50 things to do for Halloween in London 2021

Experience a scarier side to London with some of the spookiest things to do in London for Halloween, on and around 31 October.

Venture into haunted venues, brave bone-chilling attractions, dare to go on special Halloween tours and find tricks and treats with gripping family events. Plan your Halloween in London with this roundup of gory ideas and horrifying activities. 

Frightening London attractions

1. Step into the menacing world of the Dark Arts as the Harry Potter film studios are given a Halloween makeover at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter.
2. Delve into the gruesome tales during The London Dungeon's Halloween takeover with a terrifying show The Surgeon.
3. Hear tales of torture and imprisonment, and explore the Bloody Tower at Tower of London.
4. Get up close to some of the world’s most feared animals in London this Halloween on the Shark Walk at SEA LIFE London aquarium and hear spooky stories from the deep as you come face-to-face with scary sea creatures.
5. Climb aboard for a spooky sailing on the London Eye river cruise and sip blood orange gin as you hear ghostly tales of the river. 
6. Descend into the horrifyingly haunted London Bridge Experience and London Tombs.
7. Run for your life through the Covenant spaceship in Madame Tussauds' Alien: Escape experience and come face-to-face with a killer line-up, as all six James Bond actors’ figures return with a vengeance.
8. Blow away the cobwebs with a hair-raising Halloween-themed Thames Rockets speedboat tour, guaranteed to make you scream!
9. Step into one of England's oldest and most notorious prisons Clink Prison Museum if you dare and see its gruesome torture devices.
10. Go on a mind-derailing journey through fear at the scary Fright Nights at Thorpe Park.
11. Discover the unnerving history of 19th-century surgery at the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret.
12. Experience the stuff of terrifying nightmares at No Escape, escape rooms. Will you get out alive?

Find more quirky London attractions and unusual museums.

Halloween events in London

13. Dine and duel with the frightening Death Eaters at the scary Hogwarts After Dark at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. 
14. Prepare for spooky encounters as you venture on a ghost hunt at Jacobean mansion, Charlton House.
15. Navigate challenging obstacles, zip lines and more at one-off after-dark openings at Go Ape Battersea Park and Go Ape Alexandra Palace.
16. Fill your Instagram feed with autumnal selfies among Covent Garden's pumpkiny aesthetic selfie-spot which is transformed at this time of year.

Scary Halloween London tours and ghost hunts

17. Discover the dark secrets and gory history of London with The Ghost Bus Tours.
18. Retrace the infamous murderer’s footsteps with Jack the Ripper Ghost Walks.
19. Go on an unnerving ghost hunt in London with Haunted Happenings.
20. Join a very mortal talk, tour or workshop, including visits to London's most famous cemeteries, during the London Month of the Dead.
21. Dare to explore Eltham Palace and Gardens in the dark? Hear spine-tingling stories of sinister happenings as ghostly guides take you through the grounds on a special Halloween tour.
22. Join one of the thrilling ghost tours visiting haunted hotspots, such as the Royal Maritime Greenwich Ghost Tour.

Discover more weird and wonderful sights on more London tours.

Halloween kids London ideas for half-term

23. Transport yourself into the wizarding world for a magical adventure at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
24. Help the clumsy witch from Far, Far Away find all her spooky items in time for Halloween at Shrek's Adventure! London.
25. Be enchanted by a magical evening of comedy, illusion and accident-prone magicians at Magic Goes Wrong.
26. Keep an eye out (not literally) for Halloween activities at London's family-friendly museums.
27. Treat the kids to a stay in the wizard suite of Georgian House Hotel.
28. Enjoy mind-blowing magic during The Magic Hour, an immersive experience not to be missed at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane.
29. Celebrate the spookiest day of the year with creepy-crawly Halloween themed activities for kids in Hyde Park.
30. Head to Battersea Park Children's Zoo and see which animals have put out their pumpkins for Halloween on the Pumpkin Quiz Trail.
31. Carve the perfect pumpkin into a frightening jack-o-lantern at the magical Wizard Exploratorium or department store Fortnum & Mason.
32. Treat your pet pooch with a Halloween paw-ty at the Cockapoo Cafe with prizes for best dressed Halloween pups.

Look out for more Halloween family events during the October school half-term.

Enjoy a night out or Halloween party in London

33. Enjoy a magical musical such as Wicked, or the haunting gothic romance The Phantom of the Opera.
34. Or jump out of your seat as you watch scary scenes in The Woman in Black.
35. Scream along to hell-raising rock n' roll anthems at Bat of Hell Halloween at O2 Forum Kentish Town.
36. Head to the Brixton Jamm for The Big Halloween Disco and dance alongside sparkly skeletons and groovy ghouls.
37. Experience a fairy tale turned into a nightmare at the immersive extravaganza Trapped in Wonderland at Clapham Grand.
38. Feel the authentic atmosphere of the Day of The Dead at the spooktacular El Dia Of The Dead Halloween Show at The London Cabaret Club.
39. Be spellbound by the dark side of the circus as you watch terrifying acts at Twisted Circus Festival at Indigo at The O2.
40. Dive into blood bath ball pits and experience an evening of revelry and devilry at the horrifyingly hedonistic Ballie Ballerson.
41. Or if you're a fan of the 70s and the 80s, take yourself out to Rouges at the Rivoli 70s and 80s Disco.
42. Rush to the Phoenix Arts Club to see the iconic drag queen Séayoncé make you laugh your head off at the Halloween Extravaganza.
43. Let your hair down at hair-raising Halloween nights in London’s top clubs, including Ministry of Sound and Electric Brixton.

Haunted houses and places

44. Listen out for the screaming ghost of Catherine Howard in Hampton Court Palace’s Haunted Gallery.
45. Be spooked by sightings of the famed White Lady and other ghostly souls at the Tower of London.
46. Capture a selfie with one of the resident ghosts at Queen's House in Greenwich, known for their presence on the elegant Tulip Stairs.
47. Explore one of the most haunted places in London at Tudor mansion Sutton House and Breaker's Yard and you may encounter the White Lady ghost.
48. Visit one of London’s beautiful and eerie cemeteries.
49. Grab a pint in an old haunted London pub, including The Ten Bells, The Grenadier, The Spaniards Inn and The Viaduct Tavern.
50. Discover more of London's spookiest attractions.

Don't just visit for Halloween, there are plenty of events and activities this autumn to add to your bucket list. Check out more events in October and November, or plan for a weekend in London with our top weekend picks.

If you're already in London, download the Visit London app for on-the-go Halloween ideas and family fun.