Great Games to Play at Your Halloween Party

Sometimes hosting a party turns out to be more work than fun. The problem is, throwing a party is supposed to be fun. These games require a little prep work, but can be a rewarding time. They are designed for the host or hosts to leave someone else in charge, while other details are attended to. As we all know, if you are the host and you try to do everything, the night ends up being very tiring no matter how the event goes off.

The nice part about Halloween parties is the variety of entertainment options a party can get away with. Costumes and candy add flair and possibilities other parties just do not have. The possibilities are endless and with a little planning you can achieve some good times people will be talking about year after year.

Mystery Guest

This is great game that requires a little planning. Basically, an extra person is invited to the party in costume. The rest of the guests have to figure out the identity of the mystery guest. To be entirely effective the mystery guest needs to be someone whose absence is not conspicuous. Obviously, you do not want to invite a total stranger. Some possibilities include distant relatives, a relative who never comes to parties, or long lost friends. The trick here is to instruct the players to ask only yes or no questions. If the voice of the mystery guest is a give away, supply them with two note cards: one that says "Yes" and one that says "No." Set up a fishbowl or some sort of storage container for the players to put their guesses into, then find out who is right. If a number of people are right, call them all up in front of the group. After the identity of the mystery guest is revealed, ask trivia questions about the mystery guest in an elimination format. Last one standing is the winner.

Bonus Costumes

Every Halloween party has a costume contest. In your invitations list a number of bonus costumes. I have used vikings, cavemen, cat women, and a number of others. If the winner of the any of the costume categories you recognize is dressed in a bonus costume, they win an extra prize for their hard work. This is a great game because you get to see different takes on different costume ideas. Last year, I had a sixty year old win a bonus for Hannah Montana! It was a strange and unusual get up but it worked out okay, and everyone had a big laugh.

Remember Last Year

This is a game that is only relevant if you have a party every year. You just write out a questionnaire and make enough copies to go around. If you are really handy with word processors you can include some pictures of people in costume and see who remembers who was behind the mask. You will be surprised how many people can recall exactly who was dressed up in what costume, and the winner is never who you think it will be.

Who Brought What

This is a great game if your party features several types of food brought by different people. Identify each dish by name or number or both. On another sheet of paper have the numbers along with space for the guess of who brought that dish. If you have some great cooks in attendance this may be hard. On the other hand, we all have that friend who is not necessarily noted for their cooking ability and should be easy to spot. Whoever gets the most right wins.

How Many In The Jar

This is just a classic. You get an empty jar from a store, and fill that jar with some sort of candy. Have a sheet of paper or a blank notebook for guests to enter their guesses. Whoever gets closest wins the jar. This game is great because you can totally play around with people. You can layer in ping pong balls to take up space, and drive people crazy. A classic just never goes out of style.