Halloween in London has outgrown the single-night affair. By 2026 it's a month-long season of haunted palaces, after-dark garden trails, queer club nights and members' club costume balls — enough that even non-spooky travellers can build a whole half-term trip around it. Here's what's on.

History fans get the strongest opening act. Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London run joint Halloween programming from 24 October to 1 November: expect roaming ghostly characters and a pumpkin-and-scarecrow trail at Hampton Court, plus weekend sessions with experimental historians showing how the Tudor kitchen fed 450 people a day. The Tower adds a new autumn experience with early-bird access to meet the ravens, decorations across the ancient walls and warders telling the fortress's darker stories.

Families are well catered for. Kew Gardens' Halloween trail (16 October to 1 November) sends visitors down an illuminated 1.5km route past spots like Dracula's Lair and a Medieval Dungeon, ending at a Monster Disco. Twist Museum on Oxford Street runs ghost-hunting with UV lights and daily magic shows over half term, while Prison Island in Holloway turns into an after-dark challenge on select October evenings — teams of two to five navigate 30-plus prison cells using strategy and memory.

Night owls and partygoers have plenty too. Drumsheds in Tottenham hosts a Halloween double: False Idols on 30 October with Kim Petras, Cobrah and Rose Gray, then Elrow's day-long takeover on 31 October. Covent Garden's The Haunting is an adults-only themed bar from the Miracle team, serving original Halloween cocktails until 1 November (snacks Monday to Wednesday, fuller menus later in the week). There's also a 'heaven and hell' night at Mitsu in Shoreditch with Goldie Quaker, a big costume party at The Maine in Mayfair, and a 1980s toybox-themed bash at Home House — though that one's members-only, so make friends accordingly.

If costumes aren't your thing, From The Ashes brings together open-fire chefs including Ruben Dawnay, James Peck and Melissa Thompson for a Smokehouse Session at Five Points Courtyard in Hackney on 31 October, with five dishes and a welcome drink included in the ticket. And Covent Garden itself runs activities all month, from a creepy Crepe Chalet to Blood Orange Palomas at The Thirsty Farrier and a silent disco at the London Transport Museum.

Why it matters: Halloween is now a genuine low-season hook for a London city break, with events spanning price points and ages — free piazza wandering, family garden trails, and late-night club tickets. Book popular sessions (Kew, the palaces, Drumsheds) ahead; weekends fill fast.