It’s Halloween, Witches! This year the warm weather of summer has lingered longer than usual, and I have found it difficult to feel like fall is here. Unfortunately, that means I’m weeks behind on Halloween Party Planning! Here is my last-minute Halloween party plan.
Theme
I am a sucker for a good theme and love to try new things. This year I’m hosting a Wicked Women night – encouraging all my friends to come dressed as their favorite female villain or feminine haunt. I love finding ways to center women in everything I do and create a space for supporting Halloween fun!
There are endless stereotypes about women associated with Halloween. Historically, women were literally burned alive for suspected witchcraft. Women have been simultaneously villainized and infantilized for centuries; today’s women face endless criticism and slut-shaming for the costumes they wear. This party aims to reclaim the right for women to be evil without crucifixion, villains without villainization and hot without fear.
Food
The two loves of my life, themes and cooking, come together splendidly at every party. It will come as no surprise that I have a plethora of suggestions for Halloween treats to serve at your Wicked Women Party!
Halloween can get very sweet, so in addition to the classic treats, I have some suggestions for savory snacks as well!
The first is Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Mummies; simply scoop the seeds out from your jalapeños, and fill them with cream cheese and chives. Wrap them in bacon, and bake at 350 for ten minutes!
Next, a personal favorite, Stuffed Bell Pepper Jack-O-Lanterns! Carve the scariest face into an orange bell pepper, and fill it with rice, beans, corn, cheese, olives, salsa, avocado, or whatever else your heart desires. Then pop them in the oven at 400 for 25 minutes! This is very easy to set up as a station, where each guest takes care of their own carving and stuffing!
You can’t go wrong with a charcuterie board. Select orange items and shape your board like a pumpkin, pick out white items to create a skeleton. Select green items to create a monster, the possibilities are endless! If you’re hosting a smaller get-together, you could assign a board theme to each guest and see how creative they get!
For sweet treats, I’m a big fan of no-bake items, so that’s what these suggestions are!
My go-to is Mummy Rice Krispie Treats. You can make your own or purchase premade, and then decorate with wrappings of frosting or chocolate melts, and mini chocolate chip eyes. Simple, easy and a hit every time!
One of my new favorites, which uses some of the same ingredients as our previous treats, are Strawberry Ghosts! Dip strawberries in white chocolate and leave a little puddle around them as they harden. Add mini chocolate chips for eyes and you have the cutest spooky treat! Who said chocolate-covered strawberries were only for Valentine’s Day?
One twist on a classic is Graveyard Cups, formerly known as dirt cups. The process is the same, layering chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos, and mixing in gummy worms, but I like to use mini green tootsie rolls and turn them into little zombie hands to emerge from the ground! This is one your guests could make all together, that way it’s just how they like it!
Drinks
Party drinks are notoriously difficult to plan because everyone likes something a little different. The easiest thing to do would be to drop the theming and provide classic party drink selections or ask your guests to BYOB (Bring Your Own Blood!). I plan on offering canned drink options and two themed mixed drinks.
I am not a huge fan of seltzer, and I much prefer the lemonades, teas and mixed sodas that so many brands now offer. I’ll also be providing nonalcoholic sodas and juices for all of my sober friends!
For my themed mixed drinks, I’ll be making Vampire’s Blood: punch, spiked and non-spiked. Super simple, on the theme and less recycling at the end of the night!
Activities
The classic Halloween Party features absolutely no activities. If this sounds like your party, excellent! Your planning is done! If you’re hosting something a little smaller that might require a little more group stimulation, I have the activities for you!
You can’t go wrong with a costume contest. All night, have your guests vote on whose costume they like the best! At the end of the party, announce the winner and send them off with a prize! (Mini bottles of alcohol, anyone?)
No matter what kind of party you host, you can always put a scary/Halloween movie on in the background. I will be showing The Craft, Jennifer’s Body, Hocus Pocus, and Halloweentown on a loop!
One that requires a little more planning, but could still be super fun, is playing Life-Size Operation. Using a cardboard cutout, mannequin, or dummy, recreate an Operation board and fill each spot with slimy insides! Utilize pumpkin guts, Jell-O, cottage cheese and anything else you can think of! Challenge each guest to remove an item from amongst the slime, and if they bump their arm that’s the penalty. You can also make this a drinking game by having your guests fish for shots, or making them take a shot with each penalty!
The final activity I will suggest, but warn you is only right for certain crowds, is a body shot competition. Make this Halloween-themed by having each pair be a human and a vampire, with the vampire’s goal being to bite the neck (lick the salt), drink the blood (take the shot), and kiss their new vampire mate (take the lime). Play at your own discretion.
Happy Haunting, Witches!