Be ready to embrace the eerie and succumb to the supernatural as England unveils a spellbinding selection of Halloween horrors.
As the witching hour approaches, here is a selection of England’s spookiest events and experiences, from dance parties and escape rooms to pumpkin picking and ghost tours through historic cities.
Monstrous Music
Whitby’s Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival and Illuminated Abbey, North Yorkshire
21-31 October 2023
This October, the ruins of Whitby Abbey will be illuminated with a rainbow of color to light up the dark nights. Adding to the dramatic glow of the cathedral will be a projection of the story of Dracula on the ancient walls. Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival will take place at the Whitby Pavilion, with goth rock royalty The Mission headlining with The 69 Eyes, Theatre of Hate, and many more. The festival will celebrate gothic subculture with themed markets, performances, and club nights.
Voxi presents KISS Haunted House Party, Liverpool
28 October 2023
The iconic KISS Haunted House Party will be held up north for the first time, hosted in Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena. Featuring big names such as Leigh Anne, Becky Hill, FLO, Jax Jones, Joel Curry, Rudimental, vendee, Zara Larsson, and Tyler West, partygoers are encouraged to attend in fancy dress.
The Silence of the Baths, Manchester
28 October 2023
Manchester’s Victoria Baths, a building with over 100 years of history, will be transformed into a music haven featuring DJ sets from the fans of THT Girl (Not Bad For A Girl) and DJ MX WORLD. With the whole space dressed for the occasion, partygoers in fancy dress will enjoy a silent disco with a spooky twist.
The Barnsdale Halloween Ball, Rutland
28 October 2023
The Barnsdale, a former hunting lodge with a 250-year history, is set to be transformed into a spooky and spectacular destination with a touch of glam as it prepares for its first-ever Halloween Ball. Fancy dress is obligatory. The best dressed will be awarded with a bottle of wine. Tickets include a three-course meal and creepy-themed cocktail, with the enjoyment of The Reservoir Band.
Hocus Pocus in Concert, Manchester & London
29 & 31 October 2023
The Disney Halloween Classic, Hocus Pocus, will be shown live in concert, complete with Emmy Award-winning composer John Debney’s musical score performed alongside the film. Hocus Pocus tells the story of three witches, brought back to life in Salem on Halloween night, who are hell-bent on stealing the ‘life essence’ of the town’s children to maintain eternal life. Viewings will be at London’s Eventim Apollo on 29 October and Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on 31 October.
Eerie Events and Escape Rooms
Fairground Frights and Creepy Circus Acts, Great Yarmouth
20 -31 October 2023
Great Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach will get a sinister makeover for Halloween with five nights of frights this October (21 – 29 October 2023). There will be creepy characters roaming the grounds, multiple scare mazes, Halloween tunes, themed cocktails, and a fireworks display on the evening of 29 October. Wristbands start at £20 per person and include access to all rides, mazes, and attractions. The fair is not the only spectacle that Great Yarmouth has to offer; the Halloween Spooktacular at the Hippodrome Circus (20 – 31 October 2023) will offer a line-up of acrobatics, stunts, dance, and comedy, all set to a spooky theme.
Alderford at Halloween, Shropshire
Thrills and frights can be expected at Alderford this Halloween, with multiple events for all ages. Younger ones under ten can enjoy Witchcraft Woods, where they will begin their experience selecting a wand and creating their own animal companion to join them on an adventure filled with games and battles to become the best student in the class. Slightly older children between 8 and 13 can enjoy Spooky Island, which features a maze filled with twists and turns to thrill rather than fright. There will be an 18+ Nightmare Island escape room experience (27 – 28 October 2023), which sees participants rowed out to the island from which they will have to complete several puzzling challenges to escape.
Xtreme Scream Park, Leicestershire
6 – 31 October 2023
Tickets to Leicestershire’s Xtreme Scream Park will grant visitors access to all seven spine-chilling attractions, from mazes to haunted houses, and live interactive experiences, including roaming actors, fire breathers, and live performances.
Scaresville – The Haunted Village at Kentwell Hall, Suffolk
11 – 22 October & 27 – 29 October 2023
Visitors can enjoy a fully immersive experience in the Haunted Village at Kentwell Hall for an hour of frights and thrills designed for visitors over 14 years of age, with those under 18 years accompanied by an adult.
