5 Ideas for Your Office Halloween Party

The leaves changing color and the weather getting cooler means the holiday season is kicking off. Fall is a great time for having fun in the office, since there are so many built-in excuses to cut loose and socialize. The first fun event of the season: Halloween.

Here are some ideas to help you plan your office's spooky event: 

1. Theme
One way you can get everyone in your office into the creepy spirit is to have a themed Halloween party. Although it's simple enough to have the party's theme be "Halloween," picking something more specific can help your co-workers come up with great costume ideas – as well as guide your decorations. Party 411 recommends themes like "horror movie monsters" or "celebrities" to give your guests a solid jumping-off point for their costumes. If you do pick a theme, try to have every aspect of the party relate back to it somehow. 

2. Costume Contest
Some people are shy about dressing up, particularly in front of their co-workers. To bring out everyone's creative side, hold a costume contest at your office party. Get lots of great prizes, like mugs or personalized notepads, and let people vote for their favorite ensembles. It's best if you have many different categories, so that you can have lots of winners. Have guests vote on which costume is the scariest, funniest and most creative. This is a great opportunity to incorporate some fun office inside jokes into the event: When coming up with categories, really consider the personality of your office.

3. Music
There are a few different ways you can bring music to your Halloween party. Online streaming services like Spotify and Pandora have plenty of Halloween music playlists, although without a paid account you're bound to have to listen through a few ads. Alternatively, there are tons of CD's out there that play hours of Halloween-themed tunes. You can also just play any music to have in the background, although it's worth considering that your party will have a different feel if you're playing campy music like "monster mash" than if you're listening to Top 40 hits.

4. Decorations
Don't be afraid to embrace the sights of All Hallows Eve. It's a very visual holiday, so dive in to the creepy look. Fake cobwebs and string lights alone can go a long way toward getting your office in the Halloween mood. However, going above the bare minimum will make your party even more exciting. Decorating doesn't have to be complicated, although it make take a little bit of time. For example, you can make paper chains with construction paper and a stapler. Simply cut one-inch-wide strips from the construction paper, roll them into a circle, and staple. Then string the next strip through your first circle and staple closed. Continue until you have a long chain you can use to hang along the walls or from the ceilings. 

5. Food
Putting out snacks is probably one of the easiest ways to get people in your office to go to an event. It's also a great way to involve those who want to put a little bit extra into the evening. Have a sign-up list for people who want to make something to bring to the event. Encourage people to make Halloween-themed foods, like mummies in a blanket (pigs in a blanket, with the croissant cut in strips to look like a mummy's wrapping) or ghost-shaped cookies. It's also great to have general fall-related treats around, like pumpkin bread or caramel apples. And of course, you'll want to have plenty of bowls full of candy.