# Party was a flop last year, should I try again?



## Sahri21 (Oct 16, 2009)

This past year I hosted my first Halloween party. I absolutely am obsessed with the holiday and it was my first chance to do this and I had been wanting to do a party for YEARS.

Nobody showed up. Well, three people I think, plus my mom and her boyfriend. I was so disappointed, and was expecting more from my close friends. This has made me scared to do another one, because I was so disappointed at the outcome after all that work and effort of transforming my house.

So what do you think? Do I try it again? And if so, how can I make people anticipate it more and actually show up? Any good ideas would be GREAT!


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

I had the same thing happen last year. Our 3rd Halloween party and the last two were great with good turnout, but last year our area got hit hard with the flu and we had a grand total of 7 guests. 

I was and still am very sad about it as we had a pretty awesome theme and the indoor decor was better than I'd ever done. (and I got the flu myself on HALLOWEEN so I'm pretty bummed about all of last year)

To have one or not is totally up to you - I am still debating doing anything this year - or taking a break from Halloween completely and just going on a nice vacation. 

Ways to get folks excited about your party if you _do_ plan to do one:

*Door prizes*
We get folks to write down their names on a slip of paper and do a drawing - sometimes it's a gift card, sometimes it's been a gift package with fancy candy, liquor, etc... One year's was in the theme of a haunted open house with keys sent out in the invites - the winner unlocked a closet door where the former owner was entombed with the prize pack. Last year's was a reading of the will for our funeral theme with the main winner having to retrieve their prize from the coffin of the deceased. 

*Games with prizes*
We play a game called "Tempt Your Fate" (search on this board for games). We put good/bad fate slips in helium balloons and guests have the option to play by popping a balloon and either winning a small prize (I buy $5 horror DVDs and other cool but inexpensive items) or having to do something silly as "punishment." 

*Costume Contest*
We do it by ballots from the guests - and have three categories. I make trophies each year in the theme of the party and prizes like the door prize are awarded.

There are tons of great ideas on this board for party stuff - you can take a look through and see if anything sounds fun and who knows - maybe you'll feel like giving it a try again this year!


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## Haunty (May 31, 2006)

I agree, you should try again. 
It's their loss that they didn't attend. Being sick is a legitimate excuse, rudeness isn't. 
But if nothing else.. do it for yourself the Halloween lover! 

These are great tips to get people involved & inspired to attend. I myself have issues with wishy / washy people. They act all excited to be attending & promise they'll for sure be there. But, then they don't show up. No phone call or anything. Another idea would be to write down Halloween recipes on index cards & include one with each party invite, as a suggestion of what to bring. The recipes would range from appetizers, casseroles, or desserts.


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## Sahri21 (Oct 16, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I played tempt your fate, but of course it's not exciting with three guests! I also did the Murder Wink game and my murderer forgot to wink! lol.

Whatever the case, I might still do it, I have a lot of supplies left over from last year that I didn't use because I got so excited I over-bought.

I agree Haunty, I had A LOT of people that said they would show who didn't and no calls. One of my friends swore he told me, but he actually told someone else and I heard it through the grape vine. I had people say they got weekends mixed up, and I think I had one person who was sick and he at least expressed many times how he felt bad for not coming and that he should have.

I suppose I'll just keep trying!

Thanks!


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## Wyatt Furr (Aug 27, 2005)

Keep Trying!
My first few parties were lightly attended affairs. Half the folks wouldn't show up because,GASP,THEY HAD TO WEAR A COSTUME!!!!!. Umm folks, its a Halloween party, isn't that the point?. I told folks ,"just show up ,I don't care if you dress". That got a few more butts in the seats,also the promise of free food and liquor.....
Then,tell your friends to bring other friends, the more the merrier.


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## Trinity1 (Sep 5, 2009)

Definitely give it another shot! If you enjoyed decorating and the process of getting your house ready...then why not. I know it's a bummer when way less then is expected show up. But honestly, it happens. 

