Hopefully with delight? But potentially with fear.
Anyway, ‘tis the season! No, not the one with snow and big green trees. Or the turkey one. It’s SPOOKY season. Aka, my favorite of the three because it’s the straight-up silliest.
Halloween can be as spooky or as cute as you want it to be. In fact, it can even be sexy if you want it to be (though personally, I believe ‘sexy cat’ or ‘sexy devil’ to be a lazy non-costume, no matter who is wearing it.
Sorry, but it’s just lazy. I demand you’re either sweating buckets in some big premade monster costume, or you’re covered in glitter and glue and spent hours DIYing something ridiculous).
And of course, Halloween means the start of fall. Which makes a whole load of ‘Yay! Fall!’ activities basically Halloween date ideas in themselves. Go watch the changing of the leaves in upstate New York or New England? Eh, let’s call it a Halloween date!
Of course, we’re gonna get a lot more spooky and fun than that. But the intensity of the HALLOWEEN of it all is really up to you when it comes to planning a Halloween date.
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Why Plan A Halloween Date?
Okay, the only reason anyone would ask ‘Why should I plan a Halloween day?’ is because they’re miserly misery guts. It’s Halloween, have some fun! Embrace it!
Yeah, it’s silly, but what isn’t? Having a good time – or a spooky time – together is a great way to bond, or to get to know one another if you’re early in a relationship or literally just met on Hinge.
Anyway, the question you should be asking is ‘How do I plan a Halloween date?’ or ‘What’s a great Halloween date?’ And don’t worry, I have answers to both of those questions!
Whether you’re looking for first-date ideas for Halloween, Halloween date ideas for home, or things to do as a couple on Halloween itself, I’ve got you covered.
First, let’s start with the best date ideas for the Halloween season in general (which is the entirety of October at a minimum, if you ask me. And you did ask me. So there).
Top Halloween Date Ideas Out
If you want to go out and about to celebrate Halloween with your honey or enjoy fall with your …fella? Okay, I couldn’t be gender inclusive and keep up the alliteration there. But imagine I’m better at writing than I am, okay? Anyway, if you want to get out of the house and go on an actual date around Halloween time, here are a few top Halloween date ideas.
Pumpkin Patch Date
Wherever you are, I bet there’s a pumpkin patch within driving distance! Whether you have fond childhood memories of visiting pumpkin patches or are a first-timer to wandering around picking gourds, you’re bound to have a good time.
I mean, pick a day with perfect fall weather of course, and get out there and pick pumpkins! You can use them to decorate, make pumpkin pie, give as gifts, and of course to carve (more on that later). Also, is a pumpkin patch selfie, not a Fall Instagram must?
Yes, yes it is. Especially if you’re showing off a new relationship that’s going well.
Check Out A Corn Maze
Similar to a pumpkin patch, but potentially more kitsch and also sometimes a little like the start of a horror movie, why not drive out to the country and find a corn maze? Pair this with a hike somewhere, since you’re heading out of the city.
They’re generally around all fall, and many have evening opening hours around Halloween so you can get a bit freaked out imagining ghosts, ghoulies, and those skinny creepy aliens from Signs.
Remember to bring a bottle of water in case of getting lost — or encountering said Signs aliens.
Embark On A Ghost Tour
Get ghosted this Hallowe’en – the fun way! You can DIY a ghost tour of your local neighborhood as a really cute (and also kinda creepy?) gesture for a date, either by making up stories or looking up weird happenings around where you live.
Or else you can download one of the many varied walking tour apps that include ghost tours – some even require you to solve some riddles and mysteries to move on in the tour, which makes this a really active and involved Halloween date idea.
Visit A Fall Festival – Hay Rides, Apple Picking, And More
You may well have found your corn maze at a Fall festival. Well, stick around! Pick some apples (even press some delicious cider) and go on a hayride. Yes, hayrides are kind of a family thing. But why not crash? They’re fun!
You get to spend a little quality one on one time together away from the usual distractions, being bumped about, and having essentially a great time. Sounds good to me, if not exactly spooky.
Midnight Drive
This is a little like a ghost tour, except, in a vehicle. And you make it up as you go along. Take a dark and spooky drive around a neighborhood you don’t know well, or if possible through the woods or ‘round a mountain pass.
Personally, I’ve absolutely freaked myself out on an intense scale taking late-night drives around the Blue Ridge Mountains while friends tell me tales of mountain folk who do not like visitors.
Why not do the same to the one you love? If you want to really make the most of things, you could even crack out a terrifying picnic in the dark woods. Or you know, stay in the car. With the lights on.
Visit A Haunted House
Most suburban (and many urban) neighborhoods have a couple of haunted houses up to visit. These are fun for obvious reasons, and as they usually only take about a half-hour can make up part of a longer date – dinner, drinks, a ghost tour.
They can all be added to a haunted house. And even in the most amateurish haunted house, you and your date are guaranteed to grab one another and hold tight during at least one jump-scare moment!
Go To A Festive Escape Room
Again, I mean pumpkin festive, not baubles and tinsel festive. Loads of escape rooms have special Halloween set-ups designed to scare the pants off you (and your date). Or, if that’s a bit rich for your blood, designed for mixed-age group families so you’ll be only a li’l spooked.
