Halloween still hasn’t slotted into UK culture the way it did in America. Yet, plenty of people still celebrate spooky season for its atmosphere, tricks and treats, and its overall gothic vibe. 

In the UK, Halloween falls just a few days before Bonfire Night, creating a brief period when the dark nights are welcomed, instead of making us all feel a little creeped out. Don’t forget, this year, Halloween is just four days after the clocks go back. 

So, what is there to do in (and around) London for Halloween? Now that strawberry season is just a memory, it’s pumpkin-picking time.

Pumpkin Smash

Anybody can grow a pumpkin (the RHS website says to sow the seeds in spring for autumn harvesting), but not everybody has the land to grow hundreds of jack-o’-lantern heads.

Source: Pexels.

Let’s start with a site that claims to be the UK’s earliest established pumpkin farm – Hampshire’s Rogate Pumpkin Patch at Slade Farm. Located on the West Sussex border, Rogate has pumpkins, squashes, and gourds, alongside plenty of ghoulish activities. Post-Halloween, the field provides anger management in the form of a pumpkin smash. 

Over in Galleywood, Essex, Lathcoats Farm is a budget-friendly option for pumpkin fanciers. A recent social media post from the Farm mentions Halloween veg for under £1. Try apple picking or visit Lathcoats’ farm shop and coffee house. Lathcoats is another pumpkin patch that runs before and after Halloween, beginning on October 11 and ending at the beginning of November. 

Surrey’s claim to Halloween fame is Pumpkin Week at Secretts, Milford. The occasion is the result of 42,000 seeds (11 varieties) planted in May. One of these, the white Polar Bear variety, can grow up to 15kg. Dress up, if you like. There’s a fancy dress contest at Pumpkin Week. 

York Dungeon

If hauling pumpkins around isn’t your idea of fun (or even if you’d just like to get out of London), York Dungeon has cut prices by 24% to £19 for Halloween. Similarly, Thorpe Park’s Fright Nights are 45% cheaper, down to £36. Radio Times lists everything up to a Murder Mystery weekend with 26% off. 

Source: Pexels.

Many companies get overexcited at Halloween, from the brick-and-mortar places to more digital providers. Online video game Fallout 76 is hosting a Mischief Night, while Call of Duty is digging up Jason Voorhees for its annual Haunting. 

JackpotCity Casino has a host of Halloween-friendly slots, including the newly-added The Wildwood Curse. The site regularly features its slots in promotions. New customers get 100 free spins in its casino sign up bonus. Some famous horror slots include Immortal Romance (vampires) and Big Bass Halloween, which turns its regular protagonist into a chainsaw-wielding zombie.

One final pumpkin patch comes in the shape of an entire village – Pumpkin Picking Village in Chelmsford. Its main event is both dog and senior-friendly (on separate days), and the prices for pumpkins range from £3 to wallet-squashing colossi at £100. Pumpkin Picking Village is entirely cashless.

Slap on the green facepaint and find an adventure this Halloween in London or as far north as haunted old York.