When it comes to hosting a spine-chilling soirée for grown-ups, we’ve got you covered.
Halloween isn’t just for little ghouls and goblins. According to researchers at YouGov, two-thirds of Americans say it should be celebrated by adults, too, which is why a third of adults still dress up and go out to celebrate.
But when you’re catering to adults, creating a spine-chilling Halloween party isn’t as simple as just throwing up a couple of streamers and dishing out candy corn. You’ve got to create a memorable experience for your guests — and we’ve created this guide to help.
In this guide, we’ll unearth a crypt-full of Halloween party ideas for adults that’ll leave your guests shrieking with delight. This is true for virtual Halloween events, too, where you can give your attendees opportunities to connect via chat features or video.
From eerie event concepts to chilling Halloween decoration inspiration, we’ll show you how to brew up an event that’s both spooky and spectacular with 20 adult Halloween party ideas. So grab your cauldron and join us in concocting the ultimate Halloween celebration!
Adult Halloween party ideas that’ll blow your guests away
10. A classic Halloween event: Costume party magic
11. Halloween party with a pet-friendly twist
12. Horror dance party with spine-tingling beats
14. Not-so-scary singles night
15. Spooky Halloween cooking class
18. Virtual Halloween game night
20. Spooktacular Halloween team building
Adult Halloween party themes for outdoor events
Step out and explore a world of outdoor Halloween revelry.
Let’s unveil spooky adult Halloween party themes that thrive beneath the open sky. Dive into moonlit mysteries, embrace the eerie ambiance, and embark on thrilling experiences that’ll linger long after the night’s end.
1. Pumpkin patch paradise
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️☠️
Embrace the enchantment of autumn with a classic twist — your very own pumpkin patch party for adults. Transform this timeless setting into a hauntingly delightful wonderland with eerie jack-o’-lantern props and captivating animatronics.
- Maze challenge: Lead your friends through thrilling corn mazes. Turn it into a friendly competition, where destiny decides the next move — a daring dare or a delightful drink.
- Wine and wonderland: Sip fine wines, groove to live music, and explore haunted mazes. Fuel the competitive spirit with thrilling eating contests.
- Carve and create: Celebrate the season with a pumpkin carving contest, apple bobbing, candy corn games, and cozy bonfires that warm the soul.
- Instagram magic: Capture picture-perfect moments against rustic backdrops, perfect for guests to share on social media.
- Local harvest delights: Savor locally sourced treats to support nearby farms and add an extra layer of enchantment to your event.
With these whimsical adult Halloween party themes, your pumpkin patch party will enchant attendees and conjure an autumn experience they’ll cherish.
2. Halloween pub crawl
Spookiness: 👻👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️
Imagine creating an electrifying Halloween event that appeals to tourists, locals, and newcomers eager to forge friendships. A Halloween pub crawl lets attendees hop between local bars for fun in various venues.
You can partner with enthusiastic local vendors seeking to boost holiday revenue and showcase their business to potential patrons.
Need some inspiration? Eventbrite organizer Do The Crawl hosts a Halloween Pub Crawl annually in major cities across the US — making it a prime example of how to craft an enticing pub crawl event that draws diverse crowds.
Each location offers a unique atmosphere, ensuring an unforgettable night of revelry. People can participate in thrilling contests and engaging games and get the chance to win fantastic prizes.
More importantly, the team at Do The Crawl knows how to entice people into buying a ticket with its early bird tickets.
This ticket type is a great way to kickstart sales and start building a chance of FOMO (fear of missing out) among your followers. Best of all, if you’ve partnered with Eventbrite, creating and distributing early bird discounts is dead simple.
Need a little help? We’ll guide you through the steps:
1. Go to your event dashboard
2. Click on “Promotions”
3. Select “Create a promo code”
4. Enter your code settings
5. Hit “Next”
6. Select the events you want the code to apply to
7. Hit “Save code”
It’s that easy!
Ready to kickstart your early bird sale?
3. Halloween party cruise
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️☠️
Set sail on a spine-tingling voyage and host an adults-only soirée aboard a passenger boat or cruise ship. Register attendees and sell tickets on Eventbrite to cover rental costs. Consider these eerie onboard options:
- Haunted cabaret: Transform the cruise ship into a spooky cabaret with eerie performances and darkly captivating acts.
