Scare yourself silly at The Mansion’s Halloween Ball
© The Mansion

The onset of autumn can be a bit depressing for many of us as the nights get darker and the temperatures get colder. So perhaps that’s why so many of us are getting more excited about Halloween than we used to – a bit of fun to lift us out of our pre-winter blues. Now it’s not only the Americans that go crazy for the annual scarefest with a host of daytime and nighttime events for both children and adult on in London. As it coincides with half-term, there’s plenty of Halloween-themed fun for kids throughout the week in the lead up to the 31 October. Meanwhile, for party animals, there’s plenty of late-night revelry, or for a calmer alternative, there’s special meals and film screenings.

For a guide to what non-Halloween activities and festivals are on in London in October, click here.

Daytime jitters

• 1 – 31 October : The Witch Hunter at the London Dungeon

The London Dungeon are hosting a Halloween twist on their usual attractions, as you join Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins on his 17th century witch hunt. Tickets start from children £17.50, adults from £21.50. London Dungeon, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB. Nearest station: Waterloo or Embankment. For more information and booking, visit the London Dungeon website. For Metro Girl’s review of the London Dungeon, click here.

• 22 – 30 October : Boo At The Zoo

A week of fiendish fun at London Zoo including Halloween-themed activities, pumpkin carving, animal demonstrations and crafts. Open 10am-5pm. Activities are free with entry to zoo. Entrance tickets: Adults £24.25, Child £17.60. London Zoo, Regent’s Park, Marylebone, NW1 4RY. Nearest station: Regent’s Park or Camden Town. For booking, visit the ZSL website.

• 22 – 31 October : A Slice of Pumpkin Eye at the London Eye

Special Halloween experiences for families with a fun activity pack. Tickets: Children from £16.95, Adults from £21.20. London Eye, near Westminster Bridge Road, South Bank, SE1 7PB. Nearest stations: Waterloo, Westminster or Embankment. For more information and booking, visit the London Eye website. For Metro Girl’s review of the London Eye, click here.

• 22 – 31 October : Spookfest @ London Museum of Water & Steam

Learn the secret history of the engine houses, enjoy a ride on the ghost train, a trip through the creepy wood and Halloween craft activities. Tickets: £11.25 adults, £4.95 children. London Museum of Water & Steam, Kew Bridge Road, Brentford, TW8 0EF. Nearest station: Kew Bridge. For more information, visit the London Museum of Water & Steam.

• 24 – 28 October : Half Term Horrors @ Eltham Palace

Creepy family fun at the Medieval and Art Deco Eltham Palace. Including costume competitions and pumpkin carving. Book a time slot at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm. Tickets: Adults £13.60, Children £8.10. Eltham Palace, Court Yard, Eltham, Greenwich, SE9 5QE. Nearest station: Eltham or Mottingham. For more information, visit English Heritage website. For Metro Girl’s review of Eltham Palace, click here.

Halloween fun for families on the Cutty Sark in Greenwich

• 24 – 28 October : She Tells Sea Tales

Step on-board the Cutty Sark to be entertained with artists, musicians and storytellers. 11am-3.45pm. Tickets: Adults £12.15, Children £6.30. Cutty Sark Clipper Ship, King William Walk, Greenwich, SE10 9HT. Nearest stations: Cutty Sark (DLR), Greenwich or Maze Hill. For more information, visit the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

• 24 – 29 October : Things That Go Splash In The Night @ Maritime Museum

Children can make their own shipwrecked musical instruments and listen to scary tales and watch puppet shows. Free admission. Maritime Museum, Park Row, Greenwich, SE10 9NF. Nearest stations: Cutty Sark (DLR), Maze Hill or Greenwich. For more information and booking, visit the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

• 25 October : Halloween @ Benjamin Franklin House

A spooky family day with spooky 18th century stories told by Polly Hewson and ghastly games. 4-5pm. Free, but advanced booking recommend. Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven Street, WC2N 5NG. Nearest stations: Charing Cross or Embankment. For more information, visit the Benjamin Franklin House website.

• 26 – 30 October : Halloween Half-Term @ Sutton House

Halloween fun and games in a Tudor manor, including mixing an alchemist’s poison, story-telling and art workshops. Fancy dress encouraged. Halloween activities are free with normal entry. Tickets: Adults £5, Children £2.50. Sutton House, 2-4 Homerton High Street, Hackney, E9 6JQ. Nearest station: Homerton. For more information, visit the National Trust website.

• 30 October : Trick Or Treat Run

A Halloween-themed run of either 2km, 5km or 10km around a closed park course. For adults and children, fancy dress encouraged. Prizes for the best costumes. 9am-12pm. Entrance fees: £15-25 per person. Richmond Park, Richmond, TW10 5HS. Nearest station: North Sheen, Richmond or Hampton Wick. For more information and to register, visit the Human Race website.

