This is Summerween! Creative Ways to Celebrate a New Summer Favorite

Does it ever feel like one Halloween just isn't enough? Well, now you have an excuse to celebrate it twice—enter Summerween!

Summerween is a holiday concept that brings the fun of Halloween to the summer season. This holiday lets you pick your favorite Halloween traditions and turn them into a summer event. Instead of waiting for the temperatures to drop before carving your pumpkins, swap the pumpkin for a melon and jump on this trend! In this post, we'll share ideas about celebrating Summerween and making it your favorite summer tradition.

What is Summerween?

The idea of Summerween started from a Disney TV series called Gravity Falls, where the residents of this fictional town loved Halloween so much that they celebrated twice a year. The episode featuring Summerween premiered in 2012, and since, Summerween has been a niche but growing trend. In the past few years, social media, influencers, and retailers have really started embracing the holiday.

When Do You Celebrate Summerween?

In the TV show Gravity Falls, this holiday was celebrated on June 22nd. Fans of Summerween often celebrate in June or July depending on personal preference. However, there is no official date and you can celebrate Summerween anytime during the summer months. Summerween is more about capturing the essence of enjoying the thrill of Halloween scares while embracing summer's sunny, carefree vibes. This allows lovers of all things Halloween to celebrate in other ways. Bonus points as Summerween also gives us a reason to put up our indoor decor months earlier in the year. Don't forget to check out our curated indoor Halloween decor and other Halloween collections for your celebrations.

How to Celebrate Summerween

Summerween is the perfect blend of spooky and sunny, bringing the eerie fun of Halloween to the warm, carefree days of summer. Whether you're hosting a party, planning a cozy night in, or just looking for creative ways to celebrate, there are plenty of ways to get into the Summerween spirit. Here are some fun ideas to make your midsummer haunt a memorable one!

Summery Spin on Halloween Traditions

Halloween might be months away, but that doesn't mean you can't embrace the spooky vibes with a summer twist. By blending classic Halloween traditions with beachy, tropical elements, you can create a unique and festive Summerween celebration.

Carve a Jack-o'-Melon

Why wait until fall to carve a jack-o'-lantern? Swap out pumpkins for watermelons, cantaloupes, or even pineapples to create glowing faces with a refreshing twist. Watermelon jack-o'-lanterns have a unique look and double as a delicious snack—scoop out the insides to make a fruit salad or a spooky-themed punch. You can also make it a competition with friends and family, awarding prizes for the spookiest and most creative designs.

Bonfire Ghost Stories

There's nothing like gathering around a crackling fire to tell spooky tales, but for Summerween, add a beachy twist! Light up the fire pit, grab some marshmallows for s'mores, and set the mood with eerie sound effects or flickering tiki torches. Whether you share urban legends or classic ghost stories, the warm night air will only add to the thrill.

Costume Party

Costumes aren't just for October! A Summerween costume party is a fun way to embrace spooky and summery vibes. Think outside the box with costumes like zombie surfers, vampire lifeguards, haunted mermaids, or ghostly pirates. Host a runway-style costume contest and hand out spooky summer-themed prizes for an extra twist!

Summerween Outdoor Movie Night

Transform your backyard or poolside into a haunted outdoor theater with a spooky movie marathon. Choose summer-themed horror films like Jaws, or I Know What You Did Last Summer, or keep it lighthearted with classics like Hocus Pocus.

Here are some ideas to take your Summerween movie night to the next level!

20 ft Inflatable Outdoor Projector Screen

Turn your movie night up a notch with this 20-foot outdoor inflatable projector screen—perfect for watching spooky classics under the stars! Whether you're floating in the pool, lounging on the deck, or cozying up by the fire, this massive screen ensures everyone gets a great view.

Set of 2 Foldable Camping Chairs with Fold-Out Side Table & Pockets

Get comfy for your outdoor movie night with this heavy-duty camping director's chair—perfect for lounging by the fire or relaxing under the stars! Its sturdy steel frame, fold-out side table, and built-in storage pockets are designed for convenience and durability. 

120-inch Portable Outdoor Projector Screen with Stand

Upgrade your movie night with this 120-inch portable projector screen with a stand—perfect for creating a larger-than-life viewing experience! This screen is made from wrinkle-free, washable material and delivers crisp, high-resolution images from any angle. The sturdy, upgraded chassis ensures stability, while the quick 3-minute setup makes it hassle-free. Plus, its lightweight, portable design with a convenient storage bag makes it easy to bring along for backyard screenings, camping trips, and more. Get ready for a spooky cinematic experience under the stars!

36 Pcs Popcorn Boxes White and Black Stripes

Complete your Summerween with these black and white striped popcorn boxes—a stylish way to serve up classic movie snacks! These easy-to-assemble boxes are made from durable, food-safe paper, perfect for popcorn, candy, chips, or spooky-themed treats. Their compact size makes them great for grab-and-go snacking, and the sleek striped design adds a fun, vintage touch to your setup. Whether you're hosting a backyard screening or a Halloween movie marathon, these popcorn boxes are a must-have for a festive night under the stars!

Enjoy Halloween-Themed Food and Treats

No Halloween-inspired event is complete without spooky snacks! Get creative with treats like "eyeball" meatballs, bat-shaped sandwiches, or witch's brew punch with floating gummy creatures. You can even make popsicles with eerie-colored fruit juices or serve "poison" caramel apples with black or green candy coating.

