The 10 best Halloween events in the UK in 2023 from spooky theme park rides to terrifying jails
SEARCHING for a great Halloween experience for you and the kids?
Whether you’re after family-friendly fun or adult-only thrills, there are eerie events to explore up and down the country this spooky season.
From magical pumpkin patches to haunted train rides, Jacob Lewis has the definitive guide on how to make your Halloween utterly unforgettable.
So don your most creative costume, grab a pumpkin-spiced latte and check out the UK’s 10 best Halloween events in 2023.
Frights & Delights
Legoland Windsor
LEGOLAND transforms into a festive autumnal playground for Brick Or Treat season.
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Entry from £34 gives access to spooky-themed Lego builds, 4D movies, and all of the attraction’s 55 rides.
This year, Legoland is featuring the Monster Jam Show on the harbour.
It will also see the return of the Monster Street walkthrough experience, guaranteeing a spooktacular time.
Events run until November 5.
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For more information, see legoland.co.uk.
Dr Frankenslime’s Trick Or Treat Express
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
TAKE a spellbinding train ride filled with magic, comedy and spooky science experiments.
Dr Frankenslime is your host for this brilliant, haunted journey from Tunbridge Wells to Eridge Station in East Sussex.
Children can engage with activity packs, and learn how to make glow-in-the-dark slime.
The whole adventure lasts for around two hours.
The event runs on October 28 and 29.
Tickets are priced from £14 for adults and £8 for children.
For info, see spavalleyrailway.co.uk.
Pumpkin Picking After Dark
Walby Farm Park, Cumbria
Who says pumpkin picking is just for kids?
Walk through a moonlit pumpkin paradise and enjoy live music, food, and drinks.
You can even test your aim with a corn cannon or brave the Demon Drop Slide at this adults-only event.
From £6 per person, on evenings from October 20 to 27.
See walbyfarmpark.co.uk/event/pumpkin-picking-after-dark.
Halloween Shriek Week
Drusillas Park, East Sussex
GET ready for immersive live-action experiences as you roam around Drusillas Park.
Known for creating a spellbinding atmosphere, the park has an updated Haunted Heights experience, where you’ll navigate cobwebbed corridors and encounter mischievous sisters Hocus and Pocus.
Don’t miss the Mummy Mayhem, a live-action journey, or the enigmatic Sugar Skull Witch appearing throughout the day.
Book in advance to save 20 per cent on gate prices.
From October 21-29.
Tickets from £26 at drusillas.co.uk.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Birmingham
STEP into a magical world at Birmingham Botanical Gardens where you’ll meet fairies, trolls and wizards.
There’s a performance of Beauty and the Beast, or over-16s can explore the Horrors Of The Silver Screen — traverse the Botanical Gardens after sunset to encounter scenes from iconic horror films and a live stage performance titled Tale Of The Macabre.
The events run from October 28 until November 5.
Tickets from £12 at birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk.
Zip World Tower
Wales
FOR an unparalleled underground Halloween thrill, head to Zip World Tower in Aberdare for Monsters Of The Mine.
Take to the skies on a terrifying night-ride on the Phoenix zip line or race downhill past roaming creatures on the Terror Coaster.
Spectator’s Passes, which let you enjoy all the scares without the rides, are available from £5 for those who prefer to observe the spooky happenings from a safe distance.
Runs until November 1.
Ride tickets are from £25 at zipworld.co.uk.
Jail of Horror
Belfast
DARE to enter the Jail Of Horror, one of Belfast’s most fearsome attractions, at Crumlin Road Gaol.
For a limited number of nights this month, visitors can explore the city’s oldest prison from 7pm to 10pm, starting with the Victorian jail and continuing through an intense series of scares that culminate in the infamous basement of D-Wing.
The journey offers a uniquely terrifying experience with only one way out.
Suitable for ages 12 and above, the event is running on various dates in October.
Tickets are from £15 at crumlinroadgaol.com.
Gothic Walking Tour
Glasgow
HOSTED by the sinister Vincent “The Man In The Hat”, this unique experience unveils the city’s haunted past.
The Gothic Walking Tour introduces you to Glasgow’s spectral inhabitants and dives deep into tales of historic body-snatching.
The terrifying tour starts at 8pm outside King’s Theatre on Bath Street, just a ten-minute walk from Buchanan Galleries, and concludes at Queen Street near George Square.
Tickets are from £12 at gothicglasgow.com.
Terror Island
Isle of Wight
WITH scary mazes, thrilling rides, live music and spooky roaming characters, Terror Island promises a complete Halloween experience.
And this year the attraction has a terrifying new ride called Extinction that spins you into total darkness.
Starting at £15, tickets also grant you access to all the island has to offer for an unforgettable celebration of the scariest time of year.
Runs from October 27 to 29 and November 3 to 4.
For more information, see terrorisland.co.uk.
Monster March
Bodmin Jail, Cornwall
BODMIN Jail, a creepy destination at the best of times, heightens the frights at Halloween with a host of events.
Trick Or Treat Trail is a family-friendly jaunt around the jail featuring characters, tricks and treats.
The Go Darker Junior Jailers Tour, on the other hand, is a bit more intense, providing a look into the grim and gruesome world of historical crime and punishment.
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Runs on dates throughout October.
Tickets from £15 at bodminjail.org.