The best Halloween events across the UK: the spookiest castles to scare mazes

By Laura Wybrow

Published: Monday, 12 September 2022 at 12:00 am

How do you like to spend Halloween? Is it snuggled up on the sofa watching classic movies like Scream, A Nightmare On Elm Street or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

Maybe you like to go to a fancy dress party, and we hope your costume is better than the ones in Mean Girls — “I’m a mouse, duh!”

For those of you who would like something a bit more exciting, and perhaps even a whole day event over Halloween, you’ve come to the right place.

There’s Halloween events galore across London, from Halloween afternoon teas to zombie escape rooms — and if you don’t fancy travelling to the capital city this October, there’s a ton of events happening all over the UK, too.

We have castles like Muncaster Castle in Cumbria and Fonmon Castle in Wales, each with their own spooktacular festivals for the whole family, scare fests at the country’s biggest theme parks, and drive through cinemas up north.

So without further ado, guys and ghouls, let’s take a look at the best Halloween events happening in the UK this autumn.

Halloween events at a glance:

The best Halloween events 2022

Fright Nights at Thorpe Park, Surrey

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SAW The Ride.
Thorpe Park

For a terrifying night that will shake up even the bravest of theme park goers, you need to check out Fright Nights at Thorpe Park. Featuring thrilling scare mazes, scare zones, three brand-new horrifying attractions for 2022, as well as the first horror movie-themed rollercoaster in the UK, SAW — The Ride, Thorpe Park is one of the best places to be for thrill-seekers this October.

Plus, if you book in advance, you can save £20 on your park and Fright Nights admission. For more theme park deals, here’s how to get cheap Thorpe Park tickets.

Buy Fright Nights Halloween event tickets from £59 £39 at Thorpe Park

Scarefest at Alton Towers, Stoke-on-Trent

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Enter Scarefest if you dare!
Derby Telegraph

We’re huge fans of a scare maze, and Alton Towers has three multi-award-winning ones, as well as hair-raising attractions like Wicker Man and the Alton Towers Dungeon.

Like with Thorpe Park, if you book Scarefest in advance, you’ll save £23 on admission. Plus, here’s how to get cheap Alton Towers tickets — you can tell the RadioTimes.com team are in a generous mood!

Buy Scarefest tickets for £65 £42 at Alton Towers

Overnight Murder Mystery, various locations

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Will you be able to guess who the killer is?
Buyagift

As soon as you step through the door at this overnight Murder Mystery experience, the game begins. Enjoy a three-course meal while the murder mystery evening plays out, then you’ll be whisked away for a good night’s kip, before being served a cooked breakfast the following morning.

Buy Overnight Murder Mystery tickets for two for £199.99 at Buyagift

Become a Zombie for a Day at The London Tombs, London

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Become a zombie for the day.
Virgin Experience Days

Dress up as a zombie and scare London’s general public in this one of a kind experience. You’ll transform into one of the London Tombs’ zombies and join in on live shows, but not before receiving a FX make-up tutorial to help you look suitably gory. Lunch at Bermondsey Bierkeller is also included — being a zombie is thirsty work, you know.

Buy Become a Zombie for a Day tickets for £49.99 at Virgin Experience Days

Immersive Magical Cocktail Experience at The Cauldron, London

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Do not try fire breathing at home…
Virgin Experience Days

Fans of Harry Potter are in for a treat with this magical cocktail experience. For almost two hours, you and a friend will mix-up some wicked cocktails at The Cauldron in London.

Buy Immersive Magic Cocktail Experience tickets for two for £75 at Virgin Experience Days

Psychopath’s Den at AIM Escape, London

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Enter the psychopath’s den.
Fever

There are some seriously scary escape rooms, and if you’re braver than the RadioTimes.com team, London has plenty for you to check out, including Psychopath’s Den. It challenges you and your friend to escape the clutches of a psychopath by solving a variety of challenges.

For more gruesome escape rooms, be sure to check out the best escape rooms in London.

