Halloween is the one party where kids show up already excited. Your job is to give that energy somewhere to go. Bounce house rentals do exactly that, and late October is finally cool enough to bounce in a costume. Here's how to plan the party.

Balloon castle bounce house with a slide

Pick a time that works with the dark

Late October sunsets come early. That gives you two good choices:

An afternoon party that ends before trick-or-treating.
An evening party with string lights, glow sticks and a movie at the end.

Both work. What doesn't work is a party that starts in daylight with no plan for the dark.

Bounce house rentals and costumes

Costumes and bouncing mix just fine with a few house rules.

Masks, capes and props come off first. Set a "costume check" table by the entrance.
No shoes and nothing sharp. Plastic swords and wands wait on the table.
Take turns by age. Ten minutes for the little ones, then ten for the big kids.

Bounce house rentals are still the center of a kids' Halloween party. Pick one with a slide if you expect a big group. It spreads kids out and keeps the line short.

Games that fit the theme

Costume parade. Every kid gets a turn on the runway, and everyone wins a category.
Pumpkin decorating. Stickers and markers are safer than carving with a crowd.
Mummy wrap race. Teams, toilet paper and a timer. It's chaos, and that's the point.
Giant games. Giant Jenga gets dramatic when the tower is about to fall.

Food that survives small hands

Skip anything that needs a fork. Think mini sandwiches, fruit cups and pretzel "bones." Add one sweet treat that kids can watch being made. Popcorn and cotton candy are both cheap, quick and festive.

Plan for the parents

Parents stay at Halloween parties. Give them chairs, some shade if it's still warm and a clear view of the bounce house. Our birthday parties page has more ideas for keeping the grown-ups comfortable.

Book early

The last two weekends of October are some of our busiest of the year. Bounce house rentals for Halloween weekend go first, so pick your date soon.

A great Halloween party gives the excitement somewhere to go: a bounce house, a couple of games, a costume parade and food kids can hold. Pick your date and we'll handle delivery, setup and pickup.

Everything we deliver is on our San Antonio bounce house rentals home page. Planning something bigger? Our sister companies can round out the day: frozen drink machine rentals from SATX Ritas Rentals, video game trailer rentals from SATX Noobs, and the party rental software behind every booking, PartyPad.