Music
20 Best Things to do for Halloween 2026
All treats, no tricks – check out our rundown of frighteningly good events across the UK this spooky season.
Why sit at home waiting to be egged by the local trick or treaters when you could be out there having a scream with all our Halloween activities? From banging club nights that’ll wake the dead to beyond-the-grave bingo and theme park makeovers to treat your little monsters, get your spook on with our guide to October and Autumn’s essential events.
1. Howl’o’ween at Chessington World of Adventures
Your fight-or-flight will be off the charts at Chessington this Halloween. Assess your bravery levels then choose your attraction, whether that’s the tot-friendly Enchanted Hollow: Trick Or Treat and Dr Frankenfun’s Haunted House Party – or the Stone Watchers: Vampire’s Lair experience where… Oh my God, did that statue just move?!
Get tickets to Howl’o’Ween at Chessington World of Adventures
2. Hocus Pocus in Concert
Disney’s much-loved gateway horror movie becomes an orchestral spectacular with this one-off show at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo on 25 October. With a special score composed by Emmy-winning John Debney – fused seamlessly to the classic 1993 film – it’s a whole bubbling cauldron of fun.
Get tickets to Hocus Pocus in Concert
3. Scarefest at Alton Towers
The beyond-iconic theme park already makes ’em scream all year round – just wait until you get a load of Scarefest. Understand the true meaning of the term ‘blind terror’ as you plunge on infamous ’coasters like Nemesis Reborn, Wicker Man and The Smiler in the pitch black. Snap a selfie with a headless horseman at the pop-up Scare Attractions – then taint your little ones’ love of The Teletubbies at the CBeebies Land Monster Ball.
Get tickets to Scarefest at Alton Towers
4. Haunted Castle
Let’s face it: history is already pretty darn scary. But Warwick Castle just levelled up its spooky season with new attractions including an updated Haunted Hollows, Scarecrow Disco and the Spirit Hotel (you might check out, but you can never leave).
5. Fright Nights – 25 Years of Fear at Thorpe Park
Not to be outdone, the equally legendary Thorpe Park is toasting a quarter-century of Fright Nights. With five Scare Mazes, Satan’s own club night Dead Beat, the childhood-wrecking Stitches toy shop, Reunion Reckoning’s twisted take on Disney’s campus comedies – plus all-time park icons like Saw: The Ride and vertigo-inducing Hyperia – the only thing that can save you is sunrise.
Get tickets to Fright Nights at Thorpe Park
6. Beetlejuice the Musical
Say his name three times – then hold on tight. If you thought Michael Keaton was unhinged as the renegade ghoul in 1988’s Beetlejuice and 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, just wait until you see Tim Burton’s spidery comic-fantasy brought to life before your very eyes. “I laughed so hard I nearly died,” said Heart FM’s reviewer – and just to be clear, that’s a recommendation.
7. Brick Or Treat at Legoland
Let’s say you’re looking to lightly chill – not literally traumatise – your kids this Halloween. Legoland’s Brick Or Treat is the one. With the Windsor resort transformed into a spooky kingdom – and Lego monsters roaming the grounds – you’ll be in the mood for the Haunted House Monster Party, Monster Jam and Lord Vampyre’s House Party.
Get tickets to Brick or Treat at Legoland
8. Black Parade
- Where: O2 Academy2 Liverpool
- When: 31 October
As the sun sets on O2 Academy2 Liverpool this Halloween, the children of the night will descend on the UK’s biggest emo night like a flock of unruly, heavily inked ravens. With all-time anthems from My Chemical Romance, Paramore, A Day To Remember, Jimmy Eat World, Pierce The Veil, Taking Back Sunday and more, Black Parade is an alt-rock nirvana where square-peg status is something to celebrate.
9. Into The Woods
You could have sworn you just walked through the doors of London’s Noël Coward Theatre. But suddenly you’ve been drawn into a living, breathing Grimm fantasy world, breathlessly trumpeted by critics as “a thrilling mischievous delight” (The Observer) and “a triumphant musical mash-up of fairytales” (The Standard). Go down to the woods today.
