How To Host A Pumpkin Carving Party: Ideas, Snacks And Tools
A pumpkin carving party is the easiest autumn gathering there is. Everyone brings a pumpkin, you supply the table, the snacks and the tools.
The whole thing runs about two hours, and you end up with a doorstep full of lanterns.
Honest note: we make cards, pin badges, prints and party decorations, not carving tools.
Shop the cards that go with these
Shop party decorations Bunting and banners Halloween cards Funny pin badges
Party decorations, designed and printed by us
Banners, bunting, balloons and confetti to make the kitchen feel like a party, printed in the UK.
What you need before anyone arrives
- A big table covered in newspaper or an old tablecloth, plus bin bags underneath.
- One large bowl per pumpkin for the insides, and one bin bag for the scraps.
- Enough carving tools that nobody's waiting - the sticking point at every carving party is three people sharing one knife.
- A big ice cream scoop or a metal spoon each for the scooping-out stage.
- Tea lights or battery lights, one per pumpkin, plus a lighter.
- Kitchen roll. Twice as much as you think.
Setting the table
- Give each person a clear square of table - carving needs elbow room.
- Newspaper on top, bin bags underneath, and shove the chairs back so people can stand to cut.
- Put the bowl of insides in the middle so the seeds all end up in one place.
- Bunting and a couple of balloons make it feel like an event rather than a kitchen job.
Snacks that survive sticky hands
- Toasted pumpkin seeds from the insides - rinse, dry, salt, 15 minutes at 180C.
- Soup in mugs, so nobody needs a spoon or a clean surface.
- Toffee apples, cut into wedges if there are small children.
- Hot chocolate with cream for the kids, mulled cider for the adults.
- Anything that can be eaten with one hand while the other holds a saw.
Running the afternoon
- Draw the design on with a marker pen first. It rubs off and it saves the mistakes.
- Scoop everything out before anyone cuts a single line.
- Cut the lid at an angle so it doesn't fall in.
- While the pumpkins dry, run a quick game - Read the guide
- Line them all up at the end, light them together and take one photo.
- Beginner designs - Read the guide
Clearing up in ten minutes
- Roll the newspaper inwards with everything in it and bin the lot.
- Compost the insides if you can - a whole pumpkin is a lot of waste otherwise.
- Rub the cut edges with vaseline to stop the lanterns shrivelling by the weekend.
- Send everyone home with their pumpkin in a carrier bag, not on their lap.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop party decorations Bunting and banners Halloween cards Funny pin badges
How to write it so it lands
- Enough tools that nobody queues.
- Marker pen first, saw second.
- Newspaper down, bin bags underneath.
You might also be interested in...
We make cards, pin badges, prints and party bits in house. These are from other shops we rate, and buying through the link costs you nothing extra.
24Pcs Halloween Pumpkin Carving Kit
Mattel Games Pictionary Air, Family Board Game for Kids and Adults
View Mattel Games Pictionary Air, Family Board Game for Kids and Adults
Where to shop next
- Party supplies
- Bunting and banners
- Halloween cards
- Funny pin badges
- Safe pumpkin carving for kids
- How to organise a pumpkin trail
- October half term activities
- Halloween doorstep ideas
- Easy pumpkin carving ideas
- Halloween party ideas
- Kids Halloween party ideas
- Halloween party games
- Kids Halloween costumes
- Group and family Halloween costumes
- Halloween card messages
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Birthday cards for kids
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What do you need for a pumpkin carving party?
A covered table, a bowl and a scoop per person, enough carving tools to go round, marker pens for drawing designs, tea lights and a lot of kitchen roll.
How long does a pumpkin carving party take?
About two hours. Half an hour of scooping, an hour of carving, then time to light them and take photos while everyone finishes their drinks.
What snacks work at a pumpkin carving party?
Anything one-handed. Soup in mugs, toasted pumpkin seeds, toffee apple wedges, hot chocolate and mulled cider.
How do you stop carved pumpkins going soft?
Rub the cut edges with vaseline and keep them somewhere cool. Carve two or three days before Halloween at the earliest.
Can you carve pumpkins with a normal kitchen knife?
You can, but it's the main cause of carving injuries - kitchen knives are too long and get stuck in the flesh. Short serrated carving saws cut more easily and slip far less.
Do you sell pumpkin carving kits?
No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. Carving tools are recommendations from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.