For those of us who love Halloween, waiting until October can feel like an eternity—but that’s where Summerween party ideas come in!
Seriously, why keep the decorations and costumes in the closet all year? It’s a question so many of us Halloween fans have been asking over the years, and Summerween is the ultimate solution.
Summerween has gained popularity in recent years, and it turns out that people love embracing spooky Halloween vibes in the summer! It’s also a perfect summer spirit week theme to spice things up if you can figure out what to do for Summerween.
In this article, we’ll explore what Summerween is and when it’s celebrated before diving into our favorite Summerween party ideas. So, put on your vampire teeth, break out the candy corn, and get ready for some fun Summerween activities!
What (& 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.
This holiday does have an interesting origin story, though. Summerween originates from Season 1, Episode 12 of the now-completed hit Disney cartoon Gravity Falls.
In the show, residents of Gravity Falls love Halloween and decide that once a year isn’t enough, so they began celebrating it twice a year. Once on October 31st, as usual, and then once on their chosen Summerween date, July 22nd.
Summerween’s “Traditional” Decorations & Celebrations
In Gravity Falls, Summerween decor and celebrations include all the typical trappings of Halloween, plus a couple of unique elements:
- Classic spooky Halloween decorations
- Trick-or-treating
- Jack-o’-melons (instead of jack-o’-lanterns)
- A Summerween trickster story about a monster that eats kids who don’t celebrate
When Is Summerween 2025
Summerween is often celebrated on July 22nd, just like in Gravity Falls—for 2025, the “traditional” Summerween date falls on Tuesday, July 22nd.
In workplaces around the US, though, Summerween can be celebrated whenever you want! Most offices that participate in this silly holiday aim for some time in July.
Really, Summerween is just a nice theme for a fun summertime office party, which can be a great way to prevent boreout at work, increase engagement, build bonds, and more.
Plus, it’ll help all the Gravity Falls fans find each other and bond over their love of this cult classic show. It has a pretty large following among adult viewers and is considered a highly influential show.
Summerween Party Ideas
Now that you know what Summerween is, let’s get down to the Summerween party ideas!
Keep in mind that since Summerween is based around Halloween, you can also use fall event/party ideas for inspiration.
Don’t limit yourself to Summerween ideas; have fun and embrace all sorts of ideas from fall and Halloween.
That said, here are our top Summerween ideas to inspire your office celebration:
1. Carve Jack-O’-Melons
Nothing says Halloween like pumpkin carving, and in Gravity Falls, nothing says Summerween like melon carving!
It’s super easy to swap those pumpkins out for melons.
Melon carving is a great way to have fun with your fellow coworkers, let off some stress, embrace your creativity, and build bonds. You’ll have some spooky Summerween decorations when you’re done.
We recommend holding a melon carving contest, letting everyone vote on their top three favorites, and giving out some nice prizes (gift cards and even extra time off always land).
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 by 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.
Pro tip: For on-site teams, cube up all the watermelon for snacks and put some in a blender for refreshing watermelon juice! Everyone at the office will thank you.
2. Tell Spooky Stories Around the Fire
Another Halloween classic is telling spooky stories over a fire, 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 (or grill), 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!
Pro tip: The crew here at TeamBonding is always happy to customize events—consider hosting a storytelling event like Team PechaKucha and theming it around Summerween.
3. Host 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 makes it even better.
You have a lot of freedom with this option and can set it up however you like. Haunted decorations are a must—start with some of these staples:
- Ghosts
- Bats
- Vampires
- Skulls
- Tombstones
- Candles
Themed foods and drinks also go a long way (check out our food and drink section below for ideas).
A haunted BBQ can be a great jumping-off point to incorporate a whole bunch of Summerween events and activities. You can even mix in some of the options on this list—melon carving or spooky storytelling are always popular Summerween party ideas.
Pro tip: This is one of the best options for Summerween if your team loves food. If you don’t have an outdoor location, consider turning it into a potluck and inviting everyone to bring their best Summerween food ideas!
4. 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 lifelong memories and bonds with their coworkers.
This is an event that you can easily combine with some of the others here. You can also customize it on your own—for example, try finding some Summerween DIY ideas on Pinterest and making your costumes together!
Pro tip: If you combine this with other events, schedule the contest as the main event of the whole Summerween celebration.
5. 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.
Get your costumes and decorations, break 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 camaraderie and boost morale while having fun.
Pro tip: If you have a remote or hybrid team, swap this out for our Virtual Cookie Decorating event!
6. Treat Your Team to Themed Trivia
Last but not least is the ever-relevant trivia, an activity that can be customized to any theme imaginable, including Summerween.
There are countless spooky topics you can choose from for Summerween trivia:
- Classic horror movies and shows
- Real-life spooky stories
- Haunted places
- Monsters and myths
- 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.
We also offer a virtual Trick or Trivia, which simplifies set-up and makes this event doable for virtual teams!
Pro tip: Consider inviting your team to submit trivia questions of their own! They could be about your company, their teams, or Summerween, and it’ll help get them invested in the celebration.
Summerween Food & 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 with Summerween treats and drinks?
We know this can be a tall order, though, so we’re going to provide some easy Summerween food ideas.
If you’re struggling with what to serve with your Summerween party ideas, consider using some of these food and drink options.
Frightful Food
We’ll start with the food, which can seriously amp up any Summerween party idea!
- 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, perfect for Summerween. This is one of our favorite Summerween food ideas.
- Mummy Dogs: This one’s easy—wrap some hot dogs with crescent rolls, bake them, use condiments to decorate them like mummies, and you’ve got some tasty and spooky mummy dogs. You could even make a fun cooking event out of it.
- Spider Web Nachos: This is just nachos arranged like a big spider web. You’ll add cheese for more webs, then toppings like guacamole and sour cream, and finally some black olives for spiders. 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.
Consider asking your team to bring in Summerween-themed snacks, just like we suggested with the potluck idea earlier.
Dreadful Drinks
If you’re like us, you think of things like fruit punch when you think of Halloween (or Summerween) party ideas. Check out these drink ideas to get inspired!
- 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, like fake spiders or scary cups, and you’re in business!
- Monster Milkshakes: Summer is milkshake season, so monster milkshakes are perfect for Summerween. Bring green and purple food coloring for style points, 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 great option. The blood orange juice gives the margaritas a bright, eerie red—you can also add fake spiders and Halloween glasses for more frightful fun.
That last one—blood orange margaritas—translates well as a Virtual Mixology Class for remote teams.
Celebrate Summerween with TeamBonding!
Halloween is many people’s favorite holiday, and now you can celebrate Halloween in summer with Summerween. So, get more mileage out of your decorations and have some spooky fun in summer with these spooky Summerween party ideas!
This provides a great chance to let loose and have some fun while encouraging your team to build bonds and grow closer. (You also might increase engagement, satisfaction, morale, retention, and even your bottom line.)
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!
