Brighton’s wonderfully eccentric most of the time, and Halloween is no exception. Whether you fancy summoning spirits in the Lanes, raving with ghouls, or just screaming into the night with a pint in hand, we’ve found the best ways to get your fright on this year. From haunted walks to literary chills, here’s your guide to surviving spooky season in style.
BOTI’S BEST BITS
Fright On The Inside
There’s a very cheeky pumpkin lurking on a bar in Hove this weekend, just waiting to be discovered – and only the truly in the know will spot it. That’s you lot. Yep, our friends at Babble have teamed up with us to create a BOTI-themed gourd, stuffed with Halloween-worthy tricks and treats. The first challenge is to see it, but once you have, delve inside and you’ll land a mystery dare or a delicious reward. We’re talking free drinks and burgers for the lucky ones… and some brilliantly questionable challenges for the brave. Look out for the gourd from midday on Friday – the tricks and treats will last until they’re gone (so if you’re lucky, all weekend). Think you’re on the inside? Prove it!
Ghouls on tour
If you prefer your Halloween plans with cobbles, cold spots and questionable Victorian morals, the Ghost Walk of The Lanes has you covered. Led by theatrical guides in full gothic garb, you’ll wind through Brighton’s oldest streets hearing deliciously creepy tales of doomed lovers, vengeful spirits, mischievous poltergeists and at least one very stroppy phantom monk. It’s funny, spooky and just the right level of “is that a ghost or a drunk in fancy dress?”. Extra Halloween tours on Fri and Sat; 6pm and 7.30pm; from £8; no need to book, just turn up at The Druid’s Head.
Glamour, ghosts and gratuitous tassels
Step right up for a night of dark glamour and devilish talent. London’s award-winning Black Cat Cabaret prowls into The Old Market on Saturday, bringing its signature mix of circus, burlesque, and vaudevillian flair. Expect dazzling acrobatics, sultry performances and a dash of gothic mischief – all set to a live soundtrack that’ll have you wishing every night out came with this much drama. Dress to impress – this cat’s got claws. Sat; 8pm; from £25
Ghouls just wanna have fun (in Seven Dials)
Seven Dials is going big for Halloween – and it’s not just for mini witches and sugar-high goblins. Lots of the indie shops and pubs are taking part in the Trick or Treat trail and you’ll find tarot readings, a witches’ market, spooky storytelling, a Day of the Dead altar, hot chocolate that absolutely can be upgraded to grown-up mode, and more. Swing by the brilliant Hi Cacti to start the trail and sip something seasonal, sample some chocolate, leave an offering at the altar, browse the magic-meets-maker stalls, and embrace your inner witch. Fri; 3pm – 6pm; free.
Life, death, tacos
It’s not just Halloween this week, but Mexican celebration Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and it’s all about honouring loved ones through colour, flavour and a good dose of joy. Over in Rottingdean, the Black Horse pub are serving up Casa Azul tacos, elotes and live blues on Friday. And in Brighton, if you order one of Casa Azul’s epic pan de muerto breads by Friday afternoon you can pick it up on Saturday to devour. And the spirit’s just as vibrant at La Choza. They’re going big with a special kids’ menu and goodie bags for little calaveras, plus live street music from The Marching Skeletons on Saturday from 3pm, and face-painting on Sunday from 1pm – 4pm. See you by the marigolds.
Party like it’s 1699
Garage goes ghoulish
Brace yourselves, Brighton crew – Halloween’s getting heavy. On Friday, Patterns is transforming into a two-floor rave of the macabre for Back to UKGRave (geddit?). Expect grotesque décor, live scare games, mandatory fancy dress and full-throttle beats till 4am. Fri; 11pm – 4am; £15
Stayin’ undead
There’s more dancefloor hauntings going on this Saturday at Concorde 2 where Moody Disco are taking over for a full-on Halloween rave featuring underground house heavy-hitter Marsolo and UK duo Watchers. Sat; 11pm – 4am; £33.25
When the party favours get sinister
Meanwhile, over at Ironworks, things are getting delightfully unhinged as Party Bag returns for its annual spoopy spectacular. Hosted by the inimitable Dick Day and Ophelia Payne, expect drag, comedy, camp horror and silliness in spades. This year’s line-up includes Party Bag favourites Alex Fincher and Mandy Sweats, plus the gloriously unfiltered Paula Gravy making her debut – all followed by a DJ after-party till midnight. Dress to depress – spirits (of both kinds) will be flowing.
