Halloween is on October 31, and a few party games give everyone something to do before trick-or-treating or after the food is cleared away. Younger children can pair up with adults for the scavenger hunt, while charades and storytelling work well when everyone wants to stay in one room. Pick two or three Halloween party games to start with; you can save the others for later if guests want to keep playing.
1. Halloween Costume Awards
Before the party, choose a few categories, such as “Funniest,” “Most Creative” and “Best Homemade.” Give everyone a turn to show off their costume, then have guests write down their favorite for each category. Choose one winner per category, with a maximum of one prize per person.
2. Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Write a list of eight to ten things for guests to find, such as something orange, a ghost decoration or a striped sock. Give everyone five minutes to collect or point out as many as they can. One point per item; the person with the most points wins.
3. Mummy Wrap
Split into pairs and give each team one roll of toilet paper. One person wraps their partner from the shoulders down, leaving the face clear. After two minutes, stop wrapping and have everyone vote for the funniest mummy.
4. Pumpkin Bowling
Arrange six empty plastic bottles in a triangle, with three at the back, two in the middle and one at the front. Mark a starting line a few steps away. Each player gets two rolls with a small pumpkin or soft ball.
Leave any fallen bottles down until both rolls are finished. Reset the pins between turns; the highest total after two rounds wins.
5. Halloween Charades
Write prompts such as “a flying witch,” “carving a pumpkin” and “walking like a zombie” on slips of paper, then put them in a bowl. Divide into teams. A player draws a prompt and acts it out without speaking; their team has 60 seconds to guess. Award one point for a correct guess, then let the next team play with a new prompt.
6. Halloween Pictionary
Use a fresh set of Halloween prompts and keep the same teams. One player picks a prompt and has one minute to draw it on paper or a whiteboard while their team guesses. No letters, numbers or gestures; award one point for each correct guess, then switch artists.
7. Halloween Bingo
Make bingo cards with Halloween words or pictures, using a different arrangement for each player. Draw matching words or images from a bowl and have players mark them. The first person to complete a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line calls “Bingo” and wins.
8. Halloween Trivia
Prepare ten questions and divide guests into teams. Read each question aloud and give all teams 20 seconds to write down an answer. Award one point for each correct answer. For example: “What is a carved pumpkin lantern called?” (A jack-o’-lantern.) The team with the most points wins.
9. Spooky Freeze Dance
Play Halloween music while everyone dances. When the music stops, players must freeze; anyone who moves sits out. Start the music again and repeat until one dancer remains.
10. Build a Ghost Story
Choose someone to begin with a line such as“We found a key under the floorboards.” Go around the group, with each person adding one sentence that uses a detail from the previous line. After two rounds, the final person gives the story an ending. Vote for the best twist.
Share Halloween With Family Far Away
If family members can’t be there in person, invite them to join an imo group video call for charades, a Halloween quiz or a ghost story you make up together. imo offers free international voice and video calls over the internet, with group video calls supporting up to 20 people and no fixed time limit.
Give them a turn to show off their costumes and make sure they can see whoever is acting out the clues. A few games together can make the distance feel a little smaller, even if you’re celebrating Halloween in different countries.