Samhuinn Fire Festival, Edinburgh © iStockphoto
There’s a chill in the air and I don’t just mean the temperatures outside are getting cooler. Halloween is nearly here. We take it very seriously in Scotland, with ancient traditions and superstitions living on. What will you be doing on All Hallows’ Eve? Cowering under the covers?
We hope not, because we’ve come up with some suggestions of the best things to do this Halloween with a range of events to suit everyone; from fun events for all the family to the downright terrifying. Take your pick from haunted houses, ghost walks, scary films, pagan fire festivals and more.
Tamfest, Ayrshire
1 – 31 October
Spook factor: 👻👻 – 👻👻👻👻👻
This spooky family-friendly Halloween festival has been a favourite in the events calendar since 2015. Join in this unique get-together of fun, music and accessible arts throughout October, with an array of events for everyone to enjoy, including funny, foot-tapping, hands-on, spine-tingling, and extravagant experiences for all.
Edinburgh Zoo Spooktacular!
7 – 31 October 2022
Spook factor: 👻
Head over to Edinburgh Zoo and experience their spooktacular trail this Halloween! Full of family-friendly characters and fun, their illuminated trail through the zoo is accompanied by tasty themed food and drink kiosks for everyone to enjoy.
Find out more about the Edinburgh Zoo Spooktacular!
Clyde Valley Family Park Pumpkin Festival
14 – 31 October 2022
Spook factor: 👻
With a fancy dress competition, Halloween hunt, picking your own pumpkin and a carving station, it’s all happening at Clyde Valley Family Park! Book your ticket in advance to guarantee your space and to get a free pumpkin for every visiting child.
Find out more about the Clyde Valley Family Park Pumpkin Festival
Festival of Darkness, Various Venues, Aberdeenshire
21 – 30 October
Spook factor: 👻 – 👻 👻 👻 👻 👻
From young to old, everyone is familiar with the tales of Dracula. Scotland’s Slains Castle fed the imagination of author Bram Stoker and brought to life the infamous story of Count Dracula.
125 years later, join in Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 and delve into this spooky festival to see a range of independent dark, thriller, horror, Sci-Fi, and fantasy short films from local and international filmmakers in diverse venues, such as traditional cinemas, rural community venues, and also transforming Blair’s College into a cinema for the weekend.
This festival is for the whole family and the Halloween-themed films range from U to 18 ratings.
Find out more about the Festival of Darkness
Galoshans Festival, Inverclyde
21 – 30 October
Spook factor: 👻
Back for its eighth year running, come and enjoy this exciting family art festival, with a variety of indoor and outdoor performances and activities. Featuring both free and ticketed events, delve into spooky happenings such as the Museum of Missing Myths Workshop, Spooky Tours of Custom House Quay, The Gathering Returns and dozens more.
Floors Castle Halloween Pumpkin Trail
22 – 31 October
Spook factor: 👻
Have a spooky time at Floors Castle in the Scottish Borders where the whole family can get involved in exploring the colourful, autumnal castle gardens and woodlands in search of hidden pumpkins. Once you’ve followed the trail, warm up with a tasty hot chocolate and treat at the Terrace Café.
Explore Floors Castle Halloween Pumpkin Trail
GlasGLOW
26 October – 13 November 2022
Spook factor: 👻👻
Glasgow Botanic Gardens are back hosting their popular GlasGLOW event! Step back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the land with illuminations, lights, gourmet street food, GLOW bar and, of course, Marshmallowland.
Paisley Halloween Festival
27 – 29 October 2022
Spook factor: 👻👻
2022 will see the return of this annual festival which in previous years has seen town centre of Paisley transformed into an immersive experience. Featuring street theatre, art installations and spectacular light displays, it’s seasonal highlight that never fails to enchant kids and adults alike. Stay tuned for details.
