It's October! This year Halloween falls midweek on a Thursday, which means that as well as the spooky day itself, there will be lots of Halloween events and activities to enjoy on both weekends either side!
Looking for some hauntingly good London things to do this Halloween?
Here are our favourites :
1. Go pumpkin picking!
Whether you're looking for the perfect pumpkin to carve or you're looking to indulge in some delicious autumnal recipes, a trip to the pumpkin patch is a fun day out for the family, wit your housemates or a cute Halloween date idea! Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow is probably the closest pumpkin patch to London itself, but if you make a day of it and venture out to surrey, Kent or Essex, here are a few more suggestions:
The Pumpkin Picking Village in Chelmsford, Essex
Cobbs Farm, Maldon, Essex
Garsons Farm Surrey
Stanhill Farm, Kent
Four Winds Farm, Kent
NB - many of these sites require booking online in advance, so be sure to check before you travel! They often have other autumnal/Halloween activities running as well like corn mazes, facepainting and outdoor games.
2. Visit a seriously creepy museum:
Have your mind blown at the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities – located in Bethnal Green, this bizarre eclectic underground treasure trove of the intriguing and disturbing is well worth a visit. Everything from shrunken heads to Dodo bones… definitely not child friendly. They're also hosting lots of events and workshops over the next week from poppet making to gothic horror storytelling to absinthe tasting - you can book the last few tickets online.
3. Ride the London Ghost Bus:
All aboard the Necrobus! Self described as “The UK’s only comedy-horror theatre sightseeing experience on wheels”, this tour on a black Routemaster bus combines immersive theatre with riveting ghost stories and facts about the darker side of London.
4. Get your steps in with a guided ghost walk:
There are many companies to choose from, but we particularly like London Walks. They have a great selection of ghostly itineraries from the West End to the Old City, all run by excellent storytellers who can keep your spine tingling without relying on cheap tricks and jumps.
One of London’s most grisly stories is the still unsolved mystery of Jack the Ripper, the murderer of several women during a terrifying killing spree in Victorian Whitechapel. Again, you have a wide range of companies providing guided tours of the gruesome murder sites and spooky alleyways of East London (London Walks runs an excellent Ripper tour), most meet outside Tower Hill station every evening between 18:30 and 19:30.
5. Raise a toast to a ghost one of London's haunted pubs!
From the resident poltergeist at the Viaduct Tavern opposite the Old Bailey, to a young soldier murdered for cheating at cards at the Grenadier, Belgravia, to Dick Turpin himself revisiting his father’s former establishment, the Spaniards Inn, London has its fair share of places you can enjoy a drink while keeping an eye on the other… customers…
Check out our blog for more ideas: Raise your spirits... haunted pubs in London.
6. Scream yourself silly at a spooky screening
What‘s Halloween without scary movies? From classic horrors like the Exorcist, Nosferatu, Carrie and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre to something more kitsch and campy like Hocus Pocus or the Rocky Horror Picture Show (singalong version, of course!), check out the October offerings at Leicester Square favourite the Prince Charles and the pop up cinema in the stunning Rivoli Ballroom down in Crofton Park.
7. Visit some of London’s hauntingly beautiful cemeteries - Brompton Cemetery and Highgate Cemetery, two of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ Victorian graveyards, are stunning examples of the Gothic splendour that Victorians did so well. Brompton Cemetery is the final resting place of physician John Snow, known as the "father of epidemiology" for his work during the Cholera Outbreak of 1854, Emmeline Pankhurst, champion of women’s rights and actor Brian Glover, amongst 35,000 others.
While Brompton Cemetery is free to visit, Highgate is divided in two, both sides with an entry fee. If you’re short on time, you can just pay to visit the East side to visit the graves of Karl Marx, George Eliot and Tim Pigott Smith amongst many other famous ‘residents’, however we would recommend joining a guided tour of the West side, as your ticket price also includes the East cemetery. This side you’ll see magnificent Victorian monuments such as the Egyptian Avenue, the Circle of Lebanon, and the achingly sad Mausoleum of Julius Beer, and go inside the catacombs that sparked a vampire hunt in the 1970s. Famous names on this side of the cemetery include Alexander Litvinenko, Michael Faraday and Christina Rosetti. George Michael is also buried here, but the location of his resting place has not been released.
8. Don’t lose your head at Henry VIII’s haunted palace:
A bit more family friendly - this October half term, Hampton Court Palace comes alive (or should that be undead?) with spooky special effects. Learn about the resident ghosts said to haunt the historic halls, check out the ‘Gallery of the Damned’ to see creepy living portraits or visit the Haunted Garden for spooky stories. If you're feeling brave, you could always join the séance in the Council Chamber...
9. Seek out sweet treats in Belgravia:
If you're looking for a slightly more genteel Halloween, the cake and biscuit shops of pretty Belgravia have really got into the er... spirit.
Start at Peggy Porschen, its famous pink facade bedecked with pastel coloured pumpkins and gold skulls to sample their Bewitched collection - think toffee apple or pumpkin pie cupcakes paired with pumpkin spiced lattes.
Over at Ole & Steen, you can try purple marshmallow monsters and muffins topped wit chocolate eyeballs.
Finally, sink your teeth into the Biscuiteers hand iced creepy creations such as pumpkin and skeleton gingerbread men, or pick up one of their DIY haunted house kits - like a Christmas gingerbread house, but Halloween themed!
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