Halloween in Australia is on Thursday 31 October 2024
Halloween is not a public holiday in Australia but a celebration that is becoming more and more popular. Any excuse for a party really!
About Halloween in Australia
Halloween has been celebrated in America and the United Kingdom for many years. The celebration of Halloween in Australia is something fairly new – and you will find plenty of ideas to have a party, dress up, and have a bit of fun.
Children gather together with groups of friends and dress up and have Halloween parties, share scary stories and watch horror movies. They dress up in costumes such as witches, ghosts, vampires, devils, celebrities, zombies or something else. They knock on their neighbours doors and yell, ” Trick or Treat” when the door opens. If they are lucky and the owner of the house is prepared with halloween, treats and lollies are then given to the children.
Halloween in 2024
Have fun getting yourself and house decorated this Halloween. Decorate inside and outside your house, watch spooky scary movies, make halloween sweets and goodies and do some pumpkin carving.
There are plenty of fun ways to celebrate Halloween! Here are some ideas:
Costume Party: Host or attend a themed costume party. Get creative with your outfit!
Haunted House: Visit a local haunted house or create your own spooky setup at home.
Pumpkin Carving: Have a pumpkin carving contest with friends or family. Get creative with designs!
Halloween Movie Marathon: Watch classic horror films or family-friendly Halloween movies with some popcorn.
Ghost Stories: Gather around a bonfire or indoors to share spooky stories and legends.
Trick-or-Treating: If you have kids, take them trick-or-treating or organize a neighborhood event.
Themed Baking: Make Halloween-themed treats, like ghost-shaped cookies or pumpkin cupcakes.
Halloween Crafts: Get crafty by making decorations or spooky art.
Escape Room: Challenge your friends to solve puzzles in a Halloween-themed escape room.
Outdoor Activities: Organize a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt or a spooky nature walk.
How to have fun this Halloween?
- Trick or treating – Contain to small groups of children
- Put a big bowl out for children to help themselves!
- Don’t eat treats that are not in their original packaging.
- Sanitise and keep your hands clean.
Trick or treat tips?
- Always go in a group with a responsible adult in charge
- Only knock on doors of people you know
- Don’t play tricks that are dangerous or that could cause damage.
Halloween fun
Dress in Halloween costumes, carve pumpkins, play games and decorate your home.
- 🤡 Watch scary movies
- 🍯 Make Halloween party themed food
- 🎃 Decorate your home. Buy Your Halloween Supplies Online
- 🔍 Organise a Zoom or facetime Halloween get together with your friends
- 👻 Help the kids dress up, hide small treats around the house and have them go search for them in the dark
- 🍭 Have a “Treat” hunt in the house or backyard. Fill burlap drawstring Halloween bags/decorated Halloween bags with treats and then attach them to glow sticks and hide around the house/ back yard for them find. Dress up in Halloween costumes and go on a hunt for the “Treats”.
- 🍿 Deliver pre-packaged sweet bags to friends houses in the neighbourhood with a sticker on saying who the sweets are from so friends know where they’ve come from. That way kids can get dressed up and go round to post them through the letter box. Make up little packages with Halloween wrapping paper, or bags containing lollipops, and other sweets with a wrappers.
Halloween Costume Ideas
Part of the fun of Halloween is dressing up. A visit to a party or costume shop or Buy Your Halloween Supplies Online – this will give you plenty of ideas on what to dress up in.
- 🧙 Witch- long black robe, tall black pointed hat, false nose and fingernails and a broom.
- 👻 Ghost – An old white sheet with holes cut out for eyes
- 🧛 Vampire – false vampire teeth, fake blood
- 💀 Skeleton – Use your imagination!
- 🐈 Black cat – Black tights, a black top and some cat ears – with your face painted like a cat.
- 👿 Devil – Dress in red with a devil mask and horns.
- 💋 Celebrity – From Elton John to David Cameron, the top celebrities are often impersonated by people celebrating Halloween.
- 🧟 Zombie – Dress in old ripped up clothes. Use makeup to paint your face a sickly-looking shade of white, grey, purple, or green. Make the hollows of your face darker colors, mess up your hair. Apply fake blood to your face, head, and body to create the look of wounds.
