Words by Kasia Hastings
From a night of devilish debauchery in an abandoned circus to frolicking in a cinematic blood bath, if you’re sick of the same old Halloween plans there are plenty of scarily good ways to resurrect the party this All Hallows’ Eve.
The Dark Circus Party Halloween Special
Join the Dark Circus and indulge in a thrill seeker’s fantasy at the Bloomsbury Ballroom. Free your inner freak and revel in an exhibitionist’s paradise with an evening of outrageous aerial acrobatics, surreal circus sideshows and debaucherous dancing. Be warned: fancy dress (the more eye-popping the better) is compulsory if you want to take part in the macabre merrymaking.
Bloomsbury Ballroom, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, WC1B 4DA, 020 7242 0002, darkcircusparty.com.
Sat 25 October, 9pm-3am, £25.
Indeedy Bingo Halloween Spooktacular (Haunted) HOUSE!
If you like your creep on the kooky side, head east this Halloween for an evening of frighteningly cool Bingo-with-a-twist. The Indeedy crew are transforming Shoreditch Town Hall into a haunted house, with musical bingo, fancy dress competition and a Thriller dance spectacular.
Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, EC1V 9LT, 020 7739 6176, musicalbingo.indeedyinc.com.
Fri 31 October, 9pm-2am Council Chamber, advance tickets £15 (£20 OTD) includes a ‘creepy’ cocktail upon arrival.
Day of the Dead Supper at El Nivel
Celebrate Mexico’s marvellously macabre Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a menu of artisan tequilas and mezcals married with Mexican tapas-style dishes and traditional Day of the Dead sweets. Be sure to try the devilishly good absinthe infused Resucitador de Cuerpos, tequila based Calavera Cobbler and Mestizo Cocktails.
El Nivel, Agaveria, 28 Alto Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, WC2E 7JS, 0207 240 7400, elnivel.co.uk.
Sat 1 November, 8pm, £45 (includes three courses and two cocktails).
Halloween at the Grant
“Eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog”, anyone? London’s only zoological museum invites you to spend the evening getting up close and personal with some of its 67,000 spooky specimens.
Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE, 020 3108 2052, ucl.ac.uk.
Fri 31 October, 6.30-9pm, £5 (includes one free glass of wine).
Hot Tub Halloween
Dive into Hot Tub Cinema’s blood bath this Halloween (or not) and catch cult classics The Lost Boys, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shaun of the Dead, 28 Days Later, Scream, Beetlejuice and The Craft.
Former Shoreditch Underground Station, Pedley Street (off Brick Lane), E1 6SE, hottubcinema.com.
Mon 27 October-Sun 2 November, From £35.
Day of the Dead Festival
The world’s oldest tequila brand, Jose Cuervo, and the Mexican Embassy take over the Bargehouse in Oxo Tower Wharf to bring Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos to life. Delve deeper into this colorful, macabre fiesta with an exhibition of contemporary Mexican art, tequila master classes and a special screening of John Huston’s indie classic Under the Volcano, followed by a panel discussion.
Bargehouse,Oxo Tower Wharf, South Bank, SE1 9PH, 020 7021 1600, dayofthedeadfestival.co.uk.
Thurs 30 October-2 November, Free.
Secretsundaze Dead Famous Halloween Party
Party collective Secretsundaze return to Oval Space with a new ‘Dead Famous’ theme. Resurrect your deceased aristocrat, artist, politician or actor of choice and dance way beyond the witching hour to the sounds of DJs Rolando, Funkineven, Romare and more.
Oval Space, 29-32 The Oval, E2 9DT, 020 7183 4422, secretsundaze.net.
Saturday, 1st November 10pm - 6am, £20.
Winterwell – The End is Nigh
Image: Andrew Farrar
The team behind Winterwell festival invite you to don the costumes of the ghosts of Winterwell past for its last ever party. Pledging (as always) to ‘create the best party we possibly can’, the Winterfell gang have come a long way since its first invite-only boutique festival eight years ago and will no doubt go out with a bang. R.I.P Winterwell.
Loft Studios, 77 - 81 Scrubs Lane, NW10 6QU, 020 8969 0234, winterwell.co.uk.
Sat 1 November 10pm - 6am, £20.
