Spooky season is here! Halloween is one of the best excuses for a get together – not that we ever really need an excuse! Parties, fancy-dress and cocktails. What’s not to get excited about?!

We’re here to help you have a ghoulishly great time, whether you're having a virtual Halloween party or organising something just for your housemates and family.

At Barefoot, we love toasting to the good times with our friends, so here's our rundown of all things needed for the best virtual Halloween party - from party decorations, to food, clever costumes and games.
 

Party ideas for Halloween

Halloween is probably the most fun holiday in the calendar, with so much inspiration you can take to shape your party. From virtual murder mystery parties to horror movie marathons and fancy-dress competitions, there’s a lot to pick from.

There are loads of games you can play, too. First, we're going to offer up some ways you can get the party started - so if you're not able to be with your friends in person, let's take Halloween online and make the most of the spookiest season of all.
 

Halloween party games

  • Terrible Tarot cards
  • Frightful feel box
  • Creepy charades
  • Hair-raising quiz

 

Terrible Tarot cards

This is great for a party of adults - dim the lights to make the room dark and eerie, light some candles to create an enchanting atmosphere and have a go at Tarot card reading for the evening.
 

Frightful feel box

This one is great for those who love a bit of gore. Grab some medium-sized boxes and pop a hole in the top or side large enough to fit a hand in, then all you need to do is add your creepy contents and have fun seeing the ‘feelers’ guess what they’re touching. Our favourites are:

  • Peeled grapes - or 'eyeballs'
  • Cooked spaghetti - or 'worms'
  • Canned tomatoes - or 'hearts'

It’s still possible to do this if you’re hosting virtually – you just need to nominate one member of the house as the ‘feeler’ and have someone else to do the set up. It’ll be great fun for friends and family watching online. Make sure you wash your hands afterwards!
 

Creepy charades

Charades isn't just for Christmas, in fact, your version during October is strictly for Halloween themes only! Act out everything from movie titles (horror, of course) to words and characters. Want some Halloween charades ideas to start you off? How about:

  • Frankenstein
  • Zombie
  • Trick or treating
  • Pumpkin carving
  • The dance from Michael Jackson’s Thriller (a really fun one to get your guests to show off their moves!)

 

Hair-raising quiz

Get those brain cells ready, it’s time for a terrifying test of your spooky brainpower! This shouldn’t just be your standard quiz – make it frightfully good by including rounds of feel box and charades and pack it with loads of Halloween trivia for a themed night to remember. If you need some inspiration, here are three great Halloween quizzes we found online and are dying to try out with our friends…

 

Murder mystery party

You'll have loads of fun planning this – and even more fun with the ‘drams’ as you act it all out, darling. First, select the game you want to play and download everything you need from the provider - you'll then be sent the plot, characters and clues for the evening. Choose which video chat platform you want to use, such as Zoom or Skype, invite your friends and family, get dressed up and have a blast. Don’t forget to have a glass of your favourite Barefoot to hand!

Here are some places that offer online murder mysteries:

 

Halloween movie marathon

Ready for a fright? Of course you are! You don't have to be in the same room to watch a scary film together either - this idea will have you joining a call for a chat, grabbing the snacks, a glass of wine and embarking on a movie marathon to end all movie marathons. Why not get your gang on a second screen and share every fright together with group chat and video calls.

What to drink?

Now to our favourite part - what to drink? Depending on your tastes, a delicious glass of Barefoot red wine is fabulous for Halloween - you can even pour a glass from one of our fabulous bottles and add a label reading 'blood' to the glass for an extra splash of shock.

Punch bowls and cocktails are also famously popular at Halloween parties. Even if you're doing your party via a video call you can share the recipes beforehand so everyone's trying the same things.

At Barefoot, we have created some delightfully dark Halloween cocktail recipes for you to try out and enjoy. Why not try these for your fright-night in:

Alternatively, if white wine, pink wine or even a bit of bubbly or a Wine Seltzer is more your thing - go for it! Label them as ‘potions’ to carry on the theme.

If you're looking for good soft drinks for an alcohol-free punch then opt for spooky colours such as deep reds. You could also offer glasses of cola with ghoulish paper straws to really commit to the theme.

 

What to eat?

Even if your party is virtual, who says you can’t still snack on some ghoulish party food?!

Some of our favourite ideas for Halloween party food are:

  • 'Pumpkin' Deviled eggs - add a little chive stalk to the yolk (or 'pumpkin' for this purpose) of each deviled egg and you'll have a cute, simple and tasty snack. Delish can show you how it’s done here.
  • Pumpkin fondue - hollow out a pumpkin, make a deliciously cheesy fondue and pour it inside. Chop up a variety of crudites and surround the pumpkin for dipping. It’s super-simple – as this BBC Good Food guide shows.
  • Strawberry 'ghosts' - another simple, but effective idea. Dip your strawberries in white chocolate, cool in the fridge, then create spooky faces with icing. Check out this recipe for help with making yours.
  • Barefoot Scrummy Gummies – Halloween is not Halloween without sweets, and we have the perfect recipe to make your own gummy sweets using our delicious Barefoot White Zinfandel here.

This holiday is all about having loads of frightful fun, so let your hair down, think outside the box with food ideas and you're sure to enjoy every last bite.
 

Halloween costume ideas

The best part of Halloween! You can take some inspiration from some of the classic Halloween films and TV shows we've mentioned above for your costume - there are so many iconic characters to choose from.

Here are some of our favourites:

  • Stranger Things cast - super easy to put together, especially if there's a group of you.
  • The Addams Family's Morticia and Gomez - a classic couples costume.
  • Beetlejuice - lots of face paint and some crazy hair and you're onto a winner.
  • The three witches from Hocus Pocus - Bette Midler as a witch? What's not to love?
  • Ghostbusters - if you can get your hands on some boiler suits this is a brilliant (and comfortable!) costume.

Alternatively, dress up as 2020 - this year has been scary enough in itself!

Whatever outfit you choose, go with something you'll feel comfortable in for the whole evening and have fun with putting it together. Why not bring out your competitive spirits and make it a competition! Nominate a judge or put it to a vote.
 

Decorating for Halloween

The finishing touches to your party are the decorations - whether you just host for the people you live with or do something virtually; the decorations are what make the party come alive.

Are you going with a black and white theme? Snakes and spiders? Splashes of orange? Whatever you choose, stick to your theme and go wild.

It's the little touches people will notice, too. Cobwebs on your picture frames, a severed hand in the hallway - all things that will add to the overall buzz of the evening.

Some of our fave decoration ideas include:

  • Pumpkins on the doorstep
  • Spooky candlesticks with cobwebs
  • Bubbling witches cauldron
  • Bat/spider bunting
  • Decorate tablecloths with snakes, spiders and black webs
  • Hang 'ghosts' (sheets) in the corner of the room
  • Decorate white and orange balloons with ghost/pumpkin faces
  • Make giant spiders from black balloons and black pipe cleaners
  • Paint your empty Barefoot bottles in Halloween styles. There’s heaps of inspo online!
  • Halloween-themed backgrounds to add some virtual decoration for those video calls. We’ve created some Zoom backgrounds here.


Hopefully these ideas have sparked a bit of Halloween party inspo - don't forget to put together a playlist packed with scary songs to pack a punch with your theme. Whatever you choose to do with your party - virtual or just with your friends at home - throw yourself into the spirit of Halloween and make it an Insta-worthy night to remember.

Oct 19, 2020