The Best Halloween Events In The UK and Ireland This Year

Looking for the best Halloween events in the UK and Ireland? From terrifying scream parks and ghost tours to haunted castles, spooky afternoon teas and ancient Samhain celebrations, this guide rounds up my favourite Halloween experiences to help you plan the ultimate spooky season.

Halloween in the UK is set to be bigger than ever in 2026, with returning favourites, brand-new scare attractions and plenty of spooky surprises already announced. Whether you’re planning a Halloween weekend away, looking for a fright-filled day out or simply hoping to embrace the spooky season, there’s no shortage of unforgettable experiences taking place across the country this October.

This isn’t a giant directory of every single event – instead, this guide is handpicked to highlight the most atmospheric and unusual Halloween events across the UK, including some of my personal favourites!

The Origins of Halloween

Before haunted houses, pumpkin patches and scream parks, Halloween began as Samhain (pronounced Sow-in), an ancient Celtic festival celebrated across Ireland, Scotland and parts of Britain over 2,000 years ago. Marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, it was believed that on the night of 31st October, the boundary between the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to cross into our world.

To ward off wandering souls and mischievous fairies, communities lit large bonfires, wore disguises, shared stories and left offerings of food. Over time, these pagan traditions merged with the Christian observance of All Hallows’ Eve, eventually evolving into the Halloween we know today.

While modern celebrations often revolve around costumes, carved pumpkins and haunted attractions, many of the UK’s and Ireland’s best Halloween events still draw inspiration from these ancient traditions. Whether you’re watching fire performances at Ireland’s Púca Festival or exploring a haunted castle, you’re taking part in customs that have been celebrated for centuries.

From ancient Celtic festivals to spine-chilling scream parks, here’s where to celebrate Halloween across the UK and Ireland.

This list was last updated on 26th October 2026 and will be updated with more events and experiences in the run-up to Halloween.

Credit: Scare City

Scare City, Lancashire

Voted ScareTRACK’s Best Scare Attraction in 2023, Scare City Experience is a unique scream park featuring ten immersive zones set within the abandoned grounds of Camelot Theme Park. The experience follows one continuous trail, so there’s no escaping the scares until the very end! Previous zones have included The Hollow, Satan’s Soirée and the vampire-themed Castellum – although the 2026 line-up is yet to be announced. The experience can last anywhere from 45 to 120 minutes, depending on how busy it is, with a halfway point where you can grab food and drink or use the loo before heading back into the horror.

📌 Camelot Theme Park, Charnock Richard
📅 26th September – 7th November
💵 £34.95
💻 Visit website

The Howl Scream Park, Bedfordshire

The Howl Scream Park at Mead Open Farm combines immersive scenery, live street theatre and seven scare attractions to create a fantastic Halloween night out. Living nearby, I visit The Howl almost every year and it never disappoints. My favourites? Full Moon Manor and Noxious Alley – that rotating tunnel is no joke! Better yet, because Noxious Alley is tucked away from the other mazes, you can often walk straight in without much of a wait. Though it’s a little smaller than some of the UK’s biggest scream parks, that’s definitely part of its charm. It feels like a self-contained Halloween festival, with live music, great food and a genuinely fun atmosphere. They usually introduce a new twist or scare attraction each year too, so keep an eye out for what’s new in 2026.

📌 Mead Open Farm, Leighton Buzzard
📅 9th October – 31st October (mostly Fri-Sun)
💵 From £32.00
💻 Visit website

Read more: The Howl Scream Park at Mead Open Farm Review

Thorpe Park FRIGHT NIGHTS, Surrey

Did you know that Thorpe Park is celebrating a whopping 25 years of FRIGHT NIGHTS® in 2026?! And this year is set to be their most immersive event yet, with five scare mazes (including the brand-new Tenement!), scare zones and seriously spooky shows. There’s also The Conjuring 4D Experience, plus the chance to ride the coasters after dark. Can you imagine riding SAW – The Ride, the world’s first horror movie-themed rollercoaster, in the dark?!

