Family-Friendly Classic Halloween Party
Every so often I need to throw a party to get all that built-up creativity out of my system! I wanted to throw a family-friendly classic Halloween Party and I’m going to give you all the links, tips, and ideas!
It was seriously CRAZY timing when this party came about because we just had our second baby, but on top of that we had just finished demolishing our kitchen by exposing our kitchen ceiling, removing a wall, and exposing all the original stone walls! Here’s how our kitchen looked as I was getting all our party supplies together haha.
I’ve realized setting up a party is basically like setting up a small wedding reception everyyy time. We started setting up in the morning and were setting up down to the last minute when everyone started arriving around dinner time!
I need to be better about getting things done ahead of time or the day before, but I’m a hardcore procrastinator haha
Here’s my balloon arch along our porch and balcony, I put my DIY Tombstones in front of the house, and set up our long food table on the porch.
We made this long wooden table out of 100-year-old barn wood! The rustic look worked in our favor for making it look more spooky. The past couple of years I’ve hung these witch hats on our porch and left them for the party! You could hang bats with fishing line or floating candles too!
I was going for a charcuterie board with appetizers and a smores station for dessert!
1. PUMPKIN BEAN BAG TOSS: This pumpkin bean bag toss was a hit and was a great size and quality!
2. CLASSIC BALLOON ARCH: You can't have a party without a balloon arch and I added spider webs and bats to give it an even spookier look!
3. WITCH HAT RING TOSS: This is another little yard game that looks fun! I didn't end up getting this one but it's a great add-on and you can't beat the price!
4. GHOST PINATA: Since I was going for “classic” Halloween party there's nothing cuter than a little ghost pinata! This was a good size and truly pretty! This was one of the big hits during our party and I would absolutely purchase again!
5. BLACK MESH CLOTH: I used this on our tablescape as our tablecloth and it added the perfect touch!
6. BATS: The nice thing about bats is they are cheap and have neverending decorating possibilities that cen be reused every year!
7. COLORING BOOKS: I knew we'd have kids of all ages so I set up a coloring table with Dollar store crayons! This came with 40 booklet that weren't cheapy quality! I even had some left over that I set out instead of candy for the trick or treaters and everyone loved it! (Click here for trick or treating ideas other than candy)
8. SPOOKY PHOTO BOOTH PROPS: We didn't use this for our party but you can never go wrong with a photo booth! I'm actually also a photographer so I'm ashamed I didn't make a photo with but that's something I wish I would've added!
9. SPOOKY MINI GOLF HOLES: Since our yard was all dirt (still working on the landscaping) I didn't use this for our party but think it would be the perfect little add-on game/activity!
10. MINI PROJECTOR: I bought this projector specifically for our party and set up a little movie station in the corner of our yard! We've used it for movie nights since and it's the perfect little projector!
11. POPCORN BAGS: To go with our little movie setup, I filled these little popcorn bags with that $7 Costco cheddar and caramel corn and put them in a basket! I've had so many leftovers since that they're perfect for movie night at home just as a family or when our friends come over I make sure to put some popcorn in them and it always impresses!
12. BALLOON PUMP: If you don't have one of these then it's an absolute must for any occasion or party! I've done my fair share of balloon arches and I'll neverrr blow up a balloon without this pump again. It has different attachments and makes blowing up 100 or more balloons a breeze!
13. CASTLE BOUNCE HOUSE: I found a local business that rents out blow ups for parties and by the time I decided I wanted to add it to our party it was too late to look into buying one that would arrive on time. We paid $200 to rent ours and in hindsight, I absolutely would've bought one. Especially this one that has a slide and it's just over $300 right now! I'd use it as an excuse to throw parties in every season so that's my next party purchase!
14. BALLOON TAPE & GLUE DOTS: These are a MUST when making a balloon arch! They always make my arches look top-notch and are the easiest to use!
15. SUCKERS FOR TREE GHOSTS: In the picture of our pinata set up I hung up a bunch of ghosts in our pomegranate tree and put up a sign that said, “GRAB A GHOST”. This is a good deal for suckers in bulk and all you need are some tissues and some string!
16. FLOATING CANDLES: I wish I would’ve added these above our food table but already had witch hats instead. These have a remote and would be amazing hung from trees too!
17. DARTS & BALLOONS: This was by far the biggest hit of our party! I used a sheet of drywall, tacked these small balloons to the drywall sheet, blew up a good amount of these little balloons, and lined up the kids for dart throwing! The cheapest activity but the favorite by everyone even the adults!
This was the life of the party and it was the easiest and cheapest activity ever! When I was looking for ideas to keep everyone entertained I saw ideas for a balloon dart throwing station but needed a better backdrop where darts couldn’t fly threw. I came up with the idea of using drywall that could be moved around if needed and the balloons were easy peasy to attach with tacks.
I would recommend having a line marked on the ground so kids can’t go past and get too close. Also, safety was important with this part and the kids did great but the placement of the dart-throwing activity is important!
I let each kid throw three darts and I would hand them a piece of candy after their turn.
The ghost pinata was the cutest element and activity to the party! This classic pinata was a great size and even better quality!
I requested everyone come dressed up and that made it so much more fun even having the adults dressed up! I love to dress up but HATE spending money on costumes so I always end up gathering whatever I have in my house to figure out what costume theme we’ll be.
This time around we went with “Cinderella” and at the last minute I turned Dallin’s white shirt into a prince’s outfit with hot glue and ribbon. I’m so surprised at how our costumes turned out just using what we had on hand!
I used a blue dress and tied it around my neck to make a cape haha Not kidding when I said we get creative. Cove’s light-up Cinderella dress was the biggest hit and we originally got it when we went to Disneyland which was an even bigger hit when we went there!
I decided a bit later in the game that I wanted to rent a blow-up bounce castle to be the main event of the party! It was $200 to rent (that ended being a large portion of our budget) and in hind-sight I would’ve loved to buy one to use over and over. I didn’t have enough time to order one for myself before the party but this one is a great price and has a slide!
I hope some of these ideas help you throw your perfect spooky party!
Thanks for reading!
xoxo,
