Halloween planning: organize a Halloween party

It’s trick-or-treat time. Delight your guests with a spooky-themed evening — and discover all the tools you need for planning a Halloween party with Eventbrite.

All the tools needed for Halloween party planning

Get guests excited for a fun-filled fright night with our suite of leading event creation and marketing tools.
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Create your party page

Whether you’re hosting a murder mystery or a haunted dining experience in a candelit cellar, you can create unique Halloween events with our customizable pages in seconds.

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Make and sell tickets

A key part of Halloween planning: spooky invites. Design custom tickets to build anticipation — and drive ticket sales by offering free add-ons, such as a complimentary Halloween-themed cocktail on the door.

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Promote your party

It’s time to spread the word. Our advanced marketing tools — from social ads to email campaigns — allow you to reach the people most likely to attend your party with smart audience targeting.

How to plan a Halloween party

From scream queen horror movies to creative costume contests, here’s our Halloween party planning checklist.
How to plan a Halloween party
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Pick a spooky location

Hosting your event at a haunted house, a creepy basement, or an eerie forest? Set the mood with the perfect Halloween venue — and don’t forget the fog machine, candles, and pumpkin decorations.

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Choose Halloween activities

Whether you’re screening classic horror movies, hosting costume contests, or playing fright-filled games, organize fun Halloween activities guests will love.

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Focus on the details

Go one step further to delight your guests with party favors. These could include sweet treats — think vampire teeth and ghost-shaped cookies — and fun novelty gifts like masks.

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Decide on a budget

When planning a Halloween party, make sure to consider your costs. We recommend allocating a set budget for venue hire, catering, decorations, and entertainment.

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Get creative

Think outside the box with your Halloween party marketing. Generate a buzz by sharing hauntingly good video reels on social media, and running Halloween-themed prize giveaways.

4 tips to get creative with your Halloween event

Want to make your Halloween party one to remember? Get creative with tips from our event experts
Tips to get creative with your Halloween event image
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1. Choose an unusual theme

One of the best ways to get creative with your Halloween party is to select a specific theme. You could choose a classic horror movie — think The Shining, Scream, or The Exorcist – and invite guests to dress up as different characters. For a fully immersive experience, pick a movie with a memorable set design (like Midsommar’s flower-filled dining table, or Carrie’s prom) to inspire your decorations. Or guide guests’ costumes by focusing your party on the supernatural — such as vampires, werewolves, or witches — or a famous villain (think Freddy Krueger or Pennywise).

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2. Make memorable invitations

Design invites that are part of the experience. Whether you’re creating event invitations with a horror-inspired colour scheme, custom graphics, or a creepy font, make sure your Halloween party invite stands out — and gives guests a flavour of the event to come. If you’re hosting a themed costume party, you could include photos or videos of different characters on your invitation to give guests some inspiration. Get attendees excited by including links to fun additional content, such as horror movie reels or spooky playlists.

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3. Offer spooky snacks

Get creative in the kitchen with Halloween snacks and drinks. As guests arrive, why not offer a bespoke themed cocktail at the door? Think blood-red cocktails — such as cherry or raspberry liqueur with champagne — garnished with vampire fangs. At the refreshments table, opt for a buffet of Halloween-inspired snacks, such as pumpkin hummus or bat-shaped crackers. For sweet treats, try candy apples, iced cookies decorated with ghosts — and cakes with fun strawberry fillings.

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4. Shuffle scary songs

Encourage everyone to get on the dancefloor with a Halloween-inspired playlist. Looking for inspiration? Mix and match songs from scary movie soundtracks — whether that’s The Phantom of the Opera, Jaws, Suspiria, or Halloween — or select much-loved classics like Thriller, Monster Mash and tracks from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Add extra fun to the party by introducing musical bingo with everyone’s favourite Halloween songs — and offer some spooky prizes to the winners.

Flexible pricing, clear value

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The all-in-one toolkit to grow your events

  • Flexible ticket types for in-person or online events
  • Integrated email and social media marketing tools
  • Secure and seamless attendee checkout
  • Payouts before your event
  • Detailed analytics and reporting

Low fees for you and your attendees

You pay:
  • Publish events with up to 25 tickets for free
  • Sell more tickets with plans starting at $9.99 USD
  • Subscribe and save on frequent events
Attendees pay:
  • No fees for free events
  • 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket
  • 2.9% payment processing fee per order
  • Ticketing Fees are paid by ticket buyers unless you choose to cover them
Find out more about how fees work

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Frequently Asked Questions

Create a spooktacular Halloween event

Create a spooktacular Halloween event

Create an unforgettable fright night and start planning a Halloween party your guests will love.