There are loads of things to do in Glasgow at Halloween, and a huge number of Halloween events in Glasgow (and beyond) every year. I couldn’t find anywhere with lots of them in one place, so I thought I’d make a wee list of some we’ve enjoyed over the past few years, and lots that I quite like the sound of!
I’ve included free events, events in Glasgow and some brilliant events at locations farther afield. All of them are family friendly, and all of them sound like fantastic fun! So without further ado, here we go!
Halloween Parties
Paisley Halloween Festival @ Paisley
25th & 26th October | Free
This year Paisley town centre will be transformed into a sinister outdoor circus with street theatre and death-defying aerial performers taking over the streets.
On the Saturday evening the dark circus parade led by a sinister ringmaster Svengali will be choreographed by internationally acclaimed outdoor performance specialists Cirque Bijou. It will feature giant animated puppets, floats and a cast of spooky circus characters including creepy clowns, twisted jugglers and deathly creatures.
Suitable for all ages | No ticket required | Info & tickets
Halloween Spooktacular Family Party @ Glasgow Science Centre
25th October, 6pm – 9.30pm | £6.50, Under 3’s free
The biggest, best family Halloween Spooktacular is back for 2019 and bigger than ever! With a petrifying Planetarium show, Escape mission in the Tower base, monster mash disco and dissections galore, there’s something for the whole family.
So don your best freakishly fancy dress, block out your diary and visit us at Glasgow Science Centre for a night to remember. Our Spooktacular family party sells out every year so get those terrifying tickets bought soon and we’ll see you in Spooksville.
Suitable for all ages | Info & tickets
Minimanouvres Halloween Party @ TBC
TBC | £TBC
Club parties for adults that your kids can come along to. With brilliant DJ’s, fully stocked bar, food and a ton of activities to entertain kids. This is a really brilliant party with a great atmosphere. Prizes for best costumes!
Info not released yet. Will update as soon as I find out!
Suitable for all ages | Info & tickets
Halloween Party @ National Museum of Rural Life, East Kilbride
31st October, 5 – 7pm | Free
Spooky happenings in the country this Halloween. Visit the museum after dark with your little devils for some creepy crafts, scary storytelling and spooky surprises.
Suitable for all ages | Drop in | Info & tickets
Spooky Saturday @ Almond Valley
26th October | Regular admission applies
This all-day Halloween celebration will get you into the ‘spirit’ before the big spooky day. Take part in a whole host of family fun, from make-and-take crafts to traditional Halloween games, there’s lots to explore! Enjoy dooking for apples, music for monster dancing and a fantastic day of family fun. The Spooky Saturday events are perfect for families with younger children and of course, fancy dress is encouraged! All activities included with admission. The fun continues throughout the day from 10.00 until 17.00, just drop in and join in.
Suitable for all ages | No advance booking necessary | Info & tickets
Walks and Trails
Pumpkin Trail @ Fullarton Woods, Troon
26th & 27th October | Free
The annual pumpkin trail at Fullarton Woods in Troon. See the trail lined with pumpkins for Halloween. Dress up encouraged.
Suitable for all ages | Drop in | No ticket required
Spooktastic – The Burning Man @ Whitelee Windfarm
THIS EVENT IS NOW CANCELLED
The Whitelee Halloween event ritual where we’ll be immersing ourselves in the Wicker Man theme! There will be games and activities as well as the renowned spooky walk. Don’t forget to dress up for the best dressed competition.
The Illumination @ Castlemilk Park Pumpkin Festival
29th October, 6 – 7.30pm | FREE
See all our amazing community carved pumpkins lit for the first time in this ever-popular atmospheric display!
Suitable for all ages | Drop in | No ticket required | More info
Spooky Walk @ Castlemilk Park Pumpkin Festival
30th October, 6 – 7.30pm | FREE
Discover a spookier side of the woods – this year will be full of scary suprises, who knows what you will come across…
Suitable for all ages but may be scary for very young kids | Drop in | No ticket required | More info
October Spooky Hunt @ Calderglen Country Park
12th – 27th October, 10am – 4pm | £1.60
Experience some spooky goings on with this Halloween themed hunt to gather clues hidden all around the Conservatory and Zoo! Treasure maps available from the gift shop with a prize at the end.
Suitable for all ages | More info
Halloween Half Term Hunt @ RSPB Loch Lomond
14th – 20th October, 10am – 4pm | £2 / £1.50 for members
Creepy clues, magic and potions will help you round this trail. Pick up a hunt at the Nature Hub and get exploring! It’s a great way to enjoy the nature this half-term!
Suitable for all ages (we did the dino egg one at Easter and I’d say it was great for young kids) | Drop in | No booking necessary | More info
Halloween Pumpkin Hunt @ RSPB Lochwinnoch
9th October – 3rd November, 10am – 4pm | £3 / £1.50 for members
Explore our woodland trail and search for the hidden wooden pumpkins! Answer a few questions along the way and collect the hidden letters to reveal the special word before returning to the visitor centre to claim your reward!