The past year we had our second party, and while the turn out was good...I noticed that people attending didn't seem as into it as they did the year before. Now, the Phillies were playing that night (I'm from Philly) so that had a lot to do with it....everyone seemed glued to the tv instead of mingling and really enjoying themselves. 

I had contemplated not doing a party this coming Halloween. But, once again I've got the bug. I think I'm going to keep it small and only invite a few people that I know will be here and that I know will enjoy my effort. I'm even thinking about doing a Halloween in July party...just so I can get some of the decorations out again  

As far as getting people interested....I'm not one for party games. So we don't do any of that. When did you send out the invites last year? Did you do a save the date type of thing? Or did you start letting people know closer to the party? Maybe doing an earlier "save the date" and then sending out a reminder closer to would help. Also, we had our party ON Halloween last year and this was a problem for some people, especially those with kids. Not sure when you had your party...but could this have been an issue for some of your friends? 

At any rate...as I said above, I definitely think you should give it another go. If you're really worried about doing all the work for nothing...just tone it down a little bit this year. Although it's hard to not go crazy with the decorating once you get started. Believe me...I know


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## Boo Baby (Oct 7, 2008)

I suffered the same fate as you and Frankie last year. Made big plans for my first ever Halloween party, went to tremendous cost and effort and had 5 people show up. I was devastated. The thing with me was not only was I upset about nobody showing, what upset me the most was the fact that I had put *ALL* my effort and attention into the party and my beloved Halloween came and went and I didn't even enjoy it. I felt completely robbed of my favourite night of the year, and the fact that I have children made it all the worse (was impatient and crabby with them because of all the party-stress). I went into mini-depression mode after that night for a good month. 

In my particular instance I will not attempt to throw another Halloween party (not right on Halloween night *FOR SURE*). But I am not adverse to ever throwing one again, just not while my children are still young. 

With all that happy news I do say to you go for it. If you loved the planning and experience then absolutely do not let one disappointing year dampen your spirit.


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## Sahri21 (Oct 16, 2009)

I had my party the week before Halloween. Even though none of my friends have kids I thought it wouldn't be great, besides, I LOVE passing out candy.

I started telling everyone I was planning it at least two months in advance, and passed out the invitations two or three weeks in advance.

Guess it just wasn't the right timing. I invited only the people that I thought would show though, and it turns out there were many more people at work that had wanted to come, but that didn't want to ask if they could or thought they were too old that I didn't invite. I plan on inviting more of them this time, and see what happens.

Now I just need a good theme!


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## fravak (Dec 11, 2006)

It sounds like communication was your biggest reason for people not coming. (On coworker's part, not yours.) Ours was that we planned our party on the same night as an animal shelter charity ball in town that we didn't know about. That kept about a dozen couples away because they had already paid for their tickets by the time they found out about our party. This year, we're doing our party on a Friday night and going to the ball ourselves on Saturday. 

This year, we're also sending out save the date cards in September. We also have two other couples that want to have parties but don't want to interfere with ours, so we're all co-hosting one big bash. I may not know everyone at the party this year, but I'll also only have 1/3 the stress of putting it on.


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## Haunted Dogs (Jun 15, 2007)

You're having a difficult time just getting the people in your door, so you should probably spend some time focusing on how to attract the people and hold their attention. I agree that a "save the date" and a followup invite would be a good idea. A lot of people forget, or initially plan to go but then lose interest or just get distracted before the date. So keep their interest up...make them want to come! You might spend more time than you did in making your invites unique and intriguing. I would suggest that at least until you start getting people to come you might not want to insist that they dress up. We used to insist but gave up on that. If they have enough fun at your party this year then next year they'll WANT to dress up I suspect. Especially if they see that they're about the only ones not dressing. The less intimidated they feel the more inclined they are to come I think.

Of the friends you expected to show but didn't...is there any possibility that you could convince them to help you out in some manner? If you could do that then they'd be sucked into the party and also be more enthusiastic. They might beinclined to invite someone else too. Of course, this all depends on the size of crowd you can handle. 

