A barn is the perfect setting for your Halloween party. Trick or Treating is for the kids, but sometimes the adults need to get a chance to have some fun too! Adult Halloween parties can be a great way to reconnect with friends and have some spooky memories for years to come. If you’re looking to create the monster-mash bash of the decade, here’s some ideas to consider.
Pick a Spooky Theme
There are so many spooktacular ways to interpret Halloween for a barn, which lends itself to the atmosphere.
Children of the Corn: think gingham and zombies. Bring in the shocks of corn for added atmosphere. The creepy harvest theme works wonderfully in a barn venue. Bobbing for apples, spiked cider, and country music create a spooky and down-home vibe.
Alice in Wonderland: go wild with the color, lots of hot pink, black, and white. Chessboard patterns and hearts with lots of ornate black candelabras will wow your crowd. There are so many iconic characters, it’s sure to please everyone, especially if your guests have a fondness for tea, cake, and all things Victorian.
Haunted Prom: nostalgic and terrifying combine in this Halloween theme. Retro music and styles combined with blood and guts create an atmosphere of delightful horror. Pick a decade and encourage people to show up in damaged prom dresses and bloody tuxes. The punch is to die for!
Vampires Gathering: Think gold and black with touches of red for this inspiring and ornate theme. Lace and glamour look fabulous against a barn backdrop. This theme is extra fun because you can do any time period you want for a costume, just make it dark and spooky with just a tiny bit of blood.
Horror Movie Mashup: If you’re looking for some laughs, this is actually a great theme. Horror movies are kooky and there’s nothing better than a dance-off between Jason and Freddie.
Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s do the Time Warp Again! With this classic theme your party guests will get into the dance. A great music mix is a must, as well as a dance floor. This theme calls for fewer cobwebs and pumpkins and more leather and punk gear. Sometimes the grownups get to have some fun too.
Creepy Circus: It’s a three-ring circus of crazy here! There’s so much you can do with this theme, it’s much more than just creepy clowns, though they are pretty great. There’s a ton of media that can inspire you, from American Horror Story season 4 to the 90’s classic Batman Returns with the Penguin and his The Red Triangle Circus Gang.
Pirate Zombie Party: avast mate, are you ready to party? The Pirates of the Caribbean couldn’t do it better with this fun and funky theme. Go wild with the decor incorporating jungle elements and rope garlands with your cobwebs and blood. Skeletal parrot, anyone? Consider turning the barn into a ship for this aquatic theme and you’ll be wowed at how cool it all looks!
Planning for your Halloween Barn Party
Make an area that’s specifically for selfies, and you may even consider hiring a photographer to run a photo booth setup so that everyone can capture all that hard work. Set up the selfie area at the front of the event, so that people can take fancy photos on the way in. Costumes are notoriously fragile, by putting photos right up front you ensure all the costumes are looking their best.
Don’t forget the costume contest! Encourage people to be on theme by offering prizes for the best-themed costume in various categories. Best womans, men’s, and group costumes are good starter categories. You can add prizes that are theme-specific too. Creepiest clown for the Creepy Circus theme, or best Dr. Frank-N-Furter for a Rocky Horror Picture Show party.
Get people in the mood by creating a custom Facebook group beforehand so everyone can talk about their costume plans and coordinate. It’s also a great place to ask for music suggestions. You can share important details like where to park, where to change, and what the costume contest rules are so that people have a better idea of what to do when they arrive at the barn. It’s those little details that can make or break a Halloween barn party.
Make your Party an Unforgettable Event
Hosting your Halloween party in a barn venue is a great way to create a truly unique and decadent atmosphere for the adults to get away and have some of their own fun during the Spooky Season.
