40+ Halloween Bucket List Ideas For Spooky Fun In 2025

If Halloween is one of your favourite times of the year, you will love this Halloween bucket list! With fun Halloween activities galore and plenty of spooky fun suitable for families. Best of all, I’ve created a free printable Halloween bucket list for you too, so you can check them off as you go!

Halloween is still not as huge here in Australia as in many other places, but it’s definitely a time of year that my kids love! And I can’t blame them. I love an excuse to dress up! To me, it also feels like the beginning of the holiday season, since blink and it’s almost Christmas!

Regardless of where in the world you live, these Halloween bucket list ideas are a fun way to make the most of the spooky season!

The Ultimate Halloween Bucket List

These family Halloween bucket list ideas included plenty of fun activities for October as well as new Halloween activities to try. Don’t forget to grab your free printable bucket list below!

1. Decorate the House

Transform your home into a haunted haven with spooky decorations. From cobwebs and skeletons to glowing pumpkins, let your creativity run wild! Make some thrifty homemade Halloween decorations if you’re on a budget. There are so many ways to add some creepy touches to your decor.

2. Go Trick-Or-Treating

Put on your Halloween costume and hit the streets for some sweet treats. Explore your neighbourhood and collect as much candy as you can!

Trick or treating wasn’t really much of a tradition when I was growing up. The first time I went was with my own kids when they were school-aged, but it has become a fun tradition we do every year now.

3. Carve A Pumpkin

Get creative with a classic Halloween tradition. Carve a spooky, funny, or cute jack-o-lantern. If you’re not so keen to carve one, try painting a pumpkin instead as a fun alternative that still gives you a chance to get creative.

4. Plan Your Costume

Whether you prefer to be a scary monster, a favourite character, or something completely original and quirky, planning your costume is half the fun of Halloween.

I’m all for DIY costumes. It just feels so much more satisfying when you can put something together from scratch, but of course, if you’re short on time, there are plenty in the stores for a quick costume.

5. Watch a Spooky Movie

Gather your family for a movie night filled with chills and thrills. Choose a classic horror film or a family-friendly spooky flick. Some of our favourite kid-friendly Halloween movies are A Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice and The Addams Family.

6. Make Shadow Puppets

Create spooky silhouettes with your hands and a flashlight or lamplight on a wall. Put on a shadow puppet show for some spooky entertainment for family and friends or just have a laugh trying to guess what each of you is making.

7. Try a New Recipe

Experiment with Halloween-themed treats like mummy hot dogs or monster cookies or make something delicious with pumpkin spice.

If you’ve got a lot of candy, try one of these Halloween candy recipes. Great for Halloween party treats or if you’ve got far too many sweet treats left after trick or treating.

Or try one of these spooky but delicious kid-friendly Halloween drink recipes!

8. Do a Halloween Craft

Unleash your inner creativity with Halloween-inspired crafts. From paper lanterns to spooky decorations, or by doing a scary-themed craft kit. Even something as simple as a Halloween colouring page is a lot of fun for when you need a creative break.

9. Toast Marshmallows

Gather around a bonfire and enjoy the warmth and sweetness of toasted marshmallows. Perfect for a chilly Autumn night (or a warm Spring night here in the Southern Hemisphere). Go a step further and make yourself some homemade s’mores.

10. Wear Orange

Embrace the spirit of Halloween by wearing something orange. From orange accessories to an all-orange outfit, show off your Halloween style. Mix and match with black and purple to go all out!

11. Decorate the Front Yard

Create a spooky and inviting atmosphere with outdoor decorations. Hang giant spider webs with creepy crawly creatures, a cardboard cemetery and carved pumpkins lining your stairs. Let your imagination run wild.

13. Have a Halloween Photoshoot

Capture special photo memories with a Halloween-themed photoshoot. Dress up in costumes and strike a pose for some spooky pictures. Or grab some spooky props, like wigs, glasses, scary masks and witch noses for a silly photobooth-style photoshoot.

14. Visit a Haunted House

If you dare, challenge yourself to a haunted house adventure. Experience thrilling scares and jump scares with friends or family. A lot of festivals have a haunted house attraction or visit a local haunted house Halloween walk-through.

15. Go to a Halloween Event or Festival

Immerse yourself in the Halloween spirit at a local event or festival. Enjoy live entertainment, games, and delicious treats. This is usually another excuse to dress up too!

16. Bake a Pie

Indulge in the flavours of Autumn with a homemade pie. Whether it’s apple, pumpkin, or pecan, a warm pie is the perfect Halloween treat. Or just make a comforting cottage pie. Any pie is a good pie!

17. Have a Halloween Movie Marathon

Spend a cozy evening binge-watching your favourite Halloween movies. Gather your favourite snacks and get ready for a spooky movie marathon.

This is a good chance to work your way through one of the classic horror film collections, like Friday The 13th, Halloween or Saw. Or choose something like the Hotel Transylvania collection with the kids.

