How I Choose a Halloween Theme (and Plan the Rest Around It)
As you probably know by now, Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. Not Christmas, not New Year’s… HALLOWEEN. And I don’t just mean candy corn or watching Hocus Pocus (though I do love both of those). I mean full-blown costume parties, with themed invitations, decor, music, and food.
And the best part? Choosing the theme.
Honestly, as soon as one Halloween ends, I’m already noodling on the next one. By April or May, I’ve usually narrowed it down to my top 2–3 ideas. From there, I let the planning begin—costumes, decor, invitations, music, food, and those little extra touches that make it a night to remember.
How I Pick the Theme
There’s a method to the madness! When narrowing it down, I always ask myself a few key questions:
Have I done it before?
I love coming up with something fresh each year, so I try to avoid repeating myself (unless it's too good not to revisit!)Can it be interpreted in multiple ways?
The best themes are broad enough that everyone can run wild with them.
Example: My “DEAD” theme could be interpreted however you wanted—famous people, trends, jokes… someone even came as a bag of dead leaves!Do I have a great idea for an invitation?
Yes, I’m that person. One year, I really wanted to send out coffins, so I found small ones at the craft store, then added tiny skeletons and a scroll with all all the details of the party. This really set the tone with my guests!Is there something big happening in pop culture?
If there’s a theme that captures the cultural moment, I’ll go for it. It’s always fun to see how people riff on something trending.
The goal is to give my guests direction. Some people love going all-out with a costume, and others need a little help. A solid theme gives everyone a creative jumping-off point—and makes for incredible photos at the end of the night.
Past Themes I’ve Loved
I’ve done a ton of themes over the years, but here are a few of my favorites:
TV Characters – Think sitcom stars, reality show icons, or cult-favorite cameos
Fairy Tales – From the classic (Little Red Riding Hood) to twisted interpretations
Album Covers – Guests dressed as full album art, and I created a photo wall of all their “covers”
Monsters – Classic movie monsters, mythological creatures, people who are really just monsterous, and real life monsters (open to interpretation, of course)
Doppelgängers – Come as your twin or someone else's
Masks – Full of mystery, disguise, and creativity
DEAD – A darkly fun take on “dead” people, ideas, or trends
Icons (this year’s theme!) – Come dressed as an icon of your choice—real or fictional, or an actual icon (i’m looking at you bluetooth, @, or floppy disk save icon)
Death Theme
Morticia & Gomez Addams
Fairy Tales Theme
These themes are flexible and invite creativity, which is key. People can go literal, funny, spooky, elaborate, or low-effort. Everyone gets to feel like they nailed it—and that’s the best kind of party vibe.
How I Design the Invitations
In the early years, I went all out. I designed and mailed elaborate, handmade invites. For the TV theme, I illustrated a custom “TV Guide” cover and affixed it to vintage TV Guides I found on eBay. For the Death theme, I found tiny coffins and put a skeleton and scroll with details about the party in it.
TV Character invitation that included vintage TV Guides
Death Invitation
But since moving abroad (hi Sweden 👋), I’ve had to simplify. These days, I make digital invites—still fun, still themed, just a little less labor-intensive. Even a themed graphic shared via text or email can set the tone.
This year’s invitation: ICONS
How I Plan the Decor & Food
Once the theme is set, I plan how to bring it to life with:
Decor
The vibe has to match the concept! For Album Covers, I asked guests to send me their costumes ideas in advance. Then, I printed out the corresponding album artwork and created a photo wall as a backdrop. It doubled as decoration and a fun activity. For the Fairy Tales themed party, I ripped out pages from an old fairy tale book and then printed quotes on them and placed them around the house. I also did this with the food tags to keep the theme going.
Fairy Tales Decor
Album Cover Wall
Food
If the theme doesn’t directly suggest food (like “masks” and “Doppleganger”), I lean on my greatest hits—dishes from past years that are always a hit. If it does tie in, even better! I love creating food that can tie into the theme. Think haunted ham and cheese, zombie eyeballs, poison apples, find your way home trail mix, humpty dumpty deviled eggs, and pirate pies. For the TV characters theme, I chose key foods from popular tv shows!
This year’s Icons theme? You better believe I’m cooking up some iconic dishes. Think Elvis-style peanut butter banana bites, Julia Child’s gougères, Stanley Tucci’s negroni or maybe Snoop’s Gin & Juice? TBD, but I can’t wait to create this menu.
Death Theme Food
Fairy Tale Food
TV Characters Food Tags
Ambiance
Candles, lighting, tablecloths, tiny skeletons in tiny coffins… I love layering in little surprises. It's not just about what you see—it’s about what the party feels like. And don’t forget the playlist. I’ve done everything from spooky and traditional Halloween songs to every album represented in the album covers theme. For this years Icons theme, the music will have to be…ICONIC.
Final Thoughts: Start with the Theme and the Rest Will Follow
If you’re planning your own Halloween party, I highly recommend choosing a solid, flexible theme first. It becomes your anchor—from invites to playlists to food and decor. And most importantly, it helps your guests feel part of the experience from the second they walk in the door.
Got a killer Halloween theme idea? Tell me! I’m always collecting ideas for next year. 😈
