Unlock the secrets of Manchester's darkest recesses this Halloween season with our in-depth guide, showcasing the most hair-raising attractions and ghostly gatherings. Explore eerie entertainments for Manchester experts and eager novices.
Popular Events: Dive into the chilling experience at Spooky World, where themed zones await to thrill visitors of all ages with scares and laughter. Features include interactive attractions and actors bringing your nightmares to life. And definitely don't forget the enchanting Skellies and Wellies in the Gardens, perfect for families to enjoy whimsical decorations and spooky trails. See more details on these and other fun events and activities below!
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Top Halloween Events In and Around Manchester
- Gandeys Circus SPOOKTACULAR, Trafford Centre
- The Halle Family Concert
- Skellies and Wellies in the Gardens, Tatton Park
- Spooky World (Warrington)
- Halloween Lakeside Light Trail, Warrington
- Halloween Ghost Trains, East Lancashire Railway
- Football Fairytales at the National Football Museum
- PLAYTIME at The Whitworth
- Ryecroft Hall Ghost Hunt (Audenshaw)
- Gameshow for Awful Children
See these and even more events listed below!
Manchester Area Haunted Experiences
Spooky World
What to Expect:
A Halloween celebration with various terrifying attractions tailored for different age groups.
Description:
Spooky World is a Halloween-themed attraction in Warrington, designed for children aged 4 to 11. The event features a variety of spooky yet family-friendly activities, including a haunted hayride, Slaughterhouse, and other terrifying attractions. It offers different experiences for different age groups, such as Scary Night for 16-year-olds, Spooky Night for 10-15-year-olds, and Fun Day for 4-11-year-olds.
Where: Warrington | More Info: Spooky World
Halloween Ghost Trains, East Lancashire Railway
What to Expect:
A family-friendly, 60-minute steam train ride with a haunted house walkthrough and animatronic creeps.
Description:
Experience a spooky Halloween Ghost Train ride on the East Lancashire Railway. Join the Monster Squad as they battle the Pumpkin King and his pesky crows in a haunted house walkthrough and animatronic-filled footbridge. Enjoy a 60-minute steam train ride with spooky entertainment, music, and a goody bag for every child.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Halloween Ghost Trains, East Lancashire Railway
Ryecroft Hall Ghost Hunt
What to Expect:
Exclusive access to a historic Victorian manor house with expert guidance for a night of ghost hunting.
Description:
Join us for an unforgettable ghost hunt at Ryecroft Hall, a historic Victorian manor house built in 1849. Explore the opulent rooms, including a library, dining room, study, and ballroom, which still retain their original wood paneling and intricately designed ceilings. With expert guidance from our experienced team, you'll have the chance to use state-of-the-art equipment to communicate with spirits and potentially capture evidence of paranormal activity. This spine-chilling experience is one of the most haunted locations in the UK.
Where: Audenshaw | More Info: Ryecroft Hall Ghost Hunt
Halloween in the city
What to Expect:
A 10-zone, live-action scare event with a continuous trail through an abandoned theme park.
Description:
The Scare City Experience is a unique and terrifying horror attraction in the Northwest, featuring intricate set design, live actors in 10 zones, and horrifying SFX. Set in an abandoned theme park, this immersive scare event provides an authentically terrifying environment across one continuous trail.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Halloween in the city
The Halloween trail
What to Expect:
An immersive light and sound show transforming the secret woods into an explorative Halloween trail.
Description:
The Halloween Trail at the Trafford Centre is an immersive and family-friendly experience featuring over 100,000 lights, interactive installations, and a skeleton dinner party. The trail transforms the secret woods into an enchanted, haunted world, offering a magical and mesmerizing light show for all ages.
Where: Trafford Centre | More Info: The Halloween trail
Family-Friendly Fall Activities Near Manchester
Skellies and Wellies in the Gardens, Tatton Park
What to Expect:
A brand new spooktacular trail featuring skeleton displays and Halloween-themed activities.
Description:
Experience the spooktacular Skellies and Wellies Trail at Tatton Park, where 50-acre gardens come alive with bone-chilling skeleton displays and rib-tickling jokes. Little ghouls and goblins are invited to don their wellies and join the bony brigade for a frightful fun-filled day.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Skellies and Wellies in the Gardens, Tatton Park
The Halle Family Concert
What to Expect:
The concert includes a variety of musical themes from popular movies and myths, offering something for every family member.
Description:
The Halle Family Concert is a delightful event designed for the whole family. It features a captivating program including John Williams' "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Hedwig's Theme," John Powell's "How to Train Your Dragon," and other enchanting pieces. The concert also offers free pre-concert activities and crafts in the foyer, making it a memorable experience for all attendees.
