any Annual Halloween Party, this is gonna be THE Annual Halloween Party!
And if you haven’t grabbed your matching video invitation yet…what are you waiting for? Check out our epic selection of Halloween Video Invites here! It’s the easiest and most important part of party planning! Getting everyone there! Plus how could you resist the epicness?
Got your own haunted genius to share? Tag us in your pics or drop a comment! We get really excited about this party stuff! We'll be here when you plan the next one! Stay weird, stay spooky, and keep the candy flowing! 🍬👻 🎃 @AnimationInvitations
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