{"id":1172978,"date":"2025-10-20T15:39:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T22:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/?post_type=living&p=1172978"},"modified":"2025-10-20T16:13:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T23:13:39","slug":"vegan-halloween-party","status":"publish","type":"living","link":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/lifestyle\/humane-home\/vegan-halloween-party\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Scary,\u2019 Not Scary: Cruelty-Free Halloween Party Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Take your Halloween to the next level by hosting a vegan Halloween party! You can throw a party that is for kids only\u2014a pre-trick-or-treating warmup. Or you can throw one for adults only\u2014a post-kids-in-bed soiree that goes late into the witching hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or you can do what I do and really go for it: throw a kids’ party that morphs into an all-ages party that morphs into an adult party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what kind of vegan Halloween party you decide to throw, we\u2019ve got a few suggestions to give everyone a proper fright!

(Well not everyone \u2026 animal companions can be upset by all the unusual activity, and decorations and treats can be hazardous to them, so if you are living with any, take care to keep them safe at Halloween<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decorations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Start with the basics: You can\u2019t do this without at least one jack-o-lantern<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You really need to think about lighting more broadly as well. You\u2019re going for moody and dim, with warm colors like yellow, red, and orange. Vegan candles<\/a> look amazing, but they can be fire hazards, so keep a close watch over them (especially if there are animals, kids, or booze in the mix) or use LED candles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another super-fun Halloween decoration is good old dry ice. You can get a piece at most supermarkets\u2014just ask at customer service. Get it the same day and keep it in the freezer until party time, then drop pieces into water-filled containers for that bubbling-cauldron-overflowing-with-vapors look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just one word of warning: Dry ice (solid CO2<\/sub>) is so cold it will burn you, so don\u2019t allow anyone to touch it and don\u2019t put it in drinks. The vapors are just CO2<\/sub> and water and are harmless so long as there is some airflow (otherwise CO2<\/sub> can build up in low, enclosed spaces).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eerie Beings at Vegan Halloween<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Traditional Halloween figures include skeletons, bats, spiders, and black cats. Bats, spiders, and black cats are traditionally viewed as scary (owls used to be too<\/a>; you\u2019ll see lots in pictures of Halloween a century ago). Of course, they\u2019re not scary in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bats<\/a> are caring, family-oriented mammals who raise their babies together. The only flying mammals, bats navigate in the dark using sound. There are 1,400 species of bats on Earth, and only three are blood-eaters (and none of them live in North America). Bats do their best to stay away from humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Black<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And cats, whether black or any other color, are clever animals who essentially domesticated themselves<\/a> to benefit from us humans. What\u2019s scary is when cats are neglected, let outside at risk of injury and disease,<\/a> and killing birds and other small animals<\/a> living in nature. If you have a black cat or other animal companion, resist the urge to dress them up in costumes. They can be uncomfortable, frightening, and hazardous<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for spiders<\/a>, for the most part, they can\u2019t hurt you; they\u2019re just going about their business, weaving webs and catching flies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of spiders, there are a few decorations you should avoid. Number one on that list is fake plastic spider webs<\/a>. Not only are they the epitome of throwaway plastic, but they can also harm or even kill animals who become entangled in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get creative! You can find lots of inspiration in places like Pinterest<\/a>. Halloween decorations don\u2019t have to be expensive, or even store-bought at all. You can make a super creepy environment by applying a little creativity to things you already have around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food and Drink<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Obviously you\u2019re going to need vegan candy<\/a> for any trick-or-treaters who come your way. Get extra so your party guests can indulge as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With so much candy around, personally, I prefer savory snacks at a Halloween party. These vegan mini Halloween pizzas<\/a> are adorable. This is also the perfect night to make those vegan stuffed eyeballs<\/a> you\u2019ve been \u2026 eyeing. Or try these vegan mummy dogs<\/a>\u2014they might be a touch too cute to be scary, but they\u2019re just what your guests need to be ready to trick-or-treat all night long!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Punch is a great drink at a party like this. Not only is it different from the things you might normally serve, but it\u2019s another opportunity for some ghostly d\u00e9cor! Check out this Vegan Halloween Party Punch<\/a> recipe: not only is it alcohol-optional and delicious with flavors of lychee and cranberry, but it\u2019s got plant-based eyeballs and icy hands floating in it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vegan<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Activities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most important thing humans should be doing at your party is wearing costumes. This is Halloween. It\u2019s no time for a \u201ccostume optional\u201d party. Insist that your guests wear costumes<\/a> because, at a Halloween party, the guests are part of the d\u00e9cor. (The human guests, anyway. Please specify that animal guests should come as they are.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If anyone shows up without a costume, make them into a toilet paper mummy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just having a bunch of friends in costume together is plenty of fun, but if you want to go further and have some organized activities, here are some fun ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bobbing for Apples<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Get traditional and try bobbing for apples. So traditional, this activity is both a choking and a drowning hazard, so take that into consideration if you have small kids or less-than-clear-headed adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you need is a big basin filled with water with some apples floating in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contestants take turns trying to pick up an apple with their teeth\u2014no hands allowed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This game makes a big mess, so do it outside. There\u2019s going to be water everywhere and probably a bunch of messed-up face makeup. (If you want to avoid the mess, ditch the water basin and hang the apples on strings so people are biting them out of the air.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t tell anyone I told you this, but the secret to winning is to plunge your whole head into the basin and push an apple to the bottom so you can really sink your teeth into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deadly Wink<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The messes this game makes are emotional. Secretly make one person the \u201cmurderer.\u201d They go around the party, acting casual, and every once in a while \u201cmurdering\u201d someone by winking at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The victim \u201cdies\u201d loudly and theatrically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When other guests think they have identified the \u201ckiller\u201d they make their accusation. But if they\u2019re wrong \u2026 they \u201cdie\u201d too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witch Hunt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before your party, cut out a bunch of \u201cwitch hats\u201d from black paper and hide them around your party space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let guests know they should look around for them and hang on to any they find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a certain moment (you decide!), the person who has found the most witch hats will win a prize! Again, you decide on the prize, but a witch hat would be nice, so everyone knows they are the winner the rest of the evening!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Halloween \u2018Scary,\u2019 not Scary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Halloween is \u201cscary,\u201d but animal abuse is scary. Vegan eyeball punch is \u201cscary,\u201d but animals trapped in fake spiderwebs are scary. Cut-out bats are \u201cscary,\u201d but putting cats in danger outdoors is scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s enough that\u2019s really scary out there, so throw on a Halloween playlist<\/a> and stay on the side of fun-scary at your vegan Halloween party. Your guests will thank you when everyone wakes up safe and sound the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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don’t be scared\u2014go vegan now!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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