Over the years we've had a lot of parties, some very well populated and some less so. What I've learned is to prep as much as possible and then just relax and enjoy whoever does show up. I do hope that you get more than 3 people next time, but I also hope that however many people does show up that you're able to relax and enjoy it!

Good luck, and don't give up!


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## Shadowbat (Sep 27, 2009)

Yeah, dont give up. We had a lower than usual turn out last year due to the flu, but that isnt gonna stop me from continuing on.


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## Haunty (May 31, 2006)

Another thing you could try is to send out party invites at least 30 days prior.
Two weeks before the party.. leave a subtle hint such as a small bulk plastic spider with a note "Coming by to hang out?" Include the dates & times. That way it's a reminder & guests have little to no excuses for not attending.


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## Gunner (Sep 13, 2009)

*Skin in the game*

Something that might help is to ask your friends to bring some treats or snack. Let them be 'co-hosts' or similar. If you can get couple of them to bring decorated treats, then you can have a prize! Anything to help the idea stick in their minds.

That being said, I have had a few years of disappointing attendance. This past year I volunteered at a local haunted house that benefits a good cause, and it was a blast! You get to dress up and scare folks as often as you want to, and there is always a group of like minded folks snacking on treats at the end of the night.


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## Halloween Princess (Sep 23, 2008)

I would give it another try. Perhaps the date just didn't work for a lot of people. I think the biggest thing to set the tone is the invitation. I always get creative. Last year was a CD of Halloween songs & the paper insert was the invite. This year'll look like a comic book cover for our heroes & villians theme. 

I think people are so impressed with the invites they want to see what's in store with the rest of the party.


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## Lady Claire (Nov 1, 2009)

You should definitely try again this year! I think there are a couple things that could help with attendance. One thing is, if you have the party on Halloween, sometimes people are less likely to come because they are taking their kids out or handing out candy. Also, written invitations are a must. People forget word-of-mouth invitations practically the second they're told. Another thing is, be specific about the type of party you are having. Will there be movies? Games? Potluck? Prizes? I have been to parties where all these things have really made a difference in attendance.

After that, all you can really do is keep hosting, and eventually, like other people have said, you'll get a reputation for giving great parties. Our family throws a big party every year, and the first couple of years we only had a few people, and hardly anyone in costume, and now it's great!

You can do it!


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## Marie Roget (May 2, 2010)

Really good written invitations are a must, agreed, but email reminder followups have helped us out in the past. Evite has an automatic reminder schedule you can follow up with, also an RSVP list you can check to see who's said they're coming, who's not, & who's foot dragging a little. Evites can be customized with your own Halloween pics, music, etc. to be really eye-catching/humorous, too.

We never hold the party right on Halloween, btw, although a lot of relatives/friends seem to drop by our yard haunt that night anyway- party's always the weekend before. That seems to help with attendance for us. Best of luck with your party turnout this year!

Edited To Add: Making videos/taking lots of pics of partygoers having a good time & emailing them afterwards has really built up our attendance over time. Shows everybody who pooped out on your party what a great time they missed (sort of a "so sorry you couldn't be there, hope you can come join the fun next time" type thing). That plus word of mouth on the great time attendees actually had (with vids & pics to back it up) really has worked wonders for our attendance over the years!


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## Lonescarer (Jun 4, 2009)

I would say try again. I'm about to do my first party and I'm feeling kinda anxious about attendance as well. However, Halloween is my favorite holiday and I know that most of my friends know because they hear me talking about it all the time, so I think they'll be receptive to a party and probably anticipate it being good.

I dunno if you're on Facebook, but making your party an event and inviting people at the end of September is a good idea, as well as messaging people about 2 weeks and then 1 week ahead to remind them. I know that I've forgotten about events before and been very glad to get a reminder so I remember to go.


