For those of us who love Halloween, waiting until October can feel like an eternity. Why keep the decorations and costumes in the closet all year? That’s a question many have asked over the years, and we finally have a solution—Summerween.
Summerween has grown popular in recent years, and people are embracing the spooky Halloween vibes in summer. That also makes it a perfect summer spirit week theme to spice things up if you can figure out what to do for Summerween.
Today, let’s take a look at what Summerween is and when it’s celebrated, as well as some Summerween party ideas for the office, including food and drink. So put on the vampire teeth, break out the candy corn, and get ready for a Summerween celebration!
What and When is Summerween?
Let’s start at square one—what is Summerween? It’s basically just Summer Halloween, an excuse for Halloween lovers to enjoy what the holiday has to offer more than once a year. It has an interesting origin story though. Summerween comes from a now-completed Disney cartoon called Gravity Falls. In the show, residents of Gravity Falls love Halloween and decide once a year isn’t enough. They begin celebrating it twice a year on October 31st and July 22nd.
Their Summerween celebration includes jack-o’-melons, a Summerween trickster story about a monster that eats kids who don’t celebrate, and all the typical trappings of Halloween like spooky decorations and trick-or-treating.
When is Summerween 2024? It’s often celebrated on July 22nd like in the show, but Summerween can be celebrated whenever you want in the summer. So what does all this have to do with work? Summerween is a perfect theme for a fun summertime office party, which can be a great way to prevent boreout at work, increase engagement, build bonds, and more.
Summerween Office Party Ideas
Now that you know what Summerween is, let’s look at some Summerween party ideas. Keep in mind that since Summerween is based around Halloween, you can also use and get inspired by fall event/party ideas. Don’t limit yourself to Summerween ideas; have fun and embrace all sorts of ideas from Fall and Halloween too.
Carve Jack-O’-Melons
Nothing says Halloween like pumping carving, and you can easily swap those pumpkins out for melons to make it a perfect fit for Summerween. Melon carving is a great way to have fun with your fellow coworkers, let off some stress, embrace your creativity, and build bonds. And of course, you’ll have some spooky Summerween decorations when you’re done.
And if your teams are virtual, don’t worry; virtual melon carving is an option too. Even if your teams are spread out all over the country or globe, you can still come together to embrace the Summerween cheer carving jack-o’-melons. Just remember to stay safe while carving. Be sure to go over the basics of knife usage and safety before starting to ensure you stay safe while having fun.
Have a Haunted BBQ
Another great way to celebrate Summerween is with a haunted BBQ. Everybody loves a good BBQ, and adding in a whole bunch of spooky elements just makes it even better. You have a lot of freedom with this option and can set it up however you like. Haunted decorations like ghosts, bats, vampires, and skulls are a must. Themed foods and drinks also go a long way (check out our food and drink section below).
You can mix in some of these other ideas too, like melon carving or spooky storytelling. A haunted BBQ can be a great jumping-off point to incorporate a whole bunch of Summerween events and activities. This is one of the best options for what to do for Summerween.
Tell Spooky Stories Over the Bonfire
Another Halloween classic is telling spooky stories over a bonfire, so why not tell spooky stories in the summer too? Spooky stories are welcome year-round in our book, which makes them perfect for Summerween.
Set up a bonfire, get out the decorations, bring out some themed food and drinks, and enjoy the company of your coworkers while you share all sorts of spooky and fun stories. And just like melon carving, you can tell stories over a virtual bonfire too. One of the best things about this idea is that it’s simple and doesn’t require a whole lot of setup. All you need is a bonfire, your teammates, and some spooky stories.
Host a Costume Contest
When most people think of Halloween, costumes and costume contests are some of the first things that come to mind. It’s no surprise then that costume contests are an incredibly popular way to celebrate Summerween.
Costume contests allow employees to express themselves and their creativity, all while having fun and creating life-long memories with their coworkers that help build lasting bonds. This is an event that you can easily combine with some of the others here like a haunted BBQ or spooky ice cream challenge. The contest can be the main event of your bigger Summerween celebration.
Spooky Ice Cream Challenge
Summerween is all about celebrating Halloween in summer, so why not incorporate some classic summer event ideas with your Summerween celebration? A spooky ice cream challenge is the perfect blend of summer and Halloween, making it ideal for Summerween.
Get your costumes and decorations, bring out the ice cream, add some spooky toppings, and you’re all set for a spooky ice cream party. Parties like this are a good way to build comradery and boost morale while having fun.
Treat Your Team to Themed Trivia
Last but not least is the ever-relevant trivia, which is an activity that can be customized to any theme imaginable, including Summerween. There are countless spooky topics for Summerween trivia such as classic horror movies, real-life spooky stories, haunted places, monsters/myths, and spooky science.
With the right questions—and an ample amount of ghosts, bats, and skeletons for decoration—trivia can be a perfect option for Summerween. On top of that, we offer a virtual Trick or Trivia that can simplify the set-up aspect and make it a doable event for virtual teams.
Summerween Food and Drink Ideas
Every great Summerween celebration needs food and drinks to spice up your party. While you could take the easy way out and just serve normal concessions, why not go all out and have Summerween treats and drinks too? That can be a tall order though, so we’re going to provide some ideas. If you’re struggling with what to do for Summerween, consider using these Summerween food and drink ideas.
Frightful Food
Frankenstein Fruit Salad
Carve out a watermelon, decorate it like Frankenstein, and fill it with green fruits like honeydew and grapes for a Frankenstein fruit salad that’s perfect for Summerween. This is one of our favorite Summerween food ideas.
Mummy Dogs
Wrap some hotdogs with crescent rolls, use condiments to decorate them like mummies, and you’ve got some tasty and spooky mummy dogs.
Spider Web Nachos
Arrange your nachos like a big spider web, add cheese for more webs, then toppings like guacamole and sour cream, throw in some black olives for spiders, and viola—spiderweb nachos!
Grilled “Ghoul” Cheese
It’s easy to spice up regular grilled cheese sandwiches by cutting them into spooky shapes, like bats or ghosts, with a cookie cutter. Simple, delicious, and perfect for Summerween.
Dreadful Drinks
Ghoul-Aid Punch
Make regular old fruit punch a dreadful drink by adding blueberry stuffed lychees to the regular green or red punch. The lychees stuffed with blueberries look like eyeballs, adding a scarily delicious twist to the classic punch.
Spooky Smoothies
By layering smoothies with Halloween/Summerween colors like orange, green, and purple, you can easily turn them into spooky smoothies. Bring some themed add-ons too, like fake spiders or scary cups.
Monster Milkshakes
Summer is milkshake season, so monster milkshakes are perfect for Summerween. Bring green/purple food coloring for style, plus some spooky toppings like gummy worms and candy eyes.
Blood Orange Margaritas
If you want alcohol at your party, blood orange margaritas are a good option. The blood orange juice gives the margaritas a bright and eerie red. Fake spiders and decorated glasses can help add even more frightful fun.
Celebrate Summerween with TeamBonding!
Halloween is many people’s favorite holiday, and now you can celebrate Halloween in summer too with Summerween. Get more mileage out of your decorations and have some spooky fun in summer with a Summerween office party.
Not only is it a great chance to let loose and have some fun, it’s also an opportunity to let your team build bonds and grow closer. In doing so, you also might increase engagement, satisfaction, morale, retention, and more.
Whether you want to squeeze in a late Summerween celebration or are planning ahead for Halloween, TeamBonding can help you figure out what to do for Summerween. We have a wide array of Halloween events and Fall team building activities, so check them out and get in touch with us today!
