Close-up image of pumpkin painted old-fashioned style and wearing a vintage Halloween party hat

How to Rock a Vintage Halloween Party

The Spirit of Vintage Halloween

The first citywide Halloween celebration took place in 1921 in Anoka, Minnesota. Through the decades we’ve seen plenty of interesting iterations of this fantastic holiday. And we all have fond memories of celebrated Halloweens from our own childhood years. Those basic motion-sensor hanging ghosts that blared a hyper vibrato cry in one pitch…and then another…and back and forth. Who didn’t love those in the 90s? Or favourite costumes you wore as a child. Even the smell of old cardboard boxes of Halloween decorations – whatever that scent entails (plastic? Mildew?) – has a pleasant nostalgia. Fast food franchises and their smart marketing tactics to lure us with nostalgia of childhood kids meal toys (I still have Halloween McNugget characters). It is with this spirit of childhood nostalgia mixed with quirky trends from Halloweens past that we celebrate with a vintage Halloween party!

Group of pumpkins on a table outside, one of which is painted old-fashioned style and wearing a vintage Halloween party hat
A cloth white ghost hangs from a tree against an orange light cast outside, a classic vintage Halloween party decoration
Photos by Bee Felten Leidel and Juan Vargas

How to Throw a Vintage Halloween Party

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1. Create the Scene with Vintage Halloween decorations

You can find plenty of actual vintage and vintage-inspired Halloween decorations to deck out your party spot. Decorating can be as expensive or inexpensive as you are comfortable with. However extensively you take it, make sure you consciously and sustainably spend in order to protect your finances. And if you’re crafty, you can totally DIY your vintage Halloween party decorations! You just need a little time and inspiration. But if you’re too time-strapped to craft, there are so many fun decorations and things you can acquire – including inexpensive ones – that perfectly set the vintage Halloween scene. Check out a few fun finds here to get started:

Vintage-style paper Halloween garland strung from the edge of a table covered in a white tablecloth. Garland features paper jack-o-lantern cutouts with friendly, expressive faces

2. Prepare Vintage Halloween-Inspired Food and Beverages

Time to get crafty and clever with vintage Halloween party food! Refreshments are typically the biggest expense, so don’t break your budget – again, make sure you are consciously spending sustainably to protect your finances (and peace of mind!). Maybe you opt to have guests bring edible items to share, which most people are happy to do (see 5. Guest Participation). Regardless, be aware of any invited guests’ dietary restrictions and needs so that there are at least one or two decent food/drink options for them as well.

Depending on your personal preferences (and considering your guests), your food options may or may not be very healthy. Honestly, the only healthy snack I can think of from older Halloween traditions are apples…and those are usually caramel-covered! So if you want healthy snacks, just serve whatever makes the most sense whether it’s vintage Halloween-themed or not. And then add on whatever vintage Halloween-related treats for fun. Here’s a great list of classic Halloween treats to get you started!

Table covered in a few vintage-style pumpkin paper plates and matching napkins, a white decorative pumpkin and black bare tree, a metal tier with caramel apples on top, a white tier with chocolate donuts on top, and a couple bottles of soda

3. Set a Vintage-Inspired Halloween Ambience with the Perfect Playlist or Video

Time to add vintage audio/visual appeal! Maybe you want to play a classic old Halloween movie like Dracula in the background on mute, along with old Halloween music such as that featured in this video of 13 Vintage Halloween songs from the 1910s, 20s and 30s. Or maybe you want to play an old movie with its sound on low for a more cinematic vibe. You could play episodes of The Munsters in the background. So many options from the past century!

4. Plan Vintage Halloween Party Games or Activities

Get a large free-standing pot or tub and have guests bob for apples (here’s that token healthy snack for the win!). Or check out any of these strange Halloween party activities from the early 1900s. Games aren’t necessary to make a fun party, but they provide structured fun which is helpful for introverted guests or people who otherwise don’t strike up conversations as easily. Even for outgoing folks, games can make for a more interesting and fun way to spend time if intriguing conversations aren’t flowing naturally.

Close-up image of vintage-style Halloween garland of smiling black cat face wearing an orange bow tie and orange witch hat

5. Establish Guest Participation

Always choose your guests mindfully, and with their interests in mind. If you want to make it a vintage costume Halloween party (now there’s a challenge!), invite guests who would enjoy that. Or maybe you just invite them to dress in any vintage style outfit from any era. You could even make it a game and have everyone guess each guest’s decade or era based on their vintage outfit.

If you want to make it a potluck party, you should always contribute at least one large dish that is both tasty and filling (just in case others end up bringing things that are less tasty or less filling). Always inform guests of their requested contribution/participation (if any) when you initially invite them. And as host, remember to lead your party as the #1 participator. If you encourage costumes or vintage outfits or accessories, don’t forget your own!

Checklist of Tangible Things You Need

Vintage-style jack-o-lantern balloon floats alongside three hanging black and white paper fans in front of a white shiplap wall

This is a list of all of the physical things you need for this party:
  1. Vintage or vintage-inspired Halloween decorations
  2. Vintage-inspired food and beverages
  3. Vintage-inspired Halloween music and/or film, with screen and speakers as needed
  4. Vintage Halloween party game supplies (optional)
  5. Vintage Halloween costume or vintage-style outfit (optional)

Checklist of Steps to Prepare for Party

Top-down close-up photo of three small pumpkins of various colours on top of a white vintage Halloween party tablecloth with a pattern of black Halloween figures: a black cat, bat, bare tree, witch hat, cauldron, etc.
Photo by Bee Felten Leidel
1. First, establish that your efforts aren’t in vain by confirming that people can come on any chosen date:
  1. Choose party date/time, and preferably alternative date(s) as well
  2. Choose guest list and establish minimum number of guests you’d like (to make it worth your effort)
  3. Six weeks out, confirm guests’ interest in the party and availability on chosen party date(s)
  4. If your preferred minimum number of guests confirm interest and availability, have them secure calendar date for your awesome party!
2. Then, proceed with the fun planning!
  1. Schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep (securing and/or making food/drinks, etc.)
  2. Create invitations with all of the details and send them out 4 weeks before the party
  3. Order any party supplies and decorations 3 weeks out (so they arrive in time to prepare and set up)
  4. Shop for any party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
  5. In your planned time slots, DIY any party supplies and decorations
  6. In your planned time slots, acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
  7. In your planned time slots, set up/decorate with any supplies and decorations
  8. In your planned time slots, prepare food/drinks accordingly (depending on how long anything keeps)
3. Day of Party (in your amply planned time slot):
  1. Complete any last-minute food/drink prep that can’t be done in advance
  2. Set up any quick/easy last-minute supplies and decorations
  3. Prepare ambience (audio/visual)
  4. Get dressed with plenty of time! This could be your vintage Halloween costume, vintage outfit, or simply your favourite party outfit
  5. Once everything’s ready, meditate or do whatever you need to do to get in a good head space if you aren’t already: relaxed, energized, excited – you will be happier, and guests will pick up on your contagiously good vibe and automatically be happier as well – everybody’s best interest!

Vintage Halloween Party-Ready

Close-up photo of black 'Happy Halloween' cake topper against a diagonally divided block colour orange and yellow background
Photo by Mel Poole

You are all set to host a wicked vintage Halloween party! Everyone loves a good Halloween party. In the USA, Halloween is the third biggest party day (after New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday). But your party will be extra fun and unique because it embraces all the iterations of Halloweens past. So invite your friends and have a blast, and a happy Halloween!

If you want to explore more Halloween-themed parties, check out these others:

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