Creative Halloween party ideas and examples to make your celebration memorable:
1. Themed Costume Party
Choose a theme like “Classic Monsters” or “Decades” (e.g., ’80s, ’90s). Encourage guests to dress accordingly and offer a prize for the best costume.
2. Haunted House Experience
Transform your home or backyard into a haunted house with spooky decorations, dim lighting, and eerie sound effects. Include different themed rooms for added fun.
3. Murder Mystery Party
Host a murder mystery dinner where guests receive character roles and clues to solve a fictional murder. Set it in a spooky setting or time period.
4. Spooky Movie Night
Create an outdoor movie screening with classic horror films. Set up blankets and popcorn, and decorate with pumpkins and ghosts.
5. Pumpkin Carving Contest
Provide pumpkins and carving tools, then let guests show off their creativity. Display the carved pumpkins for everyone to vote on their favorites.
6. Halloween Potluck
Ask guests to bring dishes that fit the Halloween theme, like “witches’ brew” soup or “mummy” hot dogs. Set up a creepy buffet table with themed decorations.
7. Spooky Cocktail or Mocktail Bar
Create a drink station with fun names for cocktails, like “Vampire’s Kiss” (red cocktails) and “Witch’s Brew” (green punch). Include garnishes like gummy worms or eyeball ice cubes.
8. Ghostly Game Night
Set up a game night with Halloween-themed board games, charades, or trivia. You can also have a costume contest within the games.
9. Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Organize a scavenger hunt with Halloween-themed clues and items to find around your neighborhood or home.
10. Spooky Storytelling Session
Create a cozy atmosphere with candles and cushions. Invite guests to share their favorite ghost stories or urban legends.
11. DIY Craft Station
Set up a crafting area with supplies to make Halloween decorations, like paper bats, spider webs, or costume accessories.
12. Outdoor Bonfire Party
If you have a fire pit, host a bonfire with s’mores and storytelling. Add blankets and pillows for comfort.
Whichever ideas you choose, the key is to create a fun and engaging atmosphere that brings everyone together!
🎃 Jack-o-Lanterns – How to Carve and Hollow Out a Pumpkin For Halloween
Halloween night just would not be the same without the great pumpkin carvings and creations that people create. Jack-o-Lanterns are really great to look at , but how it is done?
First and foremost, any pumpkin carving should only be carried out by a capable and responsible adult. The youngsters can join in with the hollowing out process, but the rest must be done by an adult.
Choosing a Pumpkin for Halloween
When choosing your pumpkin be select one that is firm and not soft or on the turn, try and get it as big as possible, but not too big to carry. Bigger pumpkins just look better when they glow by having a candle or tea light light placed in them. It is always a good idea to get a couple of extra small ones as well to practice your pumpkin carving on.
Once you have the pumpkin of choice you might want to give it a bit of a clean, taking care not to damage it. You will clean it again once it has been carved out.
Pumpkin face design is next. You can use books or even look on the internet for inspiration. See video below for some ideas on face designs for your pumpkin:
Once you have a face design for your pumpkin draw it onto a piece of paper or print it out.
🔪 A Sharp Knife to cut the Pumpkin
Now this is where the adult part comes in, using a very sharp knife or modelling knife carefully slice the top of the pumpkin off (making sure it is enough so that you will be able to easily fit your hand inside it once it has been hollowed out), but do not throw the top away.
The children can now help to hollow out the pumpkin either by the use of their hands or a spoon. There are many uses for the seeds etc so there is no need to throw them away. The pumpkins interior is extremely good as it contains zinc, protein, as well as other vitamins, it is even said that it can lower cholesterol.
Have a look on the internet for recipes’ such as roast pumpkin or pumpkin pie. The seeds are also a great source of magnesium and phosphorus.
🎃 Sketch a Halloween face on your pumpkin
Wipe the pumpkin down again once the entire contents have been removed. By using a felt tip pen sketch the chosen Halloween face on by copying it from your sketch, drawing or print-out.
With a sharp knife slowly cut out the shapes that make up the face. Once you have completely cut out the face and are happy with your design, wipe down again. At this point you can now place the pumpkin where you intend it to stand.
Lift the lid off and place a tea-light type candle inside and light it. Place the top back on and dim the lights. You should now have a perfect professional looking Halloween jack-o-lantern that you should be proud of.
