Halloween!
The much loved and celebrated holiday is just around the corner, and I asked fellow bloggers what their ‘Best Cities For Celebrating Halloween!’ are!
They didn’t fail to inspire some amazing autumnal travel from across the world. With both traditional and some more unusual celebrations going on to celebrate the holiday.
Unsurprisingly – I was overwhelmed with suggestions of cities in the USA. You guys certainly love to celebrate during this season! So in that vein, I’m giving the US it’s own section!
Best Cities For Celebrating Halloween – USA
Chicago, Illinois
Brittney from Cultural Curiosity
Parades, bar crawls, masquerades, haunted houses, and ghost tours are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cool things to do on Halloween in Chicago. If you really want to be spooked I highly recommend reading Devil in the white city and then checking out a tour. On the tour you’ll learn about the city’s horrific serial killer H. H. Holmes and be taken to the site where the murders took place. Eerie.
Horror film lovers can catch a scary flick at one Chicago’s many favourite theaters during the month of October. For those that want to party there will be no shortage of Halloween parties happening throughout the city. Feeling fancy? Check out a Halloween ball at Congress Plaza Hotel, Chicago’s famously haunted hotel where H. H. Holmes met his victims and where guests have seen the ghost of Al Capone! Whatever you’re in the mood for Chicago is certainly a great place to be spooked on Halloween.
Savannah, Georgia
Kate from Our Escape Clause
This southern city has watched quite a bit of unsettling history unfold within its borders over the last few hundred years, and the stories that result are likely to make even the biggest skeptic have their hair stand on end.
Whether your idea of the perfect spooky Halloween is wandering through one of the USA’s most infamous cemeteries (the ever-mysterious Bonaventure), tracking ghosts in the haunted Sorrel-Weed house, riding around in a
hearse, or simply wandering Savannah’s many squares listening to stories of the past, the city has you covered.
And, of course, for the less ghost inclined, there is still plenty to do in Savannah on Halloween: costume parties, themed nights at Savannah’s River Street bars, and an incredible food scene are enough to keep any Halloween lover entertained.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Warren from Sling Adventures
With above ground cemetery’s, a history of voodoo and the party atmosphere of bourbon street, New Orleans makes the ultimate Halloween night out. Walk the closed off streets of the French quarter dressed in your most ghoulish outfit and take selfies with fellow zombies, creepy clowns and other residents of the undead until the wee small hours.
Outside the downtown precinct the iconic southern mansions are naturally spooky being surrounded by trees hanging with the local Spanish moss. Home decorations are uber competitive. There are dancing animatronic skeletons, smoke machines, front lawn graveyards and cackling witches. Simply a walk down the streets of an evening will have you jumping out of your skin.
Haunted house experiences such as the House of Shock, located in the urban outskirts, provide a freaky, high energy and sometimes disturbing performance.
You can be sure a visit to New Orleans for All Hallows Eve will leave you feeling suitably petrified.
McCall, Idaho
From Outside Nomad
Halloween is a blast!
A chance to be someone or even something completely different than who you are. For kids a time to dream and explore new realities. For adults, it’s a time to be a kid again. Halloween in any ski town has a unique twist. That is, it coincides perfectly with the changing of the season and the anticipation of snow. I know for me when the first snow falls I still get excited. Like a kid you could say.
Halloween marks the perfect time to celebrate this changing of the season. The changing of the season as we move into winter requires one thing in every ski town. That one thing is, a Pray For Snow party. The two, Halloween and Pray For Snow inevitably combine and make for an epic celebration of costumes and the changing of the season. The only problem is it’s cold, thus restricting your costume choices. In our case we just chose to wear down coats. My city of choice is for your closest ski town or my personal favorite, McCall Idaho.
Tampa, Florida
Kristine from angels n mom
Why do I love Halloween in my home city of Tampa, Florida? I love all the family-friendly Halloween activities and events that happen all month long.
One of our favorites is Guppyween at the Florida Aquarium. This year’s Guppyween is on October 27 and 28 afternoon. This Halloween under the Sea event includes candy stations, a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt, underwater pumpkin carving by the Florida Aquarium divers, 4-D theater and admission to all the exhibits.
Creatures of the Night at Zoo Tampa is a spooky Halloween adventure on Fridays and Saturdays in October. Children (11 years old and under) can wear their Halloween costumes. Creatures of the Night has a new animal show this year called Pigpimples School of Mystery and Mayhem. Did I mention Zoo Tampa also offers some evil concoctions during the Creatures of the Night event? Yes, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase throughout the zoo.
If you are looking for spookier events for adults, may I suggest Busch Garden’s Howl-o-Scream? We have personally not tried this event since we have young kids but we have heard great reviews. We love Busch Gardens, which we call our home theme park.
Outside of USA though, celebrating Halloween is spreading! Here are other cities from around the rest of the world that you could check out for something a little spooky this Halloween.
Best Cities For Celebrating Halloween – Rest of the World!
Lisbon, Portugal
James from portugalist.com
So that’s our list of BEST cities to celebrate Halloween. But are we missing anywhere? Whats YOUR favourite Halloween celebration?
Budapest, Hungary
Halef and Micheal from The Round The World Guys
Halloween celebrations are familiar in the United States and many English speaking countries. However, the celebration has slowly been making its way to other countries, including Hungary.
If you are visiting Budapest around Halloween, head out after dark for a true Halloween treat. The Budapest Jack-O’-Lantern Festival in Budapest’s iconic Heroes Square is a popular destination for family and kids. You can stroll among some of the best carved pumpkins in town. Well-lit jack-o’lantern displays adorn this massive public square, surrounded by colossal statues and museum facades. This will absolutely put you in the Halloween spirit!
