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Spooky season has finally arrived, and ghosts and ghouls are gearing up for some hair-raising horror to celebrate Halloween 2025.
While trick-or-treating trips around your local area with your kids is a standard practice this time of year, why not go one step further? Braving the beasts of scream parks, cracking the case of a murder mystery, and devilish family-friendly fun at haunted castles are the ultimate spooky attractions to sink your fangs into.
With a past as turbulent and violent as the UK’s, there are plenty of haunted houses and spooky towns and villages to visit as the evenings start to get dark, with many hosting an event or two in the lead-up to All Hallows’ Eve. Meanwhile, your favourite theme park, National Trust site or even your local farm may be transformed this October for weeks of frightful fun.
From the frightening forests of North Wales to London’s bone-chilling dungeons and Derry’s sinister street parade, here are 22 of the UK’s top haunts for this halloweekend and beyond.
The best Halloween events across the UK 2025
1. Shocktober Fest at Tulleys Farm
Crawley
Tulleys Farm’s world-famous Shocktober Fest is back for another year of screams, haunts and hellish attractions in Crawley. The scream park will host 11 ‘haunts’ this year, such as a witches’ coven, ghostly residents in a creepy cottage, a car garage run by chainsaw-wielding manics and a crumbling penitentiary where prisoners run wild. Shocktober Fest will also have live music, Halloween-themed performances, funfair rides and food stalls. By day, rather than tricks, the Tulleys Pumpkin Festival offers a slightly more wholesome day, with opportunities for posing with pumpkin lanterns and drinking pumpkin spice lattes on select dates until 31 October.
Xscream Pass from £42.95, 3 October- 1 November 2025
2. Fright Night at Thorpe Park
Chertsey
The ultimate fear fest, Thorpe Park’s adrenaline-fuelled thrills transform into the playground from hell once the sun goes down and designated scare zones come to life. Weave through scare mazes, including returning favourites such as Lucifer’s Lair and Mawkin Meadow, or escape the condemned souls in the new Purgatory Town experience, before riding the iconic rollercoasters – including the UK’s tallest, fastest coaster Hyperia – under the cover of darkness.
Fright Night Entry with Scare Mazes from £70pp, 3 October-2 November on selected dates
3. Ffear Fforest at Zip World
Betws-y-Coed
Brace yourself for North Wales’ eerie Ffear Fforest of jump scares with night passes that include cursed alpine coasters and bounce nets swarmed with killer clowns. If that wasn’t enough, a 100ft trapdoor drop, Europe’s largest five-seater swing, and a treetop obstacle course with clowns terrorising you from below guarantee you’ll be hoarse from screaming.
From £22pp, 9 October-2 November
Read more: Best things to do in London with children this October half term
4. The Headland Hotel’s Afternoon Brew
Cornwall
The Headland in Cornwall sits in solitude on Towan Headland overlooking the wild Atlantic, yet this magnificent hotel also happens to be one of the UK’s spookiest places to stay. Witch-themed afternoon teas are held in the Halloween period as an annual reminder that the hotel was the filming location for The Witches. Tuck into treats at the Wickedly Witchy Afternoon Brew dressed up in your spookiest looks, while the hotel’s resident grand high witch makes a frightening appearance.
The Wickedly Witchy Afternoon Brew is priced at £39 for adults, and £19 for children, with the sleepover stay priced from £680. From 17 October to 2 November
Read our full review of the Headland Hotel in Cornwall
5. The Haunted Castle at Warwick Castle
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This October half-term, ghouls and ghosts will once again be unleashed at the historic Warwick Castle for its Haunted Castle event. Expect live shows, mazes and trails around the castle and more frightful fun spread through its grounds. Expect to bump into characters such as Dig and Doug, the castle’s grave diggers and the headless horsemen as they roam the grounds. For those brave enough, the dungeon will open up as actors recount scary true stories from the castle’s past. The scaryness only intensifies with the Castle After Dark tickets, suitable for the adrenaline junkies who will take on the brand new maze, “Hunted – GAME ON!” where running away from the hunters is the only chance of survival.
