Find out how to have a Halloween karaoke party by using themes that can be used as an entertaining event for your guests. The following steps are moderately easy to accomplish. By reading each level of instruction, you will learn how to have karaoke parties for years to come.
Tips
CD+G players are sometimes listed as "CDG" instead depending on the store.
Karaoke Machines can be found for as low as $50 or rented if you do not want to buy them.
Introduction
Hosting the typical Halloween party can get old and boring, which makes karaoke a fun option to include during planning stages. Several days may be needed to gather all of the necessary materials and put up decorations. Karaoke party hosts should also have basic technical knowledge for operating audio and video systems.
Featured Video: Halloween Karaoke Party Ideas
This video features a mixture of performances during one Halloween Karaoke party at a bar. Watch to get ideas on how to set up the stage properly for good acoustics and adequate space between the performer and remaining guests. Many of the performers in this video are dressed in costume, which can also help when choosing themes for a karaoke party.
Step 1: Materials and Equipment for a Halloween Karaoke Party
- Karaoke Machine with CD+G Player
- 19 inch Television or larger with video inputs.
- One Dynamic Wired Microphone
- 5 Different Family Sized bags of Bite Size and Miniature Candy OR One Gallon of Full Sized Candy Packages (M&M's, Twizzlers, etc.) and Candy Bars (Hershey's, Snickers, Butterfingers, etc.)
- One box of assorted cookies
- 24 or more Karaoke Versions of Songs Played around Halloween. Karaoke Versions of the following songs are a start (these music tracks are optional and can be modified to fit the theme of your party): Thriller by Michael Jackson, Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr., The Addams Family by Various Artists, Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett and Superstition by Stevie Wonder.
- One Spotlight
- Smoke Machine
- Party Decorations including streamers and balloons.
- Specialty foods influenced by a theme
- Stopwatch or clock
When purchasing karaoke CDs or individual karaoke tracks, make sure to select items that have CDG tracks for the songs that you will be playing at the party.
After collecting all of the necessary materials, you should have two microphones total, which includes one that came with the Karaoke machine. If the machine package did not include a microphone, you will need to purchase a second wired mic.
Step 2: Planning the Halloween Karaoke Party
- Choose a theme for your Halloween karaoke party.
Your theme will provide further direction on many aspects of the karaoke party including which decorations to pick out and the type of songs that will be played during this event. The party theme can be as simple as one Halloween costume gathering or as specific as television and movie character themes. You can create an entertaining Halloween karaoke party by using themes centered around TV shows or movies including Saw, CSI, Twilight, True Blood, Harry Potter and X-Men.
The themes do not even have to be scary. TV shows and movies such as Sex in the City, The Simpsons, Transformers and even Hannah Montana can be turned into themes for your Halloween karaoke party. Decorate your party location with Halloween decorations and decor that is compatible with a secondary theme, if one has been chosen. Purchase additional Karaoke music tracks that coincide with your theme as well.
- Invitations
Once a theme has been chosen, shop around for invitations that will help guests know what to expect. If the right invitations cannot be found at retail stores, consider making your own. There are lots of online articles and video tutorials that explain how to make fun DIY halloween invitations. If you find difficulty in choosing invitations that represent Halloween and your chosen theme together, send out regular Halloween invitations to guests and write the title of your theme on the invitation. Cook or purchase appetizer style food that goes along with the selected theme for this karaoke party.
- Dress Code
Leave a mandatory note on each invitation that explains the dress code for your Halloween karaoke party. Instruct guests to RSVP along with their chosen costume. Write costume descriptions next to the name of each guest on your invitation list. This will help to make sure that all guests will be wearing something different.
Another option is to assign three costume options to each guest who plans on attending your karaoke party. Only allow entry at your party to guests who are dressed in a costume. This will ensure that no one feels out of place by wearing everyday clothing to the event.
Step 3: Party Entertainment Karaoke Style
- Designate a small stage area at your party location for karaoke performances. If the event is being held in a house, stairs or your family room can be used as a stage.
- Setup your Karaoke machine, TV system and spotlights in the stage area. The lighting should be focused on the main stage only.
- When guests arrive, serve food immediately and give them 30 minutes to socialize and dance while enjoying random Halloween music. Spread out your mixture of candy and cookies on a table. After the half-hour has passed, instruct guests that they will have to earn their candy and cookies for dessert.
- Announce a list of the Karaoke songs that you have available for guests to sing on your stage. Assign one song to each guest in the order that he or she arrived to your Karaoke party. Introduce each guest by name followed by the titled of his or her costume to the audience at your party. Operate the karaoke machine during each performance.
Another option that you can try is instructing each guest to pick one song title out of a hat or decorated cauldron. Their selections will determine the song that has to be performed in an attempt to reap rewards in candy. Make a list of the guests and their selected performances in the order that they are received.
Allow guests who complete their karaoke performances to have 10 pieces of dessert before the next person or group is scheduled to sing. This can be a combination of cookies and candy if desired. Setup a strict time frame of 10-15 seconds for guests to select their snacks from the dessert table.