Where: Manchester | More Info: The Halle Family Concert
Gandeys Circus SPOOKTACULAR, Trafford Centre
What to Expect:
A seamless blend of circus magic and Hollywood glamour, featuring charismatic performers and thrilling acrobatic feats.
Description:
Gandeys Circus presents the Halloween Spooktacular at the Trafford Centre, a thrilling spectacle that combines circus magic with the glamour of Hollywood. Led by charismatic Ring Master Joel Hatton and the return of Bippo the Clown, this show promises to captivate the entire family with its blend of crazy comedy and graceful acrobatics. From gravity-defying roller skating to edge-of-your-seat feats on the Double Space Wheel, every moment is a spectacle.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Gandeys Circus SPOOKTACULAR, Trafford Centre
PLAYTIME at The Whitworth
What to Expect:
A variety of carnival-themed activities for all ages, including sensory play spaces and interactive art installations.
Description:
PLAYTIME at The Whitworth is a joyful carnival-themed event for all ages. Inspired by the current exhibition "John Lyons: Carnivalesques," it features a range of curious and fantastical activities, including dressing up, playing with poetry, creating props, and making music with Pentagon Play instruments. The event includes daily Carnival Parades, a Carnival Baby sensory play space, and Whitworth Minecraft arcade machines. It is free and open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays throughout August, with a special weekend PLAYTIME Carnival on Saturday, 17 August.
Where: Manchester | More Info: PLAYTIME at The Whitworth
Football Fairytales at the National Football Museum
What to Expect:
A unique blend of football and fairytales where visitors can create their own football-themed stories.
Description:
Join artist Sophia Hatfield at the National Football Museum for a creative workshop where football meets fairytales. Using washing lines, pegs, and socks, visitors will help grow a football-themed fairytale forest by creating their own stories. This interactive event is perfect for families and football enthusiasts alike.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Football Fairytales at the National Football Museum
Halloween Lakeside Light Trail, Warrington
What to Expect:
An immersive Halloween experience with magical lights and family-friendly activities.
Description:
The Halloween Lakeside Light Trail in Warrington is an enchanting family-friendly experience where you can immerse yourself in a magical journey through a woodland transformed by eerie and captivating lights. Stroll along a winding path that hugs the water's edge, encountering shadows of witches, bubbles from cauldrons, and spiders lit by magical lights. Enjoy culinary delights, festive drinks, and cozy fire pits with marshmallows.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Halloween Lakeside Light Trail, Warrington
The Magical Woodland, Cheshire
What to Expect:
An immersive Halloween experience featuring state-of-the-art light features and interactive elements.
Description:
Experience the enchanting Magical Woodland in Cheshire, where a spooky trail awaits with encounters of Transformers, Dinosaurs, Wednesday Addams, Hocus Pocus' Winnifred, the Mad Scientist, and Captain Hook. Enjoy dazzling light features, interactive fun, and family-friendly Halloween activities amidst the beautiful Cheshire countryside.
Where: Manchester | More Info: The Magical Woodland, Cheshire
Gameshow for Awful Children
What to Expect:
An interactive gameshow that celebrates the mischievousness of awful children with hilarious and quick-witted humor.
Description:
Marcel Lucont's "Les Enfants Terribles" is a hilarious family gameshow designed for children aged 6-12. This interactive show, which won Best Kids Show 2022 at the UK Kids Comedy Festival, challenges participants to be the most awful child. With its fresh, accessible, and exceedingly sharp humor, it's a real highlight for families and kids alike.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Gameshow for Awful Children
RHS Bridgewater Halloween fun
What to Expect:
A family-friendly Halloween celebration with creative activities and spooky sights.
Description:
This October half term, RHS Garden Bridgewater transforms into a spooky wonderland with Halloween-inspired activities for all the family. Enjoy mushroom house crafting, follow the fangtastic family trail, and look out for scary sights amidst the beautiful gardens.
Where: Salford | More Info: RHS Bridgewater Halloween fun
Brick Or Treat: Monster Party at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre
What to Expect:
An immersive LEGO-themed Halloween celebration with various spooky activities and exclusive 4D movie screenings.
Description:
This Halloween, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester is hosting an awesome LEGO Brick-or-Treat Monster Party. From September 28th to November 3rd, families can enjoy spook-tacular activities like watching the LEGO 4D movie 'The Great Monster Chase,' building their own LEGO pumpkins, and participating in a 'Scarevenger' hunt. The event also includes meet-and-greets with character mascots, a Halloween dance party, and photo opportunities. It's an inclusive event with activities available during attraction hours, making it a perfect family outing.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Brick Or Treat: Monster Party at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre
The Hatchling
What to Expect:
The world's largest human-operated puppet, exceeding the height of a double-decker bus, attempts to take flight over Pugneys Country Park.
