Throw the Ultimate Disney Hocus Pocus-Themed Party

Decorate a Disney Hocus Pocus Halloween party tree

Why does all the tree fun have to wait until the end of the year? Short answer: it doesn’t. And you don’t have to go looking for a 7-foot fir—a small, table-size tree works fine for both indoor and outdoor Halloween settings.

To give it the right vibe, start with a black mini tree or use a large branch with no foliage, for a more grim look. Then just add Disney Hocus Pocus ornaments! Check out this bubbling cauldron and this one featuring Winifred Sanderson in flight. Big fan of a particular Sanderson sister? Find Sarah, Winifred and Mary ornaments for your collection. You can add a one-of-a-kind touch to your tree by customizing this Disney Hocus Pocus Metal Ornament. It’ll look magical!

Want to make Halloween trees a yearly thing?

We like your style! You’ll find plenty of Halloween ornaments here, from pumpkins, witches, spiders and more to pile on the fright!

Create a movie-worthy scene

Grab a 3D pop-up card featuring a cauldron, black cat, potions and the Sanderson Sisters. Place this in the centre of your snacks table, then shake things up by adding the glittery, light-up water globe. 🔮

Make it clear from curbside that your place is Halloween central with these ideas. It’ll be a scream!

Begin the fun before guests get to the door.

Start with this Halloween Sidewalk Obstacle Course, and switch out some of the classic pumpkin drawings with some icons from the movie, like a black-flame candle, a one-eyed spellbook, black cats and more.

Have an outdoor projector play Disney Hocus Pocus (or Disney Hocus Pocus 2)!

While you will need a projector and a power source, the screen offers some options. You can use an actual projector screen, or you can opt for a vinyl tarp. Or, to give it a more whimsical look, simply project it right onto a wall. It’ll look pretty cool once the moon is at full glow.

Carve up some fun.

These outrageously ghoulish pumpkins will give your front step the perfect seasonal vibe. Place them along a walkway or near the door. The efforts will pay off with the oohs, ahhs and eeks from your guests.

Decorate your door like a giant spell book.

Guests will feel they’re stepping inside the magic. Use a rich brown shade of wrapping paper for the background. Use blue card stock for the eye, and the doorknob itself can double as the book’s lock.

Add more texture to your front door spell book

Try braiding paracords and gluing them around the eye to give it shape. Then creatively glue more braids around the journal cover. Cut shorter strips of unbraided paracord to place at a slant around the sides to create a stitching effect.

Want more? Swap the regular porch light bulb for a shade of purple.

Spellcasting burns a lot of energy! Choose from these Disney Hocus Pocus Halloween party food ideas—selections vary from healthy and cute to sweet and scary, so guests stay pumped for the movie.

Banana Witch Fingers

Slice a banana in half and then quarter the halves, lengthwise. Make a deliciously decayed fingernail by pressing a candy corn onto the narrow end of each banana slice. A variation on fingers is Banana Ghosts. Supercute and super fun. Take half a banana and add chocolate chips to create eyes and a mouth.

Witches’ Brooms

You’ll need string cheese and pretzel sticks for this one. Take a string cheese stick and cut it into thirds. Peel or cut one side just a little—not all the way to the end since the end gives stability to the “broomstick” pretzel. Poke the pretzel in and you’re done!

Mini “Pumpkins”

If you want something healthy and so simple you can’t believe it, peel some small tangerines. Presto! You’re done, and you’ve got yourself some cute pumpkins. Sometimes witchin’ is easy.

Need more fun food ideas?

Pick and choose from these sweets to add some variety to your treats table. Recipes range from wipe-it-clean easy to small-dishwasher-load effort. All worth the extra hocus pocus.

• Jack O’Lantern Cupcakes—Adorable, silly and cake-mix-easy.
• Graveyard Pudding Cups—Put a ghoulish spin on the classic dirt-and-worms treat.
• Skeleton Cupcakes—Get the kids involved in decorating for extra fun.
• Candy Corn Marshmallows—Hold on to your broom. The cute factor will make you float.
• Caramel Apples—Add salty to sweet in three easy steps.
• Spiderweb Cake—Buttercream frosting and marshmallow webbing give a sweet scare.
• Cookies and Scream Halloween Popcorn—Cookie dust and green-tinted almond bark make a monster mix.

