Positively petrifying things to do with little Londoners for Halloween 2023

Head to Lewis of London from the 14th-29th for its Halloween 2023 event and take part in pumpkin picking and a fancy dress competition, then try a spine-chilling Halloween ice cream flavour from the parlour. All ages, SEN-friendly times available. Paid.
Family Halloween Trail: The Tale of the Monster Hunter is on at Osterley Park from the 14th-29th. Follow the trail and uncover the Tale of the Monster Hunter, discovering eight activities and two gaming stations within the gardens, then collect your prize at the end. All ages. Paid.
Spook-Fest returns to Aldenham Country Park from the 14th-31st. Activities will include pumpkin picking and carving, the Aldenham Mausoleum and Spooky Shack, Pumpkin Bingo, a Spider Maze and Spooky-Oke, plus much more. Suitable for all ages. Paid.
Gootopia’s Slimetacular Halloween Slime Event runs from the 15th of October to the 5th of November. Create a monstrously ghoulish glow-in-the-dark slime, adding spooky decorations and scents like toffee apple and candyfloss. For 3-14s. Paid.
Halloween Half Term at Eltham Palace is on from the 21st-29th. Grab your broomsticks and get ready for a bewitchingly brilliant day out. Gather round for tales from spooky storytellers, and solve creepy clues in the Halloween Quest. All ages. Free with admission.
Witches and Wizards Week is on at Bocketts Farm from the 21st-29th. Encounter reptiles and creepy crawlies, enjoy exciting science and slime shows, follow a spooktacular trail and create and make in the creepy craft corner. All ages. Paid.
Head to Lee Valley Animal Adventure Park’s Halloween Festival from the 21st-29th. Arrive in fancy dress and enjoy spooky shows, a Day of the Dead disco, spell classes, haunted walk-throughs, a pumpkin picking patch and lots more. Suitable for all ages. Free with admission.
Halloween at Hampton Court Palace runs from the 21st-29th. Head to the Gallery of the Damned and see eerie portraits come to life, or take part in a spine-tingling séance, hear spooky stories and grab a Halloween-themed treat in the cafe. All ages. Free with admission.
Head to Strawberry Hill House & Garden on the 23rd and 25th for a Spook-tacular Halloween Lanterns workshop with Christina Rose Brown, where you’ll use relief printing techniques to create lanterns inspired by the house’s gothic architecture. Aimed at ages 3-12. Paid.
The Golden Hinde’s Gory Stories Tour runs from the 23rd-28th. Hop aboard the full-size reconstruction of the famous Elizabethan galleon where expert storytellers, dressed in period attire, will guide you through centuries of bloodshed and brutality. For ages 3+. Paid.
From the 23rd-28th, Tots in London is inviting little ones to come in their best creepy costumes for a chance to win spooky-licious treats – plus all the usual role-playing fun with a terrifying twist! For ages 0-5. Usual admission fee applies.
Belgravia’s family-friendly pumpkin trail is on from the 23rd-31st. Download the trail map (more details released in October) and enjoy a spooky mix of showstopping pumpkin displays and smaller eye-catching displays. For all ages. Free.
Knebworth’s Halloween Adventure runs from the 24th-26th. Play spooky games and earn stamps for your Pumpkin Passport, find all the Halloween sculptures, create your own magical mini broomstick and lots more. Suitable for ages 3-10. Paid.
Royal Parks’ Halloween-themed Hyde Park Discovery Days run from the 24th-26th. Dress-up is encouraged and activities will include investigating creepy ‘feely boxes’, exploring a hair-raising nature trail, learning about bats and spooky storytelling. For all ages. Free.
Role2Play’s Halloween Party runs from the 25th-27th. As well as the usual fun-packed play session, expect games, treat boxes with themed food for little ones, a disco and a best costume competition, with kids and adults encouraged to dress up. Suitable for 0-7s. Paid.
There’s plenty of fierce fun to be had at Syon Park from the 25th-29th, from terrifying trails to spooky storytelling, fearsome forest fun, a Howl-o-Ween dog show fand a Halloween Sunday Funday featuring creepy crafts and frightful face painting. All ages. Free/paid.
Keep an eye on Dalston Curve Garden‘s Instagram for details of its pumpkin-carving sessions. The pumpkins will light up the garden between the 25th and 31st – and you can also carve your own pumpkin at home for entry into the garden’s competition. All ages. Free.
Chelsea Physic Garden is running Halloween Pumpkin Carving sessions for ages 6+ and their families on the 24th and 26th, as well as spooky performances of Halloween Family Theatre: ‘The Ghost Detectives’ for all ages from the 25th-31st. Paid.
Forty Hall will host a Halloween Spooky Trail from the 26th-29th. Don your best Halloween costume and put your detective skills to the test as you follow clues scattered around the main house and grounds – then collect a tasty treat at the end. Designed for ages 4-11. Paid.
Horniman’s annual Halloween Fair returns on the 28th. Expect Halloween music and games with We Bring Good Disco, circus skills and hooping, a costume parade, performances from Bubbleology, a bouncy castle, craft workshops, face painting and lots more. For all ages. Paid.
Mudchute Play is hosting a special Halloween event on the 28th. This family session invites spooky dressing up and will include a pumpkin-carving competition, with pumpkins available to purchase from the farm. Suitable for all ages. Free.
The Big Fish Little Fish Hackney Halloween Spooktacular Family Rave comes to the Colour Factory on the 28th. Dance together on a floor filled with foam, bubbles and balloons, get crafty on the Nifty Natty Craft tables and enjoy the baby chill out or play areas. For 0-8s. Paid.
Head to Greenwich Peninsula on the 28th-29th for family-friendly Halloween fun, including Kids’ Halloween Pottery Painting in collaboration with The Find Store and Ray & Cici’s Extraterrestrial Dance Party, featuring prizes, games, spooky tunes and more. All ages. Paid.
How Does It Feel To Be Loved? will host its HDIF Family Disco Halloween Party on the 29th. Expect HDIF’s usual mixture of indie pop and soul, and a chance for adults and kids to bop around to the likes of Belle & Sebastian, The Ramones and lots more. For all ages. Paid.
Head to ArtHouse Crouch End on the 29th for Witches and Beasts, a relaxed performance of Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo, in association with AFK and Paths Through Change. Dress up and feel free to move around, dance and growl with the Gruffalo! All ages. Paid.