If you heard people screaming, glasses smashing, and constant giggling last night… yeah, that was probably us. Second year has officially peaked: We hosted the ultimate Halloween house party – and honestly, we’re still recovering (emotionally, physically, and from the alcohol).
I refuse to let the winter blues take over just yet. Let this house party be your inspo for next year, to go all out on those costumes and hosting skills.
The Prep: Pinterest boards and Poundland panic
It all started a month ago when we decided to host a party for Halloween. Now that we all live in separate houses in the city and not a ten second walk across East, we wanted to have everyone together for an amazing night of costumes, chaos and cocktails.
Within minutes, we were deep into professional planning mode. Guest list? Curated. Sequin curtain? Ordered. Fairy lights? Untangled. Pumpkin-shaped sweets? Absolutely necessary. Fake eyeballs everywhere? Casual.
By Friday night, our student house looked like a haunted mansion with a perfect Instagram backdrop. The digital cameras were the only things fed that night (apart from our livers of course). The drinks table was the real centrepiece: A blood-red punch (wine, cranberry juice and some vodka) with floating plastic eyeballs (blueberries frozen in ice) was a fun addition to the already stocked “Potion Bar”.
The Costumes: Chaos and commitment
Second year students do not mess around with costumes. My friends all understood the assignment by dressing up: Everyone was so creative and fun. My housemates and I turned into Snow White, a Pirate, character from the Sinners film, Mrs Smith (with the adjoining couples costume), and Cleopatra, instead of our usual names.
One of us matched with our boyfriend/girlfriend, others had coordinating group costumes and some stole the spotlight for themselves. We had everyone from Paddington Bear to Peaky Blinders to Egyptian Goddesses to Victoria Secret Angels all congregated in our living room having the best social night of the year.
The Party: The peak of chaos
By ten PM, the living room was packed, drinks were flowing, the kitchen was a makeshift dance floor, and someone had already started a “Thriller” dance circle. People we hadn’t seen since first year appeared out of nowhere – how do these parties always multiply even though we had the guest list secured?
Gossip spread like wildfire and laughs became infectious. There were spilled drinks (RIP to the carpet), a mysterious disappearing sunset lamp, and a late-night McDonald’s order that could’ve fed the entire street. But between the laughter, quick costume touch-ups, and dramatic group selfies on a million digital cameras, it felt like one of those classic uni nights we’ll still be talking about at graduation.
The morning after: Carnage and content
The next day looked like a crime scene to say the least: Glitter on every surface, remains of hairspray sticking to foreheads, and an impressive number of half-empty cans and smashed wine bottles. But as we sat surrounded by empty cups, with banging headaches, scrolling through the billions of photos and videos, we realised we’d actually pulled it off.
Final Thoughts
Hosting a Halloween house party was chaotic, loud, and slightly sticky (thanks to the extensive amount of wine), but also unreal. There’s something about dressing up, decorating, and dancing in your own kitchen with your favourite people that just sums up uni life perfectly. Now I feel ready to dust off the baubles, hang some tinsel and spend my entire bank account on festive hot chocolates.