We have plenty of party-worthy drink ideas to keep guests from becoming too parched from all the screams. These drinks are adaptable for kids and adults so witches of most ages can stay hydrated.

• This Witch’s Brew Halloween Punch is a potion as potent as you like. To keep it kid-friendly, only use the chilled apple cider and peeled apples.
• Make this delicious White Hot Chocolate a drink of the night by serving it up in inexpensive Halloween mugs.
• Since snow cones are never truly out of season, grab an inexpensive machine, or use a blender to create the snowy effect with ice. Scoop ice into cups and add colourful flavourings in Disney Hocus Pocus colours. Find dark-coloured cups to give each concoction a cauldron-potion effect.
• For kids’ beverages, bring in a large cauldron, add ice and fill it with pre-packaged boxes and pouches.

Indeed, All Hallows’ Eve has become a night of frolic, and that’s a good thing! In fact, we came up with a bunch of extra-frolicky ideas, Sanderson Sisters-style, of course. Witch hats are trending, and these easy ideas gamify the essential witch’s accessory to make sure your Disney Hocus Pocus Halloween party casts a spell to remember.

Games

• Witch Freeze Dance: Put on fun Halloween music for all the witches to dance to (check out our Spotify playlist). Stop the music at different times, abruptly, and let witches freeze as if under a sudden, potent spell! Whoever is caught moving is out of the game. Last witch standing wins a prize.
• Witch’s Broomstick Limbo: Cue the music! Then grab a broomstick and see how low they can go. 🧹
• Musical Witches: Like musical chairs with a witchy twist. Use inexpensive witch hats (use one less than participating guests) and have kids (or adults!) walk around the hats to Halloween music (see our Spotify playlist link). When the music stops, players grab a hat! Whoever doesn’t get a hat is out.
• Witch Hat Ring Toss: Place black sport cones on a piece of plywood or on the ground. Draw a circle around each base and paint it black to create the hat’s “brim” for a clever, perfectly witchy look. Next, buy some tossing rings that fit around the cones. Set a throwing line and see who makes the most shots. Vary the level of difficulty by placing hats closer or further from the line.
• Cauldron Toss: Lay a large, flat paper witch hat on the floor as a centrepiece, and set mini cauldrons around it. Participants toss candy corns, jellybeans or other small candies to see who can make the most into the cauldrons. Partying with a competitive group? Give each person their own colour of bean to get a super-accurate tally!

Alternate ideas for Musical Witches: Use one hat or a broom and pass it around the circle—the last person touching the hat or broom is out. You could also go classic and use chairs, but keep the fright by decorating them.

Creepy-cool prize ideas

*Dramatic sigh* Sometimes a witch just wants to be rewarded for a solid effort—especially when there’s a win involved! Reward prizes to your game contestants, and if you want to spread the winnings, announce winners podium style and have tiered prizes at the ready for first, second and third places.

Check out these prize ideas for kids:

• sticker sheets
• toy cars
• small journals
• Crayola crayons and markers, or Glitter Magnetic Tiles
• slime
• Silly Putty®
• kinetic sand
• picture books or chapter books
• snacks, from candies to baggies of pretzels
• take-home crafts
• plushies

Pro tip: Add an extra layer of mystery by wrapping prizes and giving game winners the option to choose a surprise. Incentivize going the mystery route by making those prizes a little extra! Think two prizes instead of one or adding a candy treat to a toy or book.

Adult prize ideas

This broom can fly in many different directions…but here are some ideas to put some creative wind under your bristles:

• the latest trending novel
• let the next activity be winner’s choice
• tarot cards
• ornaments
• small-increment gift cards for a cup of coffee or tea or bakery treat
• lip balm
• nail polish
• chocolates

Add a surprise element by writing each prize on an individual slip of folded paper and mixing them up in a purple or green gift bag. Whatever the winner picks, the winner gets. Throw in some intangibles, like winner gets to choose a new mantra-of-the-hour, or have one prize with a note that the winner can wait until all other prizes are given and trade with anyone else (new recipient doesn’t get the note though!).

