Best Halloween Costume Ideas For Softball Teams Including Decorations
Halloween is a fun time of year for those involved in travel softball. There are usually multiple tournaments on weekends around Halloween that include dressing up, handing out goodies, canopy or tent decoration competitions, and more. The girls usually get really excited and have a lot of fun making plans for these fun events. We’ve been to quite a few Halloween tournaments and they are actually some of our girls’ most memorable experiences. They look forward to these events each year and research costumes well before October gets here.
Costume Ideas For Softball Teams
Sometimes it’s hard to come up with ideas for costumes for the teams. Many times you see teams do the same costumes year after year (Minions….am I right?). We hopefully have come up with some unique ideas that may help you in figuring out this year’s Halloween costume for your ball team. We’ve tried our hardest to find some that you just don’t see that often at the ballparks so hopefully your team can stand out and even possibly win the best dressed or most creative team award. As an addition, we have also added some links to where you can see some DIY versions of these costumes if you would like to try to make your own version of them.
Halloween Softball Tent Decorations
Another aspect of these Halloween softball tournaments are the tent decorations. Often times there will be awards handed out to the best-decorated tent. We’ve seen some pretty amazing, creative jobs over the year that are well out of our league. I’m not sure how some of these tents were even designed without an engineer! Anyways, we’ve included tent decoration ideas to match each costume idea below. We didn’t go super in-depth and you will have to use your creative minds as well, but we at least hope to give you some great ideas to get started.
1. 1920s Flappers
Many softball players, due to their young age, may not exactly know what a “flapper” is, so you may have to do a little education on this one. Being that flappers had a unique look to them, it should be easy to come up with some homemade costumes for this, but if you find yourself wanting to save time you can pick up these awesome flapper costumes that would work in a pinch.
1920s Flappers Tent Decoration
Drape with black and gold sequined fabric to mimic the 1920’s era. Hang pearl necklaces and feathered boas around the perimeter. You can add some string lights and include gold framed (spray painted) mirrors or 1920s-era posters as well. You can add a photo booth with a Great Gatsby-style backdrop with feather fans and a Roaring Twenties sign. Play jazz music from the era to add extra impact.
2. Disney Princesses
We all have seen our share of Disney princess movies, so why not allow your team to be an entire cast of Disney princesses or any other female Disney character? You’ve got Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Elsa, Anna, Tinkerbell, Periwinkle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Moana, Aurora, Esmeralda, Megara, Lilo, and the list goes on and on, but that should be enough to cover an entire team right there!
DIY Disney Princess Costume (Multiples designs)
Disney Princesses Tent Decoration
You could use colorful decorations like princess banners, castle cutouts, and character-specific props. Try hanging twinkling lights and Disney-themed balloons inside the tent, and play Disney songs to set the mood. A photo booth with character props for everyone would add a little bit to this experience.
3. Harry Potter
Who hasn’t heard of Harry Potter? Even if you’ve never seen the movies or read the books, you’re most likely not clueless about its existence. There are 4 main houses in Harry Potter (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff) and the girls can dress in whatever is closest to their personality. You could also dress as a Quidditch Team which could make this even easier. Another option is just to dress as your favorite characters, but you may end up with a whole team of Hermiones!
Harry Potter Tent Decoration
Banners could be created for each house in the Harry Potter world and hung from the edges of your canopy. Hang floating candles (LED tea lights) from the ceiling to appear as if you are in the Great Hall. Put out tables with vintage-looking books and spell scrolls as centerpieces, and place house scarves and wands for extra decor. You could also include a Platform 9 3/4 photo booth or a Hogwarts Express photo booth if you’re feeling artsy. Pick up the Harry Potter soundtrack and play the music in the background.
4. Famous Girl Bands
One idea that the team may love would be to dress as one of the many famous girl bands out there. Think of bands like Destiny’s Child, Spice Girls, TLC, The Pussycat Dolls, or Fifth Harmony. Find photos of them on the internet and get as close as you can to their attire when creating this costume.
Famous Girl Bands Tent Decoration
Hang disco balls and colorful streamers from the roof of the canopy. Place microphones and musical note cutouts on tables as centerpieces. Add album covers and posters of whatever band you choose to be around the tent. Create a stage for the girls to get on and pretend (or really) perform and maybe even give out prizes. Pick up that band’s album and play their music in the background.
