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Get Into the Spirit, Host a Virtual Halloween Party!

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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there's no reason that virtual Halloween parties should be any less thrilling than in-person events.

All your party guests can get into the Halloween spirit by dressing up, decorating, and engaging in spooky themed fun together online. Just because circumstances have changed this year doesn’t mean we can’t all find a way to celebrate this haunting holiday!

1. Throw a Zoom Halloween Party

Thanks to the power of Zoom, you can now host your own Halloween party without having anyone set foot inside your home. Not only is a virtual Halloween party a great way to socialize and mingle with your friends, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity to catch up with those you haven’t seen since quarantine guidelines went into effect.

How to Implement This Idea: You’ll want to post on social media about the idea, how to get an invite, and what they’ll need to participate. 

Below is some example language you can use:

"This Saturday, I will be hosting my very first digital Zoom Halloween Party! To attend, please share your email address by commenting below or sending a direct message to my inbox. I will send out a Zoom invite to join the party". 

The more people invited, the merrier the festivities. Just be prepared to have games going throughout the night to keep people engaged. Following are some ideas to arrange for your party.

2. Virtual Halloween Icebreaker Questions

Starting your party with icebreaker questions is a great way to warm up guests. By theming your questions toward Halloween, you can also help everyone get in the holiday spirit.

Here is a starter list of icebreakers:

  • What is your earliest memory of Halloween?

  • Which movie were you too scared to watch as a kid?

  • What is the best horror movie of all time?

  • Would you rather be a vampire or a ghost?

  • Do you prefer chocolate or chips?

  • What is the best candy in the world?

3. Pumpkin Carving Contest

This idea is great for bringing friends together during the Halloween season. It also requires very few items and is an event that pretty much every person loves to participate in.

Whether you and your guests come prepared with your very own spooky pumpkin creation before the Zoom call begins or carve them in real time, it's sure to be a hit. After everyone has shown off their monstrosities, a vote will be taken to select a winner. 

4. Create and Share Your Favorite Halloween Memes

Sharing Halloween memes is easy to do and fun for everyone. It allows you to show off your humor while also relating back to a holiday that is universally loved. If you’re going to choose only one social media activity out of this list, you should make memes.

How to Implement the Idea: Go to Imgflip.com to get started. They’ll ask you to choose a photo from their library or you can upload your own. From there, write in the copy using a font style, and poof, your new meme is ready to share. Go on your social media platforms and post the meme.

Does all this talk of memes have you feeling scared? Don’t fear! Click on this link to learn  how to create a viral meme that is sure to make your followers scream with delight.

5. Hold a Virtual Halloween Costume Contest

Hosting a costume contest is an extremely effective way of getting people into the Halloween spirit. It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to show off their costume design skills and their unique personalities. To set the tone of the holiday, invite your friends to join the video call in costume. 

How to Implement This Idea: Create a social post and send an email inviting people to join you on Zoom. Next, you’ll want to establish guidelines on how the contest will function. You’ll also want to establish yourself as the host of the contest and will need to lead the activity. Costume contests over Zoom can become hectic very fast. Keeping structure will prevent these issues.

Before the party, announce the categories, such as best coordinated costume, funniest costume, scariest costume, most creative costume, most detailed costume, and most timely costume. During the call, you can ask partygoers to cast votes for the top costume in each category via email, private chat etc. Once all votes are in, announce the winners and award prizes such as gift cards as an example.

Pro tip: Award extra points to anyone who dresses up a pet!

6. Halloween Zoom Backgrounds

Sure, you and your friends could go crazy covering the living room in artificial cobwebs or writing threatening messages in fake blood on the walls. Or, you could decorate for your Zoom Halloween party the easy way by changing your Zoom backgrounds to sinister or seasonal scenes.

Spooky Zoom background suggestions:

  • Haunted house

  • Graveyard

  • Pumpkin patch

  • Foggy forest

  • Full moon

  • Hotel hallway from “The Shining”

  • Disembodied hands

  • Zombie wasteland

You can even turn the activity into a competition and award a prize to the most amusing, creative, or interesting entry.

Here is a tutorial from Zoom on how to change your background.

7. Virtual Halloween Movie Marathon

Halloween is one of the holidays with the most TV and movie specials. Halloween moves aim  to make you scream, either with fear or with laughter.

To set the mood for your online Halloween party, you and your friends can stream creepy Halloween content on platforms like Zoom. By using a program like Metastream, you and your group can watch shows and movies simultaneously.

