Halloween Birthday Party Tips

Halloween birthday parties aren't always as easy as they seem. People make plans, parties are taking place all over town and there aren't very many birthday party decorations that don't center around Halloween. So don't fight it, go with it. If you're going to throw a Halloween bash do it all the way. Here's some tips to help you do that.

Tip #1 - Have the party a week before Halloween. I've found that trying to throw a birthday party on Halloween or even the night before Halloween isn't very successful. Kids are gearing up for the real deal and many parents aren't so keen on their kids getting hyped up at a party right before Halloween night. A week or more before Halloween is the best time for a Halloween birthday party.

Tip #2 - Throw the party outdoors. If it's going to be cold warn the party goers to bring jackets. There's nothing like spending a fall evening under the stars and for kids the darkness makes the party that much more exciting. If you have a patio use that space to decorate and eat. Use the backyard for playing party games.

Tip #3 - Invest in a fog machine. You can find fog machines relatively cheap at Wal-mart. A fog machine puts out better fog and more fog than using dry ice. Save the dry ice for table top fog. If you do purchase a fog machine you'll want to build a cheap fog chiller to keep your fog on the ground. You can find easy to build instructions at the Got Fog website.

Tip #4- Set up a place for crazy Halloween photo ops. We have a life size skeleton the kids have nicknamed Lulu. During my daughter's birthday party last year I stood Lulu up in the corner and decorated around her. Throughout the night my daughter's friends took turns posing with the skeleton. At the end of the evening all the girls gathered around Lulu and took pictures. We printed those pictures out, laminated them and gave one to each guest.

Tip #5 - Forgo the birthday decorations. It sounds weird but I found that using Halloween as a theme was more than satisfying in this situation. Plus it's incredibly hard to find normal birthday decorations during the Halloween season. So instead of looking for Happy Birthday banners and balloons do it up in black and orange. Set up all the Halloween decorations you own and decorate just like you would your front yard. The more spider webs and spooky sounds you have the better the atmosphere of the party.

Tip #6 - Do buy flashing strobe lights. A Halloween birthday party isn't complete without strobe lights. Combine these with fog and karaoke and you'll have thrown the best party in town. It's even better if your strobe lights are colored.

Tip #7 - Don't give out candy. Since Halloween is all about candy the kids will get plenty enough of it that you don't need to give out candy treat bags. Instead fill their bags with things like glow sticks, face paint, vials of fake blood etc.

My daughter's birthday is October 27th and every year it gets harder and harder to throw a good party without repeating the previous year. If there's one thing I've learned it's that instead of trying to go against the season, use it to my advantage and throw a great Halloween birthday party. Now that's killing two birds with one stone.