📌 Thorpe Park, Chertsey
📅 2nd October – 1st November
💵 Theme park entry from £39 online, including rides after dark and access to the free scare zones and shows. Scare mazes and selected experiences cost extra.
💻 Visit website

Screamfest, Staffordshire

This award-winning scream park features six scare attractions, including an alien-themed paintball tractor ride that sounds unlike anything else on this list! Alongside the haunts, you’ll also find live entertainment, walkabout performers, food and drink, fairground rides and plenty of Halloween atmosphere. Better still, this one comes recommended by the one and only Don’t Scare Claire, so you know it’s earned its place in this guide.

📌 National Forest Adventure Farm, Burton upon Trent
📅 27th – 31st October
💵 From £39.00
💻 Visit website

Kelburn Haunted Forest, Scotland

Kelburn Haunted Forest is another scare attraction that really caught my eye this year – because it’s set in the forest surrounding one of the oldest castles in Scotland! By day, this Secret Forest is the stuff of fairytales, with a witch’s cottage and a giant’s castle. But for Halloween, it transforms into an immersive outdoor scare experience. This year’s theme, Nightmare Box, promises to unleash every imaginable terror into the woods as you follow a continuous walkthrough trail through the forest. The combination of ancient woodland, castle grounds and immersive scares makes this one of the most atmospheric Halloween experiences in Scotland.

If you’re making the trip, I’d also recommend exploring Kelburn Castle and its grounds during the day. I couldn’t find any reports of the castle itself being haunted, but it’s still a fascinating historic place to visit. You can also book their Stay and Scare package, which includes an overnight stay in a luxury glamping yurt hidden within the historic Kelburn Estate, plus drinks vouchers for the bar.

📌 Kelburn Estate Fairlie, Ayrshire
📅 15th October – 1st November
💵 From £26.50
💻 Visit website

Ffear Fforest, Wales

Demonic clowns return to wreak havoc at Zip World’s Ffear Fforest this Halloween. What makes this Halloween event so unique is that you’ll tackle Zip World’s famous adventures – including the treetop nets, Alpine Coaster and Tower Coaster – after dark, with atmospheric lighting and terrifying clowns lurking around every corner. Expect plenty of jump scares, eerie encounters and adrenaline-fuelled fun as you’re chased, tormented and terrorised throughout the experience. I also love that each of the evil clowns has its own backstory on the website!

📌 Zip World Fforest, Betws y Coed
📅 9th October – 1st November
💵 From £38.00
💻 Visit website

Walks, Talks & Tours

Prefer your scares served with a side of history? Ghost walks, storytelling nights, and eerie tours are the perfect way to explore haunted streets, shadowy castles, and centuries-old legends after dark.

Witches and History Old Town Walking Tour, York

Choosing a ghost tour in York is no easy task because there are so many! So instead, I’m recommending something a little different. Led by a characterful costumed witch, this walking tour explores York’s fascinating history of witchcraft, blending true stories of Yorkshire’s suspected witches with immersive storytelling as you wander through the city’s historic streets. If you’re after a more traditional ghost tour instead, I’ve rounded up the best York ghost tours here.

📌 Meeting at Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate (yes, it’s a real place!), York
📅 Tours run all year round
💵 £14.00
💻 Book here

Tudor World Ghost Tour, Stratford-upon-Avon

I really love the sound of this indoor ghost tour! Tudor World in Stratford-upon-Avon is a fascinating place to visit, but did you know it’s also haunted? It even featured in an episode of Most Haunted! This after-dark tour takes place inside the historic Tudor building, with stories told by lanternlight as you explore in the dark. It sounds like a wonderfully atmospheric way to spend an evening.

📌 Tudor World, Stratford-upon-Avon
📅 Tours run all year round
💵 £9.50
💻 Visit website

Halloween Afternoon Tea

For something a little less terrifying (but still deliciously spooky), many venues across the UK put a Halloween twist on their afternoon teas – expect pumpkin pastries, ghost-shaped cakes, and plenty of eerie atmosphere.

