2020 has been a BATTY year, but rather than let it get the best of us, we're bringing the celebration to friends far and near. Use Zoom or your prefered video conferencing app and organize a FANGtastic virtual Halloween costume party! Grab your costumes, mix up a drink, and join your friends, from a safe distance, for a virtual party full of laughs and fun! Be sure to download the FREE Party Invitations and Zoom Background we've provided to make your party even easier to host!
While we won't be hosting our usual Halloween costume party, I couldn't let one of my favorite holidays go by without celebrating with friends. One of the great things about 2020 has been finding new ways to connect with people, and one of my favorite ways is through a virtual party.
Everyone can join in the fun, and quite frankly, it makes my job as the hostess so much less stressful too! So I decided to turn our annual costume party into a virtual celebration.
Since I wouldn't be going all out with decorations, food, or drinks, I decided to go "big" with the party invitations. Even though this is a virtual party I wanted each of my guests to feel like we were all together, so I created the ultimate interactive party invitation and "party in a box" for each guest.
I started by downloading this free printable invitation and filling in all of the specifics for our party. Next, I filled a wooden crate with everything our friends would need to create our signature BatBerry Bourbon Smash party cocktail. When I'm entertaining I love creating themed drinks or food that coordinates with the party theme, and this one was perfect for our "2020 Has Been Batty" Halloween theme.
I also included a few simple decorations, like spider webs, bat balloons, creepy cloth, and hanging bats that friends could use to decorate their own space. I loved that I was able to get affordable decorations in bulk for this party. It made creating these Virtual Halloween Party Invitations so easy!
Next up, before the party, I created a virtual backdrop that our friends could use if they wanted to get in the spirit and join in the fun. You can simply save this background image to your computer and then upload it to Zoom to use as your own virtual backdrop. You can follow this tutorial from Zoom to learn how to change your background.
On the day of the party, I created a cozy little corner in my living room where I could sit and chat with my friends. Of course, I just couldn't help my self and added a few extra decorations so my background was extra spooktacular! I hung a giant Realistic Full Moon and added flying bats to keep with our theme. I added some faux pumpkins, creepy cloth to the furniture, and made a "2020 Has Been Batty" letterboard sign.
Now, with my signature cocktail in hand, I'm ready to party! I settled into my cozy corner and got ready to see what costumes my friends would be wearing this year. Oriental Trading has a huge variety of costumes, and it was so fun to see which looks our party guests went with.
My friends have always called me "Red" so this year I decided to go as Little Red Riding Hood. It's too bad we only get to wear costumes once a year because I loved this costume and felt great in it!
We also had a Camel, a Mermaid, Buddy the Elf, Cinderella, a Killer Bee, a Tigeress, and a beer-drinking Oktoberfest Guy that decided to Zoom on by. Most importantly, we had lots of laughs as we checked out everyone's costumes while they modeled them for the group.
When you are hosting a virtual Halloween party don't be afraid to plan some games or activities. You could play a round of haunted trivia, start up Halloween charades, or battle it out in a Halloween themed lip sync battle. You could even encourage everyone to carve a pumpkin prior to the party and have guests vote on their favorite during the virtual party. The party options are really endless!
After some ice breaker activities, it's time to up the fun factor with the virtual costume contest. Prior to the party, you can inform your guests of the categories for awards, such as the best-coordinated costume, funniest costume, most creative costume, and most timely costume. During the virtual party ask attendees to cast votes for the top costume in each category by using the private chat feature. Once all votes are in, announce the winner and send them virtual prizes like gift cards.
Don't forget to raise your glass of BatBerry bourbon and toast to good times, unforgettable memories, and friendship! For more ways to safely celebrate Halloween this year, check out our 10+ Ideas for Low-Contact Trick-Or-Treating.
