That time of year is almost upon us. The nights are getting darker, the weather has begun to really turn, and people are beginning to think about what they’re going to carve their pumpkin into this year. Halloween is almost here! So whilst the Christmas train has already started chugging for some people (including our inboxes – no seriously), ‘tis the season to be SPOOKY. Hopefully, you’ve decided whether you’re going to be a devil or angel (costume optional) this year, but if not, sort it out pronto and then leave the Halloween plans to us. Whether you want to go out out, grab a magically reimagined bite, or really and truly go all in with the terrifying aspect of Halloween – we’ve got you covered for Halloween in London this year. You can thank us later…
1. Up the scare factor with a night at the Twisted Circus
The UK’s most terrifying Halloween brand has resurfaced for its 10th year, with a brand-new show featuring the creepiest cast yet! You’ll be able to witness incredible acts, crazy characters, and a heart-pumping soundtrack as XT Events invade London for one heck of an unforgettable experience. Since their inception, they have entertained over 100,000 like-minded souls— controlling all that is seen and heard to shape the audience’s experience into a world beyond imagination in Camden.
From crazy contortions by circus performers to a stomach-churning freakshow by way of an actual fortune teller, this is a Halloween event in London like no other. Plus, did we mention that there’s an hours’ worth of bottomless rum punch and complimentary popcorn too? Cop your tickets here.
2. Celebrate the macabre at a Hackney warehouse rave
Hosted in a warehouse transformed into a gothic wonderland, prepare to descend into the shadowy depths of Hackney Wick’s hidden enclaves this spooky season as the moon casts its eerie glow upon the city. Don your finest Halloween attire, grab your mates and get ready to do the ‘monster mash’ until late while top DJs spin the decks. It’s sure to be an otherworldly affair! Get your tickets now here.
3. Soak up the skyline views from Skylight Tobacco Dock
With soaring cityscapes as far as the eye can see, Skylight Tobacco Dock welcomes London’s costumed ghosts and ghouls, vampires and zombies and Freddy Kruegers and Jasons to enjoy a real fright night of Halloween fun. For one night only, Skylight looks to the dark side, with gruesome decor decking the walls, pumpkin-themed igloos, devilish cocktails and thriller DJs.
On the mezzanine, the heated igloos will be transformed into creepy dens, for groups of up to ten. You’ll also get a welcome cocktail on arrival – winner, winner – and there’s also a version south of the river in Peckham if that’s more suitable. Get involved here.
4. Put your life-drawing skills to the test this Hallow’s Eve
Take part in a neon nightmare at this Halloween-themed life drawing class, where nude models are dressed as crazy clowns, zombies, witches and more!! Expect an evening of ghostly, artistic fun like no other, when you’ll get the chance to depart from the conventional teachings of traditional life drawing and dare to try different mark-making techniques, from continuous line drawing to pointillism.
Witness your drawings come to life with neon pastels under eerie blacklight and take home your haunting masterpieces. Perfect date night perhaps for this Halloween in London? Get your tickets here.
5. Fall down the rabbit hole at The Clapham Grand
Listen up dear reader. Have you got the nerve to jump down the rabbit hole and wander through a haunted fairytale? Alice has been locked away for as long as she can remember and has inevitably gone rather mad. The cats and bunnies are deranged, the tea party is splattered in blood and now Evil Alice has instructed the Mad Hatter to throw a party of epic and unhinged proportions, to which you are invited. Add in oversized props, confetti showers, live acts on stage, and one hell of a party atmosphere and you can see why we love this one. Grab your tickets here.
6. Party until the wee hours at the Red Mansion
Hosted at a prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize-winning venue near Holborn right in the heart of Central London, you’ll get to let loose on two lively dance floors with top DJs playing the latest hits, while added VIP areas and lounges provide the perfect spots for mingling with your fellow ghouls, demons, and spirits.
You can expect live musicians and captivating live performances from cage dancers dressed as werewolves and witches and much more besides! Seek tarot insights, transform your look with professional make-up artists who will be dotted about the venue, and immerse yourself in art. It’s sure to be an event to die for and one of the best things to do this Halloween in London. Get involved here.
7. Set sail on a mysterious vessel along the Thames
Batten down the hatches and jump aboard the ‘Pirates of the River Thames’ Halloween boat party, taking place on a mysterious vessel which is docked at Tower Millenium Pier. Whether you’re Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner or Davy Jones, you can join the celebrations as you search the waters of the Thames for London’s hidden treasures, me hearties! Add in killer tunes and fun vibes and you can see why you don’t want to miss out on this one this Halloween! Grab your tickets now.