From £25pp, 25 October-2 November
Read more: These are the UK’s haunted places, from Corfe Castle to Whitby Abbey
6. Witches Walking Tour
York
York has long been dubbed one of the ‘most haunted cities in Europe’ due to its violent and dark past, with more than 500 haunting tales within the city walls. To delve deeper into the city’s horrific history, join a witch guide as they take you on a walking tour of York, spilling age-old secrets of the landmarks like York Minster and St Crux Church. As you shuffle down York’s snickelways and alleys for 70 minutes, you will learn about notorious historical figures from the city, such as Guy Fawkes, and answer questions such as whether the Yorkshire witches like Mary Bateman really deserved their fates.
Adults from £17, children from £15
7. FEAR Scream Park in Avon Valley
Bristol
Avon Valley’s FEAR Scream Park promises fearless visitors a “bloody good night” with five scare mazes, fire shows, and funfair rides welcoming all over 16. For an additional fee, there’s even an immersive The Exorcism show for guests to battle to save the soul of the demonic Evelyn Grace. Family-friendly FEARless nights offer a tamed-down experience with just a few frights and far less sinister street performers.
FEAR Pass from £26.99pp, 10 October-1 November
Read more: Forget Bath – this historic English town is a charming, crowd-free alternative
8. Scare Kingdom Scream Park
Blackburn
Pushing the boundaries of the daunting Halloween maze, Scare Kingdom Scream Park in Blackburn is in its 17th year of twisted tricks with menacing mazes, haunted houses and mind-bending live performances at Mrs Dowsons Farm Park. Think hellish hospitals, murderous undertakers, a twisted circus and a solo interrogation psychological horror experience.
Tickets £33.01 for over 13s only, 3 October-8 November
9. Derry Halloween Festival
Derry, Northern Ireland
Host of Europe’s largest Halloween festival, Derry welcomes the spirits of Samhain for chilling street celebrations every year, showcasing a fearsome display of folklore, history and heritage. Visitors to the carnival in the Northern Irish city can expect fireworks, a cemetery tour, kid-friendly storytelling, live music and a harvest market for foodies amid the magic and mayhem.
The Walled City Trail, parade and fireworks free, 28-31 October.
Read more: The best museums you should visit in the UK, from contemporary art to local history exhibitions
10. Halloween: Horror Upload, Hijingo
Shoreditch, London
This Halloween, London’s bingo hotspot Hijingo is hosting dystopian AI horror nights, Horror Upload, that feature immersive bingo rounds, horror-themed cocktails and the chance to win cash prizes or a holiday for two as you dress to impress in the spirit of spooky season. Join the “spine-tingling” show this October for chances to win big.
From £16pp, 24 October-2 November
11. True Crime Tours at the Real Mary King’s Close
Edinburgh
The closes of Old Town Edinburgh, shrouded in shocking tales of crime and punishment, are investigated on this one-hour True Crime Tour of the forgotten streets’ fascinatingly dark and very real past. Undaunted true crime fans will confront the witch trials and the case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as they walk the winding passageways of Mary King’s Close.
Adult tickets for £30, 10-31 October.
Read more: I live in London and these are the best things you can do for free
12. Burghley House Halloween Trail
Lincolnshire
With Guillermo del Toro’s latest creation, Frankenstein, landing in cinemas and on Netflix this Halloween season, viewers will be reintroduced to the grisly Gothic tale by Mary Shelley, where a scientist plays god and brings to life a creature made from the body parts of corpses. The Oscar-winning director used 16th-century Burghley House as a key filming location. In anticipation of the film, head to Burghley House for its Halloween Trail, a family-friendly day out collecting clues and creeping along hidden pathways as you uncover ghouls hiding around the sculpture garden.
Adults from £10, children from £8, 18 October-2 November
13. Dark Arts at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London
Hertfordshire
This Halloween, there’s Dementors, Death Eaters and Dark Arts lessons at the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. In the Great Hall, visiting muggles will find floating pumpkins and a festive Halloween feast before wand duelling in the Forbidden Forest and watching Voldemort’s followers stalk the magical set.
From £56pp, 13 September-10 November
Read more: Is the Cotswolds now accessible? A wheelchair user’s guide on where to go and how to get around
14. Brick or Treat, Legoland
Windsor
Legoland’s ‘Brick or Treat’ extravaganza is back this October for ghoulishly good fun at Lord Vampyre’s House Party dance floor, live performances at the Monster Jam Harbour Show, and spooky surprises along the Trick or Treat trail. The park has also unveiled its first-ever pumpkin patch, made up of 500 pumpkins, both real and made up of Lego creations. With the entire 55-ride resort transformed for Halloween, half-term just got haunted.