Mystical Witch Afternoon Tea at The Cauldron Cafe Emporium, The Cotswolds

I experienced this wonderful and whimsical afternoon tea this summer, and it was one of my favourite spooky experiences of 2026. Set inside a café themed like a magical woodland, you’ll brew your own tea from a selection of herbs and traditional teas, try your hand at tarot reading and tuck into spooky-themed sweet and savoury treats. This is far more than just an afternoon tea – it’s a genuinely immersive experience, complete with witch’s hats, flowing cloaks and plenty of magical details. Afterwards, don’t miss the witchy gift shop, or ask nicely and you might even get a peek inside the owner’s private apothecary! If, like me, you love discovering unusual attractions in unexpected places, this is well worth adding to your Cotswolds itinerary.

They’re also planning a special Halloween version, so I’ll update this guide with all the spooky details as soon as they’re announced.

📌 Cotswolds Caravan and Camping, Chipping Norton
📅 All year round
💵 £44.95 per person
💻 Visit website

Halloween Afternoon Tea Sightseeing Bus Tour, London

Brigit Bakery is well known for its afternoon tea bus tours, and every October it gives the experience a spooky Halloween makeover. Climb aboard a vintage Routemaster bus and enjoy a Halloween-themed afternoon tea as you pass some of London’s most famous landmarks, complete with pumpkin tarts, black velvet cupcakes and plenty of seasonal treats.

📌 Departing from Victoria Coach Station, London
📅 19th October – 1st November
💵 From £45.00 per person
💻 Visit website

Magical Afternoon Tea at The Department of Magic, Edinburgh

Based in Scotland’s most magical city, The Department of Magic’s Afternoon Tea is well worth booking. Set inside their enchanting potions tavern, you’ll don a wizard’s robe before enjoying a spellbinding selection of sweet and savoury treats, alongside your choice of magical make-it-yourself tea. It’s one of the most immersive afternoon tea experiences I’ve come across and the perfect excuse to embrace your inner witch or wizard this spooky season.

📌 The Department of Magic, Edinburgh
📅 Available throughout the year (advance booking recommended)
💵 From £25 per person
💻 Visit website

Am I missing something awesome off this list? Share your own recommendations in my Haunted & Hidden Britain Facebook group or email me at hello@themorbidtourist.com and I’ll add it to this guide!

Traditional Halloween Celebrations

Not every Halloween event revolves around haunted houses and jump scares. Across Britain and Ireland, ancient seasonal traditions still live on through fire festivals, folklore, rituals and storytelling that mark the transition into winter.

Derry Halloween, Northern Ireland

If there’s one place that knows how to celebrate Halloween, it’s Derry! Now considered Europe’s largest Halloween festival, Derry Halloween started as a fancy dress party in a local pub 40 years ago and has since grown into a huge celebration attracting more than 100,000 people each year. And for its 40th anniversary in 2026, the city is going BIG. Expect four days and nights of folklore, fire, immersive performances, acrobatics, music and all things spooky, with the historic Walled City transformed for the occasion. Highlights include the Awakening the Walled City Trail, where Samhain spirits and mythical creatures take over the streets, before everything culminates in Derry’s enormous Halloween carnival parade and fireworks display. This is absolutely a Halloween bucket list experience!

📌 Derry, Northern Ireland
📅 28th October – 1st November
💵 Many of the main festival events are free
💻 Visit website

Puca Festival, County Meath, Ireland

Held in Ireland’s Boyne Valley, an area closely associated with the ancient origins of Samhain, the Púca Festival brings Halloween traditions to life through fire performances, folklore, music and storytelling. Join a guided walk at the Hill of Ward, known as Tlachtga, explore ancient myths or watch the Gathering of the Spirits procession through Trim. It’s an atmospheric celebration of Halloween’s Celtic roots rather than a traditional scare attraction.

📌 County Meath, Ireland

🎃 Did you know?

You can visit the birthplace of Halloween at Oweynagat (the Cave of the Cats) in County Roscommon, Ireland. According to Irish mythology, this ancient cave was a gateway to the Otherworld, where spirits and supernatural beings crossed into our world during Samhain. Today, it’s part of the Rathcroghan archaeological complex and remains one of Ireland’s most fascinating Halloween landmarks.

Samhuinn Fire Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland

Each Halloween, the Beltane Fire Society transforms Calton Hill into an immersive performance inspired by Samhain and the Celtic New Year. Expect fire performers, drummers, acrobats and mythical characters as the Summer and Winter Courts battle for the changing of the seasons under the watchful eye of the Cailleach.

