Your safe swimming pool may help you beat the summer heat, but it can also be a great place to host a Halloween pool party your guests will love. For many people, Halloween is their favorite season, encompassing more than just one measly evening. That means there are plenty of products available for decoration, Halloween pool games, and themed refreshment opportunities for a would-be host who wants to create an event that will be a highlight of the holiday. With the right guidance, there’s no reason to fear–just be confident in your scary good pool party.
Making Sure You Have The Right Kind Of Frights
Your Halloween pool party can have plenty of fun and spooky moments, but one terror you don’t want is an accidental drowning. Parties can be dangerous around the pool at any age. Children’s parties feature a lot of overworked parents trying to keep track of a throng of active kids. Adult parties often come with adult beverages, which can lead to compromised judgment. Thousands of people lose their lives to drowning every year and even more seek medical help for injuries sustained in and around pools. Make sure you have safety barriers in place to help prevent accidental drownings.
A lack of safety barriers is a contributing cause in the majority of accidental drownings. Installing effective pool safety barriers helps you deter unsupervised access to your swimming pool. This can help prevent kids from entering the pool area without an adult being aware while also giving adults who may not have the mental or physical abilities to use the pool safely from ending up in a dangerous situation. When it comes to pool protection, you have several options.
- Removable Mesh Pool Fencing – Your pool fence should be your first line of defense when it comes to protecting your swimming pool area. Using strong poles, a self-closing gate, and fabric that deters climbing, this fencing is flexible protection year-round. For smaller pool parties, the fence can be decorated to add to the atmosphere, but larger events that need more space can see the fence taken down and stored while the pool is in use before being reinstalled in minutes once it’s time to close the pool.
- Swimming Pool Safety Covers – Safety covers use strong material anchored around your deck to create a barrier between potential drowning victims and the water. This is the additional protection your Halloween pool party needs if you’re going to move your pool fence out of the way.
- Pool Safety Nets – Similar to a safety cover, your net is anchored around the pool and will prevent unsupervised access to the water, making it another great option if you’ll be removing your pool fence to make room for Halloween pool games. It also offers more flexibility to work with odd pull shapes and installed accessories.
Horror-fying Your House
The spooky atmosphere is part of what sets a Halloween pool party apart from your average, everyday swimming pool event. That means creating a setting that sets the mood for partygoers.
- Lighting Up The Night – Festive lighting is popular at Halloween parties. From light-up inflatables that use small air pumps to create larger-than-life creatures to string lights that can be hung around the house, you have plenty of options. It’s important to remember, however, that only lighting designed for use around water should be close to your swimming pool. Electricity and water can be a fatal combination you don’t want at your Halloween pool party.
- The Spookiest Playlists – Whether you want to provide sound effects for your Halloween pool games or just want some light music while partygoers mingle, the right playlist can go a long way toward making your party a hit. Consider what kind of party you want to throw. If you want a truly spooky event, sound-effect heavy lists that send shivers down your spine may be just right, but for fun, light-hearted kids’ parties, perennial favorites like Monster Mash and Walk Like An Egyptian are the campy, catchy tunes everyone can enjoy.
- A Pool To Die For – Your pool area can get in on the decoration act, but make sure the decor doesn’t put your swimmers in danger. Skeletons and spiderwebs can be set up in and around poolside furniture. Other inflatable and outdoor decor items can be strategically positioned throughout the backyard area for maximum effect, and gardens can be dressed up with fake tombstones. For water-bound decor, non-toxic glowsticks in plastic jack-o-lanterns float well, or add some ghostly hands to your pool by putting the glowsticks in medical gloves and blowing them up before tying them off. Just remember, anything that goes into the pool should be rinsed first.
Feeding Your Fiends
What is a Halloween pool party without fun food to add to the festivities? For your pool party, stick to favorites that aren’t overly messy or likely to end up in the pool.
- Mummy Dogs -This fun seasonal take on pigs-in-a-blanket is perfect for kids and young adults. Wrap hot dogs or mini-sausages in biscuit or crescent roll dough before baking to create a mummy-like appearance.
- Spooky Concoctions – Halloween punch comes in many varieties. Mix and match your favorite sherbert flavors with your preferred lemon-lime soda or ginger ale to create your own special “witch’s brew.”
- Creative Charcuterie and Viscious Vegetables – For more mature pool party guests, meats, cheeses, and veggies are pool party planning favorites. Let your creativity run wild while laying out cheese ghosts, constructing veggie faces, and letting our your inner darkness with fruit-based fiends.
- BRAINS!!!!!! – Make your favorite cupcakes and choose a pink or white frosting to top them using a narrow cake decorator’s cone. Apply the frosting in small zig-zags and folds with a clear part down the middle, like a brain. After the frosting is set, brush on a light coating of red glaze to give it a horrifying appearance fit for cannibalistic connoisseurs.
Guiding Your Ghouls
An important part of Halloween pool party organization is planning activities and managing your guests. It’s important to understand your goals for the party and have Halloween pool games and activities planned out, but remember to stay flexible enough to let the party flow so guests don’t feel like they’re being rushed along a rigid itinerary.
- Timing The Terror – Communicate to guests clearly the times the party is starting and stopping, but don’t forget to give general guidance for other events. Will there be a set time for games to begin? Are you stopping the pool party on Halloween night so kids can go trick or treating? Are you planning to migrate inside for a movie marathon? Giving guests a general idea of your planned schedule helps avoid surprises and lets each guest get the most out of their time with you.
- Fearsome Frolicking – Plan out your Halloween pool games and activities. Cath the Invisible Man (Marco Polo) is a familiar start, but there’s always room to incorporate costume contests, diving challenges, and out-of-the-pool activities, like pumpkin carving and bobbing for apples.
- Protecting Your Partiers – Your most important job is making sure everyone is safe during the festivities. Make sure your first aid kit is well-stocked and all emergency rescue equipment is clearly marked and ready for use. Talk to your guests about pool party safety rules, ensure someone is always watching the water, and make sure alcohol consumption–if allowed–remains within sensible limits. For safety, only pool-appropriate costumes should enter the water, as some features could become entanglement concerns, and if a guest isn’t sure their makeup is water-safe, they should use a make-up remover and rinse before swimming. This is why it’s usually best to plan any costume judging early in the event.
- Stick Together – Horror movie aficionados know not to split up, and your Halloween pool party isn’t the time to go solo. Don’t be afraid to ask people to bring items, aid in set up and clean up, or serve as a designated water watcher. This helps create a fun, safe event for everyone.
- Be Ready For A Reboot – At Halloween, the season is changing, night falls earlier, and there can be a chill in the air. This may be the last time you get to host a party before it’s time to winterize your pool. Be ready with alternatives if the weather doesn’t cooperate, whether in the form of a haunted-house-worthy lightning storm or temperatures that are far too low for comfortable swimming.
Make Sure Your Pool Is Spooky Safe
Your local pool safety expert loves a good party, and they’re ready to help you make sure your pool is up to the task. When you schedule a free estimate, they’ll take measurements and help design a pool safety plan that still lets you plan a Halloween pool party you can be proud of without compromising on your loved ones’ safety. Call and request your free quote from Lifeguard on Duty today.
