How to Throw a Pumpkin Party

The Rich Heritage of the Pumpkin: a Classic and Fitting Autumn Celebration

Nothing symbolizes autumn quite like the pumpkin. In the USA, fall is when we start to see this native fruit everywhere, along with pumpkin-flavoured everything. So October is the perfect time to celebrate with pumpkins. There are a lot of things you can do and create with them. Let’s dive into some fun ideas to indulge this quintessential staple with a full-fledged pumpkin party!

How to Create a Perfect Pumpkin Party: Six Essentials

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1. Create the Scene with Pumpkin Decor

It’s easy to find plenty of pumpkin decorations this time of year. And, of course, it’s easy to find plenty of real pumpkins as well! How your pumpkin party looks is entirely up to you, but so long as you plan it during the autumn season, you won’t have to look long to find plenty of decor options. Here are a few of the most common places you’ll find pumpkin decorations:

• Farmer’s markets often feature local artisans selling creative seasonal-themed crafts
• Thrift stores and consignment shops
• Local retail shops that carry decorative items
• Large chain retailers like Michael’s, Target, Wal-Mart, and grocery stores
• Online retailers like Etsy, Oriental Trading Company, and Amazon

1) Display at least one real pumpkin

Time to visit your nearest pumpkin farm or provider and pick out some rich orange specimens to display! There are plenty of varying colours, shapes and sizes to choose from. Maybe you gravitate toward white pumpkins, or those with variegated stripes. The mini pumpkins sell for a much lower price and are quite cute and easier to carry. Maybe you display one big pumpkin as the party centerpiece. Maybe you opt for lots of little ones to line your home’s entrance. Or you could go all out and deck out your space with a room full of pumpkins. However you choose to set your pumpkin scene is totally up to you, but do include at least one real one among your decor!

2) Strew your space with pumpkin decorations

String up paper pumpkin garlands, hang paper honeycomb pumpkins, and sprinkle your serving table with pumpkin confetti. Light pumpkin-shaped or pumpkin-scented candles. Serve food and drinks with pumpkin serve ware. A visit to your local craft store or Pinterest will show you plenty of pumpkin options and ideas. Your decoration choices can be as expensive or inexpensive as you are comfortable with. Just remember: however extensively you choose to decorate, always consciously and sustainably spend within your comfort zone.

3) DIY your own pumpkin decor

You can DIY any or all of your party decor! You just need to plan adequate time and put in the effort to set the scene you envision. You can purchase DIY supplies from a store or online. You can also get creative and scavenge for them from your own home, your friends, yard sales, or curbsides. With YouTube and Pinterest, among other sources, we have plenty of tutorials at our fingertips to guide us with any DIY project we can think of or discover. Check out the Party Hosting on a Budget post for more details on DIY.

2. Prepare Pumpkin-Related Food and Beverages

Honestly, I can’t think of a better reason to host a pumpkin party aside from the refreshments alone. You can serve pumpkin-flavoured pie, muffins, pudding, beer, bisque, cookies, butter, and so much more. Don’t get too crazy, though. There are some wild pumpkin-flavoured things out there! Always taste test first to make sure you actually like something yourself. If it’s awful, don’t expect your guests to eat or drink it.

Keep in mind that food is usually the biggest expense. Don’t break your budget – again, make sure you are consciously and sustainably spending. This is also why it’s so important to only serve items that you like, too. You can always budget your food expenses by having guests bring edible items to share, or making your party BYOB. Most people are happy to contribute (see point #6 below about Guest Participation). And remember to be aware of any invited guests’ dietary restrictions and needs so that there are at least one or two decent food/drink options for all guests.

3. Set the Ambience with a Pumpkin Atmospheric Soundscape

You don’t always need to play music or a video, but if you choose to do so, consider something festive and fitting. For example, you may create a music playlist that evokes a seasonal mood. Maybe certain songs suit an easy breezy autumn day. There are also plenty of autumn ambience soundscapes with fitting scenes of pumpkin-strewn environments. These are fun to display on your screen, and the thematic sounds add to the ambience.

4. Spread Delicious Pumpkin Scents

Pumpkin-scented candles are the perfect way to conjure the comforting and familiar scent of pumpkin. If you bake pumpkin-based foods in the time leading up to your party, those pleasant smells will quickly entice your guests to sample your culinary creation! Of course, roasting pumpkin seeds is the most basic and natural way to consume pumpkin – and incredibly healthy as well as aromatic. You have this theme on your side when it comes to setting the scene with scents.

5. Plan Pumpkin-Related Games or Activities

Games and activities aren’t necessarily prerequisites for awesome parties, but they provide structured fun and help make a party more unique. This is especially beneficial for introverted guests. Even for outgoing folks, planned activities can make for a more interesting and fun way to spend time if intriguing conversations aren’t otherwise flowing naturally. So plan something fun or silly (or downright challenging). For instance, you could collect several little pumpkins to play pumpkin bocce ball. This is ideally played outside, but if you have a large enough space, you could improvise inside!

The most popular pumpkin-related activity is, of course, carving pumpkins. Depending on how many guests you invite, you could have them BYOP (bring your own pumpkin). That way, you don’t have to worry about acquiring and distributing a certain amount of pumpkins, which can get quite pricey. But do have plenty of knives and gutting/carving instruments available. Due to inevitable mess, this activity is ideally done outside. But you can also just spread out an old sheet, canvas or newspaper across the floor inside to contain the mess there. You could also consider painting pumpkins or drawing on them with markers as less-messy alternatives to carving.

