There’s a lot to be frightened of these days. Parisian bed bugs, imminent heating bills, Suella Braverman: all terrifying prospects.
Halloween is the time to embrace these fears, face them head on and conquer them. Why not dress up as a spectre of days gone by (Liz Truss perhaps?) or keep it simple by donning a gilet and frighten any party guests by calling yourself a tech bro.
In any case, whether going out as a ghost, ghoul or the ghastly Lawrence Fox, this is just about the only time of the year where horror, and indeed dressing up, is permitted.
So get your freak on with the best of London this scary season.
Dancing with the devil
The biggest monster mashes in town are set to be some of the best, and the Mandrake (20-21 Newman Street, W1T, themandrake.com) is hosting one of the biggest spooky shindigs on October 28 from 8pm-3am. Simply dubbed “The Haunted” the Fitzrovia hotel is set to transform into a ghoulish baroque manor house, with plentiful drinks and dinner options to boot.
The elevated Sky Garden (1 Sky Garden Walk, EC3M, skygarden.london) Halloween Party has become particularly sought after, promising the best views in London as the backdrop for all those spooky goings on. A few special Halloween cocktails, live band and DJs till late are set to keep the spooky vibes going.
Camden is home to ghoulish goings on most days, but on Halloween night there’s a huge takeover planned at the glorious KOKO (1a Camden High Street, NW1, koko.co.uk), with different levels promising “Cybernetic Dystopia” and a “Journey to Cyberspace” — what that really means is world-class DJs, performers and techno, house and electronica until the undead hour of 5am.
The Studland Soho party, hosted at HERE Outernet (Charing Cross Road, WC2H, dice.fm) will be leaning into the camp value of Halloween — dubbed “Gay Christmas” — with Boys’ Shorts, Lady Lloyd and Tasty Tim all scheduled to make an appearance. With a license until 4am, this undead afterparty will keep any late-night zombies going.
Over in Dalston, the queer party is set to be a monster as the MIMI’s Halloween party returns to EartH Hackney (11-17 Stoke Newington Road, N16, earthackney.co.uk). The killer stage show is set to include angle grinding from a metallic crotch plate, queer GoGo dancers and plentiful DJs bringing the two rooms of sleaze, sin and scandal home ’til 3am.
Who better to combine the out-and-out camp of Barbie with the out-and-out camp of Halloween than the Italians? Bunga Bunga (167 Drury Lane, WC2B, bungabunga.com) is saying goodbye to the summer’s biggest smash with an undead funeral for Barbie, killing off Ken for good measure. Expect macabre manifestations, decapitated dolls and frankly, a lot of cheap booze until the wee hours. Elsewhere in Covent Garden, Stereo (35 The Piazza, WC2E, stereocoventgarden.com) is hosting a two-night special, dubbed Stereo Noir which promises blood-red cocktails and live band Damned @ the Disco.
Potent potions
The Thin White Duke (22B Great Windmill Street, W1D, thethinwhiteduke.london) is evoking Grimms’ fairytales for spooky season this year with two days of terrifying libations. The tipples include the “once upon a time”..., a combination of vodka, gin and stone fruits, said to be inspired by the German forest traversed by the Brothers Grimm, alongside the Snow White, an apple, toffee and absinthe creation which, depending on your tolerance of absinthe, could be a poisonous potable.
Another winning recipe for resurrection is the “Shock-tail” on offer at Chai Wu (Fifth Floor, Harrods, SW1X, chaiwu.co.uk). Known by some as a vampire’s kiss, the cocktail is something of a mutant mix between a cosmopolitan and a sex on the beach, featuring vodka, Chambord, grenadine, lime and cranberry juice. Expect something short, strong and ideally served from a still-bubbling cauldron.
Over at steak slingers Gaucho (125 Chancery Lane, WC2A, gauchorestaurants.com) a grape-led evening of which witch is which (sorry, Which Wine is Witch) dubbed “Sour Grapes” is set to take place on October 31. A trick-or-treat-themed blind wine tasting should be more bewitching beverages than terrifying tipples and after picking your poison, a Tarot reader will be on hand to seal your fate. Boo.
Ghoulish goings on
Night of the living dead? Hardly. Instead, these are the experiences set to be a little less terrifying, ideal for a ghastly group of you. Hallowed Peak is the annual Halloween takeover at Phantom Peak (Canada Street and Surrey Quays Road, SE16, phantompeak.com), normally a 30,000 sq ft universe dedicated to the Wild West. At Halloween is transforms with the horror-themed theme park including 10 all new trails to follow, featuring science fiction mysteries, ghost stories, live music and the return of the annual costume competition. Perfect for getting the ghoulish gang together.
Over at Mr Fogg’s Mayfair (15 Bruton Lane, W1J, mr-foggs.com) there’s a murder mystery on offer with plentiful vodka and champagne cocktails to encourage sleuthing, or for longer interactive Halloween immersion, the Fairgame (25 Fishermans Walk, E14, wearefairgame.com) Halloween Party promises nine terrifyingly themed fairground style games served alongside some killer cocktails.
Frighteningly realistic VR has become something of a trend of late, and Islington’s DNA VR (400-404 York Way, N7, dnavr.co.uk), London’s first dedicated VR arcade, is resurrecting some gruesome Halloween arcade games for spooky season. Think hair-raising simulations to navigate your way out of such as the “Hospital of Horror” escape room, or fighting off the undead in “Arizona Sunshine”.
Less goth, more gothic
Nights at the museum have proved popular and the Natural History Museum (Cromwell Road, SW7, nhm.ac.uk) does it better than anyone else. Fright night fans can swerve the day-dwelling crowds to tour the spookiest science the museum has to offer — or get your freak on at the silent disco. Westminster Abbey is also offering an after-dark tour of the largely undiscovered crypts. The Creepy Crypt Visit is laid on courtesy of Yaatra (4 Greycoat Place, SW1P, yaatrarestaurant.com), the modern Indian restaurant, that will supply a five-course feast following the tour. A “dark and sinister” cocktail kicks things off — an All Hallows’ Eve take on a dark and stormy — before sumptuous slow-cooked lamb or tandoori cauliflower arrive.
The Tower of London (Tower Hill, EC3N, hrp.org.uk) doubtless has more than its fair share of ghosts, what with all the beheadings, and so for a haunted late night should be the perfect place for some spooky goings on, ideal for your little terrors too.
