Fun Ideas for a Halloween Zoom Party

This Halloween, social distancing doesn’t have to put a stop to the fun. Hosting a virtual Halloween party makes it easy to bring everyone together safely while still enjoying the holiday festivities. This option is excellent for corporate parties, meeting with your family, or providing an opportunity for kids to socialize. You don’t need much to have a great time either. Come as you are or bring a backpack full of fun things to share. You’ll have a great time when you dress up and get creative! If you've been ready for a good party, it’s time to plan a virtual get-together that you’ll remember for years. Here are some fun ideas to let the good times roll this Hallows Eve.

1. Give Out Prizes for the Best Costume

While it's tempting to lounge in your flannel pajamas when you don’t have to step out of your house, dressing up can make the party a lot more fun. Motivate yourself and others to wear costumes by making some incentives. For example, offer prizes for the best costumes. Make superlative categories like “Most Creative” and “Funniest” so that your virtual guests have multiple chances to win. If this is a corporate or kids' party, be sure to set some ground rules such as a dress code. This will make sure all the costumes are appropriate for the occasion, such as not being too scary for young kids. When it’s time to judge the costumes, have each person show off his or her ensemble so that everyone can see how hard he or she worked on it.

When it comes to prizes, you can make them digital or send them at a later date. If the prizes need to be sent, ask the winner to provide you with their address so you can send them the prize in the mail. The easiest way to give a gift, though, is virtually via text message or email. It's possible to send a digital gift card through these methods quickly. This method provides instant gratification and a secure transaction that your recipient can confirm. Adding this aspect of winning a prize to the party provides some guaranteed mood boosters and makes everything a lot more fun!

2. Use a Halloween Zoom Background

When you’re celebrating a fun holiday like Halloween, amp up the festivities by putting effort into your background, in real life or virtually. If you feel up to it, decorate your house with spooky items and lighting. If you like variety, then choosing a Zoom background will save you time and money in decorating and allow you to switch your “environment” anytime you feel like it. You can go from a spooky vampire castle to a haunted house in seconds. For the best results, hang up a green sheet behind you to make a green screen, which will allow the images to come out clearly.

3. Set up Virtual Group Games

If you’re tech-savvy, then you can integrate virtual group games into the mix. Join Zoom on one device so everyone can see you, then grab another device from your tech bag to broadcast a simple game like trivia or cards. You can also decide to all log in through a console and join Zoom just to see each other’s faces. There are plenty of games that you can find on your computer and on your preferred gaming console that offer multiplayer options. Take a look to find what game would be up to everyone’s speed, then enjoy the party!

4. Host a Movie Watch Party

One of the easiest ways to hang out is to start watching a movie at the same time and watch it together while being on Zoom. To make things more streamlined, one participant can share the screen of the movie being played on Zoom. Whether you choose to dress up or wear comfy clothes, you all can tune into seasonal classics like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or "Beetlejuice." There’s bound to be some nostalgia and good feelings all around!

5. Coordinate a Hands-On Group Activity

When people come together from different locations online, it’s important to have an activity to bring everyone on the same page. If your group isn’t the type to watch movies or play digital games, bring out the best crafts and experiments from your canvas storage bins — it’s time for some spooky hands-on activities! Decide if you want to do a Halloween craft or science experiment, then tell everyone a few weeks in advance to make sure everyone in your group gets the right items for the activity so they're prepared.