18. Create a Halloween Playlist

Curate a playlist filled with spooky tunes and eerie melodies to set the mood for your Halloween celebrations.

19. Read a Spooky Book

Get lost in a thrilling story with a spooky book. Grab a cute Halloween picture book to read with the kids or find yourself a scary novel to read (with the lights on, maybe…). Try some Stephen King, the Goosebumps collection, a classic like Bram Stroker’s Dracula or Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.

20. Tell Scary Stories

Gather around the campfire or a cozy living room and share spooky stories. Create a chilling atmosphere with dimmed lights and eerie sounds. This is definitely creepier outdoors!

21. Do a Scavenger Hunt

Organize a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt for some spooky fun. Hide clues around your house or yard and let the adventure begin.

22. Go on a Hayride

Enjoy a scenic ride through the countryside on a hayride. Bundle up in warm blankets and take in the beautiful outdoor scenery.

23. Take a Ghost Tour

Experience the paranormal with a ghost tour. Explore haunted locations and listen to spooky tales from your ghost tour guide and see if you’re a believer by the end of it. Many former prisons hold night ghost tours or local cemeteries. Make sure you join a tour and don’t just go lurking around private property!

24. Have a Bonfire

Gather around a warm bonfire and roast marshmallows. Share ghost stories, drink apple cider and play some outdoor games together. This is the perfect way to spend an October evening with friends and family.

25. Go Apple Picking

Head to a local orchard to pick your own apples (or whatever else might be in season where you live). Enjoy the fresh air and create delicious treats with your harvest once you’re back home.

26. Check Out Neighbourhood Decorations

Take a walk around your neighbourhood and check out the creative Halloween decorations everyone has set up. Get a bit of inspiration for your own future yard decorations and enjoy the Halloween vibes. Some people go all out and it’s pretty amazing, just like Christmas time and the light displays.

28. Learn a Magic Trick

Impress your friends and family with a spooky magic trick. Practice your sleight of hand card trick perhaps. There are plenty of ideas on YouTube to learn different simple tricks.

29. Watch a Halloween Documentary

Learn about the history and traditions of Halloween, the Day of the Dead celebration or about something else spooky, like a ghost hunters documentary to learn something new, all keeping with the creepy theme of the month.

30. Make Caramel Apples

Indulge in a classic Halloween treat by making homemade caramel apples. Mix it up with different toppings for a delicious twist on the original treat recipe.

31. Have a Family Game Night

Spend quality time together with a family game night. Choose your favourite board games or card games for some friendly competition. These don’t need to be Halloween games, but those are always extra fun when played this time of year.

Put your spooky playlist on in the background while you indulge yourselves with yummy treats as you battle it out to be game night champion.

32. Eat Candy

Enjoy the sweet rewards of your trick-or-treating adventures or get yourself some sneaky treats (that you have no intention of sharing). Tis’ the season!

33. Explore a Maze

Challenge yourself with a spooky maze adventure. Find your way through twists and turns while encountering eerie surprises. Any maze will do but a corn maze is even better if you’ve got one nearby!

34. Host a Costume Party

Invite friends and family to a costume party for a night of fun and laughter. Play Halloween games, indulge in Halloween treats and make it a night to remember. Award prizes for the best costumes.

If you need inspiration for what to call your event, check out these Halloween party name ideas.

35. Visit a Pumpkin Patch

Pick the perfect pumpkin for carving or decorating. It’s pretty crazy to be surrounded by pumpkins! I’ve never been to one but I’ve seen so many photos and it feels so very Halloween.

36. Attend a Halloween Theme Park Event

Experience the thrill of Halloween at a theme park. Enjoy spooky rides, shows, and decorations. If you’ve ever been to a Disney park in October, you will know how much fun it is! They go all out and it’s amazing, but most theme parks will have their own Halloween events.

Even our Gold Coast theme parks here in Australia always have something fun on to celebrate October 31st!

37. Build a Blanket Fort

Create a cozy hideout for movie nights or storytelling. Use blankets, pillows, and chairs to build a magical fort. Sleep in there for an indoor camping night or just for a bit of fun.

38. Have a Costume Contest

Host or attend a Halloween costume contest. Let everyone show off their unique outfits and vote for the best one.

39. Do a Science Experiment

Combine learning with fun by conducting Halloween-themed science experiments. Explore spooky reactions and create magical concoctions. Make some gross slime or mix creepy toys into homemade playdough for something younger kids will love.

40. Drink Apple Cider

Warm up with a delicious cup of apple cider. Enjoy the comforting taste and cozy atmosphere of Autumn flavours.

41. Bake Halloween Cookies

Satisfy your sweet tooth with homemade Halloween cookies. Decorate them with spooky cookie-cutter shapes and colours for a festive treat.

Want some Halloween travel inspiration? Check out these best places to experience Halloween around the world.

I hope you have a great time ticking off these Halloween bucket list ideas with your family! There’s no need to do them all but good luck trying!

What are your favourite ways to celebrate Halloween?