If you want to celebrate Halloween in a more traditional way, head to the Raday Utca neighborhood on Halloween night. Kids and adults in costumes are trick-or-treating on this beautiful street lined with restaurants. And if you’re still looking for something to do, read about some of the more unusual things to do in Budapest.
London, UK
Angel from Wanderlust with the DeVaulls
London is an amazing place to visit anytime of the year, but it is definitely cool to check out during Halloween. The weather in London in October is perfect for Halloween, especially at night when it gets foggy. There are so many places in London that are reportedly haunted, due to its rich history. There are several pubs in the London area that are considered haunted. Certain pubs even have storytelling on Halloween to discuss the spirits that still frequent them. Hampton Court has ghost tours as well for vistors to explore the paranormal activity. You could even ride the Ghost Bus tour. Now the tour does run all year, but the actors go all out for Halloween and end with a seance. If you’re going to be in London this Halloween, make sure to try one of the Halloween themed events. There is something for everybody!
Medellin, Columbia
Daniel from Layer Culture
If you’re thinking about celebrating Halloween in South America you should see the celebrations in Medellin, Colombia. If you can make it to the Poblado area; Medellin’s infamous Zona Rosa. By night, you’ll find amazing nightlife. Not just at Halloween, but there are many other things to do right throughout the year. On Halloween however, I was surprised by how many people were dressed in the most random costumes. I even saw one adventurous couple dressed up as Fred and Wilma Flintstone, need I say more?
I later found out that you can win a prize from being the most creative with your costume. If you’re looking for the best Halloween party going I recommend you head to the Tiger Hostel which is where they ask you to dress in a disguise that represents your city or country. As well as getting the chance to participate in various Halloween themed contests and games, at midnight they take you over to one of the coolest nightclubs in Poblado to dance the night away.
Bangkok, Thailand
Allan from Live Less Ordinary
I find that most western festivals are celebrated in Bangkok these days, only they are almost always bigger and better when celebrated in the big city, at least compared to what I’m used to. So this is no different with Halloween in Bangkok, where even as midweek events, with no local relevance, the celebrations in entertainment districts are just rather huge. These areas include the backpacker favourite of Khaosarn Road, the Megamalls of Siam, although the best place to properly celebrate a Halloween night has to be Royal City Avenue (RCA) where the string of nightclubs look less like dance venues and more like a circus. The biggest stage here would have to be ‘Route 66’ where scenes are seriously fit for the movies, with little people dressed as Chucky Dolls, and towering transvestites pacing through the crowds on stilts. Not to forget the world-class sound system and lighting and the main stage events. Celebrations normally start from as early as 18:00PM, and the venues will likely pack out soon after 21:00PM.
Salzburg, Austria
Alice from Teacake Travels
Snuggled between Halloween and Christmas, this is possibly the creepiest and weirdest festival Europe has to offer: the Krampus Festival in Austria! Based on the ancient and monstrous story of ‘Krampus’ – this half man, half demon comes out at night to whip all the locals who have been misbehaving themselves. Got drunk? Not listened to your parents? Just been a git all year? Krampus will get ya. And for all those parents who need an extra layer of discipline, he’s the perfect character to bring out in time for Christmas.
The Krampus Festival runs all across Austria from the beginning of November – from the tiniest villages in the middle of nowhere, all the way up to Vienna. I attended a few – and found the festivals in Waidhofen an der Ybbs and Salzburg to be the best!
Come to the event honestly prepared to be whipped. The locals dress up and run a main parade, and they will hit you if you get too close. It’s rowdy, highly-charged and worth every minute. Enjoy!
Oaxaca, Mexico
Crystal from Castaway with Crystal
Day of the Dead (or Dia de Los Muertos in Spanish) is a dearly held tradition of the pre-hispanic native people of Mexico. For three days each year, from 31st October to the 3rd of November, it is believed that the veil between this world and the next is especially thin. During this time, it is believed that the spirits of the departed return to visit with family members and loved ones.
To ensure the safe return of the departed, the family build altars inside their houses covered in marigold flowers, the favourite drinks or alcohol of the departed, food and bread, and often cigarettes or other consumable products like candy.
The family will also spend the night in the graveyard, singing, drinking, talking and remembering all the good times they had together.
In Oaxaca, Mexico tourists are welcome to partake in the Day of the Dead festival by visiting local cemetaries, seeing local artwork on the streets, and watching the parades, most of which feature the famous Mexican skeleton lady; Catrina.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Constance from The Adventures of Panda Bear
You don’t typically think of Halloween celebrations in Denmark, and that’s because Danes don’t celebrate the modern version of the holiday. But, Copenhagen is still one of the best cities to celebrate Halloween. How does that work?
Tivoli Gardens amusement park in Copenhagen is THE place for Halloween festivities in the city. In the month of October, the entire park is decorated and themed for the holiday.
You’ll see jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins everywhere. A special haunted house attraction even pops up for the holiday. There are also stalls selling autumnal drinks, such a spiced cider. Gift shops with festive souvenirs are also for sale.
The park is so well decorated that Walt Disney actually visited and took notes there. It inspired his creation of Disneyland. Tivoli looks so magical with its orange and purple toned lights and all of its pumpkin decor. Be sure to visit at night to get a full taste of Halloween at Tivoli Gardens!
What’s your favourite place to Halloween? Have we missed anywhere amazing off the Best Cities To Celebrate Halloween list? And what are your plans for this years big spooky day? Drop a line on the comments with your ideas and plans!
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