From £34pp, selected dates from 4 October-1 November
Read more: Where is House of Guinness filmed? The Manchester and Liverpool locations behind the Netflix series
15. PrimEvil at ROARR!
Norfolk
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This scream season PrimEvil at ROARR! returns to terrify with six scare attractions, live street actors and fully immersive experiences. For 2025, thrill seekers over 12 will face a toxic warehouse, a manor full of mayhem and a black death crypt with adrenaline-pumping high ropes, shock chairs, and live bands woven in between.
From £39pp, 16 October-1 November.
16. Drayton Manor Monsters & Magic Halloween
Mile Oak
In the Midlands this half term, Drayton Manor has a carnival of spooks including Trick or Treat trails, collecting goodies, after-dark rides such as The Haunted Express, and spooky shows. Expect the UK’s first and largest water, fire and multimedia spectacular on the resort’s lake at the end of every day, fireworks, a twilight zoo trial and a hay bale code cracking activity. There are even “sand-witches”, rice krispie pumpkins and mummified gingerbread men to be feasted upon at afternoon tea at the Drayton Manor Hotel, where short breaks can also be booked for Halloween.
From £29.50, 25 October-2 November
Read more: You can play your own game of Traitors at this Cotswolds getaway
17. Descend into Darkness at Watermouth Castle
Devon
Journey through themed scare areas with live actors that are bound to make you scream as Watermouth Castle turns into a haunted castle with a twisted maze of horrors. Guests are invited to the experience after dark, lasting around one hour as you weave through the Cursed Forest, the Bad Barnyard and a Carnival of Clowns for a hair-raising night out.
From £30pp. Select dates 17 October-31 November
18. Ghosts & Ghouls Family Tour, Globe Theatre
London
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This family-friendly tour of the Globe Theatre promises to bring to life the ghosts and spirits of Shakespeare’s most chilling plays. Think spells by the Three Witches, Hamlet’s father’s ghost and the Thames River Monster, amid supernatural folklore during the one-hour guided tour of the Globe.
Adult tickets £25pp, 18 October-11 April 2026.
Read more: As an LGBT+ person, visiting the same places isn’t boring – it’s vital
19. Doddington Pumpkin Patch
Lincoln
At the Doddington Pumpkin Patch, there are more than 30 varieties of pumpkins primed to pick for carving. With wellies and Halloween fancy dress encouraged, don your devil ears and look out for golden-bottomed pumpkins for a chance to win a family ticket to Christmas in the Hall.
Free entry, 1 October-31 October.
20. Scaresville
Suffolk
Dare to cross over into the twilight world of Scaresville? This old village appears every year as a thin veil that separates our world from the other side, allowing adventurers to cross through and come in contact with ghost ghouls and other creatures. To take part in the supernatural investigation, thrill seekers can take part in an hour-long live-action immersive experience with a group through Kentwell Hall’s wood, main building and parkland. Taking place in almost complete darkness, you’ll be sure to bump into some scares along the way.
From £31.87. 15 October-1 November
Read more: The best cosy cottages on Airbnb for an autumn getaway in the UK
21. Halloween Ghost Tour at Shrewsbury Prison
Shrewsbury
Ever wondered what spooky secrets lie inside a former Victorian prison? Step through the gates at Shrewsbury Prison and let a guide take you on a hair-raising journey into the darkness, exploring shadowy corners and abandoned cells until you reach the chilling Execution Room. Expect scary stories of paranormal encounters seen in the prison, such as the infamous “Shadow Man”, as well as historical tales from the 200-year-old wings.
From £27.50 ages 12+. Various dates throughout October.
22. Illuminated Whitby Abbey
Whitby Abbey is known for being one of the most spookiest spots in the UK, having inspired Bram Stoker to write his novel Dracula after visiting the dramatic ruins and the nearby town run rampant with supernatural sightings. This Halloween, the Abbey will once again come to life with after-dark illuminations, accompanied performances and food and drink from local vendors. It has become a much-loved tradition for regulars to dress up, so make sure you do your best ghoulish outfit for the occasion.
Adult tickets £14.50, children £9. 24 October-1 November
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