How to Throw a Zombie Ball

I know it's a little early, but I've already got Halloween on the brain.  We're already planning our fall programs at the library, and that's the perfect time to host a Zombie Ball. Actually, any time is a great time for a zombie ball.  Shopping is just easier in October.  A zombie ball is composed of four vital elements:  proper clothes, good music, delicious food, and games with prizes.

Clothes:  It's a ball, so put on your best (tattered) formal wear and show off those gruesome head wounds.  In case a few living teens accidentally stumble in, keep a few tubes of fake blood on hand, and you can slit their throats or administer head wounds so they blend in with the zombie crowd.  Of course, you absolutely must hand out prizes for Best Dressed.

Music:  got access to a laptop and projector?  Use Youtube to set the mood and have Michael Jackson's Thriller playing when they arrive.

Excellent Food to Serve Hungry Zombies:  Dirt and Worms (fill a large bowl with crushed oreos, garnish with gummy worms and plastic tombstones from the dollar store, serve with a toy shovel), Bones (toss pretzel sticks in melted white chocolate until sticks are completely coated and allow to dry on wax paper), Brains (jello, if you can find a brain-shaped mould), of course, and Blood with brain pulp (tomato juice and finely chopped cauliflower--warning: looks awesome, but has been known to cause nausea when drunk by the living).  For those who like to drink their blood cold, there are always themed ice cubes.  Red punch will serve well for the living who snuck into the ball.

Games:  Pin the Organs on the Zombie is great game.  There is plenty of zombie and organ clip art on the Internet if you do not have a marketing department to make puppy dog eyes at like I do.  Zombie Tag is simple enough that even the most decrepit zombie can get the hang of it (if you're tagged, you get infected and become a zombie, too, and can infect others; start with one zombie and play until there's only one human).  A Zombie Walk (they're zombies--just have them shuffle around the room for a while) allows you to give out prizes for Best Shuffle, Best Moan, etc.  Surprisingly, zombies enjoy the same prizes as regular teens do.  If you have the money, spring for some zombie fiction prize books.  They will go over like brains at the zombie apocalypse.  Check out the video below to see the games in action.  Still looking for something else to fill time?  There's always zombie sock puppets.  Make sure you have lots of red fabric paint on hand.

Have fun hosting a zombie ball!