Halloween is just around the corner, and it seems like we’ll have to spend another year in our homes instead of in bars competing in costume parties with our friends. Still, that doesn’t mean October 31st will be a total wash; there are plenty of things you can do to celebrate the spooky season from the safety of your home. Even remote work teams will enjoy these simple ideas.
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Interested in figuring out who has the most artistic flair in your group? Try a pumpkin carving contest! Your friends and family can easily buy a pumpkin while they’re at the grocery store or online from the supermarket or Amazon. Anyone who doesn’t want to carve a pumpkin can be a part of the judging panel, which will determine the winner via picture message or a Zoom call.
Be sure to include prizes for the winners and multiple categories to keep it interesting. Great virtual prizes include a flower subscription from Bouqs.com, a bottle of wine, or gift cards.
Costume Contest
One of the best parts of being an adult on Halloween is going to bars and seeing all the creative costumes. After all, it’s the only time of the year where you can wear a blood-stained shirt, and no one will care. Plenty of your friends and family want to dress up, and putting on your own costume contest will give them a reason to spend the time and money on a new costume.
Since they haven’t had the opportunity to stretch their creative muscles, you’re likely in for a treat. Just like the pumpkin carving contest, set a date and time for the party, a judging panel, and a theme to provide inspiration. Try to dole out prizes to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and last place.
Virtual Trick or Treating
If your budget allows, think about getting some treats for your friends and family. Virtual trick or treating could piggyback off of the costume contest, or it could be its own thing. Either way, everyone involved needs to set a price limit for each person and agree to send over candy or vouchers to everyone's home. Plan a few tricks if someone asks for one instead of a treat.
Have a Virtual Horror Movie Night
There are plenty of horror movies ranging from childish to frightening on Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO. Teleparty, formerly known as Netflix Party, has viewing party rooms that can fit up to 50 people, but everyone needs their own personal subscription account to use it.
Hulu Watch Party and Groupwatch (Disney Plus) are the same deal, and to add insult to injury, you need the best plan possible to use their viewing party rooms. Squad, however, can use almost any platform, but it’s more of a video chatting website than anything.
If you want the best of both worlds, we recommend Scener. It’s usable with Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Shudder, Vimeo, Alamo, Funimation, and Hulu. Only one of your friends has to make a Screener account, but everyone needs to have a subscription to the service you’ll be using. You can also schedule events in advance, making party planning easy.
Casual Chat With Games and Decoration
Not everyone likes to dress up, carve pumpkins, or watch horror movies, and that’s okay! Look, Halloween isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if your friends are flexible and willing to commit to the spirit of the holiday anyway, include them in a casual chat. Don’t even make it a competition; just ask people to decorate their desk or where they’ll be speaking on their Zoom calls.
If your party wants to take it a step further, you could involve them in a Murder Mystery game, trivia, or bingo. You can choose to stay on a theme or throw out the spookiness altogether.