10. WAH x featuring Hybrid Minds
Sure, it’s Halloween, but let’s say you just want to go raving and don’t necessarily fancy wearing a pair of plastic fangs. Head to O2 Academy Bournemouth for a serious club night headlined by British electronic duo Hybrid Minds – and a 4am curfew that means all those lightweight werewolves and vampires will be tucked up in bed by the time you’re done.
Get tickets to WAH x featuring Hybrid Minds
11. Glitterfest
Ghouls just wanna have fun. So follow the lurching zombie hordes to O2 Academy Islington, where a bill topped by ASH XO will drop beats to wake the undead. Fancy dress is essential – and a plastic mask won’t cut it – but the door policy is chill. Come as a cheerleader, a gladiator, a unicorn, a disgraced celebrity, you name it…
12. Breakin Science + Drumatics present Kurupt FM
- Where: O2 Academy Leicester
- When: 31 October
People! Don’t just do nothing this Halloween! The full Kurupt FM crew from the BAFTA-winning BBC mock-doc will be live on stage at O2 Academy Leicester, with MC Grindah and DJ Beats dropping the UK garage tracks that won them literally handfuls of listeners on their pirate radio station. Altogether now – ‘Bang! Lyrical blow to the jaw! Bang!’
13. The Halloween Red Light Boiler
It’s alive! Featuring the UK’s hottest DJs and a few secret spooky twists, this students-only electronic club night will make your hair stand on end like Frankenstein’s Monster after Igor throws the switch. Party on past the witching hour – and rest assured your taxi won’t turn into a pumpkin until the 3am curfew.
Get tickets to The Halloween Red Light Boiler
14. ASCO: Symphony Of Caos
We always thought classical and electronica existed in two different universes. But that was before we heard ASCO (aka Alessandro Xiueref): the Italian DJ/producer/conductor who smashes through genre boundaries with his fusion of club classics and Beethoven-approved orchestral strings. Book now for pre-Halloween thrills ‘n’ chills.
Get tickets to ASCO: Symphony of Caos
15. Punk Rock Factory
Who hasn’t wondered what The Lion King soundtrack might sound like performed by a day-glo Sex Pistols? Here to answer that burning question are Punk Rock Factory: the South Wales covers band and viral phenom whose revved-up spins on Disney themes, Pokémon tunes and more promise a headbanging Halloween.
Get tickets to Punk Rock Factory
16. Dick & Dom In Da Haunted Bungalow
The gurgling toddlers who watched Dick and Dom on CBBC back in the noughties are now hard-partying twenty-somethings. If the idea of staying up until 3am doesn’t fill you with horror, grab your spookiest costume and turn your broomstick towards O2 Bristol Academy, where da boys will drop da best of the era’s club bangers and indie anthems.
Get tickets to Dick & Dom In Da Haunted Bungalow
17. Halloween in Concert
![Bobby Pickett - Monster Mash [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u8uvLHnrqdU/0.jpg)
They say the Devil has all the best tunes – and you won’t be arguing after Halloween In Concert. These two shows at the York Barbican (27 October) and O2 City Hall Newcastle (30 October) see a live band and cast digging up all the classics, from ‘Monster Mash’ and ‘Highway To Hell’ to ‘The Time Warp’ and – obviously – ‘Thriller’.
Get tickets to Halloween in Concert
18. Ally Pally fireworks
You honestly haven’t lived until you’ve seen an A-grade fireworks display light up the London skyline. As if that wasn’t entertainment enough, on 7 November, Ally Pally is your one-stop for street food, ice skating, bonfires and craft beer, plus outdoor sets from Eats Everything and the UK’s top Queen tribute band.
Get tickets to Ally Pally Firewords
19. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
A decade after opening at London’s Palace Theatre, what began as a ‘this-might-not-work’ Harry Potter stage sequel is now firmly part of Hogwarts lore. If you’re a Potter-head in the big city for the day, make this your next stop (after visiting Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station, of course).
Get tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
20. Day Fever
You’re not afraid of the dark. You just don’t want to get home at the same time as the milkman. That’s why Day Fever was launched in 2024, giving clubbers their fix in the afternoon and ensuring that whatever else goes bump in the night this Halloween, it won’t be your bleary-eyed head hitting the dancefloor.
