How to do Halloween on a budget

Throwing a memorable Halloween party for the kids doesn't have to mean haunting your bank account. But at Kids Party Finder, we know that between costume costs, sweet treats and decorations, October can quickly become one of the most expensive times of the year (and with Christmas not far away…yikes!) The good news? Children care far more about the spooky atmosphere, games and treats than expensive hire setups. With a few smart swaps, clever DIY tricks and simple budgeting hacks, you can throw a fantastic budget-friendly Halloween party at home or in a village hall.

Here is your ultimate guide to hosting a cheap, high-fun Halloween party for kids in the UK…

1. Ditch the pricey outfits

Kids grow so fast that buying a brand-new supermarket costume every October quickly adds up - especially if you have multiple children. Instead, you can ask attending parents to bring last year’s costumes to swap a week before the party. Everyone gets a ‘new’ costume for free! Or, you can go for classic DIY costumes

  • White bandages or an old bedsheet wrapped over dark clothing can be a Mummy
  • Normal clothes with cheap fake teeth and a £1 tube of fake blood can become a Vampire
  • Pre-loved fancy dresses from charity shops can become a Princess

2. Save on snacks

You don't need expensive catering or branded treats to make a Halloween feast look incredible. Simple, everyday finger foods for kids' parties can easily be transformed with a spooky makeover: 

  • Mummy Hotdogs - Wrap cocktail sausages in thin strips of ready-roll puff pastry and bake. Add two dots of mustard for eyes.
  • Ghosts & Pumpkins - Peel bananas, cut them in half, and add chocolate chips for ghost faces. Peel clementines and pop a small piece of celery in the top to look like a pumpkin stem.
  • Spooky Sandwiches - Use a simple cookie cutter to cut jam or cheese sandwiches into coffin or ghost shapes.
  • Grave Jelly - Make cheap green jelly in transparent cups and drop a gummy worm into each before it sets.

3. DIY Decor

Instead of spending heavily on expensive single-use plastics, focus on lighting and atmosphere…darkness does half the decorating work for you! Dim the main lights and use fairy lights, battery candles or green/purple bulb swaps to create a spooky glow. Then, cut black bin liners into thin strips or web shapes to cover windows and doors for pennies. Blow up white balloons, cover them with cheap cheesecloth or tissue paper, draw a ghost face with a Sharpie, and hang them from the ceiling with string or cut bat shapes out of black card and stick them along walls or staircase railings using blue tack.

4. Cheap party games

Classic games with a spooky twist are always a hit:

  • Mummy Wrap Race - Divide kids into teams. Give each team a roll of cheap toilet paper and see who can wrap their ‘mummy’ (mum) fastest.
  • Doughnut on a String - Hang ring doughnuts from a broomstick or doorway using string. Kids have to eat them with their hands behind their backs.
  • Apple Bobbing - Fill a basin with water for traditional apple bobbing and let them make a candy apple with the one they get!
  • Spooky Freeze - Play your playlist of classic Halloween kids party songs, and when the music stops, everyone must freeze!.

5. Be your own DJ

Save yourself time and money and pop these songs into a playlist on your favourite app:

  • Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
  • Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
  • Thriller - Michael Jackson
  • This Is Halloween - The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • Spooky, Scary Skeletons - Andrew Gold
  • The Addams Family Theme - Vic Mizzy
  • I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
  • The Skeleton Dance - Super Simple Songs
  • The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
  • Grim Grinning Ghosts - The Haunted Mansion
  • Five Little Pumpkins - Super Simple Songs
  • I Put a Spell on You - Hocus Pocus
  • Halloween Sharks - Pinkfong
  • Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
  • Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? - Theme Song
  • Superstition - Stevie Wonder
  • Witch Doctor - Ross Bagdasarian
  • Hedwig's Theme - Harry Potter

Planning a cheap Halloween party isn't about cutting back on fun; you can still host a Halloween celebration that feels magical without stretching your budget. And if you want to really wow, save a bit to the side by doing the rest DIY and put out your own party request for their favourite spooky character!