Scary Halloween movies:

  • Friday the 13th

  • Nightmare on Elm Street

  • Halloween

  • The Exorcist

  • The Ring

  • he Sixth Sense

  • Insidious

  • Cloverfield

  • Poltergeist

Funny Halloween movies:

  • Clue

  • The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror specials

  • It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

  • Hocus Pocus

  • The Nightmare Before Christmas

  • Young Frankenstein

  • Ghostbusters

  • Beetlejuice

  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Watching Halloween specials together is a great way to find out which of your virtual friends are jumpy and which ones have wicked senses of humor. Not to mention, surviving scary movie viewings is always easier with company!

8. Digital Fortune Telling

The supernatural takes center stage in the month of October. During your virtual Halloween party, entertain your friends with the occult by way of digital fortune telling and online seances.

You can consult a virtual Ouija board on the Museum of Talking Boards website, or get a free online tarot card reading from Lotus Tarot. A site called Spirit Navigator offers upwards of fifty different free online fortune telling methods, so you and your friends can explore various options of reading your fates.

Or, if you and your friends would rather not tamper with the unknown, then you can craft custom fortunes for each other as a storytelling exercise.

9. Ghost Stories

Ghost stories are a classic form of Halloween entertainment. You can liven up your online Halloween party by asking partygoers to share spine-tingling scary stories.

For inspiration, check out CreepyPasta, which are scary stories shared on various websites. You can also read through this list of terrifying tales on HuffPost or head over to the super short scary stories section on Reddit for ideas on how to tell a bone chilling tale.

If your ghoul-friends (and boy friends) feel creepily creative, then each member can write an original frightening story to share. Or, if you and the gang would rather listen to a guide tell ghost stories, you can check out our guided tiny campfire event and enjoy s’mores while you shiver.

10. Creepy Cocktails

Adult Halloween parties have one distinct advantage over kid’s Halloween parties: boo-ze. Halloween-themed cocktails can add an element of eerie fun to your online soiree.

For inspiration, check out this list of frightening potions from HGTV. 

For inspiration, check out this list of creepy cocktails from Good Housekeeping, or this list of frightening potions from HGTV.

Some say Halloween is all about the candy, but personally, we're more partial to a glass of witch's brew. Pick your poison this Halloween with one of these scary-delicious cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks. For the adults, choose between rum, tequila, or vodka cocktails. Since you don't want your little goblins to miss out on the holiday fun, throw together a fizzy, fruity, or creamy mocktail for the kids at your Halloween Party. No need to be a pro bartender to take on these recipes, all of these Halloween drinks are extremely easy to make and best of all, even easier to drink. That's what makes 'em dangerously good, don't ya think?

Once you figure out which potion, brew, or punch you're going to make, finalize your party menu with these Halloween appetizer and Halloween party snack ideas. And hey, even though these sugar-filled drinks taste like a treat, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't cap off the eeriest night of the year with Halloween cupcakesHalloween cookiesHalloween cakes, and other party-ready desserts.

I recommend sending your friends a list of ingredients or recipes ahead of time so that your guests come prepared. You can lead them through a Halloween-drink-making tutorial during the call.

List of virtual Halloween games:

Virtual Halloween party games are contests to entertain your online party guests. From murder mysteries to scavenger hunts, here is a list of ghoulish Halloween games you can play at your party. These activities are also called online Halloween games.

11. Zombie

Zombie Halloween game

Zombie is a game that promotes mindfulness. From time to time, each of us zones out and enters “zombie mode.” To play Zombie, ask your friends if they have done any of the  actions shown above without thinking.

Most of us have fallen victim to the mistakes on this list at least once or twice in our lives, so you may want to shorten the window to the last six months or so... that's your choice!

If the statement applies, then the player “got bitten” and must blackout their screen. The last player remaining wins the game.

12. Guess Whoooo?

Guess Whoooo? is a great game that invites players to determine the identity of people answering questions. To play virtually, a leader will ask the group a Halloween-themed question. All players will privately message the leader the answer. The leader will then share the responses, and players must match each reply to the correct participant. Players can either try to guess individually all at once, or can discuss answers together and narrow down the pairs one by one.

Here's a template you can use for your game.

Virtual Halloween game template

Feel free to add your own spooky prompts, too!


Conclusion

Virtual Halloween parties should be spook-tacular. By using the tips on this list, you can engage your remote friends and ensure your online event is a wicked good success!

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