Monday, 10 October 2022 | 11.1°C Belfast
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Partake in everything from face painting to pumpkin carving this Halloween (Pic: Getty)
Walter de Burgh with Conor Rafferty (10) and Rossa McCallion (7)
Footsteps in the Forest, Slieve Gullion halloween
Torchlight Tours, Ulster American Folk Park
Witch’s Wander, Montalto Estate
Fright Fest 2022, Antrim Castle Gardens
LONDONDERRY, NORTHERN IRELAND - OCTOBER 31: Performers make their way along the parade route as over 30,000 people take part in Europe's largest Halloween street parade on October 31, 2015 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Derry has established itself as the number one Halloween destination in the world according to a recent poll with visitors and enthusiasts taking part in the week long City of Bones festivities. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
With the spooky season just around the corner, there is plenty happening across Northern Ireland to celebrate.
H ere are just some of the best activities you can do this October.
Boo At The Zoo, Belfast Zoo
Belfast Zoo is hosting Halloween-themed activities for children over Halloween weekend on October 29 and 30.
The zoo is also running themed feeding times so the animals can join in on the Halloween fun.
The zoo opens at 10am and closes at 4pm, with last admission at 2.30pm. Activities will take place throughout the day, so arriving early is advised.
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Tickets range from £6.50 to £13.50 (children under four go free)
Halloween ‘Extravaganza’, Crumlin Road Gaol
The Crumlin Road Gaol have organised a family-friendly Halloween experience, running from October 21 to 31.
It begins with a gaol tour that combines history with Halloween to give visitors an education and entertaining experience.
Visitors then board the gaol’s train for a ride to the pumpkin patch to collect pumpkins and enjoy some photo opportunities before visiting a petting farm and finishing their experience with a live interactive Halloween musical.
Infants go free; a child’s ticket costs £14.50 and an adult’s ticket costs £12.50.
Ghost Tour, Lower Garfield Street, Belfast
Author, historian and ghost storyteller Francis Higgins is hosting ghost tours of Belfast city centre throughout the month of October.
The tour is for those aged 14 and over and not recommended for those who are easily scared.
The tour starts at the Deer’s Head pub in North/Lower Garfield Street at 7pm, where you will be fitted with the latest in whisper-set hearing technology.
The tour lasts two hours and sensible shoes are recommended. At the end of the tour you will receive a unique free charm, to ward off the spirits that may be following you, and also 15% off a famous Belfast beer at Bell’s Brewery at the Deer’s Head.
Tickets for the tour cost £15 and are available here.
Ulster Orchestra's Halloween Howler, Waterfront Hall
The Ulster Orchestra is presenting a Halloween Howler on Saturday, October 30.
The concert will include classics from Ghostbusters, Harry Potter, Hotel Transylvania and more.
The concert is suitable for all ages and tickets cost range from £10 to £34.
The Ghost House, Cityside Retail and Leisure Park
Cahoots are hosting the The Ghost House, a walk-through Halloween-themed theatre experience from October 14 to 31.
It is an interactive experience where visitors need to travel through the house.
Visitors are advised to wear warm and comfortable clothing.
The experience is suitable for those aged eight and over, with tickets costing from £12.50 to £15.
Footsteps in the Forest, Slieve Gullion halloween
Footsteps in the Forest, Slieve Gullion
Between Thursday, October 27, and Monday 31, Slieve Gullion is offering an immersive Halloween experience that will be brought to life by costumed characters, illuminations and storytelling.
The event will start each evening at 5.30pm with four self-guided trails that will run every hour until the last show at 8.30pm. An autism-friendly tour will take place at 5.30pm.
Warm clothing and appropriate footwear are recommended. The event is free but pre-booking is essential.
Halloween activities for everyone, Observatory & Planetarium
The planetarium and observatory has a range of different Halloween activities for all the family to enjoy.
For younger kids there is a PG-rated dome show from October 22 to 31. Visitors will meet meet monsters, zombies and ghosts and learn about black holes, stars and nebulae.
They are also hosting an educational Halloween-themed ‘Potions and Explosions’ live interactive science show on Saturday, October 29, and Sunday, October 30.
For older kids the observatory is offering a ‘Tall Tales and Terror’ tour on the same dates, where guides will explain the history of the observatory to visitors before telling them some scary stories.
General access to the planetarium is included with all tickets to Halloween events.
Fright Fest 2022, Antrim Castle Gardens
Hallowena, People’s Park, Ballymena
People’s Park in Ballymena is hosting a family-friendly Halloween-themed event on Friday, October 28, from 6pm to 8.30pm.
The event is suitable for all ages. However, under-16s need to be accompanied by an adult.
It will end with a firework display at 8.15pm.
Admission is free; no tickets are required.
Fright Fest 2022, Antrim Castle Gardens
In Antrim Castle Gardens from October 29 to 31 visitors can walk along an interactive trail.