8. Boogie the night away at Shoreditch’s LALALAND
Get ready to experience the spookiest night of the year like never before at the Haunted Streets Halloween Special! Another Motive will be taking over the spooktacular streets of Shoreditch’s LALALAND for a Halloween spooktacular that will send shivers down your spine. Halloween fancy dress is encouraged, so don’t be a mere mortal; embrace your inner monster, witch, or creature of the night!
The stage is set for you to shine, and prizes will be awarded for the best costumes and outfits so bring your A game folks! Get ready to groove to the most bewitching beats all night long, with the otherworldly DJ lineup spinning Hip-Hop & RnB, Afrobeats, Bashment, and Amapiano. Hurry, as tickets are vanishing faster than ghosts, and this event is destined to sell out. Confirm your attendance here.
9. Enjoy a game of bingo with a real Halloween twist
Mark your calendars and get ready for the ultimate bingo experience because the long-awaited UKG Bingo: Halloween Special is finally hitting the town for its yearly Halloween event! Expect all your favourite UK Garage tunes, rowdy rounds of bingo, and the spookiest costumes, as you celebrate Halloween – UKG Bingo style. To top it all off, entry to the afterparty is included with your ticket, so the fun doesn’t stop when the bingo games end. Get involved here.
10. Celebrate At A One-Fright-Night-Only Event At Sky Garden
Sky Garden is taking Halloween up a notch (or, up 35 floors, rather) with a blowout night of live music, late-night dancing, and deadly cocktails. From 8pm into the night, Sky Garden is hosting the Halloween party with arguably the best view in all of London. And since Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year, they’ll be starting early by throwing their Halloween party on Friday, October 27. And, yes, obviously, dressing up is encouraged. It is Halloween after all!
Do be mindful of your costume, however, as Sky Garden’s natural ventilation means the temperature inside will be similar to the outside temperature. A cold night, perhaps, but you’re sure to warm up after a few drinks! There’ll also be a live band from the legendary ALR Music, DJs spinning the decks and optional Moët & Chandon Brut Champagne. When in Rome…
11. Spook yourself senseless with a flick at a five-star hotel
This Halloween, The Carlton Tower Jumeirah will be transformed into a spooktacular picture house billed as The Carlton Tower of Terror, showing an array of films and movies that are guaranteed to send shivers down your spine, unlock hidden nightmares and frighten all who dare to enter. On Saturday October 28 and Sunday November 2, they’ll be showing exclusive screenings of Halloween favourites including The Addams Family, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Scream and of course cult classic, The Shining.
The films will be shown on the first floor in the hotel’s fancy ballroom, having been decked out with plush seating, footrests, popcorn stands, pick and mix and a state-of-the-art sound system. Here’s Johnnyyyyyyy! Tickets are £55 per screening and include a welcome drink – a signature Halloween cocktail, a glass of wine/beer or soft drink – mini burgers, vegan hotdogs, popcorn, and sweet treats to boot too.
12. Follow in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper
Now if this isn’t one of the best things to do for Halloween in London, then we really don’t know what is. You’ll learn about Jack the Ripper and his victims, and explore sites where he committed his crimes in the historic area of Whitechapel and Brick Lane which is shrouded in mystery. You’ll also discover how public perception has been shaped since the murders took place, and compare it to what really happened in 1888.
Get a magnifying glass and start looking at what’s going on at the crime scene, figure out who killed the victims and get to work solving this mystery. You’ll need all of your deductive reasoning skills to crack this case of the most infamous serial killer of all time – trust us! You can grab your tickets for the tour here.
13. Channel Cinderella and go to the ball right in the heart of the capital
You are cordially invited to enter Wendy’s Halloween Ball at Ruby Blue London, the School for the Uniquely Gifted. Join an enchanting evening where the paranormal meets the peculiar and blood-soaked surprises await when the clock strikes midnight. Enjoy themed decor, scare actors, and an adult ball pit with over 5,000 balls – now if that doesn’t tempt you we don’t know what will! Grab your tickets here.
14. See all the weird and wonderful things at Hackney’s Absinthe Parlour
Based in Hackney in East London, The Absinthe Parlour is located within The Last Tuesday Society alongside The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, which houses a number of peculiar items, including a unicorn, mummified fairies, the skeleton of a mermaid, a two headed kitten, an eight legged lamb, human hair art, and ‘magical’ soaps… to name but a few.
The Absinthe Parlour in Bethnal Green itself is equally intriguing with curiosities adorning every inch of its walls, and this October, they’ve got a whole host of spooky events on the roster, including tarot and palm readings, horror movie screenings, magic doll workshops, scrying workshops, séances, magic candle-making, witchcraft lectures, and much, much more.
