As the leaves begin to turn golden and the crisp fall air starts to settle in, it's time to prepare for one of the nation's favorite holidays. Loved by adults and children alike, Halloween is the perfect excuse to get together with our friends and family for a night of chills and thrills. Whether you're hosting a cute Halloween party for the little ones, or a sophisticated buffet party for the grown-ups, we'll be sharing our favorite Halloween party ideas for adults and kids plus our top Halloween table décor hacks to help you pull off a spooktacular evening.
Adult Halloween party ideas
Who said Halloween is just for the kids? Give yourself an excuse to get dressed up, decorate the house, and enjoy a night of delightful thrills. If you'll be hosting an adults-only Halloween bash or you just want to cater to partygoers of all ages, you'll find some of our favorite adult Halloween party ideas below, including:
Halloween party themes for adults
A theme is always guaranteed to get the party started and setting a spooky theme for your event can help guests narrow down their costume choices. If you're looking for some inspiration, our Halloween party themes for adults should give you plenty of ideas.
Horror movies
A movie theme is always bound to cause a few laughs among you and your guests, so why not add a Halloween spin by asking guests to dress up as characters from their favorite horror flicks and Halloween-themed movies?
Decorate with movie-themed pieces, such as clapboards and a popcorn station, and plenty of black, red, and gold. Our Halo and Studio Grey tableware would be perfect for this theme and is available as full dinner sets and individual pieces. Finally, put out snacks on your coffee table, throw on your favorite seasonal films, and gather around with your guests for a thrilling movie night.
Time travel
Travel back in time with a historical-themed event. Ask guests to come dressed in clothing from a specific era of their choosing. For an extra challenge, you could assign them a time period on their invitation.
If you've picked one particular era, you can decorate your home with pieces specific to the time period. But, if you've given guests a choice of what era they come as, a general time travel theme could work better, with plenty of clock decorations and other Halloween party décor.
Murder mystery
If you're looking for a more immersive party theme, then why not host a murder mystery Halloween party? Not only will your guests be able to dress up and enjoy some spooky refreshments, but you'll also be tasked with solving a murder most foul.
Halloween food ideas for adults
If there's one thing we all love about Halloween it's the snacks and treats, so be sure to provide plenty of refreshments for your guests to tuck into while they party. As Halloween is a more casual affair, buffet-style dishes and finger foods are often best.
Halloween party snacks and entrées
To make your party prep quick and easy, choose dishes that you can batch cook, such as chili, stew, or curry. This way, you can cook and serve each dish in one pot. Take a look at our oven to tableware ranges to see our options of cookware that's also designed for serving.
Alongside your main dishes, serve up trays and bowls of Halloween and fall-themed snacks such as our turmeric and butternut squash pumpkin shaped rolls or our pumpkin seed muffins — this is a great way to use up the seeds left over from your pumpkin carving.
A charcuterie board is also a fantastic option for a casual party buffet table, offering guests a selection of meat, cheese, and other nibbles to pick from throughout the evening. Our charcuterie guide includes tips for making a Halloween-themed charcuterie board for your fall events. For an extra Halloween touch, you can transform your brie into a cheesy mummy snack. @seecandycook shows us how to do this over on our Instagram.
Halloween party desserts
Of course, Halloween is all about the sweet treats, so be sure to serve up a dessert or two on your buffet table. This is where you can really embrace the flavors of fall with ingredients such as pumpkin, cinnamon, and maple syrup. If you're looking for inspiration, then our bonfire parkin and marmalade and cardamom cake would be perfect. Present them on a large platter and slice them up just before serving.
Alternatively, pay homage to some of the nation's best-loved Halloween candies with our peanut chocolate no-bake pie. With a light chocolate mousse filling and Italian meringue topping, this dessert is bound to be a real crowd-pleaser. To get the full effect, present it still in the pie dish and blowtorch the meringue at your Halloween dessert table, just before slicing and serving on small plates.
Halloween drink ideas for adults
Halloween provides the perfect opportunity to get creative with your drinks offering. These adults-only Halloween drinks should offer up plenty of inspiration to enjoy after hours.
Apple cider
A classic fall beverage, apple cider is makes the perfect Halloween drink option. It tastes great cold, but the chilly evenings may call for something warm and mulled. Whip up a batch of our mulled cider recipe in a saucepan. Alternatively, prepare it in a large cast iron pot and take it to the table along with a ladle and some glassware for guests to help themselves. You can make a more adult version by switching to hard apple cider.
