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You have a birthday coming up or are part of the group assigned to plan your company's team-building event. Make it a fun experience by organizing an engaging group activity that guests will remember! Host a murder mystery party that will have everyone screaming bloody murder, first by securing a spooktacular event setting.
Throwing a murder mystery dinner party allows family and friends to enjoy an evening of laughs, with plenty of jump-scare moments. But before everyone can wear their detective hats, find the best "crime scene" for your dinner party.
Haunted House
A murder mystery dinner party goes hand in hand with a haunted house. It has all the details to set the stage for your crime-solving drama. Cleverly hide clues and hints in different rooms and if you find a spooky residence with secret passageways, have surprise guests pop up to introduce suspense.
Western Town
Saddle up for some gunslinging fun! Band with fellow cowboys and sheriffs to solve a series of Old West misdeeds committed by the most vile outlaws. Western Towns can host murder mystery events; raise the stakes by making it an overnight party, with a huge fireside dinner as the highlight.
Warehouse Studio
Murder mystery parties and escape room-type events unfold best in warehouse studios. The flexible venues can accommodate all occasions, including a whodunnit function. Craft a murderous plot and assemble everything needed to make the space a puzzle-riddled setting for your fun-filled night!
Vintage Lounge
A vintage lounge is a befitting backdrop for any occasion, especially a private party. Have actors re-enact a famous murder plot, as guests indulge in a multi-course meal. After the showcase, everyone can sip cocktails and talk the night away.
Murder mysteries are talk pieces for private events, and they are even more fun when everyone can play Sherlock Holmes. Attract a crowd to your company fundraiser or keep guests engaged during your birthday by throwing a snoop party. Before fastening your sleuthing cap, here's how you can, metaphorically, get away with murder:
Location
Host a murder mystery somewhere spacious. The venue should have nooks and crannies where you can hide hints and winding corners to hold the private conversations needed to solve the puzzle. Explore locations with corridors and many rooms.
Ambiance
The perfect murder mystery party venue has intrigue and instantly adds excitement to the occasion. Choose thematic decorations that drive the story and immerse everyone in the plot.
Amenities/ Services
Most venues offer parking and power access, which a sleuthing event also requires. Entertainment is at the heart of such functions, and it helps if the venue has a planning team to convert the space as desired.
Catering
All events typically serve food and drinks, which most venues handle. Save money by taking up planning packages including catering services.
Safety
Murder mystery parties should have safety rules. Guests can find and read clue cards with lights on. Let everyone know where they can and shouldn't go. While lanterns and candles can add to the ambiance, they are also a fire risk.
Murder mysteries gather guests to solve a crime, in the backdrop of a party, fundraiser, or other occasion. You'll need a tale with plots and twists, a setting for the story, and a location where to plant clues and solve the crime to plan a murder mystery party. The flexible theme can play out in infinite ways; here are some murder mystery party ideas to get you started:
Hosting a sleuthing event does a fantastic job of fostering collaboration, making it an impactful team-building option. You could hire professional actors to enact a murder plot, with guests, as the audience, watching everything unravel.
Dinner parties are most fun when they are crime-solving events! The relaxed atmosphere is an icebreaker, allowing guests to get into character and spend an evening decoding clues. Several escape-type establishments also throw murder mystery dinner shows; all you have to do is turn up with your group.
Collaborate with an event planner to curate the fun night at a murder mystery party location. Make a reservation at one of these establishments for a fundraiser event for your organization. Hosting murder mystery parties at home is a matter of getting a kit, which you can pass on to friends, use with different groups, or re-use years later.
Kick up the entertainment and host a fun murder mystery event. Ensure guests have lots of laughs and leave with lasting memories, starting by exploring murder mystery venues near you.
Murder mysteries are popular among detective-loving partygoers. Anyone would jump at the opportunity to join in on the fun but organizing one of these occasions is entirely different. Start planning all the details using this checklist, to keep your bases covered so you won't forget anything:
Choose the Best Venue: Host your private party in a befitting setting; a cozy studio apartment suits an intimate gathering while spacious locations favor grand functions. Guests will have an easier time getting to the venue with transport covered.