Decorate for Summerween

Give your space a haunted summer makeover! Mix traditional Halloween decorations with tropical elements—think skeletons in sunglasses, tiki torches casting eerie shadows, and glow-in-the-dark ghost beach balls. Instead of pumpkins, carve watermelons or pineapples and swap cobwebs for fishnets draped with fake seaweed. Whether you're setting up indoors or outside, these decorations will bring the perfect spooky-summer atmosphere.

Summerween is all about blending the best of both seasons—spooky and sunshine. However you choose to celebrate, let your creativity run wild and embrace the eerie fun of a midsummer haunt! 🎃🌴👻

More Creative Ways to Celebrate

If you're ready to add a dash of frightful fun to your summer, here are some creative ways to celebrate:

Make It a Pool Party

Turn your pool into a haunted lagoon with eerie floating decorations, glow-in-the-dark beach balls, and spooky-themed drinks.

Set of Two Coffin Drink Cooler Floats

These large inflatable coffin coolers (52" x 30.5") are perfect for chilling drinks while adding a creepy touch to your pool party. With their realistic black and gold design, they make a hauntingly fun statement piece. Fill them with ice to keep sodas, beers, or themed cocktails cold, or let them float around the pool as spooky decor! Durable, reusable, and easy to inflate, they're a must-have for your Summerween celebration!

Host a Spooky Luau

Combine tropical fun with Halloween vibes using tiki torches, skeleton leis, and eerie lighting for a haunted island feel.

Colorful Hawaiian Leis

Add a festive yet frightful touch with 120 soft, colorful silk leis—ideal for dressing up guests or decorating tables for your celebration!

Skull Glass Tabletop Torches

These hauntingly stylish torches add a ghostly glow to your setup, featuring intricately detailed skull designs in clear and black glass. Perfect for setting a haunted island vibe at your luau!

Purple Solar LED Torches

Keep the spooky tropical energy alive with these mini LED torches that give off a purple Halloween glow. There are no cords, no hassle—just an eerie ambiance for your Summerween bash.

Organize a Summerween Costume Contest

Dress up in spooky summer-themed costumes like haunted lifeguards, ghostly pirates, or zombie surfers.

57 Pcs Costume Contest Ballot and Ribbon Set

Make your Summerween costume contest even more exciting with these award prize ribbons! With categories like Overall Best, Scariest, Funniest, and Most Original, everyone has a chance to win. Whether you're hosting a haunted beach bash or a backyard monster mash, these ribbons add a competitive (and spooky!) edge to your celebration!

Play Glow-in-the-Dark Games

From flashlight tag to glow stick ring toss, add a spooky twist to classic summer games.

Glow In The Dark Yard Toss Game

Add competitive fun to your Summerween celebration with this glow-in-the-dark yard toss game—perfect for keeping the fun going after sunset! With 12 buckets and 6 glowing balls, this game is easy for all ages and adds a spooky, glowing twist to classic outdoor fun. Lightweight and portable with a handy storage bag, it's a must-have for a night of glowing games!

Why We Love Summerween

Summerween offers a delightful blend of summer fun and Halloween spookiness that makes it irresistible to many. The creative mashup of these two contrasting seasons allows for unique and memorable celebrations that stand out from typical summer parties. Families and friends of all ages can participate by carving tropical jack-o'-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, or enjoying spooky outdoor movie nights. Unlike the limited window for Halloween, Summerween can be celebrated anytime during the warm months, giving people a perfect reason to beat the summer heat with imaginative, festive gatherings.

The holiday's flexibility makes it playful and versatile—perfect for kids' games, costume contests, or sophisticated summer cocktails with a spooky twist for adults. At its core, Summerween is about embracing creativity, joy, and community while reveling in the spooky spirit that makes Halloween so loved. It brings people together with the simple, universal appeal of good times, thrills, and summer memories that will last long after the final bonfire embers fade.

Games & Activities for a Spooky Celebration

Looking for fun ways to keep the spirit alive? These eerie yet exciting games and activities will get everyone into the spooky summer mood!

• Horror Trivia Night: Test your guests' knowledge of classic horror films, spooky folklore, and Halloween history with a thrilling trivia contest. Prepare a mix of easy and difficult questions, and award the winners Summerween-themed prizes like glow-in-the-dark skeletons or mini pumpkin candles.
• Zombie Tag: This classic game of tag gets a twist! One person starts as the "zombie," as they tag others, the infected players also turn into zombies. The last human standing wins! Play at night with glow sticks for an eerie, immersive experience.
• Skeleton Limbo: How low can you go… before the skeleton gets you? Set up a limbo stick wrapped in LED string lights and challenge players to bend backward like a haunted beach ghost. Bonus points for dressing up as a skeleton or zombie while playing!
• Mummy Wrap Race: Divide players into teams and give each team a toilet paper roll. The goal? Wrap one teammate as a mummy as fast as possible. The best-wrapped mummy (or the fastest team) wins a spooky prize!

Celebrate Summerween in Style!

Whether you're planning a glow-in-the-dark game night or transforming your space into a haunted summer paradise, Summerween is all about bringing the thrills of Halloween into the warm, carefree nights of summer. With these fun ideas, you can keep the spooky spirit alive long before October rolls around!

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