If you're looking to add some excitement to your spooky season, check out this guide to some of the best Halloween experiences worldwide. It includes a Globe Aware volunteer vacation destination. Discover which eerie program offers a visit to a haunted castle as part of its optional activities.
Seeking thrills? These 7 Halloween destinations will haunt your dreams!
Halloween is creeping up fast! Have you made your plans or are you still wondering where to go? Your options will vary from legendary castles to catacombs to adventure parks, depending on whether you are looking for costume parties, ghost tours, or aiming for deeper exploration into tradition and history.
Oct 3, 2024
By Rehnuma Shahreen
THE DAILY STAR
So, if you are ready to spice up your spooky seasons, here is a guide to some of the best Halloween experiences around the world. No matter your Halloween style, each destination mentioned offers a unique way to celebrate the spooky season, combining tradition, thrill, and festivity. Pick your adventure and be prepared for a Halloween like no other!
Edinburgh, Scotland
The city ranks among Europe's most haunted cities to celebrate Halloween. For thrill-seekers, Edinburgh offers an experience like no other. Starting from tours in underground vaults and closes, to lantern-led walks into graveyards, the city will take you to a shadowy world where the line between the living and the dead blurs.
For a more family-friendly affair, Dalkeith Country Park, located just outside the city can be a good option for soft-scare offering pumpkin picking, ghostly storytelling, and outdoor movie screening of Halloween classics.
Even when it is about a modern celebration, Conifox Adventure Park will not let you down with twists like a witches' labyrinth, broomstick flying school, and a monster disco, perfect for the young (and the young at heart!).
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts, often called 'Witch City,' comes alive as a haunting wonderland each October. Wondered what it would be like to walk the streets of a town known for one of America's darkest episodes, the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s.
With moonlit ghost tours into places like Gallows Hill Park and the Witch House serving as reminders of the grim past, the city will not disappoint you. If you are not much into history and rather looking for Halloween enthusiasm, you can just stroll through the vendor-lined street, enjoy carnival rides, or join fellow Halloween enthusiasts costumed in parades.
Kawasaki Halloween Parade, Japan
Unlike other Halloween parades, Kawasaki Parade is highly organised and requires participants to apply months before. The parade is usually held on the last Sunday in October ensuring every costume is nothing short of an extra-ordinary. Participants put in great effort and for good reason — the best costume gets a 500,000-yen prize.
Besides the costume competition, Kawasaki hosts a range of Halloween activities like street performances, live music, dance parties, etc. Even if you are not into parades or dance parties, Kawasaki will offer you horror film screenings and family-friendly events.
Whether you are a participant or a bystander, the parade will offer you an experience which blends traditional Halloween elements with Japanese pop culture, making it a one-of-a-kind event in Japan.
Bran Castle, Romania
Do you remember the haunting stories of Count Dracula from the iconic novels and films? Have you ever imagined stepping into that world? Well, Halloween at Bran Castle gives you that chance for an authentic adventure.
Bran Castle, a medieval fortress in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania is known as "Dracula's Castle" to the outside world. The castle, with cobwebbed stone walls and haunting shadows, creates the absolute setting for a spooky experience inspired by the famous tale of Bram Stoker.
The annual Halloween party typically takes place on the Saturday closest to 31 October, with live performances, gothic decorations, and guests showing up in creative costumes, to match the haunting atmosphere.
Día de los Muertos, Oaxaca, Mexico
If you are looking for a vibrant celebration this Halloween, Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, in Oaxaca, Mexico can be your go-to destination. Though this festival in Oaxaca is typically celebrated on the first two days of November just like the rest of Mexico, in reality, the celebrations start on the night of 31 October 31with the spirits returning at midnight.
This festival honours the deceased, loved ones through vibrant parades, rituals, and traditional dance. The families clean and decorate the graveyard of their loved ones with flowers, candles, and favourite foods to invite their spirits for a reunion.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, Singapore
Featuring haunted houses, scare zones, and live performances, Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights is one of the premier Halloween attractions in Asia. Every year Universal Studios partners with horror franchises, creating new themed haunted houses inspired by classic horror characters, twisted folklore, popular films, and TV shows.
Besides haunted houses, scary zones and scary shows are arranged where costumed actors participate leaving no room free from the terror. And for those looking for a break from scares, the park offers night-time rides, themed dining and movie screenings, creating intense adrenaline-filled events. If you want to immerse yourself in such an unforgettable experience, book your tickets urgently as the month-long Halloween Horror Nights will continue until 4 November.
Catacombs of Paris, France
A hidden world known as the Catacombs of Paris, lies down the lively streets of the city, as a labyrinth of tunnels with the bones of over six million people. Although only a few tunnels are open for public exposure, the whole catacomb covers a vast area, stretching over approximately 280 kilometres.
The Paris Catacombs was originally built in the 18th century to address the city's overflowing cemeteries, and since then this underground ossuary has become one of Paris's most haunting attractions. If you are looking for a spooky experience, Paris Catacombs will offer you a glimpse into the past through special guided tours that dive into the history of revolutions and plagues.
In the narrow corridors, surrounded by bones and skulls, the silence is interrupted only by the echo of footsteps.