6. Establish Guest Participation

How you plan your party is up to you, but if you are one who gets extra excited about all of the pumpkin-flavoured treats that come out of the woodwork every fall, consider hosting a pumpkin potluck! A pumpkin potluck is the perfect way to maximize pumpkin food options. As mentioned above, there are so many edible creations when it comes to the humble pumpkin. Let your guests surprise you with delightful pumpkin dishes by hosting a pumpkin potluck. Just be sure to provide at least one large dish that is both tasty and filling (in case others end up bringing things that end up being less tasty or less filling).

If you host a pumpkin carving or painting party, be sure everyone knows to BYOP unless you choose to provide your guests’ pumpkins. And regardless of whether you choose to establish any sort of guest participation, always choose your guests mindfully.  

Checklist of Items You Need to Host a Pumpkin Party

Now that we’ve covered what you’ll need to do or consider for a pumpkin party, here is a list of all of the tangible items you may need to acquire for it:

1. Pumpkins! At least have one quintessential pumpkin at center stage.
2. Pumpkin decorations: garland, hanging decor, serveware, tableware, confetti, DIY decor, etc.
3. Pumpkin foods and bevvies: even if you host a pumpkin potluck, provide at least a few staples
4. Pumpkin-scented candles and/or baked goods in the oven to ‘set the scent’
5. Pumpkins for carving if you include this activity, should you opt to provide them instead of BYOP

Checklist of Things to Do for Your Pumpkin Party

Most of these steps for party planning and preparation apply to any type of party you host. So while we covered pumpkin-specific details and ideas above, let’s review the basics to which you’ll want to adhere below. I elaborate on many of these in Best Party Practices posts so you can read more details there, but these are the three main pillars:

1. Establish a Pumpkin Party Date (and Back-up Date) and Confirm That Enough Guests Can Attend

The first step in planning a party is to always ensure that the people you want to come can and choose to come at the time you establish. This is to ensure that your party-planning efforts aren’t in vain! You should first invite guests six weeks in advance. The only details you’ll need to share at this time include:

• What type of party it will be (i.e. pumpkin-themed)
• What (if any) guest participation people can expect (i.e. potluck, BYOP for carving, etc.)
• Which day it will take place, and at what time of the day (i.e. afternoon, evening, etc.)
• Where (presumably your residence, or whatever other space if elsewhere)

You can send out official invites with more details a couple of weeks later. This first step is just to get people to confirm that, barring unforeseen circumstances, they are able and willing to attend and will save the date to do so. For more step-by-step details on how to do this and in a reasonable timeframe, see the When to Invite Guests post.

2. Proceed with All the Fun Pumpkin Party Planning!

Once you have your date established, you first need to get out your planner/calendar and map out when you plan to do every step of party preparation. This means you schedule time on your calendar for each activity you need to do: acquiring decorations and supplies, securing/making food and drinks, setting up decorations, etc. If you don’t schedule time on your calendar at appropriate time intervals early enough, you may find yourself overwhelmed and unprepared the day of the party. Don’t do that to yourself! Check out the How to Be a Good Party Host post for more clarification on exactly what you can do to be confident, prepared, and ahead of the game. Here’s a general overview of what you can expect to do leading up to the party:

1. Four weeks before the party: create invitations with all of the details and send them out
2. Three weeks before the party: order any party supplies and decorations. That way they should arrive in time to prepare and set up
3. Shop for any party supplies/decorations that you don’t order online, as well as any non-perishable foods and drinks
4. In your planned/set-aside time slots, DIY any party supplies and decorations as needed
5. In your planned/set-aside time slots, acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time for the party (timing here depends on how perishable things are)
6. In your planned/set-aside time slots, create the scene with pumpkin decor: set-up/decorate with any supplies and decorations, and prepare any pumpkin-related games or activities
7. In your planned/set-aside time slots, prepare pumpkin-related food and beverages accordingly (depending on how long things stay fresh – you may need to prepare some food/drinks the day of the party)

3. Day of Pumpkin Party Preparations

One of the most important ways to be a good party host is to get yourself into a good headspace – not only in advance, but especially the day of the party. This means getting as much done early enough to have some time to yourself to relax, especially if you’ve been busy. So be sure to plan your day-of-party preparations early enough to have that time and space to yourself as well. Within those amply planned/set-aside time slots, you can expect to do these preparations during the day of your party:

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 that you didn’t want up before now
3. Set the ambience with a pumpkin atmospheric soundscape and with candles/scents
4. Get dressed with plenty of time! Don’t wait until the last minute to tame your hair (guilty) or decide on which shirt looks more flattering. Whether you choose to wear festive orange, a silly pumpkin sweater, or simply your favourite party outfit, the idea is to be ready well ahead of time so you can then chill out or do whatever you need to do to foster a positive mindset.
5. Lastly, get into that optimal headspace! You’ll want to feel relaxed, energized and excited. It’s important to Have Fun at Your Own Party – you will be happier, and guests will pick up on your contagiously good vibe and will automatically be happier as well. This is in your own and everybody else’s best interest!

Pumpkin Party-Prepared

Now you are all set to plan your perfect pumpkin party! The specifics are up to you, but hopefully this guide offers you plenty of ideas and inspiration to take it from here. Honestly, you could choose to throw a pumpkin party any time of the year (I am one who deeply understands the longing for autumn during, say, the month of May) but of course it will be easiest to do in autumn. Most importantly, that’s when pumpkins are in season. And that’s when it’s easiest to find pumpkin-flavoured everything (good luck finding pumpkin spice coffee in February). But more than that, you’ll be celebrating the pumpkin in its own season, when it’s at the forefront of everyone’s psyche. So I recommend embracing this party theme in the fall. Still, however or whenever you choose to do it, pumpkin is a classic theme everyone will enjoy!