Who said only kids can celebrate Halloween? Adults also deserve to have some spooky fun. They might not go trick or treating again, but they can have something equally (if not more!) fun to do with their friends on Halloween.
That’s where your bar comes in. Hosting a Halloween event at your bar can create an unforgettable experience that keeps your patrons returning for more. In this guide, we’ll explore various Halloween bar event ideas to help you craft a night full of thrills and chills for your customers.
Halloween drinks competition
A Halloween drinks competition is a perfect way to create a buzz at your bar. This event will give your customers a chance to showcase their mixology skills and have a good time with their friends, which can turn one-time visitors into loyal customers.
Encourage patrons to craft their own spooky cocktails, giving them the freedom to experiment with unique ingredients, eerie garnishes, and creative names.
Offer categories like “Scariest Cocktail,” “Best Presentation,” and “Most Unique Flavor,” with prizes for the winners. To add an extra zing into the competition, consider bringing in a panel of guest judges—perhaps local influencers, bartenders from nearby bars, or even regular customers with a flair for drinks.
PosterMyWall’s Macabre Mix-Off marketing toolkit offers all the essential resources to organize a thrilling Halloween-themed drinks competition at your bar. It includes themed templates, social media and email copy, caption ideas for your social posts, and a suggested schedule with instructions for the event’s promotion.
Arrange band performances
Concerts have always been crowd-pullers for bars. Who doesn’t love to groove to electrifying beats while enjoying delicious concoctions? Certainly not us!
Consider booking local bands that specialize in genres like rock, punk, or metal to get into the spirit of Halloween. Also, ask the band members to perform in costume and incorporate Halloween-themed covers or original songs into their setlist.
You can also create a themed drink menu to complement the performances, offering signature cocktails inspired by the bands, their music, and Halloween.
Promoting the band performances in advance is key to drawing a crowd. Announce the lineup on your social media accounts, share teasers of some of the songs they’ll perform, and offer advance booking of tickets to build excitement.
Organize a Halloween-themed bingo night
Bingo nights are not just fun for senior citizens. You can put a Halloween-themed twist on it to attract customers to your bar.
Instead of traditional numbers, you can customize the bingo cards with Halloween-related images or words—think pumpkins, witches, ghosts, and black cats. As the bingo caller, you can get into character and use a playful tone to call out the items, adding to the Halloween theme of the night.
Offer prizes such as free Halloween-themed drinks, bar merchandise, or tickets to your next event to the winners. Remember, the prizes should be attractive to make it worthwhile for people to play the game.
To create a more immersive experience, encourage your patrons to come in costume, and consider giving out extra bingo cards or bonuses to those who do.
Host a spooky movie night
A horror movie night is not only one of the most fun Halloween bar event ideas, but it is also the easiest to arrange.
Transform your bar into a mini cinema by dimming the lights, setting up a projector, and arranging comfortable seating. Choose a lineup of classic horror films, cult favorites, or even family-friendly Halloween movies, depending on your audience.
The Cauldron Bar in Chicago held horror movie marathons from Friday the 13th onwards last year. Guests enjoyed a delectable 10-Malort cocktail menu and signature speakeasy concoctions, such as “Three Witches”, and some caramel apple popcorn with their movies.
Create a spooky atmosphere for the screening of the horror film by putting up themed decorations, like cobwebs, fake tombstones, and eerie lighting in your bar.
Consider offering special themed cocktails or snacks, such as “bloody” martinis and popcorn. If space allows, you could also create a separate viewing area or lounge where guests can relax and enjoy the films at their own pace.
Showcase your movie night items through special menus and digital signage. With PosterMyWall, you can create these in minutes by customizing the Halloween menu templates. You just have to add the details and images of your items- and voila!
Arrange a pumpkin carving event
Let your patrons unleash their creativity by arranging a pumpkin carving event.