📌 Edinburgh, Scotland

Calan Gaeaf, Wales

Calan Gaeaf is the traditional Welsh celebration marking the beginning of winter and is closely connected with old beliefs about spirits, fortune telling and the boundary between the living and the dead. Today, castles, museums and heritage sites across Wales often host folklore walks, storytelling and seasonal events inspired by these traditions.

📌 Various locations across Wales

Kalan Gwav Folklore Experience, Cornwall

Kalan Gwav is a Cornish celebration, rooted in ancient Brittonic Celtic traditions, that marks the first days of winter. This autumn, Dark Cornwall is presenting an immersive experience at Trelissick House, with mythology displays, installations and activities inspired by Cornish folklore. It’s a little more family-friendly than some of the other experiences on this list, and you can expect to encounter figures such as a dragon, giants and faefolk as you travel through a series of realms from sea to woodland. It’s a wonderfully different way to celebrate spooky season while discovering some of Cornwall’s lesser-known legends.

📌 Trelissick, Truro
📅 17th October – 1st November
💵 Free with normal admission (£18.00 or free for National Trust members)
💻 Visit website

…And Everything Else Spooky

Not everything fits neatly into one box – from gothic club nights to haunted sleepovers, quirky museum takeovers and family-friendly trails, here’s a round-up of the other weird and wonderful ways to spend Halloween.

The Key of Dreams, Wales

If you’ve ever fancied stepping into a real-life occult horror experience, now’s your chance. The Key of Dreams is a luxury 24-hour immersive experience set inside a historic manor house in Wales, where escape room meets murder mystery theatre. And yet… the experience itself isn’t quite one or the other. Over the course of your stay, you’ll investigate occult mysteries, join secret societies and uncover the dark secrets of the house. At one point, I somehow found myself gripping a flickering lamplight and climbing into a centuries-old priest hole to search for clues beneath the floorboards! Even now, I sometimes look back and think, did that really happen?!  How involved you get is entirely up to you: solve puzzles and take on eerie tasks to aid the characters, dress up and play your own character, explore the grounds, or simply relax and watch the increasingly bizarre storyline unfold around you.

Tickets are pricey, starting from £450, but it is so worth it if you’re looking for something truly out of this world this autumn. The whole thing felt like a total fever dream for us! I’d strongly recommend checking out my full review to truly understand what the experience involves.

📌 Treowen Manor, Monmouthshire
📅 Selected dates throughout autumn
💵 Tickets are £450 per person, including the 24-hour immersive experience, a lavish banquet, breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, plus unlimited tea and coffee, a Field Guide and enamel badge. Accommodation costs extra but can be split between your group.
💻 Visit website

After Dark: Haunted Halloween at Morbitorium, Wales

Morbitorium is a wonderfully eerie museum that’s been on my bucket list for a long time now, thanks to its fascinating collection of curiosities, oddities, its witchcraft shop, and regular events ranging from witchcraft workshops to mythology and folklore talks.

This Halloween, for one night only, they’re hosting a rare after-dark event where visitors can explore the museum by torchlight, encounter a curated selection of its most notorious objects, and hear the stories behind the artefacts and hauntings. It sounds fantastic, but with just three time slots and only six visitors per session, I imagine it’ll sell out very quickly.

📌 Morbitorium, Pontywaun
📅 Saturday 31st October
💵 £17.50
💻 Visit website

Halloween-Fest at The Hellfire Caves, Buckinghamshire

The Hellfire Caves are eerie enough all year round, so it’s no surprise they’re one of the UK’s most popular Halloween attractions. Descend into the underground tunnels for a range of spooky experiences, including fright nights, guided ghost walks, family-friendly Halloween events, and even pumpkin picking. The caves are also transformed with seasonal decorations, making this one of the most atmospheric places to celebrate Halloween.

Read more: Hellfire Caves: discover the true Hellfire Club in West Wycombe

📌 The Hellfire Caves, West Wycombe
📅 24th, 28th – 31st October
💵 From £20.00
💻 Visit website

York Ghost Week, York

Can you believe 2026 marks York’s seventh official Ghost Week?! Organised by The York Ghost Merchants, this annual week-long celebration brings York’s ghostly history to life with ghost hunts, exclusive ghost-themed treats, quiz nights, and a variety of spooky events hosted in partnership with local businesses. It’s the perfect way to immerse yourself in the city’s famously haunted atmosphere during Halloween.

