The only thing better than a regular Halloween party is a backyard Halloween party! Not only do you get to skip cleaning your whole house, but something about being outside will take the spooky factor off the charts.
With the right decorations, food, and fun, you can throw a party your friends and family won’t soon forget.
Read on to prepare to throw the ultimate backyard Halloween party that will bewitch your guests!
Decorations
1. Spiders
What better way to celebrate all things creepy than to decorate with most peoples’ biggest fear–spiders?!
Are you decorating a small backyard Halloween party? Use almost lifesized spiders to give guests the willies.
For larger spaces, make the spiders larger than life! Tarantula-sized spiders will make for a fright, while massive spiders will make your house look like it’s being taken over.
2. Floating Witch Hats
Make it look like witches left their hats floating around to come back for later with a few simple supplies.
Use fishing line to hang witches’ hats by the point from the ceiling of your porch, tree limbs, or any other high point. String the fishing line through the hat by knotting the end, threading it through a needle, and pushing the needle through the tip of the hat.
Lighting in the trees will help draw attention to the “left behind” hats.
3. Witch’s Cauldron
A little witchy fun is simple: a plastic cauldron, battery-operated lights, clear Christmas ornaments, and hot glue.
Remove all the metal tops from the ornaments, put the lights at the bottom of the cauldron, and then hot glue the ornaments up, around, and down one side of the cauldron. Turn on the lights, and it’ll look like an overflowing bubbling brew.
4. Colored Lightbulbs
Swapping out regular outdoor lightbulbs for colored ones can change the entire vibe of the party.
For a fun, lighthearted party, make the colors orange and green, like a jack-o-lantern.
If you want a spookier feel, stick to colors like red and purple that will make even the bravest soul a little uneasy.
5. Spider Webbing
For a good reason, spider webbing is a popular way to decorate for a backyard Halloween party!
Adding this to trees, shrubs, brick, doorways, tables, or absolutely any other surface of your party will add an extra layer of creepy for a negligible price. It’s got a lot of bang for its buck.
6. Hanging Ghosts
Simple hanging ghosts can take your backyard Halloween party to the next level with their charm or spooks, depending on their details.
Once suspended from the eaves or branches, they’ll blow in the wind, adding a little haunting delight to your shindig.
7. Fog
Few things are eerier than ground covered in fog. Put your fog machine behind a bush at your party for an extra creepy atmosphere.
Here’s a little tip: Low-lying fog comes from temperature differences. The mist will naturally lay lower to the ground if it’s hot outside. If it’s cooler, the fog must be cooler than the atmosphere. There are many tutorials online to make this happen, and most can be done with things you’ve already got at your house!
8. Window Projections
Use white sheets and a few projectors to turn your entire house into a backyard Halloween party decoration!
Six different Halloween movies will repeat automatically and seamlessly.
A bonus? Use the same projector at Christmas with their built-in Christmas projections!
9. Bone Mobile
Replace your regular windchime with a mobile made of ghastly bones.
Use an embroidery hoop, fishing line, and plastic bones to make a bone mobile that will clatter in the wind.
If the bones are too pristine and crisply white, wipe them down with furniture stain or watered-down brown paint. That will make them look like they’ve been freshly “harvested.”
10. Foam Tombstones
Take your backyard Halloween party to the cemetery by adding tombstones to the grass.
Buy them premade, or make your own with some foam, paint, and creativity!
11. Skeletons
Nearly life-sized skeletons make unique party decor. They can be positioned creepily, like climbing the side of the house, or lighthearted, like playing a game of cards around the table.
Food and Drink
12. “Monster” Cookies
Typical monster cookies are known for their chewy, oaty texture and delicious fillings like M&Ms and chocolate chips.
Turn them into actual “monsters” for your backyard Halloween party by adding well-placed candy eyeballs and Halloween-colored M&Ms!
13. Apple Cider with “Heads”
Carving “heads” out of apples will take your apple cider from delicious to dreadful.
After adding apple cider to your punch bowl, peel apples and use a sharp paring knife to carve faces into the apples to look like skulls. Add a few “bones” of fresh cinnamon sticks for extra fall flavor.
14. Stuffed Mushroom Eyeballs
An Italian staple like a stuffed mushroom can turn into an ooey-gooey eyeball with a little red sauce and sliced olive.