Things that go bump in the night

• 10 – 30 October : London Horror Festival

Festival of live horror performance including cabaret, film screenings, Zombie weekends, midnight performances and a short horror play competition. Ticket prices vary. Most events take place at the Old Red Lion Theatre, 418 St John Street, Islington, EC1V 4NJ. Nearest station: Angel. For more information, visit the London Horror Festival website.

• 22 – 31 October : Phobophobia: The Ventriloquist Nightmare

The already scary experience has a late night special Hallowe’en twist where the puppets are out to play. Over 16s only. Open 6-10pm. Tickets start from £26.95. London Bridge Experience, 2-4 Tooley Street, Borough, SE1 2SY. Nearest station: London Bridge. For more information and booking, visit the London Bridge Experience website.

• 26 – 27 October : Musical Bingo Halloween Ball

Musical bingo is similar to regular bingo – except they play music instead of shout numbers. Guests are encouraged to dress up for a night of bingo, music, food and ghoulish fun. There will also be prizes for the best dressed. Tickets: £12. 8pm-11pm. Concrete Space, 56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ. Nearest station: Shoreditch High Street. For more information and booking, visit the Musical Bingo website.

• 27 October : Halloween @ Choccywoccydoodah

Chocolate emporium Choccywoccydoodah are hosting a spooky soiree, with competitions, monster mash, pumpkin painting, face-painting and music from DJ Winston. 4-7pm. Free entry. Choccywoccydoodah, 30-32 Foubert’s Place, Soho, W1F 7PS. Nearest station: Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus. For more information, visit Carnaby London.

• 27 -30 October : Halloween Films @ Backyard Cinema’s Lost World

Step inside a tropical jungle to watch your favourite Halloween movies. Featuring Ghostbusters, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Hocus Pocus, Goosebumps, Evil Dead, Casper, Addams Family Values and Blair Witch Project. Screenings vary at 12.30pm, 4.30pm and 8pm. Tickets start from £16.50. Mercato Metropolitao, 42 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6DR. Nearest station: Elephant & Castle. For booking, visit Backyard Cinema. For more information, read Metro Girl’s blog post on The Lost World.

• 28 October : London’s Night Owls Sleepover @ Museum Of London

Overnight opening for children featuring fancy dress, trick or treat by torchlight, solve a crime and after-hours tour of the Fire! Fire! exhibition before bedding down for a sleepover with breakfast and a film in the morning. For children aged 7-11. 6.45pm-9.40am on 29 October. Tickets £60pp (1 adult required for up for 4 children, more adults for bigger groups of children). Museum of London, 150 London Wall, City of London, EC2Y 5HN. Nearest station: Barbican. For booking, visit the Museum Of London website.

• 28 – 31 October : Halloween Films with Nomad Cinema

Roaming pop-up cinema club Nomad will be screening some ghoulish classics over the Halloween weekend. Including Little Shop Of Horrors at Farmopolis, Greenwich; Ghostbusters at The Bloomsbury and Under The Shadow at the Lexi Cinema. Tickets range from £5 to £25 dependent on screening. For more information, visit the Nomad Cinema website.

• 28 October : Delicious Decay: The Edible Body Farm

Find out the science of decomposition with mini lectures, specimen viewing and ‘death’ cocktail. 6.30-8.30pm. Tickets: £15.79. Barts Pathology Museum, 3rd Floor, Robin Brook Centre, West Smithfield, EC1A 7BE. Nearest station: St Paul’s or City Thameslink. To book, visit Eventbrite.

• 28 October : Halloween Late @ National Gallery

Celebrate the darker side of the Beyond Caravaggio collection, with live music, themed food and drink, storytelling, pumpkin carving, fortune-telling, drawing classes, face-painting, photobooth and the secret bar. 6-9pm. Free entry. National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN. Nearest stations: Charing Cross, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square or Embankment. For more information, visit the National Gallery website.

Run away to the Dark Circus Party

• 29 October : Dark Circus Party – Day Of The Dead

The fabulous freaky Dark Circus Party returns with a special Day Of The Dead theme. Step inside the abandoned circus and follows the skeletal faces through a carnival of horrors. Featuring circus shows, acrobatics, music and tequila cocktails. 9pm until late. Tickets: £30. The Grand Hall St Pancras, Euston Road, WC1H 9AU. Nearest station: King’s Cross St Pancras or Euston. For tickets, visit the Dark Circus party website. For more information, check out Metro Girl’s blog post on the Dark Circus Party.

• 29 October : The Mansion Halloween Ball

This year’s Halloween Ball will take place in a secret location overlooking a graveyard. Music from DJ Joffrey Bogart, DJ Hatim, Alex Banks and Martin Rodrigo across multiple floors. Entertainment includes cage dancers, spectacular silhouette cuttings, fabulous face painting, fire shows, fortune-teller, vintage movies and illustration exhibition. Street food and plenty of alcohol will be available. 9pm-4am. Tickets start from £30. Location will be revealed 48 hours before the event. For more information, visit The Mansion website.

