The Best Halloween Party Ideas 2013

The nice thing about Halloween falling on a Thursday is that people who really love the holiday get two full weekends to celebrate. Here in New York City, where Comic Con wrapped up on Oct. 13, we’re going on three consecutive weeks of costumed gadabouts flooding the bridges, tunnels and subways. But dressing up is only one element a great Oct. 31. And even if you’ve gone this far without decking out your apartment out in cotton cobwebs and rubber spiders, it’s not too late to scare up the perfect Halloween party. Strapped for concepts, you say? Don’t despair: IBTimes has culled some of the best Halloween party ideas for kids, teens, adults and everyone else.

For Kids

Spoonfool.com, the parenting website owned by the Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), is never short on advice for the party-promoter aspirant. Its “Halloween Headquarters” is a smorgasbord of costumes, crafts, recipes, games, desserts and decorations. The party ideas here include everything from “monster mash” (a delicious and devious avocado dip) to 16 kinds of spider treats. There’s even a section for leftover-Halloween-candy recipes. If you can avoid the intrusive brand tie-ins -- like the “Frankenweenie” invitations and the Mickey Mouse pumpkin-carving template -- you’re guaranteed to find something worthwhile here for your little monsters. Read more.

For Teens

Older kids might not be satisfied with a Spoonful’s recipe for black bean cat crudités, but thankfully HubPages is here to pick up the slack. The social-content website has compiled a list of party idea aimed specifically at teenagers, complete with suggestions for everything from sending out invitations to choosing the venue. Some of the ideas are questionable (it’s not clear how many teens would jump at the chance to make an avant-garde costume), but there’s enough here to at least pique the interest of even the fussiest of teens. Hell, it’s worth a visit just to check out the recipe for gory green spaghetti sauce. Read more.

For Adults

Adults sometimes get left out of the conversation when it comes to Halloween party themes. Aside from the occasional website touting the costume du jour (paging Walter White and pregnant Kim Kardashian), most of us assume Halloween-lovers of a certain age don’t need any extra help. A few websites are filling in the void, however. Among the best -- and most elegant -- is Redbook magazine’s “adults-only Halloween party you can actually have fun with.” Our favorite: Parisian-chic masquerade. It’s the “grown-ups version of a dress-up party,” notes Abby Larson. So true. Read more.

For Geeks

Lauren Rapciak, a blogger at Geek Girl Chicago, has compiled a list of Halloween party ideas with a geek-lover’s twist. Are you afraid that Disney is going to ruin the “Star Wars” franchise? Why not ease your anxiety with a costume party of Disney-“Star Wars” mashups? Other party themes include a Time Travelers’ Gala, a Science Costume Party and (our favorite) a Red Shirt Convention, consisting exclusively of ill-fated crewmembers from the USS Enterprise. Face it, Trekkies. Rapciak has out-geeked you. Read more.

For Everyone

No party-theme listicle would be complete without the requisite all-inclusive Pinterest page. This one, curated by the author and noted craft-maker Courtney Whitmore, includes everything from candy-corn cupcakes to Mason jar jack-o-lanterns to marshmallow Frankensteins. Clearly a lover of the form, Whitmore has compiled a diverse list of recipes, treats and trinkets. Yes, there’s even a page of spook-tacular Halloween fonts -- for the Photoshop enthusiast in all of us. Read more.

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