How to plan a Halloween party for you and your ghouls
Oct 18, 2023 – minute read
Sure, summer’s fun and winter’s nice, but spooky season is more than just a time of year, it’s a lifestyle. I’m talkin’ apple cider, haunted houses, campy horror movies and an excuse to turn your home into one big pumpkin! And the best part, hands down, is sharing those memories with your friends by throwing a Halloween party.
That said, if your friends are anything like mine, making plans can be the scariest thing you do all month. There’s so much to coordinate, so we made the ultimate checklist for throwing the party of the season with some help from YouTube.
Have some wicked ideas of your own? Join in on the fun by creating your own creative Short tagged #HalloweenWithShorts. We’re celebrating the season with 31 Days of Halloween content, so be sure to share all your pumpkin spice creations, spooky costumes and creepily curated decorations. That’ll give them pumpkin to talk about!
Get in the spirit
If there’s one thing Mean Girls made clear, it’s that Halloween means something very different depending on who you ask. Are you going for “ethereal witch” or “cottagecore queen”? Do you want the party to actually be scary or just cozy and campy? Maybe you don’t care much about aesthetics and are just looking to have casual fun with your friends. Either way, it’s a good idea to look through some ideas and align on the general vibe up front. YouTube is full of party inspo, from Raven Elyse’s annual haunted houses to Darling Desi’s Autumn Starter Packs. If you’re looking to dive even deeper, Kaz Rowe even has a video dissecting what Halloween parties were like 100 years ago.
Make a playlist
Collaborative playlists are the way to go if you’re looking for a simple way to get everybody involved in the party planning process. They’re fun, festive and easy to create in YouTube Music. Just follow these five steps.
- Start a new playlist from the library or sidebar
- Select the pencil to edit the playlist
- Select Collaborate.
- Select collaborators who can add songs and videos.
- Invite collaborators to your playlist by sharing the link.
Search “fall ambient room” or “Halloween ambiance” and discover some of YouTube’s most immersive soundscapes.
If you plan on having a TV set up during the party, you can also use this as an opportunity to transform your space with an ambient video. Search “fall ambient room” or “Halloween ambiance” and discover some of YouTube’s most immersive soundscapes.
Next up, get dressed up
Every Halloween, I procrastinate picking out my costume and end up with a half-hearted witchy look or something vaguely vampire-esque. That’s fine obviously, but tis the season and this year I want to go all out. Shorts creators have really come to my rescue with costume ideas for couples, best friends, groups of all sizes and those flying solo. There are also a ton of special effects makeup tutorials, elaborate DIYs and sustainable options using items already in your closet, so be on the lookout. My guess is we’ll be seeing a whole lot of pink this year, but we’ll have to wait and see!
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DIY Costumes...#halloweenwithshorts #diycostume #costume #costumeideas
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Bake it happen
It wouldn’t be fall without pumpkin spice and candy apples. I’m no chef, but I couldn’t resist trying to create some spooky snacks. My boo brownies didn’t turn out anywhere near as cute as Rosanna Pansino’s, but they tasted amazing! All I had to do was search “Halloween recipes”, pick my favorite video, buy the ingredients, prop my phone up on my cookbook holder and follow along. It’s the perfect way to trick’ o treat yourself!
Grab the pop (and candy) corn
For those more into the cozy side of the season, it’s time to kick off that movie marathon. You can access over 100 top channels on YouTube TV, including live, local and on-demand options, where you’re likely to find all the seasonal content. You can see our full list of on-demand Horror & Suspense offerings in our directory or you can turn on the TV and start browsing.
Planning a great Halloween party doesn’t have to be complicated and YouTube is filled with ideas, recipes and resources to get you started. Now, all that’s left to do is bring your friends and have a gourd time!