📌 York, North Yorkshire
📅 24th October – 1st November
💵 Varied pricing from free activities to ticketed events

After Dark – Nights to Die For At House of Frankenstein, Somerset

Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein becomes even more terrifying after dark with its annual After Dark – Nights to Die For experience. This year’s event, The Watcher, invites brave visitors to navigate the historic 300-year-old townhouse in total darkness, exploring five floors of twisting corridors, confined spaces and psychological horror while a sinister presence lurks in the shadows. If you can handle the scares, it’s one of the UK’s most immersive Halloween experiences. I’d also recommend visiting the museum during the day, as it’s wonderfully spooky all year round.

📌 Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein, Bath
📅 23rd, 24th, 29th, 30th 31st October
💵 From £15.50
💻 Visit website

Read more: After Dark – Nights To Die For at House of Frankenstein, Bath

Haunted Derby Festival, Derby

This two-day event takes over Derby Market Hall, celebrating the city’s darker past and paranormal history with ghost stories, talks and interactive experiences for the whole family. Full details of this year’s programme are still to be announced, so make sure to check back closer to Halloween to see what’s planned.

📌 Derby Market Hall, Derby, Derbyshire
📅 Saturday 31st October – Sunday 1st November
💵 Free entry
💻 Visit website

Psychic Workshop with Kerry Ward, Nottinghamshire

Ahead of the release of her new book, This Book Will Make You Psychic!, my lovely friend and renowned tarot reader Kerry Ward is hosting a special psychic workshop and tarot readings for one night only this Halloween. As part of Waterstones Nottingham’s Women in Horror weekend, Kerry will explore the idea that perhaps we all have some psychic abilities that we’re just not aware of! Places for the workshop are extremely limited, so keep an eye out for tickets going on sale soon.

📌 Waterstones, Nottingham
📅 Friday 30th October only
💵 To be confirmed
💻 Tickets on sale very soon

Witch Trials and Witchcraft Exhibition, Bury St Edmunds 

This Halloween, Moyse’s Hall Museum is launching a new exhibition in partnership with Salem Witch Museum! Focusing on the witch trials of Bury St Edmunds and East Anglia, it’ll share the victims’ stories, explore why the trials took place and look at the practices witches were believed to have carried out. You’ll also discover how the Bury trials influenced the infamous Salem witch trials, alongside a poignant display of the victims’ names.

While you’re there, don’t miss the museum’s existing displays on witchcraft, superstition and Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, plus mummified cats and the particularly gruesome book bound in William Corder’s skin!

Planning to visit? I’ve rounded up even more spooky things to do in Bury St Edmunds in my full guide.

📌 Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds
📅 From 31st October
💵 £4.81
💻 Visit website

Hatton’s Haunted Drive-in, Warwickshire

I love a classic drive-in, and I only wish more places in the UK hosted them. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Hatton Country World hosts a Haunted Halloween Drive-in for five nights only! Each night features two screenings: an early family-friendly spooky movie, followed by a late-night horror movie for adults. There’s also a Halloween-themed bar and food outlet on site, and costumes are encouraged! This year’s movies will be announced shortly.

📌 Hatton Country World, Hatton
📅 Selected nights in October
💵 £40 per car
💻 Visit website

Castle After Dark at Warwick Castle, Warwickshire

Warwick Castle is hands down one of my favourite castles in the UK – it’s genuinely so stunning, especially at Christmas when it’s ridiculously festive! I can’t believe I’ve never visited for Halloween though, but this year may be the year. As well as lots of family-friendly fun by day, Castle After Dark is an evening experience featuring three scare attractions, live entertainment, the Castle Dungeon and even a silent disco! Two of the scare attractions are brand new for 2026 too: The Other Side, themed around an abandoned séance opening a supernatural gateway, and The Terror, based around plague-stricken Warwick Castle. And all that aside… how atmospheric must it be to explore the castle grounds after dark during spooky season?!

