How to Celebrate Halloween in the North East and Yorkshire
Happy Halloween!
Spookydorei
Lilidorei becomes Spookydorei for its annual Halloween extravaganza, perfect for ‘children of all ages’. Don’t miss the special Spookydorei Nights event when the sun goes down. Visitors can expect a whole host of seasonal celebrations, riddles, games and storytelling to get into the spirit of spooky season.
UNTIL 3RD NOVEMBER
Lilidorei at The Alnwick Garden
lilidoreialnwick.co.uk
The Pumpkin Forest
Auckland Palace’s new light trail is a special night-time event with more than 600 handcarved, illuminated pumpkins along with hundreds of chrysanthemums and decorative gourds to discover within the stunning gardens. The whole family will love this enchanting trail.
4TH–31ST OCTOBER
Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland
aucklandproject.org
Halloween Evenings
Halloween is always fun at Beamish, and their Halloween Evenings are always popular. This year the open-air museum will be transformed into The Un-living Museum of the North. Visit the frightful fairground for family fun and meet curious characters along the way.
28TH, 29TH & 31ST OCTOBER
Beamish Museum
beamish.org.uk
The Famous Scarycrow Trail
The famous Scarycrow Trail has been running for more than 17 years and is always a popular attraction for visitors and locals for Halloween. You’ll follow the trail of weird and wonderful ‘Scarycrows’ around the villages, awarding them scores as you go, and at the end of the week the winner of Scarycrow 2024 will be crowned! The decision is yours. The Scarycrows are all created by locals and local businesses and your fourlegged friends are welcome to come and see them too.
29TH OCTOBER–3RD NOVEMBER
Ford & Etal Estates
ford-and-etal.co.uk
Scary Skele-bration
Take your kids to this pre-Halloween family theatre show where friendly/scary skeletons will celebrate Halloween in an exciting adventure ‘into the unknown’. Whatever that means, it sounds like great fun – and the perfect place to do it, in the supposedly-haunted Sunderland Empire.
23RD OCTOBER
Sunderland Empire
atgtickets.com
Spooky Barn: Halloween Adventure
Wannabe witches and wizards should head to Sledmere House this Halloween for spooktacular fun in the Spooky Barn. Meet Professor Nefarious himself and help to save Sledmere from unearthly creatures at this walk-through experience, with performers from Rusticus Theatre Company.
26TH–31ST OCTOBER
Sledmere House, Driffield
sledmerehouse.com
Spooky Crafting at the Castle
Craft your own spooky ghost or spider decoration in this fun workshop at Bamburgh Castle perfect for youngsters. They’ll make decorations from conkers and little hands will have the the opportunity to use hammers and palm drills safely.
31ST OCTOBER–3RD NOVEMBER
Bamburgh Castle
bamburghcastle.com
Halloween After Dark
Head to The Plotters Forest in your spookiest costume and dodge spiders, witches and wolves after dark. This child-friendly trail is a fun way to get into the spooky spirit of Halloween, then refuel, and browse Raby’s latest autumn collection.
31ST OCTOBER & 1ST–3RD NOVEMBER
The Plotters Forest, Raby,
raby.co.uk
Dungeon Lates
The York Dungeon is once again opening after hours for Halloween. In a group you’ll be led through the Dungeon Shows, with twists and turns and adult jokes which will either make you laugh or scream. Not for the faint-hearted, these are adult-only evening shows you won't want to miss.
SATURDAY EVENINGS THROUGHOUT OCTOBER
The York Dungeon
thedungeons.com
Bongo's Bingo Newcastle Presents The Haunted House
Bongo's Bingo is a fun night out all year round but extra crazy at Halloween. Prepare for themed prizes, a scary soundtrack, surprises and all of the usual crazy bingo antics. Don’t forget to dress up in your best costume!
