Halloween is no longer just a one-night affair, with destinations around the world offering experiences beyond the witching hour. From scarefest street parties and haunted attractions to ghost tours, immersive experiences and centuries-old traditions, October offers the opportunities to experience Halloween somewhere new.. Here are some of the best Halloween events worth travelling for this year…if you’re brave enough!
Spend Halloween Weekend in the “bleeding heart” of West Hollywood, USA
Start with sunset cocktails at the White Rabbit Sky Lounge at The Valorian before joining the world-famous Halloween Carnaval which transforms a mile of Santa Monica Boulevard into a spectacular street party. More than 100,000 revellers descend on the Rainbow District with extraordinary costumes, live entertainment and DJ sets, and celebrations continue into the dead of night on the infamous Sunset Strip. As the sun rises, recover with a CBD Sticks + Stones Massage at the Five-Star Spa at The West Hollywood EDITION.
Discover the haunting City That Inspired The Exorcist, St Louis, Missouri
Explore the city that inspired The Exorcist, where a chilling real-life exorcism took place in 1949 and Halloween brings a host of haunting events. Grant’s Farm Halloween Nights transforms the historic estate with glowing trails, a haunted tram ride and scare zones. For spooky nightlife, The Nightmare Bar (3-31 October) takes over The Attic Music Bar with eerie décor, themed cocktails, interactive games and terrifyingly good photo ops. For something darker, head to Lemp Mansion, reputedly one of the city’s most haunted buildings, for a paranormal investigation where guests can explore the mansion after dark with specialist ghost-hunting equipment.
Celebrate the dead s in Los Cabos, Mexico
Spooky season takes on a Mexican twist in Los Cabos, with Halloween festivities on 31 October bringing themed parties and costumes, before the focus turns to honouring loved ones who have passed during Day of the Dead (1-2 November). During Día de los Muertos, Los Cabos comes alive with candlelit ofrendas (altars), marigolds, Catrina figures, music, food and cultural celebrations of life and memory. The 2026 calendar includes Halloween at The Rooftop on 31 October, followed by Día de los Muertos brunches, a Candle Bazar on 1 November and Día de Muertos at AGUA on 2 November.
Halloween on Church, Toronto, Canada
Every October, Toronto’s LGBTQ neighbourhood, Church Wellesley Village, transforms into Canada’s largest Halloween party. The neighbourhood’s main street is completely pedestrianised for the event that runs from 6pm until 2am, so thousands of ghouls, divas, and queen-monsters can parade through the streets , and enjoy a deadly-good atmosphere – all for free. For those looking to dance even later into the night head to Demo Room for Prism’s 11th annual Halloween Party, for costume prizes and guest DJs.
Get Spooked in the Mile High City, Denver, Colorado
Denver’s haunted history comes to life throughout October, with everything from Victorian horror stories to after-dark ghost tours. At the Molly Brown House Museum, Victorian Horrors sees actors perform macabre tales by long-dead authors inside the historic home of Titanic survivor Margaret “Molly” Brown. Meanwhile, Ghosts in the Gardens (9–10, 20, 28–31 October) takes visitors through Denver Botanic Gardens after dark, with storytellers sharing staff encounters, unexplained happenings and the history of the land once known as “The Boneyard”. Visitors can also uncover the eerie past of Denver’s former city cemetery on a 90-minute Cheesman Park Ghost Tour, while the Clocktower Cabaret’s BOO-lesque (23–31 October) brings Halloween burlesque and variety to the city centre.
Turn up the terror in Seattle, Washington
Seattle is turning up the terror for Halloween 2026 with a back-to-back weekend of dark, adults-only thrills. On 29 October, the Seattle Aquarium’s After Hours Premier: Halloween opens the aquarium after dark for an adults-only evening of Ghost Stories of Puget Sound, fortune tellers, themed food and drinks and nighttime access to all three aquarium buildings. Then on Halloween night itself, the Museum of Pop Culture hosts Fashionably Undead, its annual 21+ Halloween bash. The 2026 theme, We Came from Outer Space, brings retro sci-fi, dancing, after-hours museum access and a costume contest to the landmark museum from 8pm–midnight.
