Host a Halloween Costume Party Fundraiser
ABOVE: part of the graveyard setup in the front yard.
Halloween Costume Birthday Party
For the past two years my husband and I have hosted a Halloween Costume Birthday Party at our house. My husband’s birthday is on October 21st, and when he turned 50 two years ago, we decided to combine his birthday party with a Halloween Party. The party was so much fun, that we have turned it into an annual event.
This year my husband’s birthday falls on a Tuesday, so we are holding our 3rd Annual Halloween Costume Birthday Party on Saturday, October 18th. We have a short team bike ride that day. I normally wouldn’t schedule a party the same day as a training ride, I’m usually too tired after riding. But the Intracoastal Century Ride that we are training for takes place on October 26th, so we will be tapering off our training rides during the 2 weeks leading up to the ride.
ABOVE: mad scientist’s laboratory, it looks much scarier at night.
Charity Fundraising Event
Last year we decided to also use the party as a way to raise funds for our Team in Training ride. Last year we did the 25th El Tour de Tucson on November 17th with Team in Training. We setup an area near the kitchen which had donation slips, business cards with our fundraising website, pictures from previous Team in Training events, a poster of our honored hero along with a donation bucket. We had a suggested donation of $10, but didn’t turn away anyone that couldn’t make a donation, as it was my husbands birthday party. We managed to raise $600 that night - not too bad!
This year we are asking people NOT to bring a gift, my husband doesn’t need anymore coffee mugs, or silly t-shirts. In lieu of bringing a gift, we are asking guests to make a donation, in our name, to Team in Training. My husband and I have to raise a minimum of $4800 while training for the Disney Marathon which takes place on January 11th, 2008. Each member of the Palm Beach marathon team, that is participating in the Disney Marathon, has pledged to raise a minimum of $2400, which is donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
ABOVE: our Team in Training display at the Halloween party.
Over the Top Decorations
I am a total nut when it comes to decorating for Halloween. We own more Halloween decorations than Christmas decorations. We decorate the entire house - inside and out. We put up an extensive graveyard display in the front yard, which greets guests as they make their way to the front door. Each room of our house is decorated in a particular theme: Witch’s Cottage, Mad Scientist’s Laboratory, Haunted Victorian Parlor, Creepy Crawly Kitchen, etc…
When my husband gets home from work tonight, we are going to start bringing the decorations from the storage shed to inside the house. It takes quite a bit of time to get all the Halloween decorations put up. Each year I always change/tweak the displays a bit. I don’t want our guests to get bored looking at the same decorations each year.
Fun With Food
In addition to all the cycling articles I write, I also publish recipes for a few sites. I am always testing and tasting recipes, and coming up with new ideas. Last year I got a bit creative with the food we served at the party and that’s how we ended up with the Creepy Crawly Kitchen display. I served ordinary food, with creative names including:
- Bat Wings - chicken wings
- Bucket of Blood - punch bowl filled with pomegranate juice mixed with lemon/lime soda
- Dragon Poo - chocolate walnut fudge rolled into interesting shapes
- Pig Entrails - crock pot full of mini franks and baked beans
- Brain Salad - coleslaw
- Charred Bones - BBQ ribs
- Dried Scabs - dried cranberries and raisins
- Devil’s Eyeballs - deviled eggs topped with an olive slice
- Flesh Rings - ham and cream cheese roll ups
We plan the party to run from 8 PM to Midnight, that way guests are arriving after dark - very dramatic. Many of the display pieces are motion activated, they move and/or make noise as guests walk past them. I use many different colored lights, strobe lights, black lights, multiple fog machines, scary Halloween music and usually have a horror movie running on the HDTV in the living room (with the sound turned down).
ABOVE: part of the witch’s cottage display.
Leave the Kids at Home
We ask that guests leave the children at home, this is a party for adults, and some of our friends and co-workers have been known to bring a few spirits along (i.e. alcoholic beverages). You could host a kid friendly version of the party on a separate night, or during the day. Some of our decorations might be a bit too scary for very small children, so I would have to change our displays a bit if we were to host a children’s Halloween party. My children are 13 and 17, so I can’t make it scary enough for them!
ABOVE: everyone has a good time at our Halloween party!
Let me know what kind of fun and crazy ideas you have come up with, while raising funds for your favorite charity.
Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva
Brilliant post..! I am planning for an annual Halloween dinner party. Get nice ideas from your post. Thanks.
I really like your idea. My family and I were trying to plan something similiar but we didn’t have enought time. My two cousins have been diagnose with cancer. They do not have OHIP or any kind of benefits. It has been extremely devastating but we keep our hopes up and we are trying to gather funds for their treatment. Am going to look more into your ideas and see if I can host perhaps a party with raffles. Thank you very much you have inspired me. God bless!!!
Hello Ana,
I’m sorry to hear about your cousins.
I’ve hosted many fundraising events during the past few years. Another really successful one was our Girl’s Club Tea Party, for moms and their daughters - no boys allowed! I’ll add details on the Tea Party fundraiser in a future post to Charity Mile.
Take care,
Lynn