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## theicewitch (Oct 2, 2008)

OH yea, try again. My attendance was waaaaaaaay down this year due to the flue and conflicts. I wanted to go Oct 23 this year but my cousin decided a couple months ago that would be a great day to get married. So back to Oct 30 for the witch.


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## INDY (Jul 18, 2008)

_If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again !_


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## Peniwize the Clown (Sep 20, 2009)

So to put some stats in the mix:

2006 - about 25 invited, 12 rsvped, 5 showed 
* Learned that we needed to invite more, do more, etc..

2007 - about 30 invited, 6 rsvped, 22 showed (not good for planning)
* Learned that you can't forget RSVP instructions on the invite

2008 - about 58 invited, 37 rsvped, 26 showed
* Learned that as the word spreads, so does your attendance, we amped it up even more for 2009 with LOTS of suggestions from this board.

2009 - about 77 invited, 35 rsvped, 35 showed (not all that rsvped)
* HUGE Hits included:
- 10x $5 DVDs horror based as door prizes. 
- Random death draw upon entry, acted throughout the night, grand prize for best performance was $100 best buy card.
- 5 costume trophies (Scariest, Funniest, Sexiest, Couples, Best Overall) with real trophies that have gotten better each year.
- Karaoke and X-Box Rock Band.

This year, I am planning on inviting about 100 people, and I want about 50 to show up. I may get jinxed and only get like 10 attendees, but I will certainly be reflecting on why and back at it again in 2011!! 

I LOVE THIS HOLIDAY!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

I can understand cancellations if people were under the weather with colds or the flu, in fact I seem to get sick setting up the yard just about every year if the weather's cooler during the days. RSVP helps on an invite but sometime I think people never learned what that meant so I'd include RSVP and the phone number in bold print! I think a reminder call or email a week or two before the event saying your looking forward to seeing them would go along way to cementing the party on their calendar. 

If you don't have a lot of what I'll call "party" friends and/or haven't thrown a fun party before (there's nothing like success to breed success you know), I wonder if the thing to do is to team up with someone else you know who likes halloween parties and co-sponsor one. Double the contacts, and extra help getting things together. Ask friends to bring someone with them (at least they know they will know someone else there), heck start feeling out your friends and acquaintances as to how they feel about halloween parties. Some people are born party people and bring lots of enthusiasm and fun to an event.


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## Peniwize the Clown (Sep 20, 2009)

Something my wife and I were chatting about earlier today was to make the RSVP somehow tied to the door prize drawing. Basically if they RSVP, they get an entry.  Don't know if we will do it - but it's worth a thought.


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## Hallowzeve (Jul 24, 2009)

I've had the same experience for my first party. The important part is to do it for yourself. The other people get to come along for the ride if they choose. Proper planning always helps as well (duh). Early invites w/ a cutoff 2-3 weeks prior for RSVP were a definite help. That way you have time to follow up w/ nonresponders or invite more people. If you have the means, offer prizes for costumes, pumpkin carving, etc. People will see you are willing to go all out to have a great Halloween party. One factor I discovered is party competition. My first year I was set for about 25-30 people and I ended up w/ 7. The reason being is that one of the people I invited was bringing 10 or more people to the party, but they stopped at another one first. Then decided to stay there. Ungh! But it has gotten better each year and the last party I had there was 30 -35 people and it was a great time; best party yet. Keep at it and enjoy yourself each time.


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## zombiefrac (Apr 1, 2007)

everyone has given great suggestions...and i agree try again. i have half of the people i invite show...someone on this forum has a newletter they send out to their guests and one of the suggestions in it is...bring a friend. of course, if your don't want to have strangers in your home, i understand. i personally think it is a great concept because then everyone knows at least one other person at the party. the reason i started doing parties was to invite my neighbors - i live on a new street - and to get to know them. so everyone started out as a stranger anyway. 
people who don't rsvp drive me crazy...you just can't plan properly! so this year rsvping will put you in the drawing for a $50 raffle. i am sure it doesn't have to be that much...any amount of money or prizes will motivate, i think. also, i am having a prize for the best food. and of course, costume prizes. prizes are where most of my money goes for the party. but i collect and space things out throughout the year...i am buying everything on clearance in novemeber for next years party, etc. i can tell you...it gets people through the door. 
dont give up!