📌 Warwick Castle, Warwick
📅 24th & 29th – 31st October
💵 From £27
💻 Visit website

Curse of the Mummy at the London Dungeon, London

I have always been a big fan of the Dungeons, not just during spooky season but all year round. I love how immersive they are and how they manage to be both scary and educational at the same time. Out of all the Dungeons around Europe, I’ve managed to visit six! So, although they’re suitably spooky at the best of times, the London Dungeon gets an extra Halloween addition this October with the limited-time Curse of the Mummy show. As someone who has always been obsessed with Ancient Egypt, mummies and Egyptian curses, I am obviously HERE for this year’s theme. The set looks super fun, while the show follows the story of amateur archaeologist Thomas Douglas Murray, who brings a mummy back to London, along with an unknown evil…

📌 The London Dungeon, London
📅 17th October – 1st November
💵 From £27, including standard London Dungeon entry and the Curse of the Mummy Halloween show
💻 Visit website

Halloween at Mother Shipton’s Cave, Yorkshire

There is so much that intrigues me about Mother Shipton’s Cave. Not only is it England’s oldest tourist attraction, but its lore is absolutely fascinating – not least because Mother Shipton was actually a real person! As well as exploring the legend of one of England’s most famous prophetesses and seeing the bizarre Petrifying Well, there’s more spooky fun to discover this Halloween, all inspired by Hocus Pocus! Find magical displays, meet witchy characters, enjoy Halloween photo ops or tuck into a black vanilla ice cream and other seasonal treats. I’ve also heard that this whimsical place is particularly atmospheric and beautiful to visit during the autumn. 

📌 Mother Shipton’s Cave, Yorkshire
📅 24th October – 1st November
💵 From £16 if arriving without a car, or £42 per car for up to five people including onsite parking
💻 Visit website

Delapre After Dark, Northamptonshire

As one of Northampton’s most haunted locations, the neo-classical Delapré Abbey is well worth a visit all year round, but particularly at Halloween as they host their very first Delapré After Dark event. For two nights only this Halloween, you can actually camp overnight inside the 900-year-old abbey! Before you settle down for the night, your stay includes a two-course dinner, an Unusual Happenings tour through the house and a film screening deep within the underground cellars. There’s also hot chocolate around a crackling bonfire in the walled garden, plus breakfast the following morning before checkout. At £200 per person, it’s not the cheapest, but for such a unique Halloween experience, it sounds well worth every penny.

Can’t afford it this time round? Delapré Abbey also hosts ghost tours, folk horror theatre shows and murder mystery events throughout the season, as well as ghost hunts with paranormal investigators.

📌 Delapré Abbey, Northampton
📅 Friday 30th & Saturday 31st October
💵 £200 per person
💻 Visit website

Halloween in the UK: A Mini Guide

Halloween in the UK and Ireland is a mix of ancient folklore and modern frights. From ancient Samhain traditions and ghostly legends to immersive scare mazes and themed afternoon teas, there’s something for every kind of spooky traveller. You’ll find huge scream parks, eerie ghost walks through historic towns, and even haunted castles opening their doors for special tours.

Here are a few tips for planning your Halloween trip:

• Book early – the most popular scream parks and tours sell out weeks in advance, especially over half-term and Halloween weekend.
• Check the vibe – some events are designed to terrify, while others are family-friendly or more atmospheric than scary.
• Dress for the season – October nights in the UK are cold and damp, so pack layers, waterproofs, and comfy shoes for walking tours.
• Mix and match – pair a scream park with a folklore-inspired day trip or a haunted castle visit to make the most of the season.

Looking for Spooky Places to Visit All Year Round?

Halloween might only last a few weeks, but Britain’s haunted places are waiting all year long.

If this guide has inspired your next adventure, you’ll love The Morbid Map. It features 50+ haunted places, dark history sites, witchcraft locations and eerie landmarks across Britain, all pinned on one interactive Google Map to help you plan your next spooky road trip.

Explore The Morbid Map →

Halloween in the UK: FAQs

Planning a spooky season can feel overwhelming with so many events across the UK – from full-on scream parks to family-friendly ghost walks. To help you get started, here are some of the most common questions people have about celebrating Halloween in Britain.