Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Life

Top 3 Things You Need For Your Halloween Party This Year

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at IUP chapter.

Halloween is only a few days away and if you’re like me, you still haven’t planned your Halloween shin-dig yet. Well, now is the time girl! Whether you’re having a big blowout or a small get-together, there are three things to keep in mind when throwing your party together the night before.  

Menu

The first thing you need to prep to have a “killer” party this year is a solid menu. What you decide to serve can make or break the event. You never want your guests to be wondering where the food is when they should be having fun!  

To keep those guests nice and fed, I suggest first having some sort of grazing table complete with chips, dip, pretzels, Chex mix, meat, cheese, crackers, and anything else that can be easily eaten while mingling. Later on, you should definitely have some sort of food that is bigger and heavier, such as pizza and chicken nuggets or tenders. When thinking about the menu, keep in mind what fast food and takeout places are around you, and how busy they might be on All Hallow’s Eve! 

As for drinks, Coke, Sprite, lemonade/tea, and water will be all you need for a non-alcoholic crowd. If you plan on serving alcohol, that is a completely different story. You’ll need to decide if you will be providing enough supplies for a cocktail bar, or if it will be BYOB (bring your own booze!) I recommend at least serving one cocktail and making sure it’s a spooky one! Most people don’t mind having to bring at least a bottle of vodka or rum, but as the host, consider providing mixers such as juice, pop, syrup, and most importantly, ice! 

Decorations

My absolute favorite part of any party is the decorations! Like girl, can you imagine a party without decorations? LAME! To help you decide what decorations you want, you need to decide what kind of vibe you’re going for. Are you going for a cute, horror, classic, or gothic vibe? Or none of those? This will help you decide what kind of dĂ©cor you need.  

My favorite décor pieces are some sort of cute backdrop to take slay pictures, as well as some hanging decorations like streamers, little ghosts, and balloons. I am also partial to some spooky lights hanging around the room.  

The best places to get these decorations I would say are the Dollar Tree and Walmart. You can also go to your local Party City if you have one, but the decorations they have tend to be a little more expensive.  

Games

The last thing that you absolutely need to think about when planning your Halloween party is the games! The types of games you decide to play definitely depend on the type of crowd you will be hosting. If it is a “drinking” crowd, there may be a need to play some drinking games like beer pong, drunk Jenga, Never Have I Ever, or a Halloween movie drinking game. Some games that you can play for the sober crowd (but can also enjoy under the influence) are UNO, Twister, Cards Against Humanity, Pictionary, Mummy Wrap, or a trivia game! This might not be considered a “game” necessarily, but you MUST have a costume contest! You can even have different categories such as sexiest, spookiest, and pop culture.  

Kayla Delaney is the Events Coordinator at the Her Campus at IUP chapter. She oversees all chapter and campus events, from the planning to execution stage. At IUP, Kayla is studying Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management with a focus in events and weddings. She is a senior due to graduate in the Spring of 2025, and has completed an internship at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. In her free time, Kayla enjoys painting and crafting, both of which inspire her best articles, and going on walks with her boyfriend. She also loves all forms of rock music and is a frequent concert-goer.