Suitable for all ages (we did the dino egg one at Easter and I’d say it was great for young kids) | Drop in | No booking necessary | More info
Witchy Walk @ Geilston Garden, Dumbarton
26th October, 6.30 – 8.30pm | Adult £13 / Child £10 / Under 5s free
Witches and Ghosties, horrors to fright, the school of magic is open tonight. Everyone welcome, naughty and good. Walk with us into the Halloween wood.
Grab your torches and come along to Geilston after dark for a Witchy Walk led by The Walking Theatre Company. Prize for the best costume!
Suitable for all ages of witches and wizards | Advance booking required | Info & tickets
Crafts, Spells & Messy Play
Creepy Craft Workshop @ Calderglen Country Park, East Kilbride
27th October | £1 – £3 depending on craft
Try your hand at creating a suitably scary piece of art with a Halloween theme. Sessions are drop in. Suitable for 5 – 12 year olds but younger children are welcome with an accompanying adult.
Suitable for 5 – 12 yr olds | Drop in – no ticket required
Halloween Workshop @ Scottish Mask & Puppet Centre
26th October, 10am | £6.25
Create your very own witch or wizard to fly through the night sky this Halloween! Make your rod puppet from all our haunted bits and bobs and learn to do amazing things with recycled materials. Have fun styling your broomstick, wand and costume, and learn how to operate your puppet! All materials included.
Suitable for age 4+ | Advance booking required | Info & tickets
Halloween Party @ Messy Nessies
26th October | TBC
All the mess you could ever want, all in one place. Great sensory activity, and one you probably don’t want to do at home!
Suitable for crawling kids to about age 4 | Info & booking
Wizarding School @ Chatelherault Country Park, Hamilton
26th & 27th October, 10am OR 1pm | £10
Head along to Wizarding School and take part in a variety of magical activities that are sure to turn any muggle into a fully trained wizard! Activities include spells, potion classes and wand making. This is a drop off session so the first spell will be ‘guardium disappearium’!
Ticket required & spaces are limited. To book, contact reception on 01698 426213 | More info
Days & Evenings Out
HalloWild @ Blair Drummond
12th – 27th October, 10am – 5.30pm | Regular admission applies
Brave the haunted 3D ghost walk, complete with scary ghouls and spooktacular special effects! For the younger kids, there will be magic shows, slime making and a fun outdoor trick-or-treat trail. Or why not take a walk through the pumpkin patch and pick the perfect halloween lantern?
All activities are included in ticket price. Members go free.
Suitable for all ages. Some bits are scarier than others. (Last year we accidentally terrified the little man in the spooky Alice in Wonderland house, so just be warned!) | Info & tickets
Haunted forest @ Kelburn Estate, Largs
25th October – 2nd November | Adults £9.50, Kids £8.50, Under 2’s free
Only for the brave! Experience Kelburn’s Haunted Forest if you dare…… as the daylight fades the creatures of the night will be lurking awaiting your footsteps on the path……..will you be there?
This event is pretty spooky, so definitely one for the slightly older kids. | Info & tickets
Friday Fright Night @ Almond Valley
25th October, 6 – 9pm | Regular admission applies (annual passes accepted)
Once night has fallen, weird beings of every kind stalk the dark passages and moonlit fields of the farm. Head along to Almond Valley dressed to kill and join the horror; all kinds of werewolves, monsters and unearthly creatures welcome. The ghost train to nowhere will run its regular service, there will be tractor rides around the graveyard, and many other unexplained occurrences. It’s great family fun, but perhaps a little scary for very young children.
Note: Almond Valley will close as usual at 5pm on Friday 25th October, but will open again at 6pm to admit visitors (and other monsters).
Suitable for all ages but might be scary for very young kids | No advance booking necessary | Info & tickets
Everyday Scary Fun @ Almond Valley
5th – 31st October | Regular admission applies (annual passes accepted)
There’s always loads to see, do, and enjoy at Almond Valley during the October school break………but as Halloween approaches, you may find that some silly scary creatures have been up to mischief.
This year it’s the skeletons who are causing problems. They’ve taken over the old mill and turned it into a pie factory. Their tasty pies are selling like hot cakes, but there’s some question about what they might contain. It’s your job, as honorary environmental health officer, to inspect the spooky premises and collect the evidence. Through your powers of observation and deduction, you must discover the secret ingredient in Joe Bone’s Traditional Meaty Pies. If you can identify what’s in the pie, you win yourself a sticker.
To help in your investigations, you can build yourself a patent pie-o-meter; a highly sensitive and neatly coloured-in scientific instrument constructed from card and sticky tape.
Suitable for all ages | No advance booking necessary | Info & tickets
Freaky Forest Magic @ Kelburn Estate, Largs
12th – 20th October | Adults £9.50, Kids £8.50, Under 2’s free
As autumn falls we will bring a sparkle of magic across Kelburn. Myths, legends, spells and potions will feature in our themed activities creating a perfect day out to be enjoyed before winter draws in.