- Starry night gala: Embrace the night sky’s mystique with stargazing, celestial cocktails, and an otherworldly atmosphere.
- Gothic romance affair: Imagine a cruise inspired by gothic tales, complete with dimly lit corners, dramatic Halloween decorations, and a masquerade ball.
- Pirate’s curse adventure: Take your guests on a pirate-themed cruise filled with treasure hunts, ghostly tales, and a swashbuckling costume contest.
These Halloween cruise ideas promise a memorable maritime experience that will haunt attendees’ dreams. Want to see how it’s done? Take a look at ICLUBNYC.
Its Halloween Latin Boat Party Yacht Cruise includes a trip around the Hudson with a live DJ, a trendy dress code, catering, and a cash bar to keep things lively. It looks like an amazing place to spend Halloween, and we’re totally here for it:
Gore galore: themed parties where horror reigns supreme
Get ready for a bone-chilling journey into the heart of darkness as we delve into adult Halloween party ideas that’ll leave your guests trembling with fear (in a good way).
From ominous zombie races to eerie ghost tours and murder mysteries, prepare for a night of unadulterated terror.
4. Halloween circus spectacle
Spookiness: 👻👻
Budget: 💵💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️
The fear of clowns haunts more than half of the world’s population, according to a 2022 study, making a circus a spooky choice for an adult Halloween event. But it doesn’t have to stop at clowns — create a full circus atmosphere with stilt-walkers, fire-breathers, and gravity-defying acrobats.
That’s what The STAR Centre of Havre de Grace has planned for its 2024 Vampire Circus event. The team promises a circus cabaret that fuses the best of Tim Burton and Cirque Du Soleil — with contortionists, jugglers, acrobats, and clowns.
You can also add an air of mystery with fortune tellers or spellbinding illusionists. Whether outdoors under a grand circus tent or in the open air, set an ominous tone with themed Halloween decor and eerie music.
5. Murder mystery party
Spookiness: 👻👻👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️
Craft an immersive experience that takes guests on a journey of suspense and intrigue with a murder mystery dinner. This engaging event idea is perfect for those looking to add a twist to their Halloween festivities.
Send character-specific party invitations to everyone on your guest list, complete with details and props. As the night unfolds, attendees cooperate, trade information, and solve the fictional crime while enjoying a captivating dinner party.
For lessons in best practice, look to the Murder Mystery Dinner by Loose Rail Brewing. They’ve totally nailed this event concept, blending intrigue, interaction, and entertainment for an unforgettable evening of mystery.
💡Pro tip: To elevate the excitement, consider offering a prize to the individual or team that successfully cracks the case first. This will add an extra layer of competitiveness and fun to the event.
6. Zombie race
Spookiness: 👻👻👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️
Think beyond the typical holiday-themed races — consider a zombie race for a thrilling event idea. Participants immerse themselves in the undead world, shuffling towards the finish line in spine-chilling zombie attire, and then recharge with brains or candy.
Embrace the Halloween spirit by dressing up as zombies, indulging in blood baths, and encountering zombie “zaddies” on a night filled with gory entertainment.
Robot Pumpkin does a great job at this theme.
Its Downtown Lansing Zombie Walk ignites the Halloween spirit for zombies of all ages. There’s even a zombie costume contest with cash prizes for participants — but it’s also worth noting that the event doubles as a Greater Lansing Food Bank fundraiser.
You can throw a similar Halloween party for fundraising or a similar goal by organizing an unforgettable zombie-themed race.
Eventbrite makes it easy to accept donations from fundraisers by simplifying the setup for digital and mobile payments.
💡Pro tip: If your target audience isn’t particularly interested in running, consider organizing a zombie prom like the House of Yes by dressing up as decaying dancers, reliving high school horrors with a gruesome twist.
7. Ghost tours
Spookiness: 👻👻👻
Budget: 💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️
Ghost tours are an intriguing concept for event creators who appreciate history, storytelling, and a touch of the supernatural.