Visitors are advised to wear sensible clothes and footwear and bring a torch with them.
Food and drink will be available at the event and there will be a gift shop at the end of the trail.
Tickets cost £2 and all proceeds will be donated to Positive Life, Men’s advisory Project and NI Children’s Hospice.
LONDONDERRY, NORTHERN IRELAND - OCTOBER 31: Performers make their way along the parade route as over 30,000 people take part in Europe's largest Halloween street parade on October 31, 2015 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Derry has established itself as the number one Halloween destination in the world according to a recent poll with visitors and enthusiasts taking part in the week long City of Bones festivities. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Awakening of the Walled City
From October 28 to 30, the history of Derry will appear on the city’s iconic buildings unveiling the myths of Samhain and introducing visitors to some Halloween characters.
In the city centre, visitors can follow the City of Bones trail through Bishop Street, London Street, Pump Street, The Diamond and Shipquay Street where the local landmarks will be transformed to fit the Halloween season.
At St Columb’s Park, visitors will be greeted with dancing flames and hypnotic, mesmerising displays while they try to avoid shape-shifting creatures and shadows as the forest comes to life.
The event is free and visitors do not need to pre-book. However, having a copy of the trail is recommended and can be collected at the information point in Guildhall Square.
On October 28 to 31, Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place will host markets from 12pm to 9pm.
The markets offer visitors a range of Halloween experiences including street performers, live music and a range of food.
Carnival Parade and fireworks display
The Carnival Parade will depart at 7pm from the Queen’s Quay at 7pm on Halloween night.
The parade will include hundreds of performers from schools, clubs and groups right across the city and district.
The parade will finish with a fireworks display at 8.15pm at Queen’s Quay, allowing visitors to watch the fireworks over the River Foyle.
Witch’s Wander, Montalto Estate
Halloween Party Paddle, Ultimate SUP
For those who want to do something different this Halloween, Ultimate SUP are offering a Halloween paddle party on October 29.
This event is recommended for ages 14 and over. It is also recommended that visitors have some experience in paddle boarding. Experienced paddle boarders are also welcome to bring their own board to the event.
The paddle party includes a Halloween-themed river tour and live cooking on the riverside with warm tapas, soup and sweet treats.
The event will last three hours and fancy dress is also recommended. There will also be multiple photo opportunities during the experience.
Tickets cost £50, with a discounted price of £40 for those bringing their own paddle board.
Witch’s Wander, Montalto Estate
The Carriage Rooms at Montalto Estate are hosting a family-friendly witch’s wander from October 29 to 31.
Visitors can pick and carve their own pumpkin from the onsite pumpkin patch before searching for a witch on the estate.
Activities also include face painting, a petting farm, bird feeder workshop, shortbread decorating, puppet show and kids’ disco.
Visitors will also have access to onsite trails and gardens before or after the Halloween experience.
Costumes are encouraged. However, part of the event will take place outside, so visitors should dress accordingly.
Tickets cost £18 for children, which includes a pumpkin.
Partake in everything from face painting to pumpkin carving this Halloween (Pic: Getty)
Halloween activities for everyone, Share Discovery Village
Share Discovery Village is hosting three different Halloween experiences.
For children, they are offering the Big Howl Event on Saturday, October 29, from 5pm to 9pm, with a firework display at 8.30pm.
Tickets cost £12.50 per child and £2.50 per adult.
The venue is also running Creepy Combat Corps — a laser gun-style game where visitors will exterminate ghosts and ghouls in the forest.
The event takes place in one-hour slots between 5.15pm and 10pm from October 25 to 31.
The session from 5.15pm to 6.30pm is recommended for younger kids, as the later sessions may be scarier. Tickets cost £15 per person.
For older children the Share Discovery Village is hosting a haunted forest walk from October 25 to 31.
Visitors will come face to face with scary characters as they walk through the forest.
Tickets cost £12.50 and sensible clothes and footwear is recommended.
Tickets for all Share Discovery Village activities are available here.
Torchlight Tours, Ulster American Folk Park
Torchlight Tours, Ulster American Folk Park
The Ulster American Folk Park is hosting tours from October 29 to 31.
The interactive tour takes visitors through the story of Amos Burns and his wife on their journey from Ireland to Drowned Horse Creek in America, which inspired him to write Torment at Drowned Horse Creek.
The event is recommended for those age 12 and over and tickets cost £14 per person.
Halloween activities for everyone, Todd's Leap
Todd’s Leap is offering two very different Halloween experiences this year: one for children and the other for a more mature audience.
For kids, Granda Ben’s Ethical Zoo Trail has been transformed into a Halloween hunt for the month of October.
Visitors will trek through forests, step across a Carrick-A-Todd rope bridge, see dinosaurs and collect pumpkins.
Children under three go free, while children cost £6.50 and adults £8.50.
For those aged 15 and over there is a Halloween scare attraction from October 21 to 30.
Tickets for all attractions at Todd’s Leap are available here.
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