Best Halloween events and things to do in London for kids

From after dark trails to pumpkin carving and cooking classes, here are the best, most terrifying, things to do with the kids in London come Halloween. 

1 Monster Brunch at Between The Bridges, South Bank

Monster Brunch takes over the South Bank bar with drag story time, shows, face-painting and games. This free four-hour extravaganza also has bottomless bubbles to blow, singalongs, and craft. This bash is hosted by The Clapham Grand’s DreamTeam Production, Shelf, kids diversity champs Drama Geezers and drag king Richard Energy.

Dates: October 24, 25

Tickets: Free

Address: Queen’s Walk, South Bank, SE1 8XZ

Website: betweenthebridges.co.uk

2 Halloween Big Penny Social, Walthamstow

The UK’s biggest beer hall, found in Walthamstow, has a week-long programme of family Halloween events. Bounce House returns, adorned with Halloween regalia, while inside BPS will be transformed into an inflatable fun pad, with gigantic inflatables including an inflatable assault. If your child has additional needs, look for the special relaxed session designed for neurodiverse children who need a quieter environment for this one. And of course there’s pumpkin carving too.

Dates: October 23-31

Tickets: Free entry, bounce house £7

Address: 1 Priestley Way E17 6AL

Website: bigpennysocial.co.uk

3 Halloween at Puttshack, Bank and White City

Kids dress up in the Halloween finest to head to Puttshack this Halloween for a round of mini-golf and silliness. Costume competitions, drag brunches and haunted treasure hunts will be the order of the day across all four of Puttshack’s locations.

Dates: October 21-29

Tickets: From £13.50/£9 adult/child

Address: Bank And White City; 1 Poultry, Queen Victoria Street EC2R 8EJ  and Westfield, Ariel Way W12 7HB

Website: puttshack.com

4 Cookery and Craft Masterclass at Colonel Saab, Holborn

Indian restaurant Colonel Saab is hosting a baking session in which children learn to make meringue ghosts, spooky cookies and witch potion smoothies which are healthy, rather than poisonous. Designed for 5 to 11-year-olds, participants will also make paper bats, ghosts and witches as well as carve pumpkins and Indian bottle gourds. The masterclass is free, however pre-loved clothing donations are very welcome and will go to the charity Little Village.

Dates: October 25

Time: 3pm-5.30pm

Tickets: Free, but reserve a spot through reservations@colonelsaab.co.uk

Address: 193-197 High Holborn, WC1V 7BD

Website: colonelsaab.co.uk

5 Pick Pumpkins at Tulley’s Farm, Crawley

Head to Tulley’s Farm and pick a pumpkin or two. Home to the number one pumpkin festival, the farm holds more than 60 varieties and more than 1,000,000 pumpkins spread out across 90 acres of farmland. Search for your perfect specimen while dodging live roaming characters throughout the field before tucking into street food in the pumpkin village, or sample craft beers and cocktails at the pumpkin bar. You can also pick your own pumpkin by moonlight too. 

Dates: Various dates throughout October

Tickets: From £6

Address: Tulley’s Farm, Turner Hill Road, Crawley RH10 4PD

Website: tulleysfarm.com

6 Shocktober Fest, Crawley

Tulley’s also puts on Shocktober Fest, the kind of gruesome fun park teens lap up. Filled with witches and serial killers and mad men with a thirst for blood, not to mention deranged clowns, Shocktober Fest is a lot less wholesome than picking pumpkins with a toddler, but probably more fun. 

Dates: October 12-31, closed Mondays

Times: 5pm-11.30pm

Tickets: From £42

Address: Tulley’s Farm, Turner Hill Road, Crawley RH10 4PD

Website: tulleysfarm.com

7 Halloween at Blenheim Palace

If you fancy a trip out of town, Blenheim Palace, nestled in picturesque countryside has plenty of Halloween fun for families. Night trials, spooky school holiday activities including storytelling, a wizard walkabout, a haunted hunt and pumpkin decorating will keep you entertained throughout the day, as will a wholesome stroll through the stately grounds. And now, with the newly opened Blenheim Palace Lodge Retreat, you can stay on the estate’s glorious grounds less than a mile away from the palace.

Dates: October 20-29

Tickets: From £22.50/£11.50 adult/children

Address: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1UL

Website: blenheimpalace.com

8 Halloween Half Term at Hyde Park, Bushy Park and Brompton Cemetery

Royal Parks – Hyde Park, Bushy Park and Brompton Cemetery – have a host of free Halloween activities as part of its Nature Roadshows and Discovery Days. Look out for spooky bug hunting, learning about bats, Halloween crafts, scavenger trails and haunted storytelling.

Dates: October 24-26 (Hyde Park) October 23-25 (Bushy Park and Brompton Cemetery)

Time: 11am-3.30pm/11am-2pm

Tickets: Free, but register on the website

Website: royalparks.org.uk