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## JahRah (Oct 23, 2009)

Wow, got some great ideas for my party this year! 

I usually do what Gunner suggested, include people in planning it. I ask random friends to help with different aspects of the party. I only let them in on a little, so as not to spoil the surprise about other aspects. It helps create a sense of commitment in them when they are responsible for and help plan different parts. For example, I have a friend help organize "jungle juice". I ask I might as another friend to help me with one of the invitations. I might ask another to help me organize the trophies, or the prizes. Maybe help with food. Maybe help with decorating. etc. Usually, none of the really big things. It usually helps me too, because I can't keep the excitement to myself for that long anyway. 

I also send out three notifications. 1 save the date in september (but it is still a creative invite), 1 invitation at beginning of october (again, creative), and 1 reminder the week before (of course, once again, creative). I don't reveal the theme until then. So, when they find out...it's still relatively fresh and exciting. 

I also act like it's going to be great with everyone there (hopefully it will be, and it should... with all the planning we put into these things). It's like I'm doing them a favor by inviting them, not the other way around . So, I avoid begging or multiple personal conversations about it. Don't want to seem needy.

This year, I think I'm going to add door prizes to my list. I like the $5 dollar dvd idea, Peniwise, as well as a whopper of a prize for the game ($100 !!) .


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## creepyhomemaker (May 10, 2008)

Boo Baby!! said:


> The thing with me was not only was I upset about nobody showing, what upset me the most was the fact that I had put *ALL* my effort and attention into the party and my beloved Halloween came and went and I didn't even enjoy it. I felt completely robbed of my favourite night of the year


This is EXACTLY why I never have my party on Halloween itself.


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## NOWHINING (Jul 25, 2009)

I have to say its either a hit or not that many people showed up. But the main thing is just plain have fun and screw the rest that didnt come. I know, I know, it sound means. But think about it.... LESS woRRYING and LESs Stressful as well.

Reading this makes me worry about My sister and my party this year....


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## Mizerella (Aug 6, 2009)

I'm not doing a party this year. Last year was a lite turnout I know this year would be worse.

I just have a bad feeling. A lot of my friends and I are having a tougher year than any previous (Construction industry in Arizona need I say more?) 

I know a few who are likely to be loosing their homes soon... so no not a good year for people here. 

So I am putting all my effort into TOTs this year. 

My Sister in-law, her husband and teenage kids are keen to do a haunted garage with me. I am excited to finally do a walkthrough haunted house especially since my front yard in our new house is too small for my elaborate yard haunt.


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## kprimm (Apr 3, 2009)

I know this might sound stupid to some of you, but i have soo much decorating and getting ready for my annual party that i really think i would have it even if i knew i was the only one going to show up. I do understand your being dissappointed it is a lot of work, but being such a halloween lover i just have so much fun planning and doing it. I think you should give it another shot. Send cool invitations out early end of september or very beginning of october and tell everyone about the prizes and games and such. Good luck with whatever you decide you to do.


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## Sublime Nightmare (Aug 2, 2009)

Peniwize the Clown said:


> So to put some stats in the mix:
> 
> 2006 - about 25 invited, 12 rsvped, 5 showed
> * Learned that we needed to invite more, do more, etc..
> ...


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

Great ideas here, my suggestions have already been covered.......and I agree, try it again. Have fun! * H1*


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## colmmoo (Jul 23, 2005)

I think that you could have the party again. You'll be amazed at how much more you can do with a smaller group of less than 10. You can make up horror movie quizzes - play snippets on your computer and they write down the movie. Halloween music quizzes. Charades. End the night by watching a horror movie. You should send out your invites way ahead of time - at least a month out - to give them ample time. Then two weeks to the date, start contacting those who haven't RSVP'd. I just wouldn't go all out with the decor, just enough to give the house a Halloween vibe, depending on how many RSVPs you get.


