The frights of your life
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
Until October 31
As dusk falls over the UNESCO World Heritage Site, fiendish fire artists and glowing petrifying pumpkins will light up the Halloween Trail winding through haunted woods to the Secret Garden. Steel yourself to be spooked by new eerie installations including dazzling neon cobwebs and creepy corpses. ■ Adults £17, children £12, parking £10, blenheimpalace.com/halloween
Warwick Castle October 28-31
With over 1,000 years of spooktacular history to call on, Halloween at Warwick Castle is guaranteed to be filled with frightful fun. Brace yourself for the return of the scary Castle After Dark evenings, as the Haunted Maze makes a comeback along with the Haunted Hallows. And at brand new experience The Crest there’s an invitation to join a very secret society as you’re led through spinechilling rooms.
■ Visit from 6pm, tickets £20pp, warwick-castle.com
Sea Life London Aquarium
Until October 31
Young intrepid explorers will have a jawsome time with creepy crawlies and curious critters on the Aquarium’s new spooky Rainforest Adventure. Help the Ranger to unearth what lies beneath the surface of the Amazon. Come fang to fang with the Chilean Rose Tarantula, then race the colony of leafcutter ants to find the queen before watching the feeding frenzy of the UK’S biggest collection of piranhas.
■ Adults £32, children £29, visitsealife.com/london
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Selected dates in October
If you do like to be scared beside the seaside, head to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for a terrifying Journey to Hell Freak Night. Travel through eight scare zones that include a dark witchcraft trip aboard the Pleasure Beach Hexpress, the hellish maze of rooms in The Lost zone, the Impossible Freak House and its creepy clown residents and a tour through The Cursed River Caves. If they don’t get the heart pounding there’s five adrenaline-packed rides too.
■ Tickets £39pp, 10+, blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/ events/journey-to-hell-2022
Legoland, Windsor Until October 31 Legoland’s Brick Or Treat celebrations are stacking up to be even more monstrous than ever as the Windsor resort is decked out in skeleton heads, spiders and bats. Monster Rocker, Wolf Guy and Square Foot are among the new costume characters ready to pose for selfies. And making its debut is 4D movie The Great Monster Chase!, the inspiration for Heartlake City’s frightfully fun live show. ■ Day tickets from £39pp, free for children under 90cm, legoland. co.uk
TRICK OR TREAT THE FAMILY TO ONE OF THESE HAUNTING HALLOWEEN ADVENTURES, SAYS MARJORIE YUE
Edinburgh Zoo
Until October 31 Dare to brave the zoo after dark to follow its spooktacular illuminated trail, meeting weird and wonderful characters from pirates and wizards to scarecrows and spiders along the way.
But listen out for a rustling among the trees and watch out for peeping eyes. A new series of family-friendly frights will get you into the Halloween spirit.
■ From £15.30 adults, £11.70 children, edinburghzoo.org.uk/ halloween
Folly Farm Adventure Park And Zoo, Begelly, Pembrokeshire
October 29- November 6 Something spooky is happening down on Folly Farm – the popular family attraction is giving its fairground side stalls a Halloween makeover complete with singing pumpkins.
Follow the Scarecrow Trail and join in the card hunts for a chance to win prizes. And if you arrive with your little monsters tricked out in fang-tastic fancy dress they’ll be rewarded with sweet treats.
■ Adults £21.95, children £19.95, folly-farm.co.uk
Eden Project, Cornwall Until October 30
The Cornish attraction will be opening late into the evening giving you the chance to enjoy a new experience by twilight, a bewitching torchlit trail that takes you deep into the Rainforest Biome. Other “Halloweden” activities include a mysterious Magpie Trail and Weave a Web workshops, and for your little horrors there’s story time in the Pumpkin Patch.
■ Adults from £32.50, children from £11, edenproject.com/visit/ whats-on/halloweden
GLASGLOW, Scotland October 26 – November 13
The city’s Botanic Gardens is once again playing host to GLASGLOW’S Halloween event, this year going back in time to when dinosaurs roamed Scotland. Jeopardy awaits round every corner of the 60-minute journey through The Land That Time Forgot, from giant spiders to evil poachers to erupting volcanoes
– and not forgetting the stars of the show, the dinosaurs.
■ Adults £22, children £12, itison.com/glasglow
Derry, Northern Ireland October 28-31
The historic Walled City comes alive for Europe’s biggest Halloween festival. This year around 100,000 are expected to descend on Derry for the Halloween extravaganza of folklore, feasting and fun. Enjoy some gentle “exorcise” taking the City of Bones Trail through the centre of Derry with haunting animated projections, spectacular street performances and ghoulish characters around every corner. The magnificent Carnival Parade followed by a deathly display of pyrotechnics on the River Foyle will bring festivities to a thrilling close.
■ derryhalloween.com
Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire Until October 31
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the publication of Dracula so it’s a fang-tastic time to celebrate with a twilight visit to Whitby Abbey, the inspirational backdrop for Bram Stoker’s classic novel. Explore the gothic splendour of the ruins bathed in all the colours of the rainbow. There’s also a chance to see the dark story of Count Dracula brought to life in a show set within the abbey illuminated ruins.
■ Adults £14, children £9, www.english-heritage.org.uk
Chatsworth House, Derbyshire Until October 30
Bring your little horrors to meet the farmyard animals then let them loose on fun activities including face-painting, creating creepy crafts and pumpkin carving. If you’re feeling brave get on board the Halloween trailer for a mysterious ride into Warlock Wood where your help will be sought battling the ghastly ghouls.
■ Adults £18, children from £12.50, chatsworth.org/events/half-termhalloween-hoot
Great Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach
October 25-30
Roll up for the Fairground Fright nights featuring ghoulishly costumed actors, with spooky surprises and startling projections. The 20-plus rides all feature in the Halloween event which finishes with a fireworks display.
■ £19.50pp, 10+, pleasure-beach.co.uk
Chessington World Of Adventures, Surrey
Until October 30
The Witches of Adventure Point return to the mayhem of Howl’o’ween with a new reign of Witches while scare maze Creepy Caves is coming back for its final year. Join Emily and Evie in Trick or Treat Live. And thrillseekers can plunge into the disaster-ridden Shipwreck Coast with two new rides.
■ Day ticket from £36pp, spooky sleepovers at the Resort from £58 for a family of four, chessington.com
Scare City, Chorley, Lancs
Selected dates until October 31 Prepare to be scared witless when you tackle the world’s longest walkthrough outdoor horror attraction. On this mile-long trek, keep your eyes peeled for characters lurking in the likes of Nightmare Alley, the Forest of Fears and the Medieval Murder Zone.
■ £20pp, parknpartymcr.co.uk/ scare-city
Alton Towers Scarefest Until October 31
The Staffordshire theme park’s Halloween special is the stuff of legend for rollercoaster regulars and fright fans alike. The chance to ride the ‘big seven’ in the dark is not to be missed, and the terrifying scare mazes will live long in the memory.
■ From £42pp (additional charges for the mazes and scare experience), altontowers.com