Take your favorite stuffed mushroom recipe and turn it into an eye by adding some tomato sauce for “blood” and a sliced black olive to look like an eyeball.
15. Mummy Brie
A classic baked brie will fit in wonderfully at your backyard Halloween party with just a few simple upgrades.
Slice off the brie’s top and add a little fruit jam to look like “blood” when cut. Add the top back on, then wrap it with puff pastry slices. Leave space for two blueberry eyes and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F until the puff pastry is golden brown.
Serve with crusty bread and fruit. This treat is to die for!
16. Spider Eggs Donut Bites
Make your spider egg donut bites with store-bought donut holes for an effortless sweet treat!
Pick up a few dozen powdered sugar donut holes and stack them into a pyramid shape. Add a few plastic spiders, and BAM! You’ve got yourself a pile of spider eggs starting to hatch.
Better eat them before it’s too late!
17. Rotten Deviled Eggs
Food coloring will turn your favorite deviled eggs into something your guests may be afraid to eat.
Boil your eggs as usual, and gently crack them once cooled. Leave the cracked shells on, put them in a zip-top plastic bag with black food dye, and let them sit in the fridge overnight.
On the day of your backyard Halloween party, finish removing the shell to see a spider webbing across the egg. Remove the yolk and make your favorite filling, adding green food coloring.
Combine the two and ultimately creep out your guests with “rotten” deviled eggs!
18. Witch’s Brew
For a fun party punch, make some witch’s brew!
Witch’s Brew is simply lime sherbet punch with a bit of dry ice added for smoke and served out of a cauldron instead of a traditional punch bowl.
Toss in a bit of your favorite liquor at an adult-only party!
19. Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Save the top of a bell pepper and put it on top of your favorite cheese ball recipe to turn it into a pumpkin cheese ball!
While this isn’t the spookiest treat on the list, it’s a fun twist on a party favorite to celebrate the season.
Entertainment
20. Halloween Corn Hole
Put a sweet twist on a classic backyard game with spooky Corn Hole.
Buy bean bags in a Halloween color scheme or make your own if you feel crafty! Then, play the game as usual. Have a nearby board to keep track of teams for a tournament!
21. Costume Contest
This idea is an oldie but a goodie.
Make a costume contest a part of your backyard Halloween party! Let guests know it’s happening when you invite them, so they come prepared.
Have different award trophies ready to give out. In addition to “best costume,” give prizes for “most creative,” “best group,” “scariest,” “funniest,” or whatever else you know your guests will love!
22. Outdoor Movie
Whether it’s a main attraction with comfy seating and popcorn or something in the background, having an outdoor movie at your party will surely be a hit.
Projectors and screens have become so compact and affordable over the years that this is feasible for almost any party budget!
23. “Potion” Making Station
For a grown-up backyard Halloween party, have a “potion” making station where guests can create spookily good cocktails.
Have a few recommended concoction ideas readily available, and fill the bar with the sights and flavors of the season!
This idea works well for kids, too, minus the alcohol.
24. Photo Booth
Help your guests remember the backyard Halloween party of the year with a photo booth.
Make it as simple as a backdrop and photo props or as extravagant and themed as you want. Either way, a picture is worth a thousand words, and your guests will be so thankful to have them remember a fantastic night!
Wrapping Up the Ultimate Backyard Halloween Party
The right spooky ambiance from decorations, deliciously dreadful snacks and drinks, and frighteningly fun activities are all you need for the perfect bone-chilling bash. With just a little planning and preparation, you’ll throw the ultimate backyard Halloween party!
Want your backyard to be creepy all season long? Check out our guide to a Haunted Garden!
- About the Author
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Stephanie Lamberth is a writer who gained most of what she knows about gardening from summers spent on her family’s farm tending, picking, and storing the produce they grew.
Her family started and ran a thriving farm that fed hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the community with fresh, naturally grown produce. She learned the effort and the reward of growing your own food!
Stephanie now lives in Tennessee with her husband and three kids. Their schedules don’t allow for a large garden, but she loves incorporating herbs from their flowerbeds in her kitchen and using her knowledge to help others.
Stephanie can be reached at stephanielamberthwriting@gmail.com