Provide pumpkins, carving tools, and a variety of stencils, allowing guests to unleash their artistic side and craft their spooky jack-o’-lanterns. This hands-on activity adds a festive and interactive element to your bar’s Halloween lineup, appealing to customers of all ages.
Create a cozy, autumnal atmosphere by decorating the space with hay bales, twinkling lights, and fall-themed decor. Offer seasonal drinks, like spiced cider or pumpkin ale, to complement the carving experience.
You can even make the event family-friendly. The Cauldron Chicago held a pumpkin carving contest last year for families. The ticket included all the equipment and materials needed to carve or paint a pumpkin, as well as a mug of Halloween cream (spiced apple cider). Adults over 21 could opt to infuse their HallowCream with bourbon, spiced rum, or spiced pumpkin vodka for that extra Halloween treat.
Not only will this be an amazing opportunity to attract new customers and engage current ones, but it will also provide an excellent opportunity to create content for your bar’s social accounts. Ask guests to pose with their finished pumpkins and, if they’re comfortable, share these photos on your social media.
Promote the contest through social media and in-store signage at least two weeks before it’s set to occur. You can make these yourself by customizing PosterMyWall’s pumpkin carving contest templates to convey your event’s details.
Halloween marketing for your bar
Promoting your bar’s Halloween event takes a creative mix of social media, influencer partnerships, print materials, and smart event promotion tools.
Social media marketing
Start posting promotional content on your bar’s social accounts weeks in advance. Here are some content ideas to keep your audience excited for the event:
- Share teaser videos with countdown timers on your Instagram stories up to the event day, revealing details like the theme, offers, or special drinks.
- Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of the preparations for the event.
- Create shareable content like Halloween-themed memes or costume ideas to keep your audience engaged.
- Create a Facebook event page with all the details and encourage followers to RSVP and share with their friends.
Using PosterMyWall, you can easily design engaging content for your social media accounts in minutes. Browse through the Halloween social media post templates, select the ones that resonate with your event’s vibe, and customize them to convey your event’s details. You can also use the resize tool to instantly adapt your designs for Instagram, Facebook, or Stories
Influencer partnerships
Another effective way to spread the word about your event on social media is through influencer partnerships. The effectiveness of influencer marketing lies in the word “influencer” itself; these popular social media figures have a considerable impact on their audience’s interests and decisions. Influencer endorsements can not only create buzz around your event but also build customer trust.
Identify influencers with a strong presence in your community, especially those known for attending or promoting local nightlife events. Whether they’re fashion bloggers, foodies, or local musicians, these influencers can create engaging content—like Instagram Stories or TikTok videos—that highlights your event’s unique offerings, such as fun cocktails, live performances, or costume contests.
Print marketing
Reach out to potential attendees you might’ve missed with your social media marketing efforts through good old print marketing. Eye-catching posters, flyers, and banners placed in high-traffic areas like coffee shops, community centers, and college campuses can capture the attention of passersby and entice them to check out your event.
Make sure to include a QR code to your print collateral that links to your bar’s website or social media page can also make it easy for people to get more details or get tickets.
In addition to public spaces, make sure to distribute flyers and posters within your bar and other nearby businesses that cater to your demographic.
Event promotions
Want a simple way to promote your Halloween bash and manage RSVPs in one place? Use PosterMyWall Events.
Create a dedicated event page with all the essential details, date, time, location, special offers, and even booking options. You can customize it to match your Halloween theme and easily share the page via your social posts, email newsletters, or website.
It’s perfect for driving attendance and tracking signups without needing extra tools or platforms. Plus, you can update your page anytime if details change.
Final thoughts
Halloween presents a unique opportunity to draw a lively crowd to your bar. From spooky movie screenings to interactive pumpkin carving contests, there are multiple events you can hold at your bar to create a memorable experience for your patrons. The five Halloween bar event ideas discussed in this blog will surely be crowd favorites at your bar.
The key is to cater to your target demographic’s interests and arrange an event around that. May you have a spook-tacular Halloween at your bar!
