20 Fun Ideas for Halloween Everyone Will Love

Halloween is the one night of the year when you can be anything you want. A pirate? A witch? A zombie with ketchup on your shirt? Totally acceptable. But beyond costumes and candy, there are endless ways to make the night fun. If you’ve ever wondered how to make Halloween feel extra special this year, here are 20 ideas that will make everyone excited to join in.

1. Host a Pumpkin Carving Contest

Carving pumpkins is Halloween’s bread and butter. But instead of just carving alone in your kitchen, turn it into a contest. Gather your friends, set up tables outside, hand out carving kits, and give everyone a pumpkin to transform.

Want to make it more fun? Add categories:

• Scariest Pumpkin – sharp teeth, creepy eyes.
• Funniest Pumpkin – silly faces, mustaches, or giant noses.
• Glow Masterpiece – designs that look magical with a candle inside.

To keep things neat, cover tables with old sheets or newspaper. When everyone’s done, line the pumpkins up, drop in candles, and admire the glowing results. Kids love showing off their creations, and adults get surprisingly competitive.

2. Organize a Neighborhood Costume Parade

Costumes deserve more than just one trip door-to-door. Organize a parade where kids and adults can walk around the block showing off their outfits.

Here’s how you can make it easy:

• Pick a start and end point (like the community park).
• Play some spooky tunes along the way.
• Let people bring their pets dressed up, too.
• End with a treat table or small prize ceremony.

If your neighborhood is big, you can keep it simple and do a short loop. Everyone loves a chance to show their costume in daylight before trick-or-treating starts.

3. Set Up a Haunted House in Your Garage

You don’t need a mansion to create a haunted house. A garage, basement, or even a big shed works. Hang dark sheets as walls, place fake cobwebs in the corners, and use dim red or purple lights for an eerie glow.

Want it spookier?

• Hide a friend in a mask to jump out.
• Add bowls of peeled grapes (eyeballs) or cold spaghetti (brains) for people to touch.
• Play creaky door and ghost sound effects from a speaker.

Even a small haunted setup gives kids a thrill. If you want to make it less scary for little ones, skip the jump scares and keep it silly with skeletons that tell jokes or glowing ghosts on strings.

4. Movie Marathon Under the Stars

Grab a projector, some blankets, and a big bowl of popcorn. Outdoor Halloween movies are pure magic. Choose family favorites early in the night, then switch to scarier ones when it’s just adults left.

You can even make it themed:

• Monster Night – Hotel Transylvania, Frankenweenie, Dracula.
• Witches Night – Hocus Pocus, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Practical Magic.
• Scary Night In – The Conjuring, Insidious, Halloween.

Don’t forget cozy touches like hot cocoa, apple cider, and extra blankets. Watching a scary movie outside where every rustling leaf feels like a ghost makes the experience unforgettable.

5. Create a DIY Escape Room

Escape rooms feel like mini adventures, and you can design one at home. Pick a theme like “Escape the Witch’s Hut” or “Find the Vampire’s Secret.”

Ideas for puzzles:

• Lock a box with a combination and hide the code in a riddle.
• Place a fake “spell book” with missing pages that need to be found.
• Create a trail of clues leading to a final treasure (like a bag of candy).

You don’t need expensive props—printable puzzles and everyday items work. The fun is in the teamwork and the race against the clock.

6. Bake Spooky Treats Together

Instead of just buying candy, make Halloween goodies. Kids love decorating, and adults secretly do, too.

Fun treats to try:

• Mummy Hot Dogs – wrap hot dogs in crescent dough strips and bake.
• Spider Cupcakes – chocolate cupcakes with licorice legs and candy eyes.
• Monster Cookies – sugar cookies with green food coloring and candy eyeballs.

Lay everything out on a table and let everyone decorate their own. The best part? You eat your artwork when you’re done.

7. Glow-in-the-Dark Trick-or-Treat Hunt

Turn trick-or-treating into a hunt. Buy glow-in-the-dark plastic eggs, fill them with candy, and hide them in the yard. Hand kids glow sticks or flashlights and let them search.

Tips to make it fun:

• Hide some in tricky spots, like behind pumpkins or under benches.
• Mix in small toys for variety.
• Do a “golden egg” with a special prize like extra candy.

It’s like Easter, but with a spooky twist. Kids will love the thrill of finding glowing treasures in the dark.

8. Have a Pet Costume Contest

Pets make everything better, especially when they’re dressed up. Invite friends and neighbors to dress their pets in costumes and show them off.

Some funny ideas:

• A dog hot dog.
• A cat bat with tiny wings.
• A lizard dressed as a dragon.

Set up a small runway, let pets strut, and give silly awards like “Cutest Costume” or “Most Likely to Rule the World.” The photos alone will make it worth it.

9. Make a Halloween Playlist Dance Party

Music sets the mood. Build a playlist of classics like Monster Mash and mix in upbeat songs so people can dance. Clear a space, add colored lights, and let the dance floor come alive.

