8 Halloween Party Tips & Tricks

All the tricks. All the treats. This Halloween, you can bring both to the party.

Whether you’re getting together with a few friends or inviting over the neighborhood kids, throwing a monster bash doesn’t have to be scary! In fact, here are a few sweet and spooky ways to keep it simple.

Must-Try Hints & Hacks for Your Monster Bash

1. Make candy corn cocktails. Get the party started with these fun and festive drinks, exclusively for grown-ups.
   
   
   
   You’ll find the cute and colorful recipe right here: Candy Corn Crème Cocktails. Serve in martini glasses or sundae cups to wow all of your favorite guys and ghouls.
2. Vamp it up. Looking for something that you can really sink your teeth into? For creepy cocktails, serve Chillin’ Chada Frozen Drinks with a splash of blood-red grenadine. Rim your glasses with sparkling black sugar and add plastic white fangs for a ghoulish garnish. For a kiddo-friendly version, try this with vanilla milkshakes instead!
   
   
   (Tip: You can typically find plastic “vampire teeth” in packs of 10/$1 at your local dollar, discount or grocery store in the seasonal section.)
3. Create icky ice cubes. Put small plastic spiders, bats or eyeballs in empty ice cube trays. Fill with water, and freeze as usual. You’ll have the perfect ice cubes for your punch bowl or cold drinks!
4. Dig into “worms-and-dirt” desserts. For a childhood favorite, mix 1 packet Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheese Ball Mix with 8 ounces softened cream cheese and 8 ounces whipped topping. Serve in clear cups topped with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and gummy worms.
5. Trick out your tablescape. Decorate your table with old books, pumpkins and candles. Place a ghost story beneath each plate or create personalized “Here lies … place cards in the shape of little tombstones.
6. Get creative with containers. Serve drinks in chemistry beakers. Hollow out mini pumpkins for dips and salsas, or make some of your Halloween dishes and décor do double-duty, such as filling little ceramic cauldrons with candy, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheese Ball or Autumn Apple Pumpkin Cheese Ball.
   
   Tip: To make these wonderfully witchy brooms, wrap shredded phyllo dough in bunches around the base of pretzel rods. (Or you can thinly slice sheets of puff pastry with a pizza cutter.) Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes.
7. Make frightfully good party favors. Want your guests to take home a treat or two? Give away caramel apples or fill potion bottles with candy.
8. Create a monstrous atmosphere – without spending an arm and a leg. Breaking your budget can come back to haunt you. (Groan, I know, but it’s hard to resist the Halloween puns.) And seriously, you don’t need to buy a lot of expensive dècor. Just turn off the lights, add the flicker of some battery-operated tea lights and stream some spooky music on low. You can find inexpensive cobwebs and disposable black dishware at your local discount store, too.

Check out more of our Halloween recipes right here. And be sure to tell us about your favorite tips and tricks below, or share your ideas with us on Facebook. We’d love to hear all about your favorite hints, hacks and haunts!

Here’s to having a safe and happy Halloween!

– Jen