15. Experience Illario Alicante play at the legendary Studio 388
Fresh off the back of launching their own record label, Release is now back with huge Halloween news as they invite Ilario Alicante to play an exclusive four-hour set on Saturday October 28. He will be for this epic day and night party joined at London’s celebrated Studio 338 by Matthias Tanzmann, Dense & Pika, Clive Henry (Peace Division), Hypoxia, James Welsh and Kira for a freaky night full of ghoulish grooves.
Their London home – the Greenwich-based nightclub Studio 388 – will be fully transformed with immersive and thematic Halloween decor for this event – what else could you want hey?! Bag your tickets here.
16. Spook yourself senseless on a ghoulish ghost tour
In a city as old as London, there’s more than enough stories of blood-curdling crime, murder most horrid and spooky spectres. From shadowy graveyards to ancient boozers, our beloved capital has more than enough spots that put the ‘creep’ in creepy. One of our favourites is the aptly-named Petrifying London Ghost Tour, where you’ll sneak through the dark streets of hidden London and hear scary stories of all the ghosts, ghouls and spectres that are rumoured to stalk through the capital’s back alleyways.
You’ll visit landmark sites including All Hallows By The Tower, the oldest church in the city, the Monument to the Great Fire of London and St. Dunstan in the East – a bombed-out church which is now one of London’s most enchanting public parks. Grab your tickets here.
17. Make your way to London’s largest adventure playground
Looking for something to do with kids this Halloween? Well look no further than this one. Hobbledown Heath is London’s largest indoor and outdoor adventure playground, with four villages set in picturesque woodland in Hounslow, where kids can climb towers, crawl through tunnels, and safely explore an expansive play area! With a mini farm featuring goats, alpacas, meerkats, lemurs, and plenty more exotic and traditional animals, this is the ultimate day out that’s sure to create lasting memories for the whole family.
Plus, they’ve got pumpkin patches and plenty of Halloween activities for kiddies this year, so the whole family is guaranteed a good time. They’ve even got spooky science workshops conducted by Einstein – winner, winner! Get involved here.
18. Head to outer space with the immersive Avora experience
If you’re looking for something different to do during Halloween in London, then this one’s for you. Avora, located at the Rosewood Building in Hackney, is the brainchild of those behind the famed Alcotraz experience, and will have you foraging for your cocktail ingredients, partaking in a theatrical storyline that’ll keep you thinking long after you’ve gone home. As the story goes, you’ll rock up at ‘Roscorp Laboratories’, owned by a greedy CEO, and be briefed on a mission before you enter Avora.
Donning a custom jumpsuit, you’ll enter this world and source magical buds and secret elixirs for three unique cocktails, all the while admiring the gorgeous greenery, and other-worldly attributes. While you’re in Avora, time moves fast from morning to evening; the bioluminescence you’ll experience at ‘night’ is something really special. As you get acclimatised, a moral dilemma will present itself: do you continue to support the plans of the billionaire, or rebel and protect this new planet? The choice is yours… head to space here.
19. Terrify yourself senseless at the London Tombs
Often voted the scariest attraction in the whole of London, the London Bridge Experience is an award-winning visitor’s attraction set in the deep historical vaults of the world-famous London Bridge. You’ll get to experience the dark history of London Bridge first-hand as it is brought to life right in front of your eyes, with appearances by William Wallace and *gulp* Jack the Ripper along the way.
You can also have the option of entering into the London Tombs – an immersive scare maze playing home to a multitude of crazy characters and creatures including clowns, doctors, zombies, dentists, butchers, murderers and more. Plus, this Halloween they’re doing a terrifying extra show called ‘Ci-Curse’ – which is only suitable for those 16+!
20. Go head to head with Jigsaw and and escape Saw: Escape Experience
Bringing to life Jigsaw’s fearsome traps and puzzles in an adrenaline-fuelled game, brave applicants who dare to enter will recognise iconic sets recreated from the franchise, including the bone-chilling bathroom and Jigsaw’s workshop. Franchise star and veteran horror actor Tobin Bell voices John Kramer, the Master of Games, Jigsaw.
In a quest to survive, players will need to outwit Kramer’s haunting SAW villain, Billy the Puppet, who puts morality, wits and courage to the ultimate test in a series of gruesome games… Those fortunate to survive this immersive experience can unwind in The Traproom, a themed bar inspired by Jigsaw’s workshop.
This year, they’ve also announced SAW: Escape Experience London – After Dark, a series of late-night openings, welcoming thrill-seeking revellers until the early hours. On Saturday October 21 and 28, guests can book late-night experience entries at 10:00pm, 10:20pm and 10:40pm for an adrenaline-fuelled 70-minute game of survival. They’ve even got the option to join an epic afterparty too!
