Decorating A Room With Black Lights
Make your friends glow and add some spookiness to your Halloween party or haunted house with these cool glow in the dark party ideas for Halloween.
Black light is one of my favorite ways to add spookiness to my Halloween party. So every year I try to have at least one room in my Halloween haunted house that features black light.
Clothes made out of white or light-colored cotton glow in the dark (if you can find a ghost costume that is made from cotton, you'll have an awesome glow in the dark costume!). And I always try to add some glow in the dark decor to make it more fun.
Keep reading to find some of my best glow in the dark party ideas for Halloween.
How To Set Up a Glow in the Dark Room
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The trickiest part of throwing a glow in the dark party is actually getting things to glow.
It's actually a little harder than it seems because black light doesn't travel very far. And you need black light to make fluorescent things glow in the dark.
To be specific, you need black light fluorescent tubes* or an LED UV bar*. (I have yet to find a black light in standard light bulb form that produces enough light to make things glow in the dark…most of them act more like purple colored light bulbs than actual black lights).
Even with the proper fixture, you'll need more than one of them to light a large room. For the best results, try to get the longest fixture you can find.
Place the bulbs so they are not directly visible by your guests, but are pointing towards the main area where you want things to "glow-in-the-dark". Here are a few ways I've done this in the past:
- The best way I have found to do this is to get a fixture that can be mounted to the ceiling. Then you can position it where you need it.
- Another option is to buy stand-alone black light fluorescent bulbs and install them in a standard shop light or grow-light fixture. Then hang it from the ceiling where you need it.
- If neither of those options is possible, try installing the bulbs on the tops of kitchen cabinets, or an upper shelf of a book shelf, pointing the light down toward the room.
Once the lights are hung, then the fun begins…creating glow in the dark decorations for your party!
Use Glow in the Dark Spider Webs
Stretch glow-in-the-dark stretchy spider webs across the room so that they light up (and have the added advantage of hiding the light fixture if you have hung it from the ceiling).
I always thought that the green or white spider web would work best but I have actually found that the purple glows the best under black light.
Just be sure to buy the kind that actually say they glow in the dark…the regular kind of stretchy spider web does not reflect black light at all.
Adding some glow in the dark spiders would also be fun.
Create Glow In The Dark Potions or Drinks
If you want to create some potions (or drinks) that glow in the dark, tonic water is your friend!
It contains quinine which glows in the dark naturally.
Then you can add liquid food coloring to get different colors, although I find that blue and green work the best.
Cocktails containing tonic water will also glow in the dark as long (as long as the tonic isn't too diluted with other things).
Just be aware that the more color you add the less the tonic water will glow in the dark (like the picture above), so you may need to experiment to get the look you want…a few food coloring drops goes a long way!
Make Glow In The Dark Jello
You can also use jello in molds to create spooky décor, like our jello brains in the picture above. Click here to find out how.
If you are looking for something alcoholic that glows in the dark, you can also make glow-in-the-dark jello shots (click here to get the recipe).
Paint With Liquid Laundry Detergent
Who knew that liquid laundry detergent glows in the dark (I used Tide).
You can make things glow in the dark by "painting" them with laundry detergent (like cake plates skulls, or other Halloween accessories). Or use it to write on the walls.
And the great thing is, it will wash right off when you are done!
The skeleton* in the picture above is also meant to glow in the dark, which is why it is such a bright color of green. You won't get that same effect with a normal white skeleton.
Don't forget all glow-in-the-dark items need to be under a black light to make them glow. Find one here:
Hang Stars In The Sky
Another one of my favorite party tricks is to decorate the ceiling. Since people aren't used to seeing that, it always makes a statement.
This is especially true of this glow-in-the-dark party idea…staple or tape starry night black paper* to the ceiling.
With black light*, the white stars will glow in the dark. With the dark background, it really looks like you're outside at night.
If you hang a ghost made of white cotton from the ceiling with a black string, you can add a glow-in-the-dark ghost that seems to be floating in air.
Wrap Things With Scotch Or Packing Tape
Speaking of glow in the dark ghosts, this DIY version is made from packing tape!
Just wrap it around things to make them become glow-in-the-dark.
I learned the hard way that scotch tape glows in the dark. I used it to put up scene setters on the walls in my hallway that was lit by black light. Every piece of scotch tape glowed in the dark brilliantly…exactly NOT want I wanted!
Make Glue Gun Candles
Use a glue gun to create these faux candles. The glue glows in the dark.
I would use flame-less candles* inside though…you don't want the glue to melt!
Click here to see the instructions at diynetwork.com
Create Glow in the Dark Bottle Labels
Print labels for your bottles using the printables from marthastewart.com and some adhesive label stock.
The white of the paper will glow in the dark!
Use Glow in the Dark Markers and Paint
Using glow in the dark markers to draw a spider web on a tablecloth is an easy way to dress up your dining table.
If you don't mind permanently painting some serving pieces, you can use some glow in the dark paint to add to the glow in the dark decor, like the cake plates and bowls in the picture above.
For a less permanent version, you could achieve something similar by "painting" your own cake standards and bowls with laundry detergent (like I did on the walls above).
That same glow in the dark paint makes pumpkins glow, too!
Use Glow In The Dark Tableware
This glow in the dark tableware set* glows neon under black light and comes with everything you need to serve a glow in the dark buffet. Plus they're all disposable so clean up is a breeze!
Hopefully you've found some inspiration to host your own glow in the dark party for Halloween!
Don't forget all glow-in-the-dark items need to be under a black light to make them glow. Find one here:
Other Halloween Ideas You Might Like
- Indoor Halloween Lighting Effects and Ideas That Will Make Your House Look Spooky
- Halloween Outdoor Lighting Ideas: 18 Spooky Ways To Light Your Yard
- Halloween Fog Machine Ideas: How To Make Low Lying Fog
Do you have comments or questions on our glow in the dark party ideas for Halloween? Tell us in the section below.
Decorating A Room With Black Lights
Source: https://www.entertainingdiva.com/ways-to-create-glow-in-the-dark-halloween-decorations/
Posted by: grahamuncin1992.blogspot.com
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