• 29 October : Halloween @ Bunga Bunga

Celebrate Halloween Italian-style as Bunga Bunga is transformed into a haunted house. Featuring entertainment, cocktails, pizza, DJs and fancy dress. 10.30pm until late. Bunga Bunga, 37 Battersea Bridge Road, SW11 3BA. Nearest station: Clapham Junction, Queenstown Road Battersea or Battersea Park. For more information, visit the Bunga Bunga website.

• 29 October : Halloween At The Top

Experience London’s highest Halloween party at the Sky Garden at the Walkie Talkie. Featuring live music from Juke Joints and the Soul Jets, with DJs playing until the early hours. Food and drink will also be available. The best costume could win dinner for two at one of the Sky Garden’s restaurants. 9pm-3am. Tickets from £42.69. Sky Garden, 20 Fenchurch Street, City of London, EC3M 3BY. Nearest station: Fenchurch Street or Monument. For booking, visit Eventbrite. For Metro Girl’s review of the Sky Garden, click here.

• 29 October : Museums At Night – Craven Street Bones @ Benjamin Franklin House

Late opening of the Benjamin Franklin House museum with a talk by historian Braena Sykes on how human bones of 10 people were found under the basement floor in 1997. 6.30pm onwards. Tickets:£5. Benjamin Franklin House, 36 Craven Street, WC2N 5NG. Nearest stations: Charing Cross or Embankment. For more information, visit the Benjamin Franklin House website.

• 29 October : Meet The Widow @ Barts

Exclusive Chelsea bar Barts host their annual spooky celebration with a champagne reception. Dress code: Haunted widow/widower. 6pm-1.30am. Barts, Chelsea Cloisters, 87 Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, SW3 3DW. Nearest stations: Sloane Square or South Kensington. For more information, visit the Barts website. For Metro Girl’s review of Barts, click here.

• 29 October : Halloween Late – Mystery At The Museum

An immersive theatre experience with a Halloween twist. 6.30-10pm. Tickets:£15 (includes a tot of Pusser’s Rum). National Maritime Museum, Park Row, Greenwich, SE10 9NF. Nearest station: Cutty Sark (DLR) or Maze Hill. For booking, visit the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

• 29 October : Zombie Pirate Ship

Zombie Pirate Ship party on a boat, featuring DJs, fancy dress, shows, dancers and more. Tickets include secret after-party on land. Strictly over 18s only. Boat party from 8pm-12am. Tickets start from £20. Boat departs from Tower Pier near the Tower of London, EC3N 4DT. Nearest station: Tower Hill. For more information, visit Ticket Tailor.

Eighties club Maggie’s is hosting a slasher movie party

• 29 October : A Nightmare On Elm Street @ Maggie’s

The king of slasher movies comes to Eighties-inspired nightclub Maggie’s. Featuring horror cocktails and fancy dress competition. 10.30pm-3.30am. Maggie’s, 329 Fulham Road, SW10 9QL. Nearest station: South Kensington, Gloucester Road or Fulham Broadway. For more information, visit Maggie’s website.

• 29 and 31 October : Ghost Tour @ Museum Of London Docklands

After being greeted with a hot drink, you’ll visit the haunted locations on the quayside before an intimate and exclusive after hours tour of the museum. 6.30pm start. Tickets: £25 (includes a refreshment). Museum of London Docklands, No.1 Warehouse, West India Quay, E14 4AL. Nearest station: West India Quay (DLR). For more information and booking, visit the Museum Of London Docklands website.

• 29 – 30 October : Pillows and Paintbrushes Sleepover: Haunted Gallery Weekend

An overnight stay at the Dulwich Picture Gallery featuring a visit to the haunted house, paintings brought to life, a classic film and breakfast. 6.45pm-8.30am. £50pp. Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, Dulwich, SE21 7AD. Nearest station: West Dulwich or North Dulwich. For booking, visit the Dulwich Picture Gallery website.

• 30 October : Halloween Masquerade @ Proud Camden

A lavish Halloween party comes to Camden, featuring sexy dancing vampires, hot fire girls and pole dancing boys. DJs will be spinning pop/house/dance music, while the Lip Sync Experience will also be live, with guests having the chance to perform. 7pm-12.30am. Tickets from £12. Proud, Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, Camden Town, NW1 8AH. Nearest station: Chalk Farm or Camden Town. For more information, visit the Halloween Masquerade website.

• 30 and 31 October : Music To Be Murdered By @ Crazy Coqs

Go on a multi-sensory journey through music, theatre and comedy, narrated by ‘Alfred Hitchcock’ himself in the stunning Art Deco Zedel building. Tickets: £20. Crazy Coqs, Live @ Zedel, 20 Sherwood Street, Soho, W1F 7ED. Nearest station: Piccadilly Circus. For booking, visit the Live At Zedel website.

• 31 October : Supper With The Shadows – Halloween In The Docks

Enjoy a sit-down dinner and a talk from ghost experts before embarking on a tour of the 200-year-old warehouse. 7pm-12am. Tickets: £80pp. Museum of London Docklands, No.1 Warehouse, West India Quay, E14 4AL. Nearest station: West India Quay (DLR). For more information and booking, visit the Museum Of London Docklands website.

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