31ST OCTOBER & 1ST NOVEMBER
Boiler Shop, Newcastle
bongosbingo.co.uk
Ghosts In The Gardens
York is one of the most haunted cities in Europe, so of course there are ghosts everywhere! Okay, these may be made of wire mesh but they’re a sight that must be seen this Halloween. This year’s display promises to be bigger and better than ever with more than 40 ghosts to hunt across the city including in The Shambles and at York Museum Gardens. From 7th–10th November don’t miss Ghosts After Dark in York Museum Gardens.
UNTIL 5TH NOVEMBER
York
theyorkbid.com
Most Haunted
If you loved the paranormal investigation series Most Haunted, we’re sure you’ll love
this theatre show which promises to be spine chilling. Yvette Fielding will present Most Haunted‘s all-time top 10 scares complete with unseen video footage from haunted castles, manor houses, hospitals and prisons. If you’re brave enough to get tickets, you’ll be taken back to the Victorian age of séance and Ouija board, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat.
29TH–31ST OCTOBER
City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds
leedsheritagetheatres.com
Shock Horror
Herbert grew up in the Metropol – an eerie old cinema showing endless late-night horror films. Now he’s back at the abandoned cinema searching for answers to long-buried questions, and the real horror has only just begun… This chilling show combines live performance and big-screen action, because we all love a good horror film, right?
15TH & 16TH OCTOBER
Northern Stage, Newcastle
northernstage.co.uk
Celluloid Screams
Celluloid Screams brings three days of the best in classic and contemporary horror cinema to Sheffield and this, the 16th edition, promises frightening favourites such as Bride of Chucky, with secret films still to be announced.
24TH–27TH OCTOBER
Showroom Workstation, Sheffield
celluloidscreams.com
Hocus Pocus Spooktacular
Tickets are selling quickly for this open-air screening of the Disney classic Hocus Pocus. Guests are invited to bring blankets and camping chairs to watch this family favourite on a giant cinema screen under the stars at Castle Howard – and fancy dress is highly encouraged. A spooky soundtrack will play before the movie starts.
26TH OCTOBER
Castle Howard, York
adventurecinema.co.uk
Psycho in Concert
Get the fright of your life this Halloween and watch Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Psycho like never before. Bernard Hermann’s chilling soundtrack will be played live by The Glasshouse’s house band Royal Northern Sinfonia and guest conductor Ben Palmer, with stabbing violins for that famously scary shower scene.
31ST OCTOBER
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Gateshead
theglasshouseicm.org
Scream Factory
Are you brave enough to enter the Scream Factory? Every Halloween the multi-award winning Scream Factory gets bigger, and scarier, with fright-filled attractions and live actors. We dare you to enter The Tunnel of Terror, where your worst nightmare could lurk around the corner.
OCTOBER & NOVEMBER
Kirkleatham Museum, Kirkleatham Village
screamfactory.co.uk
Hallowscream
This entertaining (for some) night of fear hosts five separate live-action haunted house attractions and more than 100 actors. Avoid the roaming characters and watch the live stage shows before you pluck up the courage to enter.
11TH OCTOBER–2ND NOVEMBER
York Maze
yorkmazehallowscream.co.uk
Yorkshire Scare Grounds Scream Park
From the Carnival of Carnage to the Toxic scare zone and The Harvest scare zone to a Krampus-themed fright experience, you've got to be brave to enter the attractions at Yorkshire Scare Grounds. Get ready to face your deepest, darkest nightmares – if you dare.
11TH OCTOBER–3RD NOVEMBER
Hell Lane, Wakefield
scaregrounds.com
Psycho Path Presents Fear Ground
Always a popular haunt at Halloween, tickets for this year’s Psycho Path are on sale now – but do you dare to enter? This year brave souls will face 14 attractions (including favourites The Hunt, iScream and Isolation) as well as three new mazes. Live stage shows and walkabout characters will keep you entertained whilst you pluck up the courage to enter each experience and maybe this year we’ll actually brave being trapped in the Crawl Space? Unlikely, Isolation is bad enough… For more of what to expect, read last year’s review here.
UNTIL 31ST OCTOBER
Lintz Hall Farm, Burnopfield
psycho-path.co.uk