Either way, you get that clinging to one another thing again, and it’s a great addition to dinner or drinks as it takes a set amount of time and lets you get to know one another while being focused on a task.
This is a great second or third date in my opinion – especially if you met on a dating app and the first date was just sizing up and getting to know the basics deal.
Halloween Date Night At Home
Whether you’re looking for cheap Halloween date ideas, would simply prefer to stay home for all Hallow’s Eve, or want to make it as intimate as possible, a Halloween date night at home can be great fun. Here are a few ideas for great Halloween date nights at home.
Have A Scary Dinner Date
There are plenty of spins to put on a scary dinner date. You can drink blood-red wine and pretend you’re a couple of vampires while eating a lovely, fancy meal of steaks and panna cotta.
Or you can stick almonds in sausages, cut them in half, splurge ketchup on the end, and call them severed fingers. It’s all up to you really. All I know for sure? Cauliflower is a good brain, and peeled grapes are excellent eyeballs. I mean, they definitely have astigmatism, but apart from that, they’re chef’s kiss.
Make Some Spooky Treats
Whether you’re making treats for yourself, friends, or a Halloween party, there are loads of options for cooking and baking with a date at Halloween. From eyeball cake pops to candy apples, to weird green popcorn, you can definitely whip something up together to either take to a spooky party or give to trick-or-treaters.
Make Halloween Costumes Together
If you didn’t think of this… I mean… I guess you just lack creativity? Making Halloween costumes can be incredibly fun (and/or stressful) but it is always better with a partner. And a couple’s costume?
Even better. I once went with date as dental floss and toothpaste. It wasn’t as well-received as I’d hoped, and all the blue yarn wrapped around my legs caused mobility issues if I’m honest.
Pumpkin Carving
If you’re a little afraid of just smacking a paring knife in, you can get yourself a pumpkin carving kit (or give one to your date as a gift), but either way, every house needs a Jack-o-Lantern!
Have a contest between the two of you, invite friends, or adorn the neighborhood with perfect pumpkins! It’s all up to you.
Scary Stories Around The Fire
Think like a camping trip, and throw out the most terrifying stories you know around the fire because it doesn’t get much more spookily romantic than this. This can be outside with s’mores, or inside around a fireplace. Also, be aware of your audience.
Does your guy shake after episodes of Goosebumps? Keep it chill. Urban legends and creepy stories are a great Halloween tradition though, so maybe you should make them part of your traditions as a couple?
Scary Movie Marathon
I can go all night!!! I mean watching scary movies obviously. Maybe you can go period by period, starting with 1931’s Dracula, coming through The Thing, and ending up at Malignant. Okay, okay, I’m being ambitious. But this is a great Halloween date for a couple or a Halloween activity for friends. You could bring some of those treats you baked too!
Halloween Games
Apple bobbing. That thing with donuts on a string. Putting your hand in gross stuff in the dark. Yes, they’re games for kids. But they’re also fun! Give it a crack.
Make Your Own Haunted House
This one may involve inviting a few friends around to experience your creativity, or else you’ve just spent a load of time decorating for yourselves. But hey, you could also aim to spook one another!
Anyway, set up a room or two, or your whole house, with cotton wool cobwebs, cut-out Frankensteins, blood spatters… whatever you think is most scary and Halloween-worthy.
Things To Do For Halloween Itself
So far, we’ve been talking about the general Halloween season. Yes, as discussed, it starts October 1st at the latest. But what about the actual day itself? Here are a few ideas for Halloween dates, on the day of.
Borrow Some Kids And Go Trick Or Treating
I’m not going to pretend ‘borrow some kids’ sounds like the best advice in the world, but obviously, I mean family or friends.
Going trick or treating as an adult couple? Weird! Taking some kids trick or treating and giving their parents a break? Great idea! Go to the richest neighborhood you can think of for the best haul.
Throw A Party
A Halloween dinner party, a Halloween rager, whatever works for you. You could go all-black three-course meal or you could set up that haunted house and let your friends run wild. Either way, everyone loves a Halloween party.
And you get to have great times with your partner making decorations, preparing the snacks, and generally being brilliant hosts.
A Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Just like any scavenger hunt, but make it spooky! Whether you’re sending your loved one (or friends) all around town or just around the house, make the clues spooky and the prizes icky and you’re doing well. Costumes encouraged.
Halloween Bar Crawl
Okay, you know most of your fave bars have Halloween stuff on right? Why not visit them all? In costume if at all possible. This is a great couple activity, but also great in a group. And if you can collectively win multiple costume contests, all with free drinks involved, well, bonus points!
Final Thoughts On Halloween Dates
Sure, it’s too early for ice skating and too late for a beach date, but Fall is a great time to be dating as people are looking to hunker down for the winter.
It might not seem like the most romantic holiday on the calendar, but Halloween delivers plenty of opportunities to have fun together (and clutch one another in terror, of course).
From intimate one on one dates to exploring your local area to having your friends around for a wild evening, Halloween can be an excuse for it all.
And if you’re single this Hallowe’en, stop getting ghosted with my free 6-Step Tinder Tune-Up. I help you upgrade your frightful pics and write a bio so killer it would make Jason Voorhees proud. Go get your spook on.