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## HauntedHorror (Aug 8, 2006)

What I am doing this year is telling people about it early, and keep bringing it up, so people don't forget. I also tell people they can bring guests if they want. Last year I had my friends bring a bunch of extra people (who I knew, but not as well) and it was a lot of fun! I also got to know some of them better that way. 
I've started asking people if they're coming to my party this year, and telling them the date. Several people said it was a lot of fun last year and they definitely will be there, and other people have told me they heard about it from other people and were disappointed they missed it last year.

Also it doesn't have to be a big party to be fun. My parties are usually pretty small, but we still have a lot of fun.


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## johnshenry (Sep 24, 2006)

Look at it this way. What are the reasons people won't come to your party:

1. They forgot the date, lost the invite
2. They don't like Halloween, think costumes are stupid, etc
3. They don't like you
4. They have other things planned that night
5. They came last year and really didn't have much fun
6. Other (they are sick, no transportation, whatever)

Now focus on things can you change: 

1. Re-invites, fridge magnets, phone calls etc. May help with #4 also.
5. Ok, hard if your party sucked last year. Try to entice them to come for a "just a bit", and try some new ideas, themes, games, food, etc.

But keep this Golden rule in mind: The PEOPLE make the party, not the props, music, food, lighting, SFX, themes, etc....

2, 3 you can't change, don't bother inviting them.

6 is just s^%t happens, fact of life.

See my post on "The Human Element" for more perspective....


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## darkness (Sep 1, 2005)

Definitely keep trying, I have a party every year and the first several I had very few people show up, now people expect it every year


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## lady jack o lantern (Aug 28, 2008)

Same here, It was my 3rd party last year and only 5 guests showed up  but i am in the middle of planning my party for this year 

So go ahead and plan your party, dont be put off by last year im sure all of your guests will show this time


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## Paul Melniczek (Jun 5, 2009)

Throw one for yourself foremost...Keep the attitude that you're going to have a blast, and nothing will ruin your party. We invited family and friends for years, and a number never bothered responding or came. So we don't invite them anymore. I make new friends all the time, and every year someone new comes over and they love it. Nothing sophisticated, just a lot of cool decorations, fun Halloween food, pumpkin ale, special effects, and atmosphere. A few guessing games with gifts, and haunted house bean bag toss. Even if not a single person showed up, I would still set everything up and have fun by ourselves. Don't be discouraged, it's their loss.

Paul.


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## hattrick10 (Aug 25, 2010)

*First time post! Long time lurker...*

Give it another shot! My parties have dwindled in attendance with age (I am now 31) but i still get decent attendance. I think last year was about 30 (down from 50 in the past) Luckily my wife has a lot of friends! Go BIG with the invites! Usually only about 60% will come for us. I think the key is to create an interactive experience with your guests. In the past I created a website for the party. This year I migrated to Facebook as it seems that is where most people spend their time! I created a facebook group and event. I ask the guests through group discussions to get involved (ie, vote on a theme for this years party, vote on what kind of keg beer to get, etc). I also announce to them all "new" things that will be at this years party. We always give away prizes for the top 3 costumes (usually bottles of booze!). Like some of the members above, we ask all the guest to vote for the top costume. It has actually gotten pretty competitive over the years! (which makes for some awesome costumes). Another key to my parties is music. I built a touchscreen jukebox which lets everyone get involved with the music selection. You can accomplish the same with a computer that you allow the guests to que music on. Of course, we always have a great food spread and ample alcohol (its an adult only party). Hope you get a better turnout this year!


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## harvestmoon (Aug 29, 2010)

Definitely don't give up! This year will be our 3rd Halloween party. The 1st year was great, really fun, decent turn out, but last year was crap. Only a small group showed, and I literally cried, quietly to myself. I worked so hard on decorating and didn't have many people to show it off too. I felt offended. 