Invite Guests: If you are wondering who to invite; family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances should get a front-row seat to your night of mysteries. Let everyone know what to expect by assigning each guest a character to play. Have guests crack a code to open an invitation box, including their character briefs.
Make it an Interactive Experience: The event should make every guest forget they are searching for a killer. Provide different entertainment opinions to make it a fun experience; hire professional actors to perform alongside guests or have players solve puzzles to get clues.
Award Guests: Your murder mystery story should challenge players, so raise the stakes by rewarding every player who identifies the murderer. Offer guests the Santa Claus experience awarding money or gift cards.
Serve a Delicious Dinner Menu: It's implied that guests should expect something delicious on the menu when attending a murder mystery dinner. An event with guests running the show to solve a mystery, a buffet-style setup gives room to mingle while uncovering clues.
Murder mystery parties are always the talk of the town and some of the top-attended functions. Use the inspired ideas below to organize a chilling affair against the backdrop of a list of private venues of your choice:
1920s Mystery Night at a Vintage Lounge
Throw a '20s murder mystery party at a vintage lounge, giving you a perfect excuse to glam it up! Set the scene at a Roaring '20s speakeasy, use a black and gold palette, and play the best blues or jazz numbers in the background.
Scavenger Hunt-Themed Murder Mystery Party at an Art Ranch
Merge a sleuthing theme with a scavenger hunt, and host the unique mystery-solving function at an art ranch. Create a list of things every player needs to do, or items they should collect, as they inch closer to finding out the killer's identity.
Haunted Mansion Murder Mystery Party
The spookiest things happen in a haunted mansion, and it's naturally the best backdrop for a detective-themed party. Induce pure terror by setting mirrors in unpredicted places; there's nothing as scary as unexpectedly catching your reflection in a darkened room.
A Who Dunnit Murder Mystery Party at an Old West Town
Host a Wild West event to honor the classic saloons and shootouts. Forget about the Information Age, and transport participants back to the gunslinging Cowboy era, when the sheriff and townsfolk regularly faced off with a band of outlaws. Hire a serenading band or can-can dancers to distract every detective getting closer to solving the homicide.
Murder mystery parties are made of candlelit dinners, eerie decor, and lots of fake blood. It takes a spooky venue to lend sinister vibes to the detective game, and it's only a matter of time before bodies start piling up, if the killer remains free. Use this killer guide as your reference when organizing your sleuthing event, and here are more ideas to steal:
What events does a Murder Mystery suit?
Host a murder mystery birthday party, fundraiser, dinner party, or corporate team building. PG-rate it for a kid's party or class it up for a 50th anniversary.
How does the game work?
Sleuthing events aim at exposing the person behind a make-believe murder. A mystery, suspects, and a murderer are the main characters involved in the group game. Talk guests through the rules before the event kicks off.
What props should you get for your Murder Mystery event?
Scatter clues around the location to guide players closer to uncovering the murderer's identity and motive. Magnifying glasses, fake blood, and mirrors are examples of befitting props. It's easy to forget everything in the flurry of activity, so stash clue cards around the venue or even money, which players get to keep!
What should you serve during a Murder Mystery party?
Food should be on the menu, whether it's a murder mystery dinner or brunch. Determining what to serve amidst the game is challenging but your murder mystery dinner menu should be simple. Serve guests multi-course meals, during murder mystery parties with actors staging a performance, and while watching the mystery unravel. Otherwise, finger food set up on platters around the venue works.
Should a Murder Mystery party have a theme?
Yes, you'll have the best experience hosting a themed murder mystery; Hollywood Glamour and the Roaring '20s are classic favorites. You could also base your event on pop culture or video game references. Dress up a lounge into a speakeasy for a Gatsby-themed event or morph a warehouse studio into a casino for a game night-themed murder mystery.
You can now plan an epic murder mystery party using this guide as a reference. Find murder mystery venues, and check pricing and availability to get started.