
Halloween Party Ideas
It's not just for the kids! Fancy dress or not, Halloween is a great excuse to throw a party. This year make it brilliant with our ideas & tips. All the help you need to throw a great Halloween party with Alive Network.
About Halloween
Whilst the word Halloween derives from the Catholic feast of All Hallows Eve or All Saints Eve, the celebration is a corruption of three ancient traditions:
1: The Celtic New Year feast of Samhain (sow-en) when the spirits of the dead from the previous year were believed to return in search of living bodies to allow them to pass into the afterlife.
2: The Roman celebration of the goddess Pomona (whose symbol is the apple)
3: A medieval religious belief that prayers, even from strangers, would assist the souls of dead relatives on their journey in the afterlife so people would travel from door to door begging for ‘soul cakes’.
The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm.
More about the history of Halloween
Ideas For A Halloween Party
For most people Halloween is about scary costumes, trick or treat, pumpkin carving and apple bobbing! There's not really that much scope to deviate much from the tried and tested theme, so instead we'll look at what makes a great party and where to get it.
Costumes
For scary fancy dress costumes the following suppliers make a great first port of call:
www.escapade.co.uk
www.fancydress.com
www.charliecrow.com (Children's Costumes)
www.partydelights.co.uk
For Fake Blood & Scary Accessories
Fake blood and more at https://www.fancydress.com/collections/special-effects
Games
Apple Bobbing
Pumpkin Carving
Witch Hunt (like hide and seek but with costumes!)
Make a mummy (with plenty of loo roll!)
Trick or treat
Pass the pumpkin
For adults, Halloween Murder Mystery
Food & Drink
Bring extra excitement to your Halloween party by theming the food and drinks. Traditional favourites include Toffee Apples & lots of sweets collected from trick or treat.
For more Halloween food ideas also see our special feature on Halloween Kids Party Food and Drinks
Live Entertainment
Think about mix and mingle acts or street entertainers as many of these can dress in costumes and adapt their performances to fit the halloween theme. We have a whole collection of Halloween themed entertainers for you to explore here.
No party is complete without live music so if your budget can stretch to hire a live band it will be a sound investment towards ensuring the success of your big night.
It's important to consider the age range of the guests who will be attending your party and pick a band who will appeal to everyone. Also ask Alive Network to arrange for the band to dress in halloween costumes!
Safe bets for a wide age range include Tribute bands, Rock and pop covers bands, Rock and roll/swing bands & Soul bands
Our Top 10 Halloween Party Entertainment Picks >>>
Zombie Flash Mob
A spooky spectacular full of surprise! Our Zombie Flash Mob are full of fright and fantastic dance moves! Featuring professional dancers, amazing costumes and innovative choreography, this exciting flash mob are ready to bring your event back to life!Price from £732Halloween Characters
A choice of stilt walkers, dancing skeletons, mummies and witch finders to complete your spooky theme! Perfect for providing entertainment in small areas and adding artistic kudos to your event!Price from £522Halloween Cabaret Show
3 Circus Performers East Sussex
Welcome your guests to the haunted mansion this Halloween! With every knock, the night gets stranger and stranger with a voodoo spark show, broken doll fire dancer, zombie gymnasts and much more!Price from £3,209Halloween Stilt Walkers
3 Street Entertainers Leicestershire
Want to scare your guests this Halloween? Wicked witches, spooky vampires and creepy rag dolls are on the loose! These stilt walkers will provide some weird but wonderful entertainment for all ages.Price from £402Animatronic Dragons
As seen on Netflix, Sky, BBC & Prime - unleash a show-stopping spectacle with our incredible animatronic Dragons! From a towering 4.5m winged beast call Braid, to playful baby dragons, each creature is brought to life by expert performers for immersive roaming shows and unforgettable meet-and-greets. Perfect for corporate events, festivals and medieval themed experiences, these highly interactive dragons captivate crowds, boost engagement and create wow factor moments your guests won’t stop talking about.Price from £1,045Mr Bones Sideshow
3 Circus Performers Hertfordshire
For all your sideshow needs, from sword swallowing to escapology, plus many more astounding acts! Mr Bones will fulfill your events need for excitement and entertain all ages at any event with his traditional yet modern take on the Sideshow acts of the past.Price from £399Comedy Daredevil
A thrilling freak show performer who has worked in 25+ countries around the world delivering high quality entertainment, nail biting suspense and lots, and lots of laughs. A perfect blend of comedy, circus skills and sideshow stunts suitable for any age.Price from £533Miss D Ville
Feast your eyes upon our princess of pain & 6 times Guinness world record holder Miss D Ville! Performing death-defying stunts with her arsenal of nails, swords & other lethal weaponry, Miss D Ville will shock & delight your guests!Price from £399Rokko
45 Rock & Pop Function Bands London
During their 15-year career, Rokko have entertained crowds the worldwide. As well as being chosen to take part in a 30-day tour of Afghanistan where they provided a moral boost for the British Forces, Rokko have also taken their unique show to Finland, Sweden, Kosovo & the Middle-East. With a huge repertoire spanning 50s to present day pop, rock, reggae & even metal, Rokko guarantee you a busy dance floor full of singing, dancing & smiles!Price from £2,130Radio Gaga
Add a bit of monster magic to your event with the UK's most accurate & most outrageous Lady Gaga tribute. Complete with amazing costumes, 100% live vocals & over the top behaviour, Radio Gaga could be mistaken for the world class performer herself!Price from £599Triumph
Triumph is a top international Michael Jackson tribute who has performed for MTV, Disney, Universal Studios and the King of Pop himself, twice! An electrifying show with dazzling costumes & stunning choreography, Triumph will captivate you & your guests!Price from £766Alexander MacDonald
Unlike many of the conventional magicians out there, Alexander MacDonald has his own definite style with original presentations and routines. With a primary aim to always connect with the audience, this Edwardian style Magician is inspired by the sumptuous romance of the Golden Age of Magic & Theatre. Specialising in sleight of hand and on stage object manipulation, Alexander will bring the physical comedy of the Vaudevillian performers to life.Price from £493






