But, you know, sometimes things just happen. One thing I try to do with any party is ask your friends when they have plans that month. Or I'll even take a poll of when they would like me to have it. Sounds silly, but if you have a core group of people you definitely want to show up, then it's worth it to slightly work around them. I mean, don't put yourself out of course! but, be flexible if you can 

Keep your chin high though, and give it another shot, I am too


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## ThakingDbb (Aug 27, 2009)

hang in there, i did a party when i turned 20 and only had like 7 people show in costumes, im going on party year number 6 and i have to tell people they cant come. first i would perposely invite half your friends. the other half will be mad they didn't get invited and they'll either call to see why or they'll make such a ruckus it will help the people you did ask remember the party cause that person was bitching about it for 3 weeks. 

gift cards for best costume....ive seen that if there is a possiblity of winning back all or some of the money their spending on a costume their more likely to make really good ones

make your self a great costume, shows people what your expecting.

also plan it in a small place, this forces people to be around each other and not half hide in the kitchen, half in the living room, the other half outside (wait thats too many halfs)

take alot of pictures making it look fun, upload them to you social site (twitter,facebook,myspace etc.) then people will know what their missing. 

i also wouldn't over do props such as bloody zombies and such cause i found if a couple with kids finds it fun they can stop bye for a lil bit with their little ones dress too. (my brother did this twice, kid was dressed like bam bam)

age range it. invite older and younger people. halloween brings out the kid in us all. its makes us all use our imagination. 

my last tip would be make an invite vid or some sort of pic show to give peopel ideas of costumes. i have some people say they arnt coming cause they cant think of anything (this is espcially good if your doing a theme) 

i wish you luck in your party, most my guest just cant wait to get there to see who's what and most won't tell anyone their costume cause they want it to be a secret. these will help you party get up and goin and soon you'll have people talking bout what their coming as next year in january. good luck but def have one.


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## wilbret (Oct 8, 2004)

This is a too common thread on this board... so sad. 

Go with your gut. We scaled back on the food, etc, after having disappointing turnout one year. I think we went from 30 people to 10... but every year, everyone had a blast. 

Crazy thing is, we could light a fire on our patio, buy a bushel of oysters and have 30-40 people show up. People really have a "thing" about Halloween, it is beyond me why some people just can't have a good time.


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## HauntedHorror (Aug 8, 2006)

I don't have a Halloween party, because most of my friends are a religion that doesn't celebrate Halloween. However I love Halloween and scary stuff so I have a horror-movie-watching/"birthday" party instead that just happens to be near Halloween. 
My birthday is actually in July but I have my party in October instead.


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## Zillah (Sep 14, 2008)

It seems to me that a little more than half of the people invited will show up. We invite about 160 families and always fear that we will be mobbed with 500 people, but usually around 300 people attend.

Some things I live by:

Include RSVP instructions with your invitation. I usually set up a separate phone number with voicemail asking how many adults and how many children will be attending.

Follow up! Two weeks before the party, I call everyone who has yet to RSVP and get their status.

Keep the faith! This party started out being about 50 people. Now we have people calling us when they don't get their annual invite!


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## HKitten (Sep 20, 2009)

I worry about this happening to me, so I've already done a 'save the date' for our friends even though there's 6 weeks to go. I was spurred on when one of my friends sent me a text saying 'keep the 30th of oct free!' - she only wants to do a girls night as well so I told her I was planning a party and she's moved hers to the previous week, but it made me think people are already making plans!

Our guest list is only small anyway because we have one massive open plan room downstairs, a conservatory, a bedroom and a bathroom haha! So about 20-25 people max. Hopefully they'll all turn up...


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## colmmoo (Jul 23, 2005)

darkness said:


> Definitely keep trying, I have a party every year and the first several I had very few people show up, now people expect it every year


Same here. We had up to 10 guests at our first party. 5 years later, we're up to 60-70 people. I agree with what someone else said, tell people to bring a friend or two. Like the person above, now everyone expects the party to be held every year. Good luck!


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