How does your family carve their Halloween pumpkins? Growing up, it was a family tradition that we carved our pumpkins with our siblings a few nights before Halloween, cooked the seeds and enjoyed the light from our jack-o-lanterns until October 31st. It wasn’t until I was older until I was invited to a Pumpkin Carving Party and I just thought it was the cutest fall gathering; and have been hosting my own ever since.
A Pumpkin Carving Party is a great alternative to a fall festival and can be as large or exclusive as you want it to be. You can limit it to immediate family or invite a few neighbors. We live in a great neighborhood where there are a lot of young kids who are close in age, so we open it up to the entire ‘hood. I love watching the kids come back each year with new ideas and creativity. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to get the parents together!
 Kids from our neighborhood at one of the Pumpkin Carving Parties we hosted. |
 We keep it simple by setting up tables and chairs in the yard for easy clean up. |
 I love when kids (and adults) come dressed for the part in their Halloween gear or even their costumes! |
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Do you want to start a new tradition and host your own Pumpkin Carving Party? It's simple!
Supplies Needed:
- Tables and chairs
- Disposable table cloths
- Pumpkin carving supplies
- Pencils and/or markers for tracing
- Toothpicks
- Paper towels
- Buckets or garbage for gunk
- Strainer for seed saving
- Glow sticks for safe lighting inside the pumpkins
How to host a PCP
- Make a guest list. Are you doing this with your family and a few friends or starting a neighborhood tradition?
- Decide what you will supply to your guests. We do a BYOP (Bring your own Pumpkin) but provide all the carving supplies (I typically stock up on new ones each year on clearance at the end of the season). I usually grab a few extra pumpkins from Aldi’s for $2.98 because with all the kids we have, there’s bound to be a casualty. Because we have such a broad range of ages, I like to provide paint and stickers for the little hands that might not fare well with the jigsaw or drill that the men usually bring out.
- Plan a menu and keep it simple - you don’t want to be in and out of the kitchen all night with pumpkin gunk on your hands. Our menu varies every year, but there are a few things you can probably count on if you’re coming: My mom has this amazing hot dog roller, so it’s been tradition for us to throw hot dogs on there, so our guests can help themselves. My neighbor has this super fun popcorn machine, so we throw that in the mix too. Lastly, the most asked for beverage of the season, my Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea. Our guest bring side dishes or desserts to share but overall, it's casual eats.
- Determine a date and time that works for you and your guest. I suggest picking a day within 7-10 days of Halloween so that your pumpkin doesn’t rot before then. We host our PCP outside, so we need to make sure it is early enough that we have adequate light. We typically do it early evening, so it’s after nap time and everyone gets to see the carved pumpkins lit up before they go home.
- Create a cute invitation and send it out 2-3 weeks in advance. October can get busy with festivals and fairs, so you want to make sure your event makes the cut.
- On the day of the party, set up some folding tables outside and cover them with some type of table covering (newspaper, butcher paper, plastic table cloth). You can get disposable plastic tablecloths for less than $1 at Walmart or the Dollar Store. Don't forget an outdoor garbage can!
Sometimes the kids prefer to paint and decorate their pumpkin vs carving it! - Set up your tables with your supplies listed above.
- If you have any extra fall decorations, create a photo backdrop where families and friends can snap their fall family photo. A few bales of hay and a few cornstalks can usually do the trick!
- Now sit back and watch the spooky fun unfold as family and friends gather to create their one-of-a-kind masterpieces! Check out How to Carve a Perfect Pumpkin for some carving tips and tricks!
