Halloween decorating has gotten a lot more elaborate over the years — string lights, inflatables, fog machines, projectors, the works. It's fun, but it's also more electrical load than a lot of homes' outdoor circuits are really built for, and I get a handful of calls every October from tripped breakers and blown outlets from Halloween setups.
A few practical things that'll save you a headache this year:
Don't daisy-chain too many extension cords together. Every connection point is a little bit of resistance, and stringing together three or four cords to reach the far end of your yard is a real fire risk, not just an inconvenience. If you need power further out than one solid outdoor-rated cord can reach, that's usually a sign you'd benefit from an additional outdoor outlet instead.
Spread your load across multiple outlets/circuits, not just one. If everything — lights, an inflatable, a fog machine — is plugged into the same outlet or the same circuit, you're much more likely to trip a breaker. Splitting the load across a couple of different outdoor outlets makes a real difference.
Use outdoor-rated everything. Cords, lights, timers — if it's going to be exposed to weather, it needs to actually be rated for outdoor use. This isn't just about performance, it's a real safety issue if something isn't properly weatherproofed and gets wet.
Check your GFCI outlets before you start decorating. Same test as I mentioned in the fall safety checklist — press test, press reset. An outdoor GFCI that's not working right is more likely to cause a real problem once you've got water, cords, and lights all out there together.
If you're planning a bigger display this year and want to make sure your outdoor electrical setup can actually handle it, it's worth a quick conversation before the decorations go up rather than after something trips.