Imagine orchestrating ghostly expeditions in historical towns or landmarks, especially fitting for Halloween. Envision guides dressed in period attire, guiding guests through bygone eras and mind-numbing tales.
Character-rich narratives can add depth to the spooky storytelling experience. Post-tour gatherings at local bars or restaurants can also add to the fun, allowing attendees to discuss their shared creepy encounters.
Heritage Square Museum‘s recent Ghosts are Real…Ghost Tours and Crimson Peak is a perfect example.
Its late-night event saw guides spook guests with ghost stories while touring a number of unique heritage buildings. They even followed up with a special screening of the gothic classic Crimson Peak.
8. Haunted house
Spookiness: 👻👻👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️☠️
A haunted house is an adult Halloween party idea that guarantees adrenaline-pumping excitement.
This one is great if you’ve got access to a spooky heritage venue that you can deck out to create a haunting atmosphere. Think eerie lighting (black lights, LED lights, and glow-in-the-dark pumpkins are particularly effective), fog machines, plastic pumpkins, and fake spiderwebs for a start.
But don’t stop with lighting. Use chicken wire to create floating ghosts, display creepy old dolls, stuff some newspaper into trash bags to create “body bags,” and set up some Harry Potter-style “floating candles” with a bit of fishing line.
Encourage attendees to venture into this nightmarish realm in pairs or groups, enhancing the thrill and ensuring they have a reassuring presence when the scares become too intense.
Consider infusing this spine-tingling concept into your event, drawing inspiration from iconic experiences like Nightmare on Randall.
These decoration ideas for haunted houses offer attendees an unforgettable taste of the macabre, leaving them with lasting memories of their harrowing journey into the unknown.
Mysteriously mellow theme ideas
It’s important to consider your particular audience when planning a grown-up event.
Not all adults are fans of horror movies or haunted houses, so get creative and consider Halloween party ideas for adults who prefer a more laid-back experience.
9. Creepy tasting night
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️
A creepy cocktail night is a captivating idea for event creators looking to create a hauntingly good atmosphere for their adult Halloween gatherings.
Organize a “Hallo-wine” event for wine tasting with a Halloween theme. You can even decorate your drinks and glasses to match. For example, you could create Halloween sangria and coat the glass rim in grenadine to make it look like (tasty) dripping blood.
If wine doesn’t tickle your fancy, consider hosting tasting sessions for beer or your preferred spirits.
For a hauntingly good example, look no further than The Loft Wine Bar & Events and their Hallo-WINE-Fest. With themed drinks, axe-throwing, tarot readings, and a free swag bag all included, this wine tasting sounds terrifyingly fun.
10. A classic Halloween event: Costume party magic
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️
For event organizers looking to throw a more traditional Halloween bash, a costume party is the way to go.
Encourage adults to go big with their costume ideas and join in for a night of good food, dancing, and fun activities.
That’s what Daniel Sweatt has lined up for his upcoming Rocktoberfest “Halloween Costume Party.” With a live DJ, food trucks, and plenty of drinks, this is the sort of costume contest we can get behind.
💡Pro tip: Consider choosing an event theme that fits your target audience’s interests—especially if they’re into mythical creatures, belong to a fan club like K-pop, or associate with cult TV shows and movies like Harry Potter or Stranger Things.
Don’t forget the costume contest and prizes! Give awards for the best group costume, the most creative, the funniest, and any other fun categories.
11. Halloween party with a pet-friendly twist
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️
While many pet-friendly events cater to kids, we think it’s only fair to offer a grown-up event where adults can join in the fun with their beloved pets.
Consider hosting a pet costume extravaganza, inviting attendees to dress in coordinating outfits with their furry companions. Like a typical costume party, consider adding a parade or fashion show to spotlight these enchanting duos.
💡Pro tip: To satisfy everyone, offer spooky-flavored snacks for both the human and pet attendees, ensuring no one leaves with an empty stomach. Safety and happiness are paramount, so remind pet owners to keep their furry friends on a leash throughout the event.
With a pet-friendly twist on the classic costume party, you’ll create a memorable Halloween celebration to remember.
Eerie indoor Halloween adult party ideas
Step into the realm of indoor enchantment, where secrets and surprises await.
