Spooky season is almost upon us. Whether you want to spend Halloween 2026 partying to the max, or taking the kids for a creepy day out, here's our pick of the best Halloween events in London this year.
First things first: you'll need a Halloween costume. Whether you're after a traditional ghost, witch, grim reaper — or something a little more unexpected — start combing London's best fancy dress shops, pronto.
Adult Halloween events and parties in London: 2026
HALLOWEEN FILM SCREENINGS: It wouldn't be Halloween without a scary film. Whether you're into gory slashers, psychological thrillers or hammy classics, there are plenty of spooky movie film screenings in London at this time of year. Don't forget the popcorn!
DARK ARTS: The Warner Bros Studio Tour London — located just north of the capital in Hertfordshire — gets a spooky makeover for Halloween. The Great Hall is festooned with more than 100 floating pumpkins, Dementors appear unexpectedly in The Forbidden Forest (fear not though, you can banish them with a Patronus charm), and you can learn duelling techniques in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Special after-hours events run 29-31 October. Dark Arts events are in addition to the usual tour of sets from the Harry Potter film series. 16 September-8 November 2026
MONTH OF THE DEAD: Halloween may not be until the end of October but London Month of the Dead goes on for the whole month. Informative, entertaining — and often pretty creepy — the festival enthuses on the subject of death through talks, cemetery tours, screenings and workshops. Many events have sold out now, but a handful still have spaces — jump to it! 1 October-1 November 20264
THE HAUNTING HALLOWEEN BAR: The team behind festive extravaganza Miracle turn their attention to Halloween, opening The Haunting in Covent Garden for the entire month of October. The pop-up themed bar is decked out in spooky decor, with costumed hosts dialling up the fear factor, and a menu of drinks with names like Widow's Whisper, and Clown Pear-anoia. 1 October-1 November 2026
BARBICAN GHOST TOURS: Just in time for Halloween, Barbican launches new ghost walking tours around its estate. Hear tales of supernatural encounters on the site, from legends of Roman ruins and plague pits to more recent staff ghost stories. 1 October-13 December 2026
HEX IN THE GARDENS: Swing by Chelsea Physic Garden in early October for Hex in the Gardens, a haunting evening of storytelling to get you in the mood for spooky season. After dark, take a wander led by Maria from Herstorical Tours and hear about the lives of women herbalists and cunning folk persecuted during the Witch Craze. 3 October 2026
THE NIGHTMARE REALM: After 17 years in Ireland, Halloween event The Nightmare Realm makes its London debut, taking over the Grade II-listed Avery Hill Mansion and transforming it into a cinematic horror experience. More than 70 live performers bring it to spooky life as you wander through areas including HalloweenTown, an immersive village packed with scares. 9 October-1 November 2026
ROOM 13: Following the Battersea Arts Centre fire in 2015, builders uncovered a sealed chamber in the original stone structure. When they opened the chamber, what they found was so disturbing that the renovation came to an immediate halt. That's the premise of spooky theatrical experience Room 13, which takes place on site at BAC 16 October-1 November 2026
LEGAL GHOSTS: Play the jury on some of the spookiest cases in English legal history, in a special evening event at the Bow Street Police Museum. Supernatural barrister Naomi Ryan discusses cases where the Fortean meets the forensic, including incidences where people's beliefs in fantastical creatures has led to them doing strange things. 22 October 2026
HALLOWEEN MARKET: Solo Craft Fair pitches up at Between The Bridges on South Bank for a Halloween market, with 60+ independent brands selling their spooky and autumnal creations. 25 October 2026
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: 1925 cinematic masterpiece The Phantom of the Opera comes to life in a silent film night at St Lawrence Jewry (Guildhall). It's shown with live accompaniment on the church's Klais organ — all very atmopsheric. 27-28 October 2026
LA DAME DE PIQUE: Theatre company Gothic Opera pops up at a different London venue with a fresh production each Halloween. For 2026, it's at Battersea Arts Centre with witty, gritty opéra-comique La Dame de Pique (The Queen of Spades). Loosely based on the Pushkin novella of the same name, it's the first time it's been staged since its premiere in 1850. 29 October-1 November 2026
SKY GARDEN: Dance of the Dead is the theme of the Sky Garden's Halloween 2026 celebrations, taking place 35 floors above the City across two evenings. Enjoy spooky themed cocktails to a soundtrack of ghoulish live music and DJ sets, with costumes very much encouraged. 30 and 31 October 2026
HALLOWEEN SILENT DISCO: Covent Garden's London Transport Museum invites you to celebrate spooky season among its historic trains, vintage buses and iconic vehicles. The adults-only Halloween party includes a silent disco with three channels to choose from, so you can dance the night away to a soundtrack of your choice. 31 October 2026
CLUB DE FROMAGE: Cheesy disco night Club de Fromage hosts a Halloween party special at Dingwalls in Camden. Gruesome and revolting outfits are very much encouraged, with sing-alongs, confetti cannons and themed cocktails all part of the hijinks, as DJs spin Halloween-themed tunes. 31 October 2026
CANDLELIGHT CLUB HALLOWEEN BALL: Legendary speakeasy party the Candlelight Club once again holds a clandestine, 1920s-themed Halloween ball. Dress code is 1920s elegance, with an optional Halloween twist: think ghostly flapper or vampish witch. Expect live jazz, cabaret and cocktails, all overseen by host Champagne Charlie, at an historic mansion in south London. 31 October 2026
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM: Celebrate the spookiest night of the year amongst the skeletons of the Natural History Museum. Its Fright at the Museum Halloween party includes live music, a silent disco, and scientists on hand to give talks about spooky specimens. 31 October 2026