Description:
The Hatchling is a spectacular outdoor show featuring a ground-breaking dragon puppet created and produced by Trigger. The event begins with the dragon hatching from an egg outside Wakefield Cathedral, building a nest, and exploring the city centre through a series of events. Over 20 community groups and 300 participants from across the Wakefield district are involved, making it an unforgettable, large-scale outdoor theatre and art experience.
Where: Wakefield | More Info: The Hatchling
The Hidden Garden at Waterside Arts
What to Expect:
A unique blend of urban living and nature, where an unlikely friendship blossoms in a vibrant, unexpected garden setting.
Description:
The Hidden Garden at Waterside Arts is a heartwarming production that tells the magical tale of an unlikely friendship. Set in an urban garden created from a waste land, the story follows a curious child who discovers this secret oasis and meets the man who has transformed it into his own little paradise. The garden is bursting with color, featuring flowers, fruits, and vegetables growing in every corner, including walls and handrails. This enchanting adventure is perfect for families and youngsters aged 5 and above.
Where: Sale | More Info: The Hidden Garden at Waterside Arts
Wacky Wednesdays at the National Coal Mining Museum
What to Expect:
A weekly themed event featuring interactive storytelling, activities, singing, and crafts tailored for pre-school children.
Description:
Wacky Wednesdays at the National Coal Mining Museum is a fun and interactive event designed for children under 5 years old. Each week, the museum explores a new theme through storytelling, activities, singing, and crafts. This shared experience allows pre-school children and their carers to engage with different museum themes in a playful and educational manner.
Where: Wakefield | More Info: Wacky Wednesdays at the National Coal Mining Museum
Totally Gruesome
What to Expect:
An immersive and fun Halloween experience with 10 themed rooms designed for all ages.
Description:
Totally Gruesome is an indoor family-friendly Halloween attraction suitable for all ages. It features 10 themed rooms, including Pumpkin Party, Shark Attack, Dino Domain, and Ghost Ship. Visitors enjoy an hour of fun and spooky activities without any scary elements, making it perfect for pre-school and primary school age children.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Totally Gruesome
Rainhill Beer Festival
What to Expect:
The festival offers a diverse selection of beers, including award-winning and rare brews, curated by a team with extensive connections to breweries across the country.
Description:
The Rainhill Beer Festival is a major community event in the North of England, featuring over 100 beers, 20 lagers, 30 ciders, and a Prosecco bar. The festival also includes a new Gin Bar and offers food options. It has become a significant charity event, raising over £25,000 for local causes.
Where: Rainhill Recreation Club | More Info: Rainhill Beer Festival
Halloween Food, Drink, and Parties Near Manchester
Mad Hatter's Tea Party Halloween Special
What to Expect:
A Halloween-themed afternoon tea party featuring Manchester's superstar Drag Queens.
Description:
Join us for a whimsical Halloween celebration at Richmond Tea Rooms. Be transported down the rabbit hole into the Mad Hatter's weird and wacky world of Wonderland. Enjoy an evening of entertainment, party games, and sing-alongs featuring Manchester's superstar Drag Queens. This is a strictly over-18s event filled with excitement and fun.
Where: Manchester | More Info: Mad Hatter's Tea Party Halloween Special
OKTOBERFEST
What to Expect:
Enjoy a variety of delicious beers and lively Oompah band music in a festive atmosphere.
Description:
Join us for an unforgettable night of German culture at OKTOBERFEST at The Wellbeing Farm. Enjoy a variety of delicious beers and drinks, mouthwatering traditional food, and lively Oompah band music. This ultimate party promises refreshing beer, a welcome cocktail, tasty Bratwurst with toppings, and non-stop live music. It's an evening filled with epic drink deals and an atmosphere that will make this Oktoberfest the best party of the year.
Where: Manchester | More Info: OKTOBERFEST
Other Halloween Activities Near Manchester
Baked A La Ska - Halloween Special
What to Expect:
A Halloween-themed ska concert with a lively atmosphere and encouraged fancy dress.
Description:
Baked A La Ska is set to electrify the Halloween season with their "Halloween Special" at Band on the Wall in Manchester. Expect a high-energy performance featuring their spookiest ska hits, including tracks from their record "Skalloween." The event encourages fancy dress and promises an unforgettable night of upbeat anthems and dancehall skanking.