11 Ways to Celebrate Summerween for a Ghostly Good Time

You’ve probably heard of Christmas in July, but there’s also a warm-weather version of Halloween called Summerween. The holiday was derived from the animated show Gravity Falls (2012-2016), in which residents of the fictional town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, love Halloween so much (like, a lot) they decide to celebrate it twice a year. Thus Summerween, which has taken on a life of its own well beyond the original show. If you’re also one of those people who is madly in love with Halloween, be like the Gravity Fallsers and throw a Summerween party. On the show, Summerween was celebrated on June 22, but you can celebrate it on any summer day. So break out your Halloween decor and take a look at these ideas for giving a Summerween twist to a pool party, kid's birthday bash or cocktail party.

First up: Carve a seasonal jack-o’-lantern. You may not be able to find fresh pumpkins just yet, but there are plenty of other fruits, vegetables and gourds that can be used to make jack-o'-lanterns. Watermelon jack-o'-lanterns (or even pinapple ones) are the most similar in scale to the traditional pumpkin version. Small veggies like bell peppers, eggplants and squash are easy to cut. The best part? They’re nowhere near as messy as carving a real pumpkin.

You don’t have to put away your backyard summer decor to have a Summerween party, just sprinkle a few Halloween decorations into the mix. Take our lead and place human-sized skeletons on beach loungers and accessorize with summer essentials like pool toys and sunscreen (he’s working on his "skele-tan”). Other ideas: Add orange paper lanterns to outdoor string lights, float pumpkin beach balls in your pool or hang white-gauze ghosts from your deck railing or patio umbrella.

Ice cream is an essential at summer parties and Summerween is no different. Set up an ice cream sundae bar and include fall-inspired toppings like baked cinnamon apples, pumpkin-flavored caramel sauce, whipped cream and, of course, lots of Halloween candy.

For Summerween, treat your guests to drinks and cocktails that are scary-good and refreshing. How about a berry-bourbon smash that combines fresh summer fruit with a potent potable? Blood-orange sangria is the perfect concoction to sip by the pool. Or try a thirst-quenching Halloween margarita we call a morgue-a-rita that combines fresh lime juice, triple sec and tequila. And no, it’s not too soon for pumpkin spice. We suggest making a big batch of non-alcoholic pumpkin spice apple cider that the kids will love.

Summerween is all about fun so plan some games and activities for guests of all ages. Try classics like potato sack races, bobbing for apples, pin the spider on the web, pumpkin tic-tac-toe or a candy-corn piñata. If your Summerween party is by the pool or lake, try some water games like nautical pool noodle races or set up a sprinkler obstacle course. Don't forget backyard favorites like corn hole, bocce or horseshoes.

Make the most of summer tomatos with this Casper-inspired caprese crostini appetizer. Pro tip: Bring your ghost cookie cutter along when you're shopping to make sure you buy a large enough piece of mozzarella.

Being Summerween is very much tongue-in-cheek, so why not get silly and include a funny and punny costume competition? Simple costumes that convey an everyday item or common expression like this French toast costume are fun and easy to put together. Other punny costume suggestions: cereal killer, breadwinner, deviled egg or dust bunny. Click the link below to find more hilarious costume ideas.

Let your guests decorate their own cupcakes. Lay out piping bags fitted with grass piping tips (Ateco #259) and filled with a few different colors of buttercream frosting. If your guests have never tried piping, they’ll enjoy experimenting. For the kids, pre-frost the cupcakes and let them add eyes and other toppings.

Let your Summerween party guests get creative by setting up a crafting table where they can make things like these adorable googly-eyed deely bobbers. Both kids and adults will enjoy painting faux or real pumpkins, making masks, face painting or whipping up a batch of glitter slime.

Make your Summerween party a movie night or, if you have a pool, make it a dive-in movie. Set up a large screen and projector in your yard and play classic Halloween movies or episodes of Gravity Falls. Line the yard with scary Halloween candles and lay out blankets, cushions and chairs for everyone to make themselves comfortable and cozy. Serve a variety of fall-inspired flavored popcorn and Halloween-themed treats.