Bloody Mary
The name says it all! Serve up a batch of Bloody Mary cocktails in large tumblers. You can add an extra seasonal twist with an 'eyeball' garnish. Simply cut an olive into slices and use tomato paste to stick each slice onto some mozzarella pearls. Add one or two eyeballs to a cocktail stick and lay them across the rim of each glass.
Spooky pomegranate eyeball cocktail
Fancy a glass of something refreshing? Serve up a spooky pomegranate cocktail made from pomegranate juice, seltzer, and any alcohol of your choice in wine glasses. Then, top it off with an eyeball gummy. You can see the full recipe in our Instagram post below.
Witch's brew
If you're really feeling creative, serve up a pot of magical witch's brew, or more aptly known, a color-changing margarita. Butterfly pea flower is commonly used in color-changing cocktails, but you can make a homemade version by boiling red cabbage and reserving the water (don't worry, it'll be tasteless!).
To make a color-changing margarita, freeze the red cabbage water into ice cubes. Then simply make your margarita as usual — serving it in a cast iron pot will create a cauldron effect. When you're ready to serve, add your ice cubes to a lowball glass and pour the margarita over the purple ice cubes to watch the colour-changing magic. When the red cabbage water comes into contact with the acid from the lime, it'll transform into a bright fuchsia.
Halloween party ideas for kids
If you're searching for family-friendly ideas for this year's Halloween celebration, look no further. Below, you'll find a whole host of Halloween party ideas for kids to help you pull off a ghoulish gathering for the whole family, including:
Halloween party themes for kids
Kids love any excuse to dress up. If you're looking for some child-friendly Halloween themes for your spooky bash, you may want to give one of the following a go.
Classic monsters
Classic monsters such as vampires, witches, mummies, and zombies are a Halloween staple for a reason. Easy to put together, this one is a crowd favorite among both parents and kids alike. Keep the tone light by decorating with plenty of traditional Halloween décor such as carved pumpkins and false spider webs.
Movie villains
Movie villains is a child-friendly twist on the horror movie theme, in which little ones can come dressed as their favorite baddy. Narrow it down further by choosing a particular franchise, such as Disney or Marvel. Again, spruce up your party venue with various movie-themed props alongside your spooky Halloween décor.
Fairy tales
If you're looking for a theme you can really get immersed in, a classic fairy tale party will fit the bill. You can choose whether you go with traditional fairy tales or opt for a Halloween twist with 'fairy tales gone wrong'. Either way, you can decorate your home with plenty of magical décor such as string lights in mason jars, stacks of books, and mirrors.
Halloween food ideas for kids
Halloween party snacks and entrées
When it comes to kids Halloween party treats, cookie cutters can be your best friend. You can use these to transform any snack into a fun and frightening eat. For example, you can make sandwiches shaped like pumpkins, ghosts, witch hats, and skulls. This also helps cut your foods into smaller pieces so they're the perfect size for little hands.
Bite-sized pizzas always go down a treat with little ones and you can add a spooky twist by making mini mummy pizzas. Simply lay thin strips of cheese across the top to look like the wrap, leaving a gap for two olive eyes. If you want to make them from scratch, you can use our mozzarella, basil, and tomato pizza recipe.
Other Halloween themed snacks include mummy sausages with pastry wraps and a bloody ketchup dipping sauce, and carrot fingers. Simply slice some carrot into finger shapes, and add a smear of cream cheese, hummus, or our white bean and lemon dip to look like fingernails.
Halloween party desserts
Desserts are the star of the show at this time of year and there are so many fun and creative Halloween party treats that little ones are bound to enjoy. Candy apples are a Halloween staple, and you can make them 'poison' candy apples by adding a couple of drops of black food coloring to the candy syrup mixture — this idea works especially well if you've gone for a movie villain or fairy tale Halloween party theme.
You could also add another twist on a classic Halloween party treat by making candy corn jello pots. Simply layer lemon or pineapple jello and orange jello in a small tumbler and top with whipped cream.
If you're feeling especially artistic, why not whip up a batch of mummy Rice Krispy treats? You can find the recipe from @cakebabebakery on our Instagram. Serve these alongside other traditional Halloween treats such as shaped butter cookies, ghost brownies, and cake pops, as well as our spooky peanut butter cookie bars from @butternutandsageblog.
