Each Halloween, London seems to host an ever-expanding roster of club nights and this year is no exception — there’s a blood-stained bucket load.
Not least because this time round, the scariest day of the year falls on a Thursday, meaning venues can get away with hosting Halloween-themed club nights the weekend before, on the day itself and the following weekend, without raising too many eyebrows.
It does also mean that should you want to get a second wear out of that Beetlejuice costume, you can. Dressing up without the anxiety? God bless the undead.
Should the spookiest of nights not call for nightmare-fuelled dress-up, then fret not: there are kinky evenings for leather lovers, a Matrix-inspired option for futurists and even a night out for those who don’t feel like dressing up at all.
Here’s where to head, with tickets still available for all of the below at the time of publishing.
Clubbed to Death at the Standard
This Halloween, the Standard Hotel is reviving Nineties party-core with a Matrix inspired bash across both Townhouse 9 and Sweeties. Take the red pill (the red lift, actually) to follow the rabbit, with what they describe as a glitch-fuelled gritty bender of para-reality and long leathers. Redolent of the nightclub scene at the start of the first Matrix movie, with Agent Smith-inspired office core get-ups, this night is best enjoyed after donning your finest futurist fits.
£30, October 31, Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG, standardhotels.com
Elrow x Boomtown at Drumsheds
This year the lineup for the Drumsheds Halloween special looks better than ever. Elrow and Boomtown have put this one together, with Claptone back-to-back with Solardo, supported by the likes of Eats Everything and Ben Hemsley. Bass fans can expect floor-fillers from Born on Road and Deekline ft. Killa P, while sets from Cheetah, George Privatti, and Kink “live” are set to raise the roof. Only Sunday tickets are left, so act fast.
From £39, October 27, Glover Drive, N18 3HF, drumshedslondon.com
Zombie Mansion at E1
This one is geared up for fans of techno and house, with Sam Supplier, Mark Radford and James Trystan headlining a techy treat. The haunted house theme is far more than a strapline: high-tech 3D projectors are set to display a series of immersive imagery upon the various E1 rooms, promising an absorbing and head-spinning night. The state of the art mapping and lighting might be more than a little trippy, with the zombie Halloween fashion show hosted by I LOVE FASHION catwalk DJs offering the very best of spooky season.
£5.50, October 31, Pennington Street, E1W 2BB, ra.co
Homoween at Lower Third
For an inclusive event in the centre of town, the Lower Third is where to go. It’s an intimate space that fills up quickly, creating an atmosphere that more than lives up to the musical heritage of this feted street. Homoween promises fun and spooks and costume and live DJ sets from Ruby Cicerro, Supermidz and Sandra Omari. A celebration of all things queer and Halloween.
£25, November 1, 26 Denmark Street, WC2H 8NJ, thelowerthird.co.uk
Electric Brixton Halloween Ball
Act fast if you’re keen for this one: it has sold out six years on the bounce and is guaranteed to sell out this year too. The near 2,000 capacity venue will be jumping this Halloween with a huge host of stage performers and the Brixton Killer’s very own trick-or-treat station. Themed cocktails will keep things going alongside DJ martin2smoove, who is set to play to revellers until about 4am. Don’t miss this one.
£10, October 31, Electric Brixton, SW2 1RJ, dice.fm
A Nightmare in Islington at the O2 Islington
The O2 Islington is the home of this ambitious club night, laid on by veteran producers Milkshake, with professional scare actors, graphic visuals, coffins, cobwebs and crypts, and Freddy Kruger himself: this one promises much. On from 10:30pm until 4am, this one promises to be one of the best-produced, best value nights out in town.
£15, October 31, Parkfield Street, N1 0PS, academymusicgroup.com
TG Halloween Ball at Scala
This year, Torture Garden and Scala are collaborating on a whopping four Halloween parties over two weekends, ensuring that no one misses out on not only one of the best Halloween parties in town, but the UK’s leading fetish nightclub producers too. At this one in Scala, Torture Garden advise “there’s no specific theme for this one, so you have free reign to embrace the Halloween fetish alter-ego that suits you best!” So, don your leathers and get ready for a kinky night of Halloween naughtiness across multiple dance floors, a dungeon and naturally, a couples room.
£38, October 26, Pentonville Road, N1 9NL, scala.co.uk
Don’t be afraid of the UNKWN at Omeara
SNXWDEN and UNKWN return for this hugely popular night out. The under-the-arches venue feels perfectly suited for a spook-filled Halloween party, with the eerily macabre setting the home for ampiano, afrobeats and hip hop this weekend. Ani Daya, Cloud9, Native Sound System, Rachel Foxx all star in a lineup which is set to set your night alight, just remember the door policy: “No costume drip, no entry”.
£10, November 2, O’Meara Street, SE1 1TE, omearalondon.com
Prophet Magazine Halloween party at Cafe Koko
An altogether less ghoulish affair, the Prophet Magazine party at Cafe Koko promises a more laid back Halloween experience. Yes, there’ll no doubt be dressing up, but it’ll be more subtle, more chic; less Joker face paint and fake blood. Yellowlabz, Cheyselcta, and Sithgod are bringing the hip hop, house and amapiano beats in the pleasingly casual Cafe Koko setting.
£10, October 31, 74 Crowndale Road, NW1 1TP, koko.co.uk
Hip Hop Halloween at Sway
Sway bar in Holborn is hosting the return of the Hip Hop Halloween party, from producers Milkshake by Ministry of Sound, after something like a five-year hiatus. Less geared for raving and more for rapping, expect hits from Kanye, Snoop, Drake, DA BABY and plenty more besides.
From £4, October 31, Great Queen Street, WC2B 5BZ, dice.fm
Halloween House Party at the Clapham Grand
The epic Clapham Grand party has sold out a whopping nine years in a row, so get your tickets in soon to make it a decade of devilish debauchery for probably south London’s biggest Halloween bash. In fact, the whole weekend is full of frights, with a Hocus Pocus movie night, the Bingo Bongo’s haunted Halloween bingo, Rocky Horror Picture Show movie night and We Are Still Young throwback rock and indie night. But really, the main event is the Halloween House Party: don’t miss it.
From £20, October 31, St John's Hill, SW11 1TT, claphamgrand.com
