Halloween events are just around the corner and we for one couldn't be more spooked.
If like us you're yearning for trick-or-treaters, dancing to ‘The Monster Mash’ and have your Halloween costume ironed, fake blood-splattered and ready to go, then it's time to start thinking about booking tickets for the best Halloween event in town.
From a Day of the Dead brunch in Soho, London to devilish darts in Birmingham, the UK is oozing with the most ghoulish and macabre events to get your spine well and truly chilled this All Hallows' Eve.
Here's your go-to-guide to the best Halloween events in the UK in 2021... if you dare to try:
1) Trapped in Wonderland
Prepare to experience Alice in Wonderland - but not as you know it. Here, the cats and bunnies are deranged, the tea party is covered in blood and evil Alice has told the Mad Hatter to hold one, huge party.
Hop down the rabbit hole (erm, the door at The Clapham Grand, that is) and wander through a haunted fairytale at the Trapped in Wonderland Halloween experience, where haunted acts and performers, crazy characters and live DJs will entertain you all night long.
Find out more here.
2) Day of the Dead at 100 Wardour
Created in partnership with Don Julio tequila, 100 Wardour's Day of the Dead-inspired pop-up, Casa Wardour, is serving up several fantastical, fiesta-filled events this Halloween.
Drop by the Casa on October 30 or 31 to see the live roaming Mariachi band, who'll be sporting sugar skull face paint, or join the Day of the Dead La Fiesta brunch on November 2, complete with live entertainment from a Latin house DJ and bottomless margaritas.
You can expect to be plied with tequila cocktails and mouth-watering Mexican food, as you lounge on traditional poncho blankets and cushions - so don your most colourful outfit to match.
Find out more here.
3) Flight Club's Spooky Brunch Social
If you're less about scaring yourself silly and more about taking the opportunity to hang out with your mates, may we introduce you to Flight Club's Halloween offering?
The much-loved darts chain are hosting ghostly social brunches across the UK, from Birmingham to Leeds, Bristol, Manchester and various locations in London.
You'll get a devilish cocktail on arrival, along with a bottle of Prosecco per guest (yep, you read that right) and unlimited pizza. Then, if you like, you'll be able to add on an hour of darts to see which of your friends has the best aim.
Last but not least, the best (or scariest!) dressed will win a prize.
Find out more here.
4) The Goat Chelsea's Halloween virtual cocktail class
Don't fancy going out, but do feel like getting stuck in to the celebrations? We hear you.
Swish bar The Goat Chelsea is holding a special, virtual Halloween cocktail class for those who'd rather wine and dine from the comfort of their own homes.
Owner and director (and dab hand with a cocktail shaker) Steve Manktelow will take you through making four deliciously dark drinks, including Satan's Whiskers and the Corpse Reviver.
All you need to do is make sure you've got the ingredients ahead of time, and invite a few friends over to get your very own Halloween party started.
Find out more here.
5) Magic Garden Rave
Thank goodness for Magic Garden Rave, who always host one of the biggest Halloween nights in the country, and are back this year with an epic, seven-hour dance music experience.
The Steel Yard in east London will be decked out with incredible, immersive decorations and top-tier DJs will be on hand to make your All Hallows' Eve a night to remember.
Expect glowsticks, body painters, unicorns, glitter fairies and confetti canons, plus dancers and live acts. DJ-wise, you'll be dancing to Ronnie Spiteri, Donna Love and Luca Solis, among others.
Find out more here.
6) Halloween at Gin-House Burlesque
Internationally-renowned burlesque performers Miss Betsy Rose, Jolie Papillon and Missy Fatale are the inimitable team behind vintage cabaret experience, Gin-House Burlesque, now in its fifth year at its resident home, the King's Head members club in London.
This Halloween, celebrate in a decidedly more debauched way with a special evening of burlesque, circus performers and live music, plus fire-eating and snake-charming.
Taking place over four floors and packed full of immersive, cabaret entertainment, this is prohibition-era glamour at its finest.
Find out more here.
7) The Miss Blair Witch Project Halloween bottomless brunch
Manchester, get ready to hold on to your broomsticks: Miss Blair and her wicked sisters Liquorice Black and Banksie are here to wreak havoc on the city, in the most drag-tastic style you can imagine.
Featuring ghoulish performances, brunch, over an hour of bottomless bubbles plus endless Halloween games and prizes, this four-hour event is the one to book if you fancy a jam-packed schedule of spooky fun, excellent costumes and many, many mimosas...
Find out more here.
8) Secret Yoga Club at The London EDITION
If you're thinking this doesn't sound very spooky, you'd be almost right - except The London EDITION's newest wellness offering is frighteningly good.
Launching on October 30, Secret Yoga Club will be hosting monthly yoga and movement sessions at the hotel, beginning with a special Halloween Samhain celebration.
If you'd like to get involved in the spiritual session, you can expect a 'web of sounds to capture your minds and your spells', plus breathwork, intention setting and ceremonial movement inspired by Easter practices.
Find out more here.
9) Bluebird's Halloween pumpkin carving and cocktails
Get yourself fully into cosy mode at Bluebird's new Autumnal terraces, at both their White City and Chelsea locations. Snuggle up amid festive flowers, pumpkin patches and bales of hay, and sample as much as you dare from the exclusive new cocktail menus, created in partnership with Cointreau.
On October 27, Bluebird White City will be hosting a Halloween Cointreau Masterclass, teaching guests how to make two signature drinks (which you can then try alongside tasty bar snacks).
Bluebird Chelsea, meanwhile, will be running two pumpkin carving classes in partnership with Blooming Haus on the 28 and 30 October, giving you the chance to finesse your carving and design skills. And what's more, a cocktail is included in the price...
Find out more here.
10) Halloween in VR
If you fancy really giving yourself a scare this year, why not try the truly immersive experience at DNR VR, London's first and largest virtual reality arcade?
They're challenging visitors to 'Survive the Night' in a one-off Halloween experience on October 29, allowing you to live out the scariest move you can imagine. Choose between finding your way out of a haunted hospital, evading the supernatural or navigating a post-apolcalyptic zombie world, as well as trying out all the other horrifying arcade games and experiences on offer.
You'll be welcomed by a special Halloween host and invited to enjoy the bar, fully stocked with Zombie cocktails for the occasion.
Find out more here.
31 'Non-Halloween' Halloween Outfits To Wear This Spooky Season
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
