Pumpkin Carving Party Essentials

Written By Jaimie Cura (Patch Staff)

There are just some things that are better done as a group and pumpkin carving is one of them! (So is writing Christmas cards but that’s a post for another day!)

Below is a list of the essentials you need for an awesome jack-o-lantern party, from carving patterns to easy food and drink recipes. If you’re having trouble seeing the list below, click here to visit it directly.

Every year I have a pumpkin carving party and it’s a BYOP affair (bring your own pumpkin). I have carving tools available and we all share, so I tell people they can bring tools if they want to use their own.

People can also bring artificial pumpkins and carve those. A Halloween playlist for background music is all you need to help set the atmosphere!

Items To Help Things Run Smoothly

• Festive, inexpensive tablecloths on tables or the floor (for easy clean-up)
• Sturdy knives to cut into the pumpkin
• Scissors (to cut pumpkin carving patterns to fit the pumpkins)
• Tape (to secure patterns to pumpkins)
• Tealight candles or glowsticks for the finished jack-o-lantern

Once guests are done carving pumpkins, part of the fun is turning off the lights and taking a picture of the glowing, ghoulish sight! Bonus points if you can get a whole line of pumpkins to pose for a picture!

Have a carving tip to share? Favorite Halloween recipe? Awesome pumpkin pattern? Share photos, links and ideas in the comments below — and Happy Halloween!

Photo by Nomadic Lass, via flickr creative commons