Now, if you’re a horror film fan like me, Halloween is a pretty magical time of year. But let’s get serious shall we? Drunk nights out aside, the real winner at this time of year is young whippersnappers right? Here’s our rundown of the best things to do for Halloween in London with kids. Get ready to trick or treat!
Now if you’re looking for something fun to do for Halloween in London with the kids, then this one ticks all the right boxes. Hobbledown Heath is London’s largest indoor and outdoor adventure playground, with four villages set in picturesque woodland close to Hounslow, where kids can climb towers, crawl through tunnels, and safely explore an expansive play area! With a mini farm featuring goats, alpacas, meerkats, lemurs, highland cows and plenty more exotic and traditional animals, this is the ultimate day out that’s sure to create lasting memories for the whole family.
Plus, they’ve got pumpkin patches and plenty of Halloween activities for kiddies this year, so the whole family is guaranteed a good time. They’ve even got spooky science workshops conducted by Einstein so young whippersnappers can get their hands dirty and concoct all kinds of fun things! Get involved here.
📍You’ll find Hobbledown Heath at Staines Road, Hounslow, TW14 0HH.
🚇 Nearest station is Feltham.
2. Delve into British history with a visit to the infamous Tower of London
“This way to Traitor’s Gate!” Ok, so thankfully this is no longer a thing, but pay a visit to the Tower of London and you’ll have some inkling of what Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and other famous prisoners may have experienced on the way to the chopping block. Poor them!
Founded in 1066, this infamous UNESCO-listed building has been used as a historic palace, a fortress and a prison. Get up close to the Crown Jewels, meet the legendary Yeoman Warders and be regaled with tales from the Tudors and beyond, as you explore this magnificent place. Plus, this Halloween, there’s even a spooky ghost trail tour around the castle grounds… who knows, you may even come face to face with Anne herself!
📍You’ll find the Tower of London at Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4AB.
🚇 Nearest station is Tower Hill.
Halloween is the ideal time of year to explore the grand, shadowy corridors and courtyards of Hampton Court Palace. It will come alive with eerie projections and spine-chilling sound effects. As you tiptoe through the stately rooms, uncover the tales of infamous ghosts said to haunt the palace. Keep an eye out for witches and alchemists scattered throughout, visit the ‘Gallery of the Damned’ to witness eerie portraits come to life, or join a séance in the ‘Council Chamber.’ If you’re feeling brave, venture outside to the Haunted Gardenwhere you can spot carved pumpkins and listen to spooky stories.
📍You’ll find Hampton Court Palaxe at Hampton Ct Way, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU.
4. Enjoy some Spooktacular family fun at London Zoo
For Halloween fun that’s hairy-but-not-too-scary, families can head to London Zoo this October half-term for Boo at the Zoo. Kids can enjoy spine-tingling Halloween themed activities in the Wildlife Garden and also explore a painting workshop at the Pumpkin Patch.
Kids can embark on the Race Against Extinction Traillearning about species that are Extinct in the Wild. While they journey through the zoo to meet the Zoo’s incredible Extinct in the Wild animals, like the Socorro Dove, collecting colourful sand along the way as a keepsake reminder of how time is running out to save these species. The trail finishes at the Extinction Graveyarda stark reminder of why we all need to do our bit to help wildlife. And in true spooky season spirit, don’t miss out on the Spooky Animal Talkswhere families can learn about Halloween favourites like bats and spiders, and discover other nocturnal creatures that thrive in the dark. There’s plenty of things to keep your little one preoccupied for the day!
📍You’ll find London Zoo at Outer Circle, London, NW1 4RY.
🚇 Nearest station is Camden Town.
All year round, the legendary London Zoo is a great family day out in London. Founded in 1828, it’s the world’s oldest scientific zoo, and houses almost 20,000 different animals, making it one of the largest collections in the entire United Kingdom. Plus, it’s home to the UK’s only ‘spider walkthrough’ – where nothing stands between you and mighty golden orb spiders and Madagascar weavers in their beautifully-intricate webs.
As well as these fascinating species, you’ll come face-to-face with some other pretty amazing arachnids, including the venomous black widow, the mighty huntsman, the rare fen raft spider – one of the UK’s most endangered animals – and the mammoth goliath bird-eating spider, the world’s biggest tarantula. Plus, this year the zoo is also doing a special Halloween week of events, which includes pumpkin carving, face painting and even a lesson in sorcery! Get your tickets here.
📍You’ll find In With The Spiders at London Zoo, Outer Circle, London, NW1 4RY.
🚇 Nearest station is Camden Town.
6. Experience the rides and attractions at Chessington’s ‘Howl’O’Ween’
The beloved Chessington World of Adventures is a theme park, a zoo and a SEA LIFE aquarium all rolled into one and is, in their own words, ‘Britain’s wildest family adventure’. Rides here include the ‘Dragon’s Fury’ roller coaster, the ‘Tiger Rock’ log flume and the thrilling 25-metre-tall ‘Croc Drop’ which plunges riders into the jaws of a mythical crocodile. They also recently opened ‘Mandrill’s Mayhem’ – the UK’s only Jumanji-themed rollercoaster with flips you right upside-down!