Halloween drink ideas for kids
From mocktails and juices to warm and cozy sips, these Halloween party drinks are perfect for little monsters and will make a wonderful addition to your Halloween party table.
Ghoulish berry smoothies
With all the sweet treats and snacks on the go this Halloween, offer up a simple, healthy refreshment in the form of mixed berry smoothies. Blood red and packed full of goodness, these are bound to be a crowd pleaser. Just like with our Bloody Mary tips, you can add an extra ghoulish spin by adding floating eyeballs, this time by popping blueberries in lychees.
Cinnamon hot chocolate
It wouldn't be Halloween without chocolate. Turn your Halloween candy table into a hot chocolate station complete with mugs, a pot of hot chocolate, and whipped cream. You can lay our ramekins and small bowls filled with extra toppings such as marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles (spiders' legs), and candy corn (witches' teeth) for the kids — and parents — to help themselves. If you'd like to add an extra seasonal twist, make a batch of our cozy cinnamon spiced hot chocolate
Hocus pocus punch
If you're looking for something a little more refreshing, prepare a batch of hocus pocus punch. Simply add one part cranberry juice and three parts lemon and lime soda to a large serving bowl. Add any extras that you like, such as gummy worms or lychee eyeballs. You could also freeze water in a rubber glove to make hand-shaped ice cubes that will keep your punch cool while adding a spine-chilling touch.
Halloween table décor ideas
Halloween isn't just about the snacks and costumes. It's the perfect time to get enthusiastic with décor too. Below you'll find some simple but effective Halloween table décor ideas to help you transform your buffet into a frightening feast.
Show off your dishes
Having different height levels on your buffet table creates depth and ensures all your tasty dishes stand out — especially if you've made them yourself. Place your most impressive looking snacks and dishes on a height by serving them on cake stands. If you don't have a cake stand, don't worry. You can easily make your own by placing a plate on top of an upturned cereal bowl such as in the image above.
Add some mood lighting
Lighting can add a spooky and intimate touch to any space so be sure to include plenty across your Halloween food table. Twinkle lights and tapered candles are perfect for adding interest to your display, as well as providing a creepy, Halloween atmosphere. Tall candles are ideal for buffets as having the flames on a height ensures they won't be in the way as guests help themselves to snacks and nibbles. But, if you don't have tapered candles or holders, you can place candles on upturned glassware or on your makeshift cake stand.
To create an even more immersive look, dot glow sticks and tea lights around your table, which will give off a fun, colored hue as your guests feast. You could also place a few inside a carved pumpkin for a dramatic effect.
Add a spooky touch
Create the perfect atmosphere with a selection of spooky seasonal décor. Halloween snacks like our mummy Rice Krispy bars serve as both dessert and décor, but you can also add extra decorative elements such as pumpkins. Be sure to dot both miniature and full-sized versions of this Halloween staple around your buffet table. If you want to create a more subdued look, decorate with fall foliage and seasonal flowers such as chrysanthemums, marigolds, and orange roses displayed in a vase or jug.
Halloween coffee table décor
If you're hosting an intimate gathering, such as a spooky movie night, you can decorate your coffee table with a variety of snacks and other seasonal décor. Lay out serving bowls of sweet treats and snuggle up with mugs of hot chocolate. If you choose the right colored tableware, you can create a cozy Halloween atmosphere. Neutral tones will add an organic touch to your table, so pick fresh shades such as cream, grey, and sandy tones. The oatmeal, chalk, and grey glaze of our Kiln range would fit your Halloween décor perfectly. Add a soft blanket and some candles to finish off the look, just as we've done in our video above.
Gather your nearest and dearest this Halloween to enjoy some seasonal snacks and spooky drinks. Whether you're hosting little devils or grown-up ghouls, the ideas above should help you plan the perfect casual party this October. For even more inspiration, be sure to keep checking out the Denby USA Instagram page, where we post regular interior design and hosting ideas.
If you're looking for new tableware to use at your gathering, we have a wide range of plates, bowls, and serveware, as well as a selection of glassware that would be perfect for the occasion. All of our ranges are made to last and thanks to our versatile glazes and designs, whatever you choose will be perfect all year round, not just for Halloween.