Halloween Tip: Refuse to buy things you don’t need. Reduce what you buy and the amount of packaging your chosen items come in. Reuse whenever you can, whether it’s decorations or costumes. Repurpose the old. Recycle what you can when it can no longer be used.
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Image credit: PJS and Paint
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Bat Garland
Bats are always seen flying among the ceiling’s night sky on Halloween in the Harry Potter series, so your Halloween celebration wouldn’t be complete without some crafted bats of your own! Bats are the only true flying mammals in the world. There are over 1,300 species of bats and they are an important part of our ecosystem. Here’s a Newt-level fantastic beast fact: Fruit-eating bats disperse seeds and pollinate plants, which helps rainforests grow and reduces the effects of deforestation. These bat garlands are simple yet fun to make. Be sure to save up your empty toilet paper rolls before getting started! Bat Garland Instructions
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Instructions:
Short on time? Another fun idea for bat-themed decor is to simply cut out bat shapes from black paper and stick them to the walls or windows. These bats can go back into storage and be pulled out for parties for years to come! |
Image credit: A Few Shortcuts
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Floating Candles
There are so many mesmerizing scenes within the world of Harry Potter. We’re sure that if you asked Potter fans about what they love about the Great Hall, many of them would list the captivating floating candles that light up the ceiling. Now you can bring this magic to life in your own home with your very own floating candle ceiling display. Once again, we’ll be repurposing empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls. Floating Candle Instructions
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Don’t forget to save these decorations for next year when Halloween is over! |
 | Pumpkins It’s not Halloween without a few pumpkins! You could carve a Harry Potter-inspired pumpkin, such as the sign of the Deathly Hallows or the Hogwarts Crest. This could be done before your guests arrive or all together as a party activity. Check out this website for some amazing Potter-inspired pumpkin ideas. You can even download printable templates to help you out. Don’t forget to save the insides and seeds of the pumpkin to use in one of the tasty recipes that you’ll find later on in the article! If you’re looking for other low-waste ways to decorate your house this Halloween, there are plenty of creative crafts to try! From potion bottles, decorative witch hats, and spider webs made of twine to spooky ghosts and witches using towels and pillowcases, the options are endless. |
2. Vegan Recipes to Die For
Halloween Feast
If you’re aiming for a Potter-inspired evening, why not go all-out with a Hogwarts Halloween feast? There are lots of vegan recipes to choose from on our website, so take a look and start planning!
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Pumpkin Recipes
In the UK, pumpkin carving leads to £15 billion of food waste each year, and an estimated 1.91 billion pounds of pumpkins are grown in the United States every year. So when you’re carving your pumpkin, make sure you have a spare bowl set aside to throw in the pumpkin flesh and the seeds. Think of all the delicious autumnal recipes you can make! A few fantastic options are listed below. Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Juice If there’s one thing that a Harry Potter Halloween party needs on the menu, it’s pumpkin juice! Need we say more? Our festive recipe is sure to please you and your guests. Pumpkin Pasties A Hogwarts Express staple, you won't want to leave these delicious pumpkin pasties off of your party menu! Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Baking and decorating pumpkin sugar cookies could be another fun party activity for you and your friends. Better yet, this activity comes with a sweet reward at the end. Pumpkin Seeds Pumpkin seeds can be roasted and turned into an easy snack or sprinkled on top of soups, pasta dishes, or salads. Clean the seeds by swishing them around in a bowl of cold water. Toss them with some oil, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and spread them into one layer on a baking tray. Roast until they are brown around the edges. You can try using other seasonings like paprika, harissa, or chilli powder for savory flavors, and cinnamon, nutmeg, or brown sugar for a sweet treat. Pumpkin Pie This dessert isn’t just for the winter holidays! Try this simple but deliciously creamy pumpkin pie recipe, and be sure to give the pie plenty of time to chill before serving. If you want even more ideas, take a look at this website for 25 vegan pumpkin recipes. Once Halloween is over, don’t just throw your pumpkins in the bin. You can donate uncarved, unpainted, non-rotten pumpkins to animal sanctuaries to feed the residents! Or, you can compost them for your own eco-friendly gardening. |
 | Vegan Candy Chocolate Frogs In the wizarding world, some of the most iconic treats come in the form of Chocolate Frogs. Try out our dairy-free and frog-free recipe to make scrumptious chocolates that your party guests will want to keep coming back for! Muggle Candy If you’re looking for Muggle vegan candies to try this Halloween, check out PETA’s list of vegan candies to look out for, including Smarties, Enjoy Life chocolate, and Jujufruits. The most eco-friendly options are the candies that come in recyclable cardboard boxes rather than individual plastic wrappers. |
Halloween Tip:
When stocking up for trick or treaters, don’t forget to check out the ingredients listed in everything you’re considering. Ensure the treats don’t contain any of the following:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Gelatin (produced with animal skin, tendons, cartilage, ligaments, and bones)
- Carmine color (red pigment from crushed female cochineal beetles)
- Confectioner’s glaze (made from the excretions of certain insects)
3. Activities
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Costume Contest
It’s not Halloween without a little bit of dressing up! Whether you’re going for Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, or another theme, you’re sure to see some clever get-ups. Before your friends arrive, set up a judge’s table and create a scorecard for everyone. Make sure there’s enough space to write in everyone's names and costumes, plus space for their score. Ask everyone to score everyone else’s costume out of five, add up the scores, and declare your winner! Halloween Tip: Instead of buying a brand new costume, reuse or upcycle a costume you’ve used in the past. Or, take your pile of unworn clothes and create a brand new costume using the materials you already have in the house! If you have young children, try to reuse or upcycle their costumes too. Once they’ve grown out of them, donate them to a thrift store or give them to friends or family for their younger children to use. |
 | Music Whether you’re hosting a Hallowen party for kids or adults, it’s not a party without appropriately spooky songs. But you don’t need to hire a spectral, musical saw-playing band to make an impression! Start with the Harry Potter soundtracks to get the spooktacular vibe going. Prisoner of Azkaban’s iconic “Double Trouble” is sure to set the mood. But don’t stop there. There are plenty of Halloween classics that suit the Potter characters and are guaranteed to keep you grooving throughout the night. Get the Halloween spirit going with “Werewolves of London” for Professor Lupin, “Dead Man’s Party” for Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington, “Superstition” for Professor Trelawney, and “Psycho Killer” for Voldemort. |
 | Games What’s a party without a friendly trivia match or two? Make like Hermione and hit the books to pull out fun facts about the various Hogwarts ghosts, Halloween celebrations at the castle, and all of the creatures who lurk within the Forbidden Forest. Trivia related to Defense Against the Dark Arts classes and wanderings through Knockturn Alley are sure to send chills up the spines of the contestants. Feel free to throw in a few Muggle-worthy Halloween trivia questions too! You’ll have a ghoulishly good time making conversation and stirring up laughs while learning some fantastic (or should we say, “phantomtastic”) facts along the way! Or, create your own crossword, bingo game, or scavenger hunt to entertain and challenge your friends. |
"A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkin stutter." - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's / Philosopher's Stone
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We hope these ideas inspire you to throw a celebration to rival Halloween Night in the Great Hall. Be sure to send us photos of your creations!
Make sure you stay safe during your Halloween celebrations by ensuring you follow all COVID-19 protocols and regulations set by your local area and by respecting your party host’s rules.
Written by Grace Hurley
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