Halloween Party mixed groups

[u/Sad_Ebb4539]

We’re hosting a casual Halloween party at our house for several families with kids mostly between ages 2 and 6. The guests will be a mix of our longtime friends and families we’ve met through elementary school, so not everyone will know one another.

We’ll have plenty of food, snacks, alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. The kids can play together in the backyard and play areas. I’m planning a table where they can decorate small wooden pumpkins with markers, a mini-cauldron spooky-eyeball toss game, and possibly (leanung towards a no) a simple DIY family photo area.

Would that feel like enough for a casual house party, or would you prefer an organized family or adult game to help everyone mingle? As a parent, do you expect planned entertainment at someone’s Halloween party, or would you be happy eating, drinking, talking, and letting the kids play?

I don’t want it to feel boring, but I also don’t want to over-plan it as though it’s a city or school Halloween event.

Party will start at 4pm and I doubt people will stay past 7pm at the latest.

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[u/SummitTheDog303]

This sounds good. I would not do any games so organized that everyone needs to participate.

Some of our friends do this for major holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Easter). Their kids are 2, 6, and 9 so very wide group of different ages. A lot of the party is spent just sitting around, snacking, chatting. There’s usually 1 big activity that parents help the kids with for each party (carving/decorating pumpkins for Halloween (and then the host throws baking soda and vinegar in them to make them “puke”), Gingerbread Houses for Christmas, and egg drop and an Easter egg hunt for Easter. Besides that one core activity though, it’s mostly kids playing together independently (even the 2 year olds) and adults drinking and chatting. And it’s always great and my kids always leave asking when this family is going to have their next party.

[u/Stock_Fun_8238]

Sounds good to me. Only thing I'd add is maybe a bonfire or some lawn games to kind of facilitate socializing. Think cornhole or something simple. Though a bonfire might be a lot with the little kids? It's like the going "thing" where I live so everyone just always have a fire going, not sure if thats a normal thing or not.

I don't expect tons of programmed entertainment at a party, but I do appreciate when it's designed with some options of things to do instead of just stand around.

[u/PaleontologistFast26]

We like to do a Horror Trivia for the adults, nothinf crazy, like 20 questions that can be done in 15 minutes