Celebrate spooky season with these seven sober Halloween activities for York students

When living in York, you quickly become aware of the city’s wacky personality. Amongst all of its quirks, nothing quite compares to the level of commitment to Halloween and all things eerie. Upholding its reputation as one of the most haunted cities in Europe, the city has over 500 spotted hauntings, making it the perfect place to celebrate the spooky season.

Now, for many students, the Halloween period naturally becomes a hectic chain of events… Halloween parties are thrown left, right and centre, “pres” turns into “Halloween cocktails”, and revision is side-tracked for endless hours spent trying to find the perfect Halloween costume.

Whilst I’m never opposed to dressing up and public embarrassment, the 31st of October always seems to come with unnecessary stress, way too much alcohol and very late nights. So, instead, here are some wholesome, sober activities you can try out with your housemates this year for a more subtle and calm Halloween.

Paint each other (Tim Burton edition)

Feeling artsy? If so, you must give this challenge a go!

This is such an easy and affordable activity and such a fun way to spend the evening with your housemate. By adding the theme of “Tim Burton” or “Tim Burton characters”, it instantly turns this simple task into a super witty and interactive Halloween challenge to get you and your house into the ghastly spirit. And since not everyone is blessed with artistic genes, I can assure you that it will be one of the funniest nights you have with your housemates!

Glass painting and mocktail making

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For those who are still feeling like being a bit bougie, perhaps an evening of painting wine glasses and enjoying some mocktails would be appealing (it certainly was for me).

I recently did this with my girlfriends, and we had such an uplifting evening. We whacked on the Halloween tunes, lit all the candles we owned and transformed our kitchen into a Halloween oasis! As well as this, this gives you the perfect opportunity to test out your cocktail skills and to experiment with some new festive flavours. I wonder if you could make a pumpkin spice mocktail?

All you are going to need are some drinking glasses (glass or plastic, whichever you prefer), paints, and mocktail ingredients. You could even scroll Pinterest for some ghostly painting inspiration. 

Crafts nights

My housemate recently received this crochet kit for her birthday, which really made me want to host a Halloween-inspired crafts night. This would be such a calming and therapeutic way to spend Halloween if you are looking for something more low-key.

If you are like me and lack artistic skill, you could just simply put on a spooky film in the background and learn from the others! Just look at the little pumpkins she made, how could you possibly say no to them?

Halloween baking

If you yourself are not feeling like dressing up this year, then how about dressing up your desserts?

We made these super cute white chocolate ghosts to add that extra bit of Halloween flare to our bakes; they require very minimal effort and supplies yet are so effective! You could use this as a solo activity and surprise your housemates with some Halloween-y treats or get all together and host a Halloween Bake Off.

Whichever you choose, the important thing is that in the end, you will be left with some delicious treats. It’s a win-win!

Movie marathon

I know that this seems like an obvious and basic activity, but it’s just a classic!

When has a movie marathon ever let us down? For me, it’s the nostalgic films such as Hocus Pocus, Casper and The Nightmare Before Christmas that will forever win supremacy over more gruesome horror films.

There is just something so warm and fuzzy about 90’s Halloween films – if you know, you know.

However, if you’re looking to do something more exciting than just bingeing movies, then a fun way you can switch it up is by hosting a “bring a Halloween board” to movie night! This is super entertaining and will, without a doubt, elevate a simple evening watching films.

@katierosecullen

BRING A BOARD – spooky edition 👻 Such a fun girls night!

♬ Halloween ・ cute horror song – PeriTune

Halloween themed dinner party

@phoebejones_19

your sign to have a halloween girls night🫶🏼👻 #fyp #halloween #girlsnight #girldinner #pumpkin #ghost #spookyseason

♬ original sound – 🎃🎄

For the more sophisticated houses or those looking for something to host which is not necessarily a party, then a themed dinner is a great option.

This is such a great way to get all your housemates involved with some Halloween fun and a wholesome alternative to all the chaos that comes with throwing a house party. This way, you can spend the day decorating your house, cooking an autumnal dinner and then sitting all together and enjoying a lovely Halloween-esque candle-lit meal! This will not disappoint.

Hunt out the best decorated houses

If actually, you don’t fancy celebrating Halloween this year but feel like you owe it to yourself to do something, going on a late night stroll to spot some cute decorations is a great option! This is a super quick and low commitment way to get in that ghostly spirit, and it is completely free! My housemates and I went in our pyjamas and honestly had such a funny evening. You’ll be surprised how much a fake clown and hanging skeleton can give you a jump scare.

As a student myself, I know that the pressure to drink and go out is very much real, especially with events like this. But there are so many ways in which you can enjoy Halloween, in a sober, easy-going way, which are just as enjoyable, if not more! Halloween is lurking around the corner, so go home and plan some of these with your flat and enjoy a wholesome, cosy evening.