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HALLOWEEN IN LEEDS: THE GUIDE
9th October 2022
Autumn has arrived, which can only mean one thing… it’s time to get spooky! Because now we’ve packed away the shades and flip-flops and dug out the woolly jumpers and scarfs, there’s something big and scary looming. Halloween!
Luckily (or unlucky, if you’re prone to jump at bumps in the night), Leeds has a haunting haul of Halloween events and experiences on offer for fright fans of all sorts. From monster-tastic must-dos for families, to ghoulish grown-up attractions and even terrifying dates for two.
For family friendly frights
If you’ve got little ones to entertain, or even bigger kids who like a scare, then Halloween in Leeds is horrifyingly well served.
Let’s start with a one stop shop of frightful fun for all the family at Stockeld Park! Explore the spectacular Day of the Dead Enchanted Forest, take in a petrifying performance of the Monster Mash Panto or grab your wheelbarrow and go pumpkin picking!
There are also pumpkin trails on offer at the captivating Royal Armouries, and at Bolton Abbey – where hidden mystery boxes along a new trail will reward intrepid Halloween hunters!
Or how about a monstrous movie? Hyde Park Picture House will be screening the family friendly flick Monster House at Headingley Heart, complete with a drop-in craft workshop where kids can create their own spooks house.
Over at Howard Assembly Room there’s a family friendly double bill of spooky short films too – Toy Story of Terror and Room on the Broom. Then there’s an outdoor screening of 90s fave Hocus Pocus in the eerie surroundings of Kirkstall Abbey, with free food and drink the night and rewards for best costume!
Leeds Discovery Centre are hosting spooky tours during half-term. Discover the weird and wonderful world of the museum monsters hidden behind closed doors. Spot creepy critters by torchlight and take a tour of their amazing stores.
For adults who aren’t afraid
If you’re after ghostly goings on for grown ups, maybe this year it’s time to unleash your creepy creative side? Boutique hotel Malmaison will be offering the chance to frightfully fill a canvas with their Paint the Scream for Halloween! Class. Glass of wine in hand, of course.
If you’ve got your costume sorted, then maybe it deserves an outing at one of the scare-tastic film screenings Leeds has to offer this year? Kirkstall Abbey’s atmospheric outdoor cinema will be serving up serial killer slasher Nightmare on Elm Street, and critically acclaimed classic The Shining over the Halloween weekend. Once again with prizes for the best dressed.
For something a little more culture-minded, Howard Assembly Room is presenting a special screening of the beloved but spooky classic The Phantom of the Opera, accompanied by a truly unique live soundtrack from Leeds City Organist Darius Battiwalla.
If you’re serious about meeting a ghost or two, why not try a Ghost Hunt? Haunted Happenings are hosting one on Halloween (31 October) at Armley Mills, Leeds Industrial Museum.
For daring dates
If you’re ready to risk it, Halloween could just be the perfect date. Think about it this way – if the two of you get on like a haunted house on fire, you’re all good! And if things go wrong, it’s the one time of the year when it’s totally cool to just… ghost them!
The film screenings we’ve already covered would obviously be a spookily safe bet, but how about really ramping up the tension? If you can survive a terrifying Halloween-themed escape room, we reckon your relationship must be on the right track!
There are two Escape Houses popping up in Leeds to petrify you into each others’ arms. The first is The Attic, recently discovered in the grounds of one of Yorkshire’s most haunted houses – Stockeld Park. Can you use your skill and invention to escape the dark and dangerous farmhouse, with a series of unforgettable rooms? Or try The Basement, where you risk being trapped beneath the estate’s terrifying turf for all eternity… probably.
So take your pick. Whatever’s on your Halloween hit list, Leeds has an experience to match. How about making a weekend of it and bagging a few terrifying tickets with a comfy hotel to retire to after?
Check out your options for staying in Leeds
Fancy a walk on the dark side?
The perfect way to feel some spooky vibes on the Halloween weekend and explore the real dark side of Leeds.
Uncover Leeds’s secrets and skeletons; from alien abductions and Leeds’ very own mummy, to the ghosts that haunt the abbey and gruesome deaths, this tour has it all. This 1.5 hour special Halloween tour will bring our dark past into light as you discover a unique side to our iconic city.
Throughout its history, Leeds has had many a murder and ghost story; some centuries ago, some only decades and some even today. Come and discover our spooky stories on this fun, after-dark tour. You never know what you might encounter this Halloween!