Let’s explore adult Halloween event ideas designed for cozy gatherings. Prepare for an evening of hair-raising entertainment with thrilling charades and daring truth-or-dare games.
12. Horror dance party with spine-tingling beats
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️
Music is the heart and soul of any party. Here are a few music-based adult Halloween event ideas to try this year.
- Scary-oke bash: Transform your event into a “Scary-oke” extravaganza! Guests can belt out Halloween classics like “Monster Mash” and “Thriller.” This works best if you have a venue equipped with a karaoke machine or sound setup.
- Festival fusion: Merge the vibrant spirit of music festivals into your Halloween event. Pump up the electronic beats and create an alternative vibe by encouraging avant-garde attire with feathers, sequins, and body paint.
- Masquerade melody: Enhance the musical experience with a masquerade party and a playlist of top goth songs. Attendees dance in enigmatic masks and lavish costumes, adding an air of intrigue to your soirée.
Want to see how it’s done the right way?
Take a look at Soo Ying‘s Spook-tacular Silent Disco. This unique take on the classic horror dance party features three DJs that guests can switch between while dancing the night away.
13. Horrible Charades
Spookiness: 👻👻👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️
Horrible Charades is a playful twist on the classic game that can be an excellent idea for an adult Halloween event. It will surely bring out the inner actor in your guests.
Here’s how it works: Prepare a variety of Halloween-themed clues from the top spooky movies of all time. Write them on cue cards and split your guests into teams. Take turns having one person from each team act out the clue for their teammates. The team with the most points at the end wins!
For added excitement, partner with event sponsors to offer on-theme prizes such as movie tickets, haunted house admissions, or escape room vouchers.
Wrap up the evening with the screening of a classic Halloween movie. Transform your event into a cozy mini-cinema, providing comfortable seating as guests enjoy a film in line with the theme of the game.
💡Pro tip: Make sure to send out Halloween-themed e-invites well in advance and consider polling attendees to discover their movie preferences. That’s where Eventbrite can offer some much-needed help.
Eventbrite enables you to send email blasts to your ticket holders with details of your upcoming events, including surveys to learn how to adapt your Halloween party to keep your audience happy.
By combining horrible charades with these event-planning ideas, you can create an unforgettable Halloween party that will have your guests howling with delight.
Ready to start promoting your upcoming Halloween event?
14. Not-so-scary singles night
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️
Event organizers, here’s a thrilling idea for those playing matchmaker — a not-so-scary singles night. Dive into the spooky dating scene and help your attendees make connections throughout the night.
You can break the ice with themed cocktails and party games that create a spooktacular yet not-too-frightening atmosphere. Whether you organize a speed dating session for shy daters, host a costume contest, or let attendees mix and mingle, it’s sure to be a hauntingly good time!
Sacramento Halloween Lock & Key Singles Party is a fine example.
This event combined an evening of new friendships, potential matches, and pure fun. Participants could grab a cocktail, unlock their possibilities, and mingle like never before. It was a unique twist on the dating scene that your attendees wouldn’t want to miss!
15. Spooky Halloween cooking class
Spookiness: 👻👻
Budget: 💵💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️
If your target audience is interested in cooking, take them on a culinary Halloween adventure, crafting delightfully eerie dishes like Monster Mash Meatballs and Cursed Candy Corn Confections.
Event creators can up the ante by adding a mystery ingredient challenge for extra excitement. The ingredients should be safe to eat but surprising or unusual.
💡Pro tip: Challenge the attendees to use these ingredients creatively. You could divide the participants into teams and have them compete with each other. Conclude your event with a taste-testing session to find a winner and offer a prize for the most inventive and delicious dish.
This twist adds an element of surprise and fun, turning your cooking class into a more interactive and memorable Halloween experience.
16. Mysterious mixology event
Spookiness: 👻👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️
Mysterious mixology is where your adult Halloween party guests dive into the unknown with each sip.
Here’s the eerie game plan: Scatter miniature drink bottles around your venue, each containing a delightful treat or a chilling trick. The treat bottles house tantalizing alcoholic elixirs, while the trick ones hide a hideous surprise — think bizarre flavors or quirky concoctions, like pickle juice or bubblegum soda.