To make it fun:

• Have a dance-off where people show off their best moves.
• Do a costume dance battle where two people in costume compete.
• Add silly challenges like “dance like a zombie” or “do the witch’s broom sweep.”

Dancing in costumes is naturally hilarious. Watching a mummy try to breakdance is a guaranteed laugh.

10. Host a Spooky Storytelling Night

Storytelling is one of the oldest Halloween traditions. Light candles, dim the lights, and take turns telling ghost stories.

Ideas to spice it up:

• Use flashlights under your chin for dramatic effect.
• Act out sound effects like footsteps or whispers.
• Encourage people to share local legends or family tales.

You don’t need a perfect story—half the fun is in how you tell it. A shaky voice, a pause at the right moment, or even a silly ending makes everyone lean in.

11. Decorate with a DIY Graveyard

Transform your yard into a spooky scene. Use foam boards or cardboard to make tombstones, and write funny names like “Al B. Back” or “Yul B. Next.” Add skeleton hands sticking out of the ground for effect.

For extra flair:

• Place orange and purple lights on the ground to shine upward.
• Add a fog machine to make it look misty.
• Scatter bones or rats for detail.

You don’t need a big budget. A few homemade decorations can turn your yard into the spookiest on the block.

12. Set Up a Halloween Photo Booth

Halloween is Instagram’s favorite holiday, so why not make it easier for photos? Set up a backdrop with spider webs, bats, or orange lights.

Props to include:

• Witch hats and broomsticks.
• Vampire fangs.
• Giant fake spiders.
• Funny Halloween signs (“Creep It Real”).

Guests will love snapping silly photos, and you’ll have memories to keep long after the night ends.

13. Trick-or-Treat for a Cause

Mix fun with kindness. Instead of just collecting candy, you can gather donations for a local shelter or food bank.

Ways to do it:

• Hand out flyers beforehand telling neighbors what you’re collecting.
• Have kids carry small bags for donations.
• Add a “donation jar” at your Halloween party.

Halloween is about community, and helping others makes the night even sweeter.

14. Create a Halloween Craft Corner

Crafts keep little hands busy and make great keepsakes. Set up a table with paper, scissors, markers, glue, and let creativity run wild.

Ideas for crafts:

• Paper plate ghosts.
• Handprint bats.
• Painted mini pumpkins.
• DIY lanterns with jars and glow sticks.

This works especially well at family gatherings. Kids focus, adults chat, and everyone takes home a handmade decoration.

15. Play Halloween-Themed Games

Games bring life to any party. Here are some simple ones:

• Pin the Hat on the Witch – blindfolded fun.
• Apple Bobbing – old-fashioned and messy, but kids love it.
• Murder Mystery Game – hand out roles and solve a spooky case.
• Pumpkin Bowling – use small pumpkins as bowling balls and toilet paper rolls as pins.

Games break the ice, get people laughing, and make memories.

16. Visit a Local Pumpkin Patch or Corn Maze

Pumpkin patches and corn mazes are the perfect outdoor Halloween activity. You can pick pumpkins, take photos, and get lost in a maze of tall stalks.

Tips for making it more fun:

• Go in the evening for extra spooky vibes.
• Bring thermoses of hot cocoa.
• Turn the maze into a race with friends.

It’s wholesome, festive, and gives you that fall feeling you can’t get anywhere else.

17. Throw a Blackout Dinner

Turn dinner into an adventure by eating in near darkness. Use only candles or lanterns for light. Serve foods with strange textures like spaghetti (worms) or peeled grapes (eyeballs).

For fun:

• Give dishes silly names like “Swamp Stew” or “Zombie Fingers.”
• Add sound effects in the background for atmosphere.
• Encourage costumes at the table.

Eating in the dark makes even normal food feel mysterious.

18. Do a Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Write a list of spooky items people need to find around the house, yard, or neighborhood.

Examples:

• A black cat decoration.
• A glowing pumpkin.
• A skeleton hand.
• A spider web.

Make teams and set a timer. The first group to find everything wins. You can also hide candy along the way as mini rewards.

19. Volunteer at a Community Event

Many towns host safe trick-or-treat nights or Halloween festivals. They often need volunteers to help set up, guide kids, or hand out candy.

It’s a chance to:

• Meet new people in your community.
• Give kids a safe Halloween experience.
• Celebrate in a meaningful way.

Sometimes, giving your time is the best way to enjoy the holiday.

20. End the Night with a Bonfire

After all the excitement, gather around a fire pit. Roast marshmallows, sip cider, and talk about the night.

Ideas to make it cozy:

• Share the funniest costume moments.
• Toast marshmallows for s’mores.
• Keep the storytelling going around the flames.

It’s the perfect ending to a day full of tricks and treats.

Final Thoughts

Halloween is what you make of it. Whether you’re carving pumpkins, dancing in costumes, or ending the night with marshmallows by the fire, the real fun comes from being together. This year, try one—or five—of these ideas, and watch how Halloween becomes more than just candy. It becomes a memory that everyone will carry long after the pumpkins are gone.