Suitable for all ages | Advance booking recommended | Info & tickets
The Haunted Castle @ Culzean Country Park
30th & 31st October, 6pm onwards | £18.50
When the sun sets and the lights go out, a malicious spirit treads the hallways of Culzean. Dare you enter the Haunted Castle this Halloween? On this terrifying after-dark tour, who knows what spirits and spectres await? Avoid a creeping creature and meet the unhinged ghosts of his previous victims. See if you have the cunning and bravery to survive being hunted by the beast known as ‘Rebreather’.
A bowl of soup, tea or coffee will be your reward … if you make it out.
You can also stay overnight with dinner and breakfast for £200 per room!
Suitable for age 12+ | Advance booking required | Info & tickets
Pumpkin Picking
The Pumpkin Patch @ Arnprior Farm
12th – 27th October | £6.98 (cost for parking, redeemable against a pumpkin)
This event is honestly one of the highlights of our year. With over 7000 pumpkins for you to choose from, just hit the patch and find your perfect pumpkins. You’ll find big orange ones, green warty ones, white ones and stripy ones, whatever takes your fancy.
As well as pumpkin picking, there are also lots of activities to keep you busy including: Pizza, Face painting, Freshly ground coffee, Gin cocktails, Burgers & Stovies, Pop up photographer, Chainsaw carving, Quad pods, Kale maze.
Suitable for any age | Advance booked highly recommended as it may sell out | Info & tickets
The Pumpkin Festival @ Strathclyde Park
12th – 20th October | £10.95 kids/£8.50 adults/under 3’s go free
Your Pumpkin Festival ticket includes storytelling by Folksy Theatre, two workshops (wand making and potion making), vintage fun fair Halloween-themed game with a prize, £5 off a pumpkin from the patch, hay maze (which is fully accessible!) and Halloween movie on the big screen.
There are more than 5000 pumpkins to choose from of all shapes and sizes. Autumnal hot and cold treats available.
They also have a night time event on both Saturdays with DJ, creepy stories, evil witches and marshamallow toasting.
Suitable for any age | Advance booked highly recommended | Info & booking
Pick a pumpkin @ East Yonderton Farm
12th – 20th October | £10.95 kids/£8.50 adults/under 3’s go free
If you just want to simply go and choose your own pumpkin for carving, this is the one. Sweet and simple. Pay for pumpkins by weight.
Suitable for all ages | No advance booking required | Pay for pumpkins by weight on the day
Pick a pumpkin @ Barrhead Pumpkin Patch
26th & 27th October, Sessions at 9.30am, 11.15am, 1pm & 2.45pm | £22.50 (1 car entry plus 2 pumpkins to pick)
Pop along to pick your pumpkin and join in on lots of family fun activities. After last years sold out event, we are bigger and better this year. Lots and lots of new activities!
Pick your own pumpkin (2 per ticket), Glitter tattoos, Face painting, BRAND NEW Fairy and witches door forest hunt, Real tractor/ trailer play, Witches hat hoopla, Assault course, Pumpkin Football Goals, Messy play area, Plus LOTS more activities and various photo opportunities (all included in the price of the ticket) aaaaand super exciting… a mascot will be there too. (Last year they had paw patrol).
Recommended for 10 years and under | Advance booking required | NOTE: NOW SOLD OUT
Family Halloween Movies
Halloween Drive In Movies @ Riverside Museum
27th October, 6pm | £25 per car
Glasgow’s Hospice is back at Riverside Museum for another spookily exciting Hallowe’en Movie Drive-In. This year they’re screening family favourite Hocus Pocus at 6pm.
Devilishly delicious treats will be available for you to enjoy from the comfort of your car too, so grab your family and friends, come along, and prepare to be spooked!
Hocus Pocus is a PG | Advance booking required | Info & tickets
Spooky Stables Cinema @ Castlemilk Park Pumpkin Festival
28th October, 6 – 7.30pm
Are you brave enough to watch a spooky movie in the darkness of Castlemilk Stables Garden? Cosy up with your favourite blanket, woolly hat, and hot drinks to find out!
Advance booking required | Info & tickets
Other Halloween Events
Children’s Classic Concerts: Weird Science @ The Royal Concert Hall
26th October, 3pm | From £12.10
Join mad professor, Owen Gunnell, and a bewitching presenter from Glasgow Science Centre on a musical tour through the world of science, unlocking its knowledge and secrets, with live experiments on stage (think fizzing test tubes and flying bolts of electricity), alongside performances by the expert Royal Scottish National Orchestra and RSNO Junior Chorus. Featuring numbers such as Jurassic Park and Holst’s The Planets, this explosive concert puts big music under the microscope.
Recommended for age 4-12 | Advance booking required | Info & tickets
‘Holm’ of Halloween @ Holmwood House
26th & 27th October, noon | Non members £5 / Adult members free, child members £2
Come prepared for ghosts, ghouls and spooky storytelling! Each room in the house will be dressed to thrill, with a few surprises along the way. Our eerie garden trail will feature traditional games like apple douking, along with some new features to keep our regular visitors on their toes! Craft activities and a quiet space will be available for young children. The tearoom will serve spooky treats and hot drinks.
Suitable for all ages | No advance booking required | Info & tickets