21. Journey into the world of Tim Burton in Brixton
Be transported to the world of BeetleJuice and the Nightmare Before Christmas, as Lost in Brixton, the favourite all weather destination situated right in the heart of Brixton, transforms this Halloween weekend into a Tim Burton inspired spooktacular. The venue will be unrecognisable after Jack Skellington and Edward Scissorhand commence their terrifying makeover filled with Luciferian decorations and petrifying lighting – sure to make everyone scream!
This is not the time for a half hearted costume, we want guests to go to the extreme as on Saturday the best dressed guest will win a £250 Lost in Brixton voucher (I say)! To make sure everyone will dance ‘till they’re dead, on both Friday and Saturday the DJ will be taking requests all night long. No Halloween party would be complete without special Halloween cocktails to complete the evening, mixed with sugar, spice and all things nice…
22. Party like it’s the end of the world at The Prince
Halloween at The Prince, London’s favourite party pub in West Brompton, is set to be a terrifying spooktacular, kicking off the weekend with everyone’s favourite London event ‘Bongo’s Bingo’ on Wednesday 25, where an array of exciting prizes can be won. DJ Siân Owen will then kick off proceedings for the weekend, and she’ll be spinning the decks until the wee hours.
Saturday night will see The Prince party like never before after its petrifying makeover to become Southern Comfort’s ‘So Tasteful Halloween’, set to be a raucous night filled with jaw-dropping live and immersive entertainment, petrifying decorations, and devilish cocktails to boot. Add in bottomless brunch, pumpkin carving, a pub quiz and ‘Famous First Words’ karaoke and you can see why this is the place to be this year for Halloween in London!
23. Experience a ‘What We Do In The Shadows’-themed event at The Four Quarters
The UK’s original arcade bar, the Four Quarters in Elephant and Castle will be hosting a spooktacular start to Halloween weekend with a ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ takeover, taking place on Friday October 27 and Saturday October 28. Game lovers will be able to sip to their heart’s content on a selection of the finest cocktails as they enter a transformed arcade bar dedicated to the world of the undead. Paying homage to the iconic movie and television series ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ – a popular US comedy horror series about four vampire housemates who live in suburban Staten Island – you’ll get to experience an unforgettable night, including screenings of the hit series, non-stop music and endless games.
Everyone is also encouraged to get dressed up as their favourite character from the show, as there will be a competition for the best dressed, and the most creative costumes will win prizes including some *ahem* fangtastic (sorry) What We Do In The Shadows merch!
24. Party all night long with fellow ravers at The Clapham Grand
Now this is one Halloween plan that you really don’t wanna miss out on. This year, The Clapham Grand’s Halloween Party is bigger and better than ever before. Experience the haunted Victorian theatre transformed into a ‘death disco’, where thousands of revellers will get on down in glamorous and ghoulish outfits. Enjoy guest DJs, party hits, and Halloween classics ‘all night long’ in the words of Lionel. Don’t miss the confetti, balloon drops, ghostly cocktails, photo booth, and much more.
Plus, The Grand’s dream-team of dancers will do their utmost to keep the party alive and pumping! Sing your heart out at the ‘kreepy karaoke‘ at the upstairs party bar, and don’t forget to dress up in your scariest or most glamorous outfit! When in Rome… get your tickets here.
25. Indulge in a spooky afternoon tea for all the family
The prestigious Richmond Hill Hotel’s traditional children’s Halloween afternoon tea returns this October for families looking for spook-tacular activities to enjoy together. The luxury Georgian hotel, which is only moments away from the Royal Richmond Park, is set to launch its popular themed afternoon tea from October 23 to October 30.
All members of the family can tuck into devilish delights such as finger sand-witches (sorry), hauntingly good vegetable dippers and Halloween themed cakes and treats. Located within their award-winning restaurant, 144 On The Hill, this spook-tasctic event can be enjoyed by everyone, and kids can even also dress up in Halloween costumes for the chance to win best-dressed and take home a fang-tastic prize. Sounds good to us!
26. Get sexy at the French-inspired restaurant Riviera
Rounding off this list of the best things to do for Halloween in London this year is the event ‘Sexy Halloween’ at Riviera – the bougie French restaurant which adds a bit of Côte d’Azur glamour to St James’s.
Taking place on Saturday October 28, guests will be treated to performances from dancers, incredible singers and extraordinary acrobats, as well as a complementary commentary by a charismatic Master of Ceremonies, who will accompany revellers through an evening of sensational talent. On top of all this, there will also be some exquisite cocktails and French-inspired food here too. Ideal!
So there you have it – a roundup of 22 of the best things to do for Halloween in London. From scaring yourself senseless being chased by clowns in a scare maze to hopping on board a boat down the Thames with pirates, there’s a whole host of things to do in the Big Smoke this year so don’t miss out!
Also published on Medium.