What a scream: the Clapham Grand is hosting parties all weekend
(Picture: Press handout)What are you going as this year? Halloween has never had so many horrors to choose from. Boris Johnson is decidedly out of date; it’s time to power dress like Liz Truss (or the lettuce). Sick to death of politics? Going as Kanye might feel a bit close to the bone, but Julia Fox provides endless inspiration (creepy claws worn as a choker are very, very in this year). Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala 2021 look is surprisingly gender-neutral: effectively, it’s just that perpetual uni favourite, the Morph suit, only in black. The list is endless: Madonna has been looking particularly ghoulish lately, while a Karl Lagerfeld outfit is easily enough transformed into a Wednesday Addams wardrobe, for those out two nights on the trot. There’s more inspiration here. Here’s where to head, whatever you wear — if you’ve got it, haunt it.
Ghouls just wanna have fun
Halloween is best treated as a chance for camp and kitsch, not cool and chic — it’s more scream than scene. To that end, much like a skeleton playsuit, the Clapham Grand (21-25 St John’s Hill, SW11, claphamgrand.com) is a one-size-fits-all solution. Things begin in earnest tomorrow evening with a round of the unexpectedly raucous Bongo’s Bingo until 10pm; the real party gets going half an hour later until 3am-ish with “the scariest show on earth” from touring party-starters Cirque Du Soul — not to be confused with the French acrobats. Expect ghouls, ghosts, techno and club bangers (there is a waiting list for tickets, but with the Grand’s capacity at about 1,200, usually some free up). On Saturday, do the time warp again with a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, followed by the Grand’s own party — this too has sold out, but anyone who goes to the Rocky screening can stay afterwards. DJing are Lady Loyd and TeTe Bang, with Juno Birch hosting and Drag Race stars Cheddar Gorgeous and Elekta Fence both performing. Fancy dress is a must — those without might be refused entry. After a Hocus Pocus screening on the Sunday, those who aren’t a zombie by Monday night should hit the final big blow-out, the Hollywood Horror party: go as a dead celeb or in funeral attire and get down to disco and r’n’b.
Elsewhere, and just about recovered from their 20th birthday party, Giles Smith and James Priestly — better known as Secretsundaze— are on Saturday heading to Earth Kitchen (13 Stoke Newington Road, N16, ra.co) for a Halloween all-nighter. Last entry is 1am, there’s room for 300, and tickets are somehow still available. Across town on the same night, House of Halloween II takes over the intimate ( 180 capacity) Notting Hill Arts Club (21 Notting Hill Gate, W11, ra.co). Record label Satori will put on a show with their female-only line-up. Carli Jayne, Jaden Pace and Faye Wednesday are all on the decks.
Small haunts not your bag? Try Tobacco Dock (Wapping Lane, E1, tobaccodocklondon.com), with two final parties from big-time party starters LWE. After a summer spent at Ibiza’s Pacha, the golden-masked Claptone — the German DJ, or DJ trio, no-one seems quite sure — heads up what’s being billed as a “freak circus” on Saturday night; the club megastar plays the great gallery and is doing a disco set on the terrace, where Fat Tony and Faithless also play. From midday on Sunday, Fuse are promising to entertain some 6,500 ravers till 10pm — Monday morning is still Monday morning, no matter how hard you go — with more than 20 selectors doing their thing, as the giant venue is transformed into a ghostly warehouse.
Why so serious?
Louche Soho (5 Greek Street, W1, louchesoho.com) are living up to their name on Saturday with a Haunted House bash, which is free entry, has 2-4-1 cocktails before 6pm and DJs playing all evening, and has burlesque dancers all dressed up — pumpkins for nipple tassels, that sort of thing. On Saturday, Union Social at the Gantry (East Village, E20, thegantrylondon.com) is theming its night around those terrifying monsters of rock… ABBA. The Swedish megastars have provided the inspiration for a night that starts with themed food and drink — gimme, gimme, gimme a pumpkin spiced daiquiri — before a tribute band plays, and then a DJ gets spinning. It should be a dancing scream.
Elsewhere, at the Heron Tower Sushisamba (Heron Tower, Bishopsgate, EC2, sushisamba.com) is going all out with a Twisted Carnaval Weekender, which runs over Friday and Saturday. Inspired by the famous Rio Carnival — also sometimes called the Carnaval — dancers and musicians will parade through the bar, complete with glow-in-the-dark bongos. Things kick off at 7pm on both nights, running until 3am, with DJs Sarah Bo, Timanti and Kaios playing. As befits the stylish, sky-high restaurant, going all out with the costumes is a must. Look out for the contortionists, too.
Freakish fun
Similarly light-hearted fun will be found at the 20,000 sq ft, adults-only indoor playground, Fairgame (25-35 Fisherman’s Walk, E14, wearefairgame.com). Fairground’s “Circus Freaks” bash on Saturday night will feature fire-breathers, contortionists, clowns on stilts, bonecrushing beats from the DJs, and even an enormous teddy bear for the best-dressed.
While the creaking robot bartender at Sandbox VR (The Post Building, WC1, sandboxvr.com) is promising to be the ghostess with the mostess — and will be pouring themed cocktails over the weekend — on Friday and Saturday the real scares will be the Deadwood pair of games at this virtual reality bar. As actors dressed as the undead maraud about the place, guests will strap on headsets, bodysuits and VR guns to fight off corpses and treasure-hunting skeleton pirates. Think video games come to life, only more scary; there are similar vibes at Southwark’s Immersive Gamebox (Arch 3, 83 Scoresby Street, SE1, immersivegamebox.com), which presently has an immersive version of Netflix hit Squid Game to play. Appropriately-named Phantom Peak (Surrey Quays Road, SE16, phantompeak.com) normally a 30,000 sq ft universe dedicated to the Wild West, is in the middle of a horror-themed run, ending on November 6. Head over for 13 different trails to follow; expect carnival acts, science fiction mysteries, ghost stories and live music. It’s one to take friends to — or what you might call squad ghouls.
Creepy culture
There is also something like culture to be found. Film nights are the obvious — the Prince Charles Cinema (7 Leicester Place, WC2, princecharlescinema.com) is running a series of movie marathons: Friday the 13th, Scream and the Evil Dead Trilogy all feature. Bored of the screen? Head to Ronnie Scott’s (47 Frith Street, W1, ronniescotts.co.uk), where on Monday night, Blues for Dracula will see the house sextet play spine-tingling jazz.
Museums might think they’re haunted enough lately — the spirit of Just Stop Oil gets everywhere — but the Natural History Museum (Cromwell Road, SW7, nhm.ac.uk) is opening its creaking doors after hours for a Halloween night special; the great hallways are shiver-inducing in the dark, and there’s a silent disco afterwards.
Somerset House (Strand, WC2, somersethouse.org.uk) is going rather bigger: from tomorrow until February, The Horror Show! explores 50 years of provocateurs, revealing how works of horror have appeared as a reaction to societal upheaval. We’ve plenty of that, these days. Wherever you end up, have a (skele)ton of fun.
