Halloween in college is the perfect time to attend or to throw a party and, above all else, these parties must have an absolutely legendary theme. While frat parties may have DJs and extremely large backyards, you and your friends can still throw an amazing Halloween party with a good theme, your imagination, and some good company.
- The Movie, The Musical
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If you and your friends are looking for any reason to break out in songs from your favorite movie, musical, or movie-musical, this may be the perfect theme for you. For those friend groups that just love to perform, this party gives them time to break out the microphones, turn on the karaoke version, and get down!
Guests are invited to show up as their favorite character, as long as they know they’ll probably have to sing or perform a number as that character. Classics like Heathers and Grease could mash up with new-school icons like the cast of High School Musical or the Descendants movies to give everyone their time in the spotlight.
In my dreams, I get to attend a party where “Sexy” from Mean Girls: The Musical is a keystone of the playlist of the night.
- Oops, Wrong Holiday
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Based on The Nightmare Before Christmas, this party is a creepy combination of all of the winter holidays. Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy can join everyone as they celebrate their own special days. You could also use this as an opportunity to settle the debate, “Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas movie?”
I also love this party for college students, who often end up separated from their friends over the holidays. What better time to combine all the major holidays than on a day when everyone can dress the part?
- Taskmaster
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Based on the British comedy show, this party theme pits guests against each other for the ultimate college party prize: bragging rights. Like on the show, tasks can be as ridiculous and impractical as you can think of.
Having thrown a party like this before, some of my favorite tasks to assign are to have one person trying to keep a balloon or a ball off the floor, while another person’s job is to knock that same item to the floor as frequently as possible. I’ll also usually assign one person to get as much cash out of the other partygoers’ pockets as possible, just to see if they can.
For a Halloween spin, you could encourage people to get as many jump scares as possible or to start a “Thriller” flash mob mid-party. The only limit here is your imagination and just how far you think your friends are willing to go to win.
- Wrong Party, Dude
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A bit of a cruel joke, this theme is a straight-up lie. The main goal is to tell each person a different theme. Have people show up in all kinds of outfits. Since it’s Halloween, you can take the theme to the extreme, with one group showing up as Minions and another in inflatable dinosaur costumes.
This theme also provides cover for those who aren’t super interested in dressing up, but don’t want to feel left out of the Halloween spirit. Every show or video game has a random NPC hanging around in khakis and a green shirt, and sometimes the vibe is the costume.
- Secret Matchmaker
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Are your friends annoying you with their romantic tension? Do you have two friends who need to meet each other? Host a Halloween party where you get to play matchmaker!
For this one, you’d assign your friends pair or group costumes and encourage everyone to mix and mingle according to their costumes once the party starts. Add in party games that force people to work together, and you’ve got matches made in heaven.
The best part about a secret matchmaking party is that you can take the credit if any pairs actually work out.
Hosting a party isn’t for everybody, but for those who are willing to put in the work, a solid theme is a great place to start. Build décor, playlists, and ambiance around the theme; it’s time to go down in your friend groups’ history as a genius.
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