Hair-raising Halloween events at National Lottery-funded haunts

One of the West Midlands’ top attractions, Black Country Living Museum, is gearing up for a terrifyingly terrific Halloween. There will be all sorts of hair-raising happenings on offer as the historic buildings and streets (some of which have been used as locations in Peaky Blinders) come alive with the sights and sounds of ghosts, witches and werewolves.

In ordinary times, the scariest thing at the museum’s St James’s School, a building which dates back to 1842, is the sound of fingernails on the blackboard. But this Halloween the school’s classroom will be home to all sorts of creepie crawlies.

Meanwhile, the three witches of Jerusha Green will be brewing up all sorts of potions. And lovers of frighteningly good films won’t want to miss a re-enactment of director James Whale making the 1931 big-screen classic Frankenstein.

If that’s not scary enough, there’s a chance to meet The Werewolf of the West Midlands, join a Halloween costume parade and competition and do the Monster Mash at a special UV disco.

Only the bravest visitors will want to venture into the Scare Mine Experience – a Halloween-themed trip into the museum’s coalmine where frights lurk around every corner. This one’s only suitable for visitors aged 10 and over.

And what would Halloween be without a bit of trick or treating? At the museum, little terrors can get their fill by knocking on doors in the 1920s village – a beautiful but eerie setting they won’t forget in a hurry.

Halloween Nights at Black Country Living Museum will take place on 26th, 27th, 30th and 31st October. Admission: Adult £20, Child (3-15) £15, Under 3s free, Carer £10. Events start at 6:30pm.

Here are a few more frighteningly good events at places supported by funding made possible by National Lottery players:

Allantide at Castle an Dinas, near St Columb Major, Cornwall

Many people consider Allantide to be Cornwall’s answer to Halloween. Celebrate it at Castle an Dinas, a historic hill fort, which is hosting free activities including creepy crafting and cooking with fire.

31st October from 11am-4pm. No booking required.

Halloween Nights, St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff

Get dressed in your best Halloween costume and take a trip around the museum in search of ghostly guests. They’re straight out of the weirdest pages of Welsh folklore.

5:30pm-9pm, 29th-31st October. Admission Adults £14, Children £14, Under 2s free.

Halloween events at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Alloway, Scotland

The museum dedicated to Scotland’s national bard has a “macabre menagerie” of activities taking place in October in preparation for Halloween. Why not follow the Halloween Trail around the gardens?

10am-3pm, until 31st October.

Halloween Trail at Aston Hall, Birmingham

Visitors to this Grade I listed Jacobean house can follow the spooky trail to learn more about Halloween, the hall and things that go bump in the night.

The trail is included in the cost of admission to the hall.

26th – 27th October and 1st – 3rd November.

Halloween at The Tower of London

Follow a trail through this famous London attraction and keep track of the ghosts you spot on the way.

10am-4:30pm daily from 26th October – 3rd November.

Mrs Maker’s Spooky Masquerade, Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Northern Ireland

Get into the Halloween spirit by joining local artist Kerrie (aka Mrs Maker) to create masks of your favourite animals or imaginary creatures.

11am-12pm, 30th October.

Halloween at Whitby Abbey, Yorkshire

Little monsters will enjoy solving the clues to a creepy quest and listening to spooky stories. A day of excitement in a hauntingly beautiful setting.

10am-4pm, 26th October – 3rd November. Bookings can be made online.

17th October 2024