As with their slightly more ‘adult’ neighbour Thorpe Park, they also offer you the chance to get involved in Halloween activities, this time billed as ‘Howl’O’Ween’, which features rides at dusk, fancy dress competitions, spooky shows and a brand-new trick or treat experience called the ‘Enchanted Hollow’ – a recently-unearthed underground town right at the heart of the theme park.
📍You’ll find Chessington World of Adventures at Leatherhead Road, Chessington, KT9 2NE.
🚇 Nearest station is Chessington South.
7. Take a ride aboard the ghoulish ‘Ghost Bus’
Now this one firmly deserves its spot on this roundup of the best things to do for Halloween in London with kids. A London ghost tour with a difference, this fun 75-minute tour bills itself as the ‘world’s only comedy-horror theatre show on wheels’, and throughout the duration of it, you’ll pass by some of the capital’s most iconic spots and attractions.
You’ll enjoy your ride on an elegantly-refurbished 1960’s Routemaster bus – billed as the ‘necrobus’ – and actors and on-board technical trickery are designed to conjure up ghastly tales of murder, execution and hauntings throughout the whole experience. You’ll pass by landmarks including the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and the famous Tower Bridge. Don’t worry yourself though – this one is kid-friendly and also runs in Edinburgh and York too.
📍You’ll find the Ghost Bus Tours at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5BY.
🚇 Nearest station is Charing Cross.
8. Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND
The LEGOLAND Windsor Resort will return for some Halloween fun for kids this autumn with the return of its Brick or Treat extravaganza. The celebration includes rides, attractions and live shows starting from September 27th till November 3rd! Kids can join the cast of characters with the return of 4D movie ‘The Great Monster Chase!’plus the ‘fang-tastic’ live Monster Jam Harbour Show which is sure to get heart beats racing with monstrous music and special effects. Little monsters can boogie down at Lord Vampyre’s disco show on the Miniland stage.
Plus, they will get the chance to meet new costume character ‘Skeleton Guy’who will be on hand to pose for selfies around the Resort, giving families plenty of picture-perfect Halloween moments.
📍You’ll find LEGOLAND Windsor Resort at Winkfield Rd, Windsor SL4 4AY.
🚇 Nearest station is Windsor & Eton Central.
9. Discover ‘tricks and treats’ at the Sealife London Aquarium
Home to more than 500 different species in 14 different themed zones, a visit to the SEA LIFE London Aquarium is a must if you’re looking for things to do for Halloween in London with kids. There’s everything from gentoo penguins to red-bellied piranhas here, and it’s a great spot to teach your little ones about the underwater world and the marine creatures which reside within it.
Come face to face with the ocean’s most feared (and misunderstood) predators at the jaw-dropping ‘Shark Walk’, catch some rays – well, not literally – at the ‘Ray Lagoon’, tickle a sea anemone in the ‘Rock Pool’ and dodge the mesmerising jellyfish at the aquarium’s stunning ‘Ocean Invaders’ exhibit. This Halloween, they’re also running ‘Tricks and Treats’ – a challenge-driven trail through the aquarium where you’ll discover creatures like the wolf fish and the octopus while bagging yourself some tasty treats too. A perfect thing to do for Halloween in London with kids we’d argue!
📍You’ll find the Sealife London Aquarium at Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB.
🚇 Nearest station is Waterloo.
10. Get scared ‘Shrekless’ with everyone’s favourite green ogre
This half-term, Shrek’s Adventure! London is inviting guests to join Shrek, Donkey and the rest of the Far Far Away gang for a Halloween hullabaloo at its new seasonal event, ‘Scared Shrekless’.
Launching just in time for the half-term school holidays, from October 27 to November 5, young guests and their families can get a fun fright on a journey through Far Far Away and maybe even snap a photo with the witch before she flies away! The fun begins as young guests and their families enter the attraction and embark on a mesmerising journey where magic, mayhem, spooky adventures and waffles await.
They’ll then be invited to board a ‘magic bus’, from where they’re whisked away to a realm of enchanted dreams, all while enjoying 12 lively fairytale-themed shows featuring beloved characters from the Shrek franchise including Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty, the Muffin Man (“not my gumdrop buttons!“) and many, many more. The adventure culminates in an unforgettable meet and greet with the one and only Shrek, a memory to cherish forever – and a spooky witch before she flies off on her broomstick. Yikes!
📍You’ll find Shrek’s Adventure at Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB.
🚇 Nearest station is Waterloo.
So there you have it – a roundup of the best things to do for Halloween in London with kids. From spooktacular pumpkin painting to hearing gruesome ghost stories from Tower of London, there is something for everyone here. Whippersnappers included!