THE DIVINE COMEDY: Fitzrovia hotel the Mandrake is known for its legendary Halloween parties. This year it opens the gates of hell for an immersive reimagining of Dante's Inferno, taking place throughout the hotel, through installations, opera, live performance, Renaissance-inspired tableaux vivants and theatrical encounters. Choose between general admission, a dinner package, or if you're brave enough to stick it out, an overnight stay. 31 October 2026
ORGANOKE HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR: The organ is a creepy sounding instrument at the best of times, something which unique karaoke show Organoke is embracing for its Halloween special at St Giles in Camberwell. Don your spookiest costume and head to the Grade II* listed church for a night singing along to creepy karaoke classics accompanied by the organ. 31 October 2026
CLAPHAM GRAND: Legendary events venue The Clapham Grand has a whole host of Halloween events. Announced for 2026 so far are a Bongo's Bingo Halloween special, taking the regular fast-paced bingo show up a spooky notch, and the Clapham Grand Halloween Party where costumes are essential. Both 31 October 2026
SURREALIST SOIREE: Rooftop venue Wagtail channels the legendary 1972 Rothschild Surrealist Ball for its Surrealist Soirée this Halloween. Surround yourself with contortionists, roaming magicians and living art statues, soundtracked by DJs and a live violinist. Guests are invited to go all out with their costumes, with prizes awarded to the best-dressed attendees. 31 October 2026
MACBETH: Bard in the Bookshop is a theatre company which specialises in performing plays among the shelves. This Halloween, it tackles Shakespeare's Macbeth at Waterstones Gower Street. 31 October-1 November 2026
BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL: Though it's been running a few months now, Halloween is as good a time as any to watch Beetlejuice the Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre. The Tim-Burton-film-turned-Broadway-musical-extravaganza tells the tale of Lydia Deetz — a strange teenager sharing her home with a pair of newly-deads and the demonic 'ghost with the most', Beetlejuice. Booking until April 2027
Family-friendly events in London for Halloween 2026
Halloween 2026 coincides with the October half term break for many London schools, so there are plenty of spooky events happening for all ages around the capital.
PUMPKIN PICKING: Embrace all things autumnal and take the kids to one of these farms or pumpkin patches near London where they can pick their own. Some have play areas, tractor rides and other fun activities too — and one will even let you carve your pumpkins on site, to save you making a mess on the kitchen table at home. Don't forget your wellies!
HALLOWEEN AT KEW: Kew Gardens hosts another Halloween trail; as darkness falls, wander through a fiendish fire garden, and illuminated haunted woods filled with neon cobwebs, ghastly ghouls, wicked witches, larger-than life spiders and beastly bats. 16 October-1 November 2026
CURSE OF THE MUMMY: Included with admission to the London Dungeon this half term is Halloween special, Curse of the Mummy. The historical show is based on the true story of the Unlucky Mummy, a cursed artefact delivered to a London museum during the Egyptomania phase of the Victorian era. Call us wimps (we absolutely are) but the Dungeons give us the scares at any time of year, so expect this to dial up the fear a few notches. 17 October-1 November 2026
HALLOWEEN TRAIL: High Street Kensington offers a family Halloween trail to get everyone in a spooky mood. Pick up a map and follow it around local shops and businesses, looking for hidden clues and earning surprise treats. It all culminates in Holland Park transforming into the Playful Park of Peculiar on Halloween itself. 24-31 October 2026
HALLOWEEN AT ELTHAM PALACE: Half term at Eltham Palace has a Halloweeny twist, hosting the Great Pumpkin Party at the art deco mansion. Don your best costume for storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun. 24 October-1 November 2026
HALLOWEEN AT HAMPTON COURT: Hampton Court Palace probably has a ghost or two kicking around its gardens. Keep an eye out for them this half term as you brave an eerie outdoor trail, complete with atmospheric projections and creepy sound effects. Finish up with a spooky storytelling session. 24 October-1 November 2026
VICTORIAN HALLOWEEN: Explore Halloween, Victorian-style, as lanternists Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker recreate the era's magical lantern shows at the Florence Nightingale Museum. Original glass slides from the 19th and 20th century are paired with more modern versions, combining three projections in a single device and resulting in a fast-moving show with spectacular effects. 26 October 2026
HAIR-RAISING HALLOWEEN: Head along to Hyde Park for one of Royal Parks's hair-raising Halloween discovery days. Learn about some of the creepy crawlies, as well as the bats, which call the park home, via a nature trail, 'feely boxes' and spooky stories. Fancy dress is encouraged, to get into the spirit(s) of things. FREE, 27-29 October 2026
DICKENS' HAUNTED HOUSE: Step into the kitchen of Charles Dickens' former home in Bloomsbury and hear a haunted house tale from a ghostly storyteller. The 45-minute session also delves into why the Victorians loved ghost stories so much, and your ticket includes admission to the rest of the museum. Age seven+. 29 October 2026
EARLSFIELD HALLOWEEN HUNT: The south-west London village of Earlsfield invites youngsters and their families to take part in its Halloween hunt. Pick up a special map at the Halfway House and follow it around the local shops, collecting letters and numbers as you go. Once you've cracked the code, head back to the Halfway House to collect your prize. 31 October 2026
SCIENCE OF THE PARANORMAL: On Halloween afternoon, take the family to the Royal Institution, for an accessible show about the spooky science of the paranormal. Hear about mysterious tales from history where science and the unexplained seem to meet. 31 October 2026 (an adults version of the show takes place that evening).
HALLOWEEN SPOOKY WALKS: Designed for five-nine year-olds and their families, Lauderdale House has been running its Halloween spooky walks for over 25 years, and this year is no exception. As darkness falls on Halloween, join a cast of performers for a theatrical walk through Waterlow Park, on a mission to save the festivities from an evil fairy. 31 October 2026