Activities

• Witch crafts. Come on, we had to! 😂 Crafts are a crowd pleaser for a range of ages! Get some plain witch hats and craft supplies like glue, glitter, beads and colourful paper cutouts, and let the creativity…well, fly.
• Conjour up colorful fun. You could also have guests pose with a witch hat and upload their photos. Print them out and display coloured pencils (including many shades of green and purple) with panache. Turn it into a contest and see who can come up with the silliest, witchiest or most creative piece of art.
• Watch Disney Hocus Pocus and/or Hocus Pocus 2. Have blankets and snakes—er, snacks—at the ready. To set a scary comfy scene, try one or a few cauldron pillows. The bubbling magic potion lights up to create a thrilling ambiance for your movie viewing.
• Disney Hocus Pocus-themed bingo. Make identical lists of phrases and sightings from the original Disney Hocus Pocus or Hocus Pocus 2 and pass them out at movie time. First one to mark off all items wins!

Inclusivity tips

These easy, thoughtful steps will help make kids and adult guests who have sensory sensitivities feel welcome.

• Adjust television brightness and volume to comfortable levels. Check in with guests to make sure the levels are working for them.
• Introduce games one at a time and in an orderly fashion to keep from overwhelming.
• Offer some food options with simple flavours. Additionally, you can ask in advance about aversions to food textures and spices.
• Likewise, if you choose to light candles, consider going with unscented.
• Designate a quiet space in case a guest needs a less stimulating environment for a bit.
• When guests RSVP, ask if there are sensory considerations they’d like to offer.

Looking to set the mood with some nostalgia before the movie starts? Add these songs to your playlist for the night and wait for the moment your friends exclaim, “Oh my gosh, this song!”

Friends Music List

• “I Put a Spell on You,” Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
• “Thriller,” Michael Jackson
• “My Boo,” Ghost Town DJs
• “One Way or Another,” Blondie
• “Party Ain’t a Party (edited),” Queen Pen
• “This is How We Do It,” Montell Jordan
• “Wannabe,” Spice Girls
• “Hand in My Pocket,” Alanis Morissette
• “Lovelight,” Robbie Williams
• “Whoomp! There It Is,” Tag Team

If you’re throwing a party for all ages, mix in some songs that are serious fun for kids at Halloween. Yes, “Thriller” is on both lists. It’s so you can teach them the dance!

Kids Monster Jam

• “Thriller,” Michael Jackson
• “Zoombies,” The Pop Ups
• “Monster Shuffle,” Pinkfong
• “Somebody’s Watching Me,” Rockwell
• “I Put a Spell on You (Hocus Pocus Single),” Andrea Mazzarino
• “Guess Who?” Pinkfong
• “Monster Mash,” Bobby Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

For more music (and less effort), check out Hallmark’s Halloween playlist on Spotify, “Trick or Treat,” coming in October!

I’m all for a reason to keep it casual. I go through dressy phases, but that’s not where I am right now. I’m all about comfort these days. And there are some great, comfy ways to dress up in theme for the night that aren’t time-consuming or a big deal. Check out these fun, simple and customizable ideas and take it as far as you want.

(Winifred) Blanket yourself with character

The viral social media sensation that completely sold out last year…is back! Keep Halloween thrills and chills under control with the Winifred Hooded Blanket. The blanket comes with a hood that doubles as a “hairdo” in the double-bun Winifred style. Add these “Amuck!” socks for a surprise pop of colour beneath.

Homemade Halloween Costumes

Check out these dead-easy kids’ costume ideas! If you’re handy with a sewing machine, you could alter the colour scheme and ears of these ideas to create an adorable black cat costume out of a sweatshirt, pants and a few sheets of felt.

To skip the sewing but keep the general look and feel of this one, substitute a hot-glue gun for stitching or pick up a pair of black sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Use face paint to draw on cat whiskers…no type of machine needed.

By the way adults, this works for you, too! And for adult costume ideas so simple it’s scary, check out these 10 Halloween costumes.

Stitchless Witch Capes

“Come, we fly!” (You knew I’d work that in somewhere, right?) Make capes in Disney Hocus Pocus character colours: purple, red and green. Just grab material from a fabric shop and fasten at the neck. If you really want to be extra (but in a good way), carry a broom.

Dress in a Sanderson Sister’s signature colours

Try an emerald-green sweater, dress or jogging outfit to bring out your inner Winifred. Choose from pinks, purples and oranges to channel Sarah. Think browns, reds, and bright shades of orange for Mary. This is even more fun when you have two friends join in for a combined effect!