If you're looking to switch up your Halloween celebrations this year, why not throw a Halloween carnival party? A creepy carnival-themed party is a great way to enjoy the scary and fun side of Halloween. It combines carnival horror with everything we love in a Halloween party, from costumes and candy to games and themed food. If you're looking for Halloween carnival inspiration or just want to learn more about this celebration, read on for creepy carnival party ideas.
Setting the Scene for a Spooktacular Halloween Carnival
Before you work out details like tableware and costumes, you need to set the stage for your carnival party. Here are some of the basics you need to cover.
Choose the Right Location for Your Carnival
A backyard? A large living room? Or a local pumpkin patch? Depending on your Halloween carnival ideas and number of guests, pick the spot that can accommodate the party you envision.
Invitations: Deliver the Delightfully Frightful News
Another essential planning piece is to send themed invitations. Give your guests all the gory details: time, location, what to bring, what to wear, and so on. Set a scary tone from the start with language that builds the suspense.
Halloween Carnival Decorations: Frighteningly Festive
With your location selected and invitations in the mail, it's time to start planning your party décor.
Tableware: Make sure you decorate the area where guests will be dining. Find tablecloths, plates, cups, napkins, and cutlery that feature psycho clowns, circus tents, and carnival colors.
Lighting: Lighting is essential to setting the mood at your carnival. Use string lights around your space for a soft glow, or look for a strobe light to highlight your main party area. You can even use a projector to display creepy images of clowns and spiders on a blank surface.
Hanging Ghouls and Animatronics: Don't forget to invite all the clowns, ghosts, and witches to your party! Hang eerie ghouls from trees or use animatronic decorations to greet guests at the carnival entrance.
Balloons: There are tons of ways to incorporate balloons into your carnival celebration. Hang balloons from trees or tents, build a balloon arch at the entrance, or display specialty balloons shaped like ghosts, skeletons, clowns, and jack-o-lanterns.
Music and Fog: Set up speakers and play classic carnival tunes or Halloween music. Add fog machines to create an extra-spooky atmosphere, where something scary is around every corner.
Spooky Food & Beverages for Your Halloween Carnival
Finally, you need to serve up carnival-ready food for your party. If you're looking for inspiration, here are some scary delicious food ideas.
Frightening Finger Foods
Witch Finger Pretzels: Dressed with green food coloring and almond slices as nails, these salty treats appear deliciously wicked.
Mummy Hot Dogs: Wrap up hot dogs like little Halloween mummies! This finger food is similar to pigs-in-a-blanket but with a spooky twist.
Spiderweb Cotton Candy: Serve cotton candy but label it as spider webs. For added fun, you can display some cotton candy with small plastic spiders and creepy crawlers stuck in it.
Spooky Popcorn: Get creative with your popcorn to make it spooky. Buy green and purple colored popcorn and mix it, or add green, black, and purple M&Ms and gummy worms to the mix for a scary good blend.
To-Die-For Desserts
No Halloween celebration is complete without sweets. Here are some of our best ideas:
Dirty Worms in a Dirt Cake: Make this classic dessert with chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and gummy worms. Your guests will enjoy dining on this spooky sweet treat.
Haunted Gingerbread House: Gingerbread houses aren't just for Christmas. Get creative and turn this holiday classic into a Halloween haunt using edible Halloween decorations, like miniature skulls and witch hats.
Zombie Finger Cookies: Bake cookies and shape them into tiny fingers. Then, get creative with your icing and make them green and red. You can even add sliced almonds that look like fingernails!
Beastly Beverages
What's a carnival without some punch? Here are our best beverage ideas:
Bloody Punch: With a delicious blend of cranberry juice, club soda, and lime, this punch presents the right blend of sweet, sour, and frightening!
Bat's Brew Hot Chocolate: This isn't your average hot cocoa. The Halloween version calls for a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with whipped cream 'bat clouds.' Delish!
Plan Your Halloween Carnival With Party City
Looking to plan your spooky Halloween carnival celebration? Party City has you covered. From themed tableware to costumes and animatronics, we've got everything you need to make this Halloween the scariest yet. Start by finding the perfect outfit, and shop for adult and kids costumes. Then, explore our outdoor decorations to deck out your carnival space. Finally, get all the detailed décor you need when you shop our Creepy Carnival-themed collection.
What are you waiting for? Visit us online today, or see us at a store near you.