PrimEVIL, Norfolk
13 October – 4 November 2023
This year will bring five ‘haunts’ aka terror mazes to Norfolk’s award-winning scare attraction, including The Crypt, Circus of Terror, Route 666, Warehouse 51, and Mayhem Manor. This attraction is more suited to those aged 16+ as each haunt will consist of live actors, confusing turns, and jump scares. There will be food vendors on site in addition to archery, axe throwing, East Anglia’s largest rope course, and live music.
Doom Town – A Mannequin Mystery, Lincolnshire
20 – 21 October 2023
Inspired by the supernatural adventure novel The Doom Town Dummies, Mannakin, a Lincolnshire-based business supplying mannequins to the TV and film industry, will open the doors to its warehouse for two Halloween-themed evenings. The story follows a paranormal investigator who invites guests to help him uncover the mystery of what happened to James Jr who is said to haunt Mannakin Hall. There will be food, drink, and plenty of mysteries to solve.
After Dark: Nights to Die for at Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein, Bath
20 October – 31 October 2023
Visitors will experience a truly immersive experience inside the 300-year-old home of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Participants will venture through darkened rooms, participate in twisted childhood games, brave the basement walk-through experience, and decipher deranged ramblings in Victor’s Attic Escape Room. The event will run from 6 pm to 11:30 pm every evening and include access to the Bloody Mary’s Bar, where 18+ guests can calm their nerves with an alcoholic beverage.
The Mystery of the Stones at Stonehenge, Wiltshire
21 October – 5 November 2023
Visitors will be able to uncover the mystery of one of the world’s most famous heritage sites, Stonehenge, with the help of famous detectives Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson, and Mrs Hudson. This themed event will be included in standard pricing and there will be British Sign Language sessions taking place every Saturday and Wednesday.
Family-Friendly Frights
Halloween at Muncaster Castle, Cumbria
Muncaster Castle offers a whole host of Halloween experiences this year. During the daytime, visitors can embark on a family-friendly adventure with “FRANKENSTEIN,” a castle tour that takes them into Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory, where mischief and chaos unfold. As night falls, “Scarecaster” awaits braver souls, a night festival featuring a maze, live music, food, and a bar. Attendees are encouraged to dress up and participate in the scariest costume contest. For the fearless, “The Vanishing” offers an immersive poltergeist experience where visitors can unravel a 150-year-old mystery. Expect jump scares, suspense, and psychological torment in this 18+ attraction.
Pumpkin Picking
The Pumpkin Patch at Rectory Farm, Oxfordshire
Weekends from 7 October 2023
Spanning 45 acres of Oxfordshire fields and offering 30 types of produce open to visitors for harvesting, The Rectory Farm is a popular spot for pumpkin picking each October. This year, over 25,000 pumpkins are up for grabs with plenty of fringe events happening on the farm such as the garden games, tractor and trailer rides, a straw bale maze and a special harvest show performed three times a day.
Pumpkin picking and carving at Cannon Hall Farm, South Yorkshire
14 – 31 October 2023
This multi-award-winning farm based in South Yorkshire sees the return of its pumpkin patch, boasting almost 10,000 pumpkins for visitors to pick. Parents will not need to worry about knife whittling for the jack-o’-lantern creation as there will be an expert team of carvers on-site, to transform the pumpkins into ghoulish characters. Tickets to the event include all-day farm admission and entitle every child to a free pumpkin.
Pick your own at Hatton Adventure World, Warwickshire
Weekends from 14 October and 28 – 31 October 2023
Set across 100 acres of countryside and home to over 450 animals, Hatton Adventure World is a regular for family day outings. This October it will see the return of its Halloween Spooktacular, featuring pumpkin picking and carving, saving parents the mess at home. The pumpkins are not the only stars of the attraction, new for this year there will be Haunted Cabins where kids will be greeted with either a trick or a treat.
Cammas Hall Pumpkin Patch, Hertfordshire
30 September – 29 October 2023
Situated on the Hertfordshire and Essex border, this family-owned farm offers 60 varieties of pumpkins and squash, all up for grabs to pick. On the grounds, there will be Halloween characters to meet and greet wicked walkways, a terror tunnel, and a Halloween-themed maize maze.