The Ultimate Halloween Bucket List
We’ve put together the ultimate Halloween bucket list for your enjoyment! Be sure to put these things on your own Halloween bucket list!
1. Head to the pumpkin patch and start carving!
Picking your own pumpkin is a lot of fun because it usually means a trip to the farm, where there are also lots of Autumn themed workshops and corn maze rides. If you’re going to ‘pick your own’, be sure to find out which pumpkin patches are nearest to you so that you can arrive to select your Jack O’ Lanterns as early as possible, before all the best ones get taken.
After that, it’s time to get carving! Whether you go for a classic triangle eyed glare or cut out a favourite character design using a Youtube tutorial, make sure you go to town with the creativity. Maybe even have a carving competition with some friends to see who can think up the kookiest idea.
2. Host a spooky movie marathon
Pick out all of your favourite Tim Burton and Henry Selick for an evening of spooktacular entertainment. Make sure to throw in plenty of classics like Coraline, Edward Scissorhands and the Harry Potter flicks. Or if you’re thinking of a musical theme that’s not too scary, put together a selection featuring Sweeney Todd and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Either way, you’re in for some good ghouls and giggles!
3. Find the perfect Halloween costume
Whether you’re attending a party or staying home with a few friends, no Halloween is complete without the perfect costume. Pick your favourite monsters from a book or movie and live life as them for an evening. Maybe add a zombified or vampire-esque element to a familiar face. Whether you go for something chic and subtle or go all out with the special effects, don’t miss the chance to experiment with as many different looks as you can. This is one of the best things to put on your Halloween bucket list!
A few of my personal favourites from recent years have been:
– Daria and Jane
– The Heathers
– Where’s Wally?
– Lemony Snicket
4. Visit a Haunted House
Everything takes on a different quality when the sun goes down and the witching hour is upon us. What better time than now to head out on a trip to a haunted house?
There are plenty of different haunted houses to visit on Halloween, ranging from the blood curdling to the slightly less spine-chilling. And whether you go to the inspired theme park Phantom Manor variants or wander through the local graveyard, make sure you keep your eyes and ears peeled! This is a Halloween bucket list must!
5. Share ghost stories
You don’t have to be gathered around the campfire to share some scary stories, and no Halloween is complete without them. After all, that’s how the whole tradition of All Hallows’ Eve began. Once you’re settled for the evening and the sunset has passed, snuggle up with some Addams Family inspired lighting and your favourite grotesque plots.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, you can revise using R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps series and anything by Edgar Allan Poe. It wouldn’t be a Halloween bucket list without these!
6. Collect and craft some Autumn leaves
Get ready for Halloween in advance by enjoying some of the other elements that Autumn brings. It’s a great time of year to be crafting because there are so many rich jewel colours in the palette, including the very leaves on the trees themselves.
Collect some leaves from different types of tree and put them together as a wreath for your door. If you have younger brothers and sisters, you can even use them as stamps to dip in paint and create some October themed artwork to bring the Autumn into your home.
7. Decorate your house
Use your arts and crafts to decorate the house. And whilst there isn’t a Halloween tree, there are plenty of decorations that you can use to make your residence into the local scream.
Make some bat bunting for your shelves and fake cobwebs for your windows, place some papier mache tombstones in your front garden and ghostly silhouettes in gloomy corners. There is a never-ending list of options from which to choose once you unleash your imagination and tap into your inner goblin.
8. Make a Halloween playlist and learn all the lyrics
Of course, you’re going to need a playlist to all of your activities. Every holiday has its hits and Halloween is no exception. Experience these songs in all their minor keys by learning the lyrics and dance moves.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is a good place to start as it’s the perfect combination of both creepy and cool. From there, work your way through movie soundtracks and Saint-Saens Dance Macabre (with the necessary skeleton onesie).
9. Bake cauldron cookies and bob for apples
Halloween treats are the best part of the day because it’s the one time of the year when something looking disgusting means that it turned out right! For your spooky snacks, have a range of options to dip in and out of as you get through your activities.
Cauldron shaped cookies are easy enough to bake, simply make a cookie mix of your choice (from chocolate chip to gingerbread) and cut them into different shapes. And for the traditional game of bobbing for apples, add the bonus twist of all apples being toffee flavoured. Don’t forget to add some trick to your treats with maggots (gummy worms) for added effect.
10. Let the Halloween spirit live on!
Unfortunately, Halloween can’t last forever and October does draw to a close. But that doesn’t mean the spirit can’t live on! Post-Halloween, continue sharing Autumn vibes by recycling your favourite cackle-worthy jokes and putting pumpkin spice on everything you can. Before you know it, it will be time to start the ultimate Halloween bucket list all over again!
