Halloween 2021: London’s Best EventsBy Alicia Grimshaw
Halloween, probably the best holiday of the year. An excuse to eat lots of fun foods and curly drinks, no pressure to hang out with family, and to be honest, it’s just a laugh to get a bit scared sometimes, isn’t it?
With that in mind, few cities do Halloween better than London, so you’ll be pleased to hear this weekend there’s incredible events running across the capital. Fear not, we’ve compiled them all for you so you can plan a suitably spooky time. Check out the best below, and get BOOking.
1. For Crazy Ghoulf: Swingers London
The Run-Down: Between 29th-31stOctober, Swingers will be hosting a spooktacular party at both its West End and City locations. Make your way through the cobwebbed entrances before taking on the Swingers ‘Trick or Treat?’ wheel of fortune, to win a host of exciting and eerie prizes.
In partnership with Don Julio Tequila, an exclusive ‘Trick or Treat?’ cocktail menu will be on offer. For souls who prefer a Sweet Treat, a frightfully delicious blend of Don Julio Tequila, lime, elderflower, orange bitters and cranberry juice will send shivers down your spine, while those feeling braver can dabble with a Fiery Trick and sip on Don Julio Tequila, sugar syrup, tabasco, Chambord, and orange bitters.
Price: From £10 per person. Book here.
Where: Locations here
2. For a Movie Marathon: Signature Brew
The Run-Down: Blackhorse Road brewery, Signature Brew, is hosting a Halloween Spooktacular AKA I Know What You Did Last Orders from 12pm ‘til late on 30th October. Cult film fanatics Deeper into Movies will be hosting an all-day marathon of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, plus horror-punk band Salem will be hosting a late-night DJ set to keep you going long into the night. Great beer, great food, and costumes are encouraged.
Price: Free entry
Where: Unit 15, Uplands Business park, Blackhorse Lane E17 5QJ
3. For a Drag Event: Hackney Bridge
The Run-Down: Taking place on 30th October at 7:30pm, head to Hackney Bridge for a spooky, eerie and glamourous night with the one and only Dolly Trolley. Expect high drag energy, burlesque, fierce dance moves, ludicrous lip-syncs, singalongs, and comedy. Halloween dress code is encouraged.
Price: Free event – walk-ins are welcome but free registration is available here.
Where: Units 1-28, Echo Building, London E15 2SJ
4. For a Dog-Friendly Brunch: M Restaurants
The Run-Down: M Restaurants are throwing a Halloween brunch on 30th October, for you and your dog, where they’ll be raising money for the charity ‘Dogs for Good.’ Included is a 3 course 6 legged brunch for you and your furry friend. Pooches can woof down the likes of Chicken jerky three ways, Biltong Risotto, and Bacon and Peanut Butter Cookies, while owners can enjoy Shakshuka with chakalaka, yogurt and super seeds; premium grass-fed Angus ribeye and chimichurri; and Pancake Stack with vanilla cream cheese, berry coulis, brûlée banana, caramel popcorn and vanilla ice cream.
To give your dogs a Halloween they’ll never forget, they’ll be treated to all-natural temporary chalk fur colours, Halloween bows and an express 5-10 min groom.
Price: £35. Tickets here.
Where: Zig Zag Building, 74 Victoria St, London SW1E 6SQ
5. For a Late Night Knees Up: Dirty Bones
The Run-Down: This Halloween, head to Dirty Bones on Saturday 30th October for the ultimate spooktacular party with their in-house DJs at any of their venues in Carnaby, Kensington, Shoreditch and Oxford. Spinning from 8pm to midnight in their dressed-up venues, they will be offering a number of favourite NYC-inspired comfort classics, cocktails and hip hop beats all night long.
For something more low-key and to beat the Sunday scaries, book your tickets for movie and chill night at Dirty Bones Kensington on Sunday 31th October. Tickets are £15 including a drink, popcorn and Ghostbusters on the big screen from 7:30pm, followed by comfort eats and drinks, pre-or post-movie.
Price: Free entry for Saturday’s event
Where: Locations here
6. For Shoktoberfest: Two Tribes Campfire
Price: The standard £20 ticket provides a two-pint stein filled with beer and a bratwurst cooked in the legendary Campfire firepit, and a ‘Straight to Hell’ upgrade is available for £35, which give true ghouls access to 90 minutes of bottomless stein refills, and the stein itself to keep.
Entry for the event starts of 6pm, and the beer will continue to flow through the night until the clock strikes midnight. Tickets can be purchased here.
Where: Tileyard Rd, London N7 9AH
7. For a Dine In Cinema: BAO
The Run-Down: Running until Sunday 14th November, Nightmare on Film Street is BAO’s new dine in Cinema, in collaboration with MUBI, a global curated film streaming platform. The dine in cinema will feaure a new season of horror themed films that will be screened at BAO Borough and BAO Noodle Shop’s private KTV entertainment rooms. Tickets include a choice of film and a set menu to enjoy alongside the screening. Take your pick from dishes such as Aubergine Panko BAO, Curry Hot Dog BAO and Taiwanese Fried Chicken Popcorn.
Price: £20 per person. Buy here.
Where: 13 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD and 1 Redchurch St, London E2 7DJ
8. For all the Spooky Sporting Action: Sixes
The Run-Down: Just in time for Halloween, Sixes has launched a world-first: UV cricket. Less spooky and more sporty, the ground-breaking new activity allows budding cricketers to show off their batting skills in Sixes’ specially designed nets under pioneering UV lights. Glow in the dark cricket alongside knockout cocktails means the party atmosphere is now well and truly happening at Sixes
Price: From £20. Book here.
Where: 170 Great Portland St, London W1W 5QB and 18 Farm Ln, Fulham, London SW6 1PP
9. For a Halloween Drag Brunch: Between the Bridges
The Run-Down: Following the sell-out success of Between the Bridge’s Drag Brunches across the summer, a star of RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Clapham Grand’s Dream Team return for a Halloween Brunch Special. Taking place on 30th Oct at 11am. Enjoy an hour of bottomless Prosecco, themed quizzes and games, all your favourite drag anthems – and world-renowned hallow-queens. Serious #squadghouls.
Price: From £20. Tickets here.
Where: The Queen’s Walk, London SE1
10. For a Jack the Ripper Walking Tour: Discount Suit Company
The Run-Down: Discount Suit Company are partnering with award-winning London’s Walks, proprietors of The Jack The Ripper Tour, on a spine-tingling tour and Halloween cocktail special on Sunday 31st October.
The Ripper walks will start outside Discount Suit Company on 29A Wentworth Street, where you’ll be offered a complimentary hot punch to warm the blood, before beginning a tour of the backstreets of Jack The Ripper’s stalking grounds of Whitechapel and Spitalfields. Guided by the charismatic London Walks tour guide, Simon Whitehouse, a blue badge holder and mentored by Donald Rumelow – “the leading authority on Jack The Ripper“, you’ll learn about the notorious killer’s exploits and the bungled investigations that followed.
Price: £20. 12pm, 2.30pm and 5pm. Tickets here
Where: 29A Wentworth St, London E1 7TB