Explore Paisley Halloween Festival
Traquair House Halloween Fun Day, Scottish Borders
30 October 2022, 11am – 4pm
Spook factor: 👻👻
Britain’s oldest inhabited house is the perfect backdrop for an afternoon of family-friendly Halloween fun. Tots and kids of all ages will love Halloween at Traquair with ghost stories in the woods, tarot readings, magic shows with magician and Britain’s Got Talent star Kevin Quantum, a treasure hunt in Traquair Maze, spell casting at a wizards and witches workshop and more. Those donning Halloween costumes could be in with the chance of winning a prize.
Samhuinn Fire Festival, Edinburgh
31 October 2022
Spook factor: 👻👻👻
With colourful costumes depicting characters from ancient folklore, fire, musical and street theatre performances, the Samhuinn Fire Festival usually unfolds on top of Edinburgh’s Calton Hill and is a feast for the senses. The Celtic festival, run by the Beltane Fire Society, harks back to the traditions of Samhuinn (Gaelic for Samhain) – the pagan celebration of the end of the harvest season and arrival of winter.
Find out more about the Samhuinn Fire Festival
Mercat Tours, Edinburgh
Various times and dates
Spook factor: 👻👻 – 👻👻👻👻👻
Mercat Tours have a variety of chilling ghost tours for the spookiest time of the year. Make a creepy descent to Edinburgh’s most haunted vaults on the Halloween Underground tour, or walk through Edinburgh’s Old Town after dark while hearing harrowing tales of the vagabonds, witches and other dastardly figures who met their fate at Edinburgh’s Gallows on the Doomed, Dead and Buried tour. Or maybe you’re brave enough for an evening of folklore on the Ghosts & Gouls offering?
For (brave) adults only, the tours take you on a spine-tingling journey through the most macabre chapters of Edinburgh’s past, to spots where horrific misdeeds were committed and ghostly presences abound. In short, dare to be scared!
The Real Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh
Various times and dates
Spook factor: 👻👻👻👻
Are you ready to descend into Edinburgh’s dark past on one of The Real Mary King’s Close’s private tours ? Discover The Close’s former residents as you wander the shadowy streets of this subterranean world which holds some of the city’s darkest secrets. And meet an insidious character which used to strike terror into people’s hearts at their very sight. The tours accommodate up to 18 people.
Explore The Real Mary King’s Close
St Andrews Ghost Tours, St Andrews, Fife
Various times and dates
Spook factor: 👻👻👻👻
This isn’t your normal ghost tour. Wandering the streets and lanes of historic St Andrews, you can get a real sense of the past taking you by the hand. Just pray it’s not something else taking you by the hand when you take a night-time walking tour! Starting in Church Square, behind Holy Trinity Church, you can explore the dark streets with St Andrews Ghost Tours. Hear tales of folklore, ghosts and witches based on the local bestselling book Ghosts of St Andrews by Richard Falconer.
Explore St Andrews Ghost Tours
The Edinburgh Dungeon
Various times and dates
Spook factor: 👻👻👻
Take a gruesome ghost train-style ride this Halloween at the Edinburgh Dungeon and watch with glee as creepy tableaux are brought to life with special effects and costumed actors embodying characters from Scotland’s most horrifying events and creepiest legends.
Every October, the dungeon unveils special seasonal shows which delve into particularly dastardly episodes from Scotland’s dark history. Filled with plenty of jumps, scares and other gory surprises which will have your shrieking, the Edinburgh Dungeon always offers a silly, theatrical romp this Halloween season.
Pre-booking is essential for all guests. Children under 15 years must be accompanied by an adult; not suitable for children under eight.
Find out what’s on at the Edinburgh Dungeon
Of course, this is just a selection of the ghastly goings-on and events you can enjoy this Halloween across Scotland. For other ways you can scare yourself silly this year take a look at what other Halloween events are on (if you dare!). Find out more about Halloween or why not visit a haunted site or two for a truly spooky experience?
October is a wonderful month to visit, but there’s plenty to see and do throughout the year too. Find out when to visit Scotland and start making plans!
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