Is Halloween becoming a ‘plus one’ party howler?

With Halloween parties set to be more popular than ever, the pressures of a plus-one invite are a tricky trade off with few treats for singles.

We’ve all been there. The invite arrives for a New Years Eve party, a wedding or a family Christmas knees-up, and the dreaded mention of ‘plus one’ sends a shiver down the back of singles everywhere.

Plus one brings pressure. Go it  alone, and it invites all the usual, uncomfortable questions about ‘why’ you are still single, how you should be doing things ‘differently’ to sort your love life out, and ‘aren’t you worried about being left on the shelf?’.

Turn up with a new other half, even one from the friend zone, and the ‘who, what, where, when’ interrogation with a host of now interested ears, takes up much of your time.

Now, it seems Halloween is on the cusp of joining the plus one ranks as Halloween parties – an excuse for adults, more so than children, to embrace their scary side and don face paint – have become more and more popular.

A Halloween party already brings its own pre-event question marks; how risqué to go with the fancy dress? Will naughty devil horns send out the wrong signals? How much effort to put in? Let alone how to magic up a +one for such occasion, and then convince them to dress up as Dracula for a first time meet with family and friends.

It’s a tricky trade-off with few treats in truth.

But there is mounting social pressure to whip out your wand and ‘abracadabra’ up a significant other to join in the celebrations.

It’s estimated that 1 in 5 Brits are reportedly headed out to, or hosting, a Halloween themed party, with or without children, this year after missing out on some gruesome, gory fun last year.

It gets scarier; for 18–24-year-olds, the number likely to celebrate at a Halloween party is expected to be around 43%. That’s a lot of fake blood and brain jelly.

So how do you approach the plus one situation? We think it’s a fair shot in the dark that you should have been well acquainted before descending into such territory.  Gone are the days that ‘co-inhabiting’ was the party planners’ rule of thumb. Common opinion says you should be at least in a stable relationship or have been on multiple dates, confident enough with where it’s heading to go out ‘in public’.

Anything less and its plain awkward for all involved.

So our advice is to ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. Have you seen your proposed plus one in a social situation? When you want to relax, can you trust them to give off the right vibes and represent ‘you’ around others.
   
2. Has your proposed plus one seen you at your most social? Dates bring their own kind of pressure, so it’s important your plus one has already seen different sides to you, so you are confidence enough to let your hair down.
   
3. Will your proposed plus one actually fulfil the invite? There’s nothing worse than lining up your partner for the event, and then being let down at the last minute as the stress and realisation of it all (commitment, first time friends meets) kick in. The ultimate ghosting?
   
4. Do some pre-event intros and put the feelers out so friends and family already have a heads up. It takes out some of awkwardness, and repetitive small talk when face to face. This could be done via social media, video calls or WhatsApp, for example; and remember to read the room.

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