If you need help conjuring up the right vibe, look no further than Andersons Distillery and their upcoming Cocktails with the Distiller-Halloween Drinks event. This professional cocktail class promises to “get weird” with plenty of bubbles, eyeballs, and wild stuff — and it sounds like the perfect way to sip Halloween away.
17. Séance nights
Spookiness: 👻👻👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️
Connecting with spirits through a séance is a captivating Halloween event idea for adults seeking an intimate and slightly spooky soirée.
Attendees can delve into the realm of the supernatural with the help of local mediums, making it accessible to all.
Imagine hosting this eerie event in a cozy bookstore, charming restaurant, or even a local historical site steeped in ghostly lore. As your attendees gather, serve themed drinks and delectable food to set the mood.
That’s what Third Eye Productions has lined up for its Phantom Flicks event. Organizers invite guests to bring their haunted objects to psychic mediums, demonologists, and occult experts for the experience of a lifetime.
VIP guests will even get the chance to spend the night in a haunted theater and participate in a special late-night séance — and it looks like a Halloween event that nobody will ever forget.
Ghostly gatherings in the digital realm
Step into the world of virtual events where spirits and spooks transcend the physical.
Join us as we explore virtual event ideas that can connect people worldwide. From eerie horror movies to immersive multiplayer games and remote team-building activities, embrace the digital specter of Halloween.
18. Virtual Halloween game night
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵💵
Difficulty: ☠️☠️☠️
Here’s an electrifying idea to level up your event game — a virtual Halloween game night. If your audience loves gaming, this is the ultimate online extravaganza. You can organize this event in many different ways.
Immerse your virtual space with retro video game vibes — set the mood with iconic game soundtracks and pixelated swag. Take it up a notch by featuring multiplayer retro games, keeping everyone engaged and interacting.
Whether through quizzes and games hosted on virtual platforms like Zoom or thrilling competitions where participants face off in various video game worlds, this event is set up to be a gaming night like no other.
Peer Support Space does a fantastic job at this. Its Gaming Garden events look to create a calm and safe virtual space for gamers to meet up online and enjoy playing all different types of video games together.
You could take that community atmosphere and simply spook things up with creepy games, Halloween music, avatars inspired by classic horror movies, and everything in between.
19. Horror movie night
Spookiness: 👻👻👻
Budget: 💵
Difficulty: ☠️
According to YouGov, watching horror flicks is the number one pastime for adults on Halloween — so get ready to immerse your audience in the eerie world of horror!
Encourage attendees to don movie-themed cosplay and transform their surroundings to mirror the spooky ambiance of the film.
Whether you opt for chilling in-person screenings or embrace the virtual realm with watch parties, it’s all about the thrill of horror. Plan a double feature, pairing a classic with a modern horror flick, ensuring an electrifying experience for both in-person and remote attendees.
Want to go the more classical route? Try a horror theater night instead.
That’s what Adam Z. Robinson did for his recent Shirley’s Monster: A Live-Streamed Ghost Story event. The live-streamed horror story was held exclusively over Zoom. It was also a “you decide the price” event so guests could choose their own ticket price.
20. Spooktacular Halloween team building
Spookiness: 👻
Budget: 💵
Difficulty: ☠️
Have a more professional audience? A team-building event might be right up your alley! Encourage attendees to get into the spirit by donning costumes or festive attire.
Host a thrilling costume contest, with participants submitting costume photos for a howling good time.
💡Pro tip: You can also engage teams in Halloween-themed trivia contests, fostering camaraderie as they tackle questions about scary movies, historical Halloween trivia, and trending topics.
Ready to sell some Halloween party tickets?
These 20 adult Halloween party ideas include fun and spooky ways to entice attendees and make the evening memorable.
If you’ve got your event planned but you needed to start selling event tickets yesterday, consider Eventbrite’s ticketing service. We make it easy for you to offer different ticket types, sell your tickets right on your website or Facebook page, and more.
If you’re planning a Halloween event, you should let our comprehensive Halloween party checklist be your guide. With expert tips, ideas, and tools, you can bring your Halloween event to life and ensure its success. From choosing a venue to ticketing and analytics, we’ve got you covered.