Fri 31st Oct; 8pm – midnight; from £13.55
Stage frights & eerie delights
Out of this world fun
LGBTQ+ theatre group OutCast Brighton is presenting Space Camp FEAR this Halloween week, a camp sci-fi horror-comedy where you, the audience, play rookie cadets learning just how badly humans can behave in space. Expect aliens, cosmic laughs and an egomaniac billionaire by the name of Pecan Husk.
Fri and Sat; 7pm; from £12
Run for your afterlife
Halloween in Brighton, but make it cardio. Run and Rave is back with Let’s Glow 5k on Friday for a seafront jog-meets-mini-rave, complete with glow sticks, loud tunes and a post-run party at Bison Beach Bar. Fancy dress optional, smug endorphins guaranteed.
Fri; 7.30pm; £9.99
Read it and weep
Things are getting spooky at Kemptown Bookshop this Halloween. You’re invited to an evening of Night Terrors (if you dare), where classic ghost tales and new supernatural yarns unfold after dark. Expect chills, twists and a touch of the unexplainable, plus spooky refreshments to steady your nerves (or not).
Fri; 7pm; £15 (includes spooky refreshments)
Fear on film
Devilishly good double bills
Film buffs, this one’s pure gothic gold. White Wall Cinema are serving up a blood-red double bill this Halloween, kicking off with Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak in a lush new 4K remaster – all crumbling mansions, corsets and ghosts you probably shouldn’t follow down dark corridors. Then, if you’ve got the nerve (and caffeine supplies), stick around for the 10pm screening of Dario Argento’s Deep Red, a 50th-anniversary restoration of the giallo classic that inspired a generation of horror.
Fri 31st Oct; 6.55pm and 10pm; from £10.50 (discount if you buy both)
https://www.whitewallcinema.co.uk/
Spells, sketching and seafront scares
Draw me like one of your gothic girls
Grab your pencils – things are getting deliciously dark at Sussex County Arts Club. This Friday they’re hosting a Gothic Halloween life-drawing session, all vampy poses, spooky tunes and dramatic shadows. It’s £11.55 for the drawing bit (5 – 7pm), then the party kicks off. Perfect if your idea of Halloween is more moody muse than messy club crawl.
Boo-beautiful beaches start here
Dress spooky, save the seas? Oh yeah. Surfers Against Sewage are hosting a Halloween-themed Million Mile Scream beach clean this Sunday at Hove Lagoon, and they want you turning up in your finest fright-fits. Think gloves, grabbers, and a ghoulish prize haul for best dressed, biggest find, and spookiest discovery (washed-up wig? haunted flip-flop? who knows). It’s scary how much plastic ends up on our shores – let’s shriek about it and sort it. Meet at 10am opposite the Big Beach Café.
Inside the belly of the (arty) beast
A giant pirate has docked on Brighton beach – and he’s hungry for art lovers. Down at the Fishing Quarter Gallery, you’ll find his gaping gob wide open and stuffed with spooky, surreal and brilliantly bonkers work from over 60 Brighton and beyond artists, all curated by Bobby Dazzler. Want first dibs (and a fright-night tipple)? There’s a Halloween private view on Friday (6pm – 10pm) – fancy dress encouraged and prizes on the cards – before the show runs 10am – 6pm until Sunday.
Get the hell outta town
That’s the spirit
Head for the hills (no, really) in Worthing this Halloween for a celebration steeped in Sussex folklore. Samhain Souling at Wild Heart Hill revives the ancient All Hallows custom of Souling with fire, dance, masked performers and a torch-lit procession up one of the South Downs’ oldest sites. You’ll find haunting music from Mythago, storytelling from White Raven Ceremonies, and a fiery beacon to wake the ancestors – plus pumpkin dhal by the fire to keep you warm.
Fri; 6.30pm – 9pm; from £24.54
Scream if you wanna go faster
Time to get your scream on. You’ve got until Saturday to enjoy Tulleys Shocktober Fest – Europe’s largest scream park featuring scare attractions that range from creepy to properly terrifying, just a short hop from Brighton. On top of the haunts, you’ll find street theatre, creepy cabaret, live music, extra thrills like, um, a shock chair, and heaps more in one night out that’s anything but quiet. Nervous? You should be.
Until Sat; times vary; from £42.95
Still standing? Congratulations – you’ve survived Brighton’s Halloween marathon. From sequin-covered zombies to poets in candlelight, you’ve earned your sugar hangover and your Sunday sofa nap and you’ll want to check this out to aid your recovery:
Halloween hangover incoming? Little Bruce over in Portslade has your back. Swing by the morning after the madness for great coffee, Virgin Marys courtesy of Bloody Bens and sausage rolls (meaty and veggie) from American Joe’s to soothe your spooky-season sins. Get in early – these rolls will vanish faster than your dignity at 2am.