5. Emoji Squad
This one could be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. A simple idea is just to have shirts with a different emoji for each girl. You could even make this more fun by letting the team assign a different emoji to each girl trying to match their personality. If you don’t trust them to do that, then just have them pick out of a hat. If you want to add more to it find emoji sunglasses, emoji jewelry, or even emoji headbands. Whoever is the best face painter can also face paint the team with their assigned emoji.
Emoji Squad Tent Decoration
Use emoji-patterned tablecloths and banners as well as emoji pillows and plush toys as table centerpieces. Make large cardboard cutouts of some of the emojis and paint them to match. Add an emoji-themed photo booth with props like sunglasses, hats, and masks for extra credit. Play fun lively music to create a little more festive atmosphere around the tent.
6. Beehive & Beekeepers
This is one where all of the girls would actually match. You can create cute, bee-striped outfits and have antennae headbands. You could also add stingers which I’m pretty sure the girls would love running around trying to sting everyone with their butt. Of course, the coaches can be the queen bees or better yet, the beekeepers!
Beehive Tent Decoration
Use yellow and black balloons to create an entrance to your “beehive”. Attach oversized bee cutouts to it as a welcome to visitors. Stick with the yellow and black theme throughout the tent. Use yellow fabric and tablecloths and incorporate black accents through banners, streamers, and tableware. You could hang yellow paper lanterns with LEDs from the roof of the canopy. Set up tables with items such as artificial bees, jars of honey, and black and yellow flowers in vases. Maybe get a nature sounds audio playlist and have it playing lightly in the background.
7. Oompa Loompas
With a little face paint, specific clothing, and a colorful oompa loompa wig, you can easily have an entire team of oompa loompas in a jiffy. Sometimes it’s hard to find a costume that a softball team can play ball in, but we feel that with this setup, your team shouldn’t really have any problems representing the oompa loompas all while they play a few ballgames. Add a little extra to this by letting the coach dress up as Willy Wonka.
Oompa Loompa Tent Decoration
Think candy….lots and lots of candy. Set up a candy buffet table with lots of sweets and chocolates (unless it’s forecasted to be warm that day). Use clear candy jars and dishes to make all the colorful candy visually appealing. Place cardboard cutouts of large candies such as lollipops, candy canes, and gummy bears around the tent. Hang “golden tickets” by thread from the roof of the tent. Use plenty of colorful items such as streamers, tablecloths, and banners to keep the area festive-looking. You could create a Chocolate River backdrop for photos and let the river be brown fabric to simulate the flowing chocolate. Add music from Willy Wonka or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the background.
8. Pirates of The Caribbean
This one just sounds fun to me. Think about having a bunch of little goofy-acting Captain Jack Sparrows running around the ballfield. (https://youtu.be/BiF-FGGMtKA?si=lB6K0l3KcV3Oyank) It’s humorous to even think about. Of course, you could just dress different characters from the series, but I seriously think if you’re watching a bunch of Jack Sparrows play ball, it would be a blast. Costumes could be pretty simple. Here’s a pretty helpful guide to getting that pirate outfit at a budget price.
Pirates of The Caribbean Tent Decoration.
Craft a pirate ship entrance using nautical colors like light blue and browns. Hang fisherman netting with seashells attached to it. You could use treasure chests filled with fake gold coins and toy swords as table centerpieces. Hang pirate flags, maps, and banners around the edges. Use wooden barrels, crates, and thick ropes with knots as extra decor.
9. Flight Attendants
I’m not saying it hasn’t happened, but I’ve personally never seen this one at a ball tournament. It’s actually a great idea for a group. Each team member could wear a matching airline uniform. Create your own airline (bonus points if it relates to your team’s name). The coaches could be the pilots in their pristine white pilot uniforms.
Flight Attendants Tent Decoration
To get that Flight Attendants theme going in your tent you could use blue and white fabrics to mimic the sky. Hang banners with your airline’s name and create a “check-in counter” with a “Welcome Aboard” sign. Use suitcases and globes as extra decorations. Use toy planes as props and make a departure board to hang at the back of the tent.
This October, we do hope that you and your team end up having a blast preparing for, and actually participating in these Halloween costume tournaments. They are so much fun and we know that many memories will be made. Hopefully, the ideas listed above have helped you or your softball team discover the next Halloween costume for your group of girls. Remember to take plenty of pictures! Have a great Halloween and good luck with your tournaments!
-Softball Galaxy