Get Your Scares Early at HorrorCon Budapest, Hungary
Horror fans can kick off the spooky season early in Budapest, where HorrorCon, Hungary’s only dedicated horror convention, returns for its third edition on Saturday 17 October. The Lurdy Event Centre in the city’s 9th district becomes a sprawling horror world of nearly 4,000 sq mt, with spine-chilling exhibitions, immersive themed zones and photo walls bringing classic and modern horror to life. Visitors are encouraged to come in costume, meet celebrity guests and visit a horror marketplace that sells all things macabre.
Enter Memphis’ Haunted Corn Maze this Halloween – If You Dare, Memphis, Tennessee
Put your nerves to the test at Memphis’ Mid-South Haunted Maze, where a sprawling cornfield transforms into a frightening after-dark experience for Halloween. On selected nights throughout October, visitors can navigate twisting pathways in the darkness as monsters lurk among the corn, ready to catch unsuspecting guests. Those looking for even more scares can hop aboard the Haunted Hayride, which journeys along a spine-chilling trail. Running on selected nights from 3-31 October 2026, including Halloween itself, tickets are priced at £19 pp.
The Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival, Arizona
Hot air balloons play a big role in Arizona’s Halloween celebrations with the annual Spooktacular Hot Air Balloon Festival taking place from 23-25 October at the Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. With over 20 hot air balloons offering tethered rides and trick-or-treat candy, the event is one for the entire family. Visitors are urged to come dressed in costume and join the competition which is open to everyone. The festival will also feature a kids zone with over 30 inflatable slides and attractions. Tickets are £19 for adults (13 and over) and £15 for children aged 3-12. Add to the Halloween atmosphere with the Spooktacular Arizona: Haunted Attractions Passport. Join ghost tours such as the Downtown Flagstaff Haunted History Tour and the Dead Men’s Tales Ghost Tours, and check out eerie attractions like the Gold King Mine & Ghost Town. When checking in to these multiple locations, players are in with a chance of winning spooktactular prizes.
Walk with the Ghosts of the Gold Rush in Hornitos, Yosemite Mariposa County, California
On the road to Yosemite National Park lies Hornitos, a Gold Rush boomtown that once housed thousands and is now home to around 50 residents. Its name means “little ovens”, after the oven-shaped graves in its hilltop cemetery. Locals are convinced it’s haunted, and visitors can look for the ghost of outlaw Joaquin Murrieta, the “Robin Hood of the West”, among the ruins of the old stone jail. On 2 November, the town marks All Souls’ Day and Día de los Muertos with a candlelit procession from the plaza to the cemetery.It Free to enter, the procession stops at the grave of early resident Doña Candelaria de Sapien, followed by a blessing of the cemetery.
Month long Halloween celebrations in Virginia City, Nevada
Halloween is celebrated the entire month of October in the historical town of Virginia City, so much so that locals have renamed the month ‘hauntober’. Alongside the local population, the historical town is home to spirits and ghosts a plenty, join the Bats in the Belfry ghost tour to see all of the most haunted locations in Virginia City and learn about the lively souls that still occupy it today. For those who are 21 and over join the Spirits Made Me Do It Saloon Crawl, to enjoy drinks in the town’s many historical saloons. To finish the month visitors can attend a spooky yet elegant Victorian All Hallow’s Eve Ball at the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum.
Nightmare on South Park Street, Pittsburgh
Tucked away in one of Pittsburgh’s 90 neighbourhoods, Hundred Acres Manor is a must stop for those excited by haunted houses, interactive escape rooms, and an onsite “Scream Bar.” Visitors can brave everything from dark folklore to voodoo-infested swamps in one seamless, high-intensity night. For the truly brave, there is also a buried alive simulator to test your ultimate willpower. Best of all, it operates as a non-profit, with proceeds directly benefiting local Western Pennsylvania charities. Those looking to experience a “real life” Zombie Apocalypse should join the Zombies of the Corn experience. Hop aboard a specialised truck and eliminate the flesh-eating created on Friday and Saturdays from 25 September to 11 October 2026.
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, until 1 November, California
Universal Studios Hollywood returns with its legendary Halloween Horror Nights 2026, this spine-chilling experience sees the entire park transform into a world of terror. Guests can brave eight incredible haunted houses, including Five Nights at Freddy’s, Terrifier, Jason Universe, Fallout, Poltergeist, Scarecrow: Music by Slash, El Artista: A Spanish Haunting, and Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters, each packed with immersive sets and terrifying effects. The event also features roaming scare zones, the thrilling Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse, live shows, themed food and drinks, and high-energy performances. This is not recommended for those 13 and under.