Buy Psychopath’s Den tickets for £30 at Fever

Buy two Psychopath’s Den tickets for £80 at Virgin Experience Days

Ghastly Ghost Tour of London Bridge, London

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London Bridge is home to many terrifying tales.
Fever

One of the RadioTimes.com team members loves a ghost tour: they’ve been to ones in Nottingham, Lincoln and Chesterfield, and next up on the list is this one in London. The area around London Bridge used to belong to criminals, killers, and just generally lawless folk, which means they’ve left behind some terrifying stories.

Buy Ghastly Ghost Tour of London Bridge tickets for £16 at Fever

Zombie Infection Experience, various locations

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Could you survive a zombie apocalypse?
Buyagift

Ever wondered if you’d survive a zombie apocalypse? Now’s the time to find out. In this one-of-a-kind experience, you and your friends’ teamwork will be tested as you avoid flesh-eating zombies to reach safe zones.

Buy Zombie Infection Experience tickets for two for £149.99 £129 at Buyagift

Sinister Circus Bottomless Brunch at Bar Elba, London

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Devishly good grub.
Bar Elba

For bottomless drinks and frightfully good grub, you need to get down to Bar Elba for its Sinister Circus Bottomless Brunch. While you’re tucking into pulled pork mac ‘n’ cheese or a vegan Louisiana Chick’n burger and sipping on an Aperol Spritz, you can enjoy watching acts like a fortune teller and ‘human elastic band’.

Buy Sinister Circus Bottomless Brunch tickets for £55 at Fever

Halloween Afternoon Tea at The Mandeville Hotel, London

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Who said Halloween had to be scary?
The Mandeville

Eyeball lemon tart, chocolate skull cake, pumpkin tartlets, and more devilishly sweet treats? Sign us up! This Halloween-themed afternoon tea at The Mandeville Hotel in London includes sandwiches and savoury snacks, homemade scones, sweet bites and a selection of loose leaf tea. Who said celebrating Halloween had to scare your socks off?

Buy Halloween Afternoon Tea at The Mandeville Hotel tickets for £26.50 at The Mandeville

Why not try making your own terrifyingly delicious afternoon tea at home? We have plenty of Halloween afternoon tea ideas.

Scare City, Manchester

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The world’s longest outdoor horror attraction.
Manchester World

Located in Chorley, just outside of Manchester, Scare City boasts the world’s longest outdoor horror attraction with a whopping 2km horror trail. Walk through Knightmare Alley, the Forest of Fears and the Medieval Murder Zone in this two hour immersive experience complete with live actors, and see if you can make it out alive…

For more immersive experiences, take a look at the best immersive experiences to try in London.

Buy Scare City tickets from £20 at Park N Party Scare City

Paranormal Investigations at Fonmon Castle, Wales

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Join a paranormal team in Fonmon Castle.
Business News Wales

Visit rooms not usually open to the public in a paranormal investigations experience at Fonmon Castle. You’ll be guided by a paranormal investigation team who will share their experiences, findings and evidence of ghostly activity. And who knows, maybe you’ll have a spooky experience of your own by the end of the night… There are various dates available throughout autumn and winter, but with limited numbers, be sure to book to avoid disappointment.

Buy tickets for Paranormal Investigations at Fonmon Castle from £20 at Fonmon Castle

Halloween at Fonmon, Wales

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The whole family can enjoy Halloween at Fonmon Castle.
Visit Wales

Halloween at Fonmon is another spooktacular event from one of Wales’s most haunted castles. This kid-friendly event includes to hold creepy crawlies, like spiders and snakes, a Scare Run where you run through a terrifying maze, the Kids Halloween Story Trail, Dino Haunted Woods, and a Horror Farm.

Buy tickets for Halloween at Fonmon from £14.50 at Fonmon Castle

Muncaster Castle, Cumbria

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Check out Halloween at Muncaster Castle (witches may be included).
Visit Britain

Muncaster Castle, a historic site overlooking the River Esk in the picturesque Cumbria, has had a spooky makeover just in time for Halloween. Enjoy a huge array of entertainment, like the Scary Maze, fire juggling shows, crafts, and owl and hawk flying displays, which are perfect for the whole family.

Buy tickets for Muncaster Halloween from £8 at Tyg Tickets

For more events, be sure to check out our Going Out section where we tell you how to get Harry Styles tickets, and how to get The 1975 tickets, plus the best West End shows.