Spooktacular Halloween Picnic Ideas

Halloween isn’t just about trick-or-treating and costume parties; it’s also the perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors with a Halloween-themed picnic.

Gather your friends and family for a memorable, spooky picnic with these Halloween picnic ideas.

For a fun spin on a fall picnic, pack your Halloween picnic basket with eerie delights, set a ghostly scene with a Halloween picnic table, and unleash your creativity with the perfect Halloween picnic costume.

You can find my hauntingly delightful Halloween picnic food ideas here, but let’s also set the scene with some spooky picnic inspiration.

Jump to:

• Haunted Picnic Location
• Have a Spooky Night Picnic
• Plan a Ghoulish Picnic Spread
• Halloween Picnic Decor
• Halloween Costumes
• Gather Your Halloween Picnic Essentials
• Halloween Picnic Activities

Haunted Picnic Location

First, let’s set the scene with the right location. Choose a park, forest, or garden with a slightly eerie vibe for your spooky picnic.

Woods with towering trees can create a natural Halloween ambiance, or opt for a field or park with an old church or view of a local cemetery (in the cemetery may not be allowed or respectful). You can even spook up your backyard with these eerie ideas.

Have a Spooky Night Picnic

Have a night picnic in your local park or backyard to an extra layer of spookiness to your Halloween picnic.

Create an eerie atmosphere with strategically placed lanterns, candles or fairy lights in the trees to cast haunting shadows.

Plan a Ghoulish Picnic Spread

Pack a spooky picnic basket filled with Halloween-inspired treats. Mummy-wrapped hotdogs, monster-shaped sandwiches, and pumpkin-spiced delights.

For an easy, themed menu, you can lean on the colors of Halloween to set the scene. Choose foods like chillingly red Roast Beet Hummus Dip and bright green Banana and Spinach Muffins with Halloween-themed picnic ware that will really set the scene.

Halloween Picnic Decor

Set up a spooky picnic table. Decorate your picnic area with Halloween-themed decorations like pumpkins, spider webs, and fake bats.

Use Halloween-themed plates, cups, utensils, and a spooky picnic tablecloth to set the mood.

Don’t forget to include some glowing lanterns to create a creepy atmosphere.

Halloween Costumes

Encourage everyone to come dressed in their Halloween best. Have a costume contest or parade with prizes for the most creative, spooky, or funny outfits.

Gather Your Halloween Picnic Essentials

Gather some Halloween picnic essentials. Start with a Halloween picnic basket or individual Halloween bento boxes.

Lay out spooky picnic blankets to create haunted spaces for your guests, or lay waterproof blankets on picnic benches for extra comfort and atmosphere.

Halloween Picnic Activities

Scary Movie Screening

If having a night picnic, set up a screen and a projector to enjoy Halloween classics like “Hocus Pocus,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” or “Casper the Friendly Ghost.”

Don’t forget cozy blankets and pillows for everyone to snuggle up with.

Ghost Stories

Gather around a campfire or flashlight to share spine-tingling ghost stories. Encourage everyone to come prepared with their own or pick some classic tales to spook each other.

Halloween Picnic Crafts

Bring some pumpkins and carving tools for a pumpkin decorating contest. Let your creativity run wild, and the spookier, the better.

Trick-or-Treat Scavenger Hunt

Organize a Halloween trick-or-treat scavenger hunt. Hide treats and small surprises around your picnic area for participants to find.

Halloween Playlist

Create a spooky playlist with Halloween-themed music to set the mood. Classics like “Thriller” and “Monster Mash” will surely get everyone in the spirit.

Halloween Picnic Games

So many great picnic games can have a spooky Halloween twist.

1. Pumpkin Tic Tac Toe: Draw a tic tac toe board on a giant pumpkin and use mini pumpkins and gourds as game pieces.
2. Bobbing for Apples: Fill a large bucket with water and apples and have players try to grab an apple with their teeth without using their hands.
3. Halloween Bingo: Create Halloween-themed bingo cards with images of bats, witches, pumpkins, and other spooky things.
4. Pin the Spider on the Web: Draw a spiderweb on a large piece of paper and blindfold players as they try to pin a spider onto the web.
5. Ghost Bowling: Use white plastic cups to create ghost pins and use a small pumpkin or ball to knock them down.
6. Spooky Egg and Spoon Race: Decorate eggs with Halloween designs for a costumed egg and spoon race with a spooky twist.

Don’t let Halloween’s spooky charm be confined to just one night. Take it outdoors and savor the enchantment of an eerie Halloween picnic. With these ideas, you’re sure to have a hauntingly good time. So, gather your goblins, witches, and ghosts, and let the Halloween picnic festivities begin.