Grab your mini ghouls and goblins and get ready for a month of fantastic festivities to celebrate the scariest time of the year!
Experience spooktacular fun at Emerald Park, Co Meath: 21 Oct – 1 Nov
Get ready for a thrilling and spine-tingling Halloween season at Emerald Park, Ireland’s only theme park and zoo. This year, the park is hosting two spooky events that promise to thrill visitors of all ages. From a family-friendly day adventure on the ‘Tricky Trail,’ to the heart-pounding excitement of ‘Emerald Park After Dark,’ these Halloween festivities have something for everyone, young and old.
Entry to the ‘Tricky Trail’ is included free with all ticket prices on 21, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31 October and 1 November from 11am to 4pm. The ‘After Dark’ attractions are suitable for individuals four feet in height and above, and this is a “no scare” event. Click here for more information.
Visit the Nightmare Realm at Dublin City Market: Throughout October
The Nightmare Realm, which was voted this year as Europe’s Best Scream Park, is returning to its haunt at Dublin’s City Market for the month of October. Visited last year by Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly, it’s a must for fun and fear! The new ‘Night Terrors’ theme features five terrifying new scare mazes, secret rooms, and a bigger Halloween Town with food, dancers, interactive shops and loads of Halloween selfie ops. See thenightmarerealm.ie for more details.
Take a wicked walk at Jurassic Newpark, Kilkenny: 28 Oct – 5 Nov
Bring the family for some Halloween fun at Jurassic Newpark Kilkenny where deadly dinosaurs, the worst witches, ghouls and goblins, and ghastly ghosts will come back to life over the midterm break from Saturday 28 October – Sunday 5 November. The ‘wicked walk’ includes fiendish face painting, a scary scavenger hunt, eerie dino talks by the Deadly Dino Ranger and spooky ghost stories by the Wicked Witch.
Visitors can also unearth hidden bones and fossils on a dino dig – just be careful not to dig up any cursed relics. Jurassic Newpark is an adjacent attraction at Newpark Hotel Kilkenny, a 4-star family friendly and family-run hotel, part of the award-winning Flynn Hotel Collection with a kids club, swimming pool and lots to do for families. See jurassicnewpark.com for more details.
Discover the magic of Samhain with Hurloween Tours at Croke Park: 28 Oct – 1 Nov
GAA-mad kids can learn more about Ireland’s ancient sport from the time of Setanta right up to the era of Cian Lynch at the GAA Museum at Croke Park’s much-anticipated “Hurloween” Tours. Swop ghouls for goals and embark on a journey of old Celtic traditions, mythology and sporting legends to celebrate Ireland’s earliest festival.
This year’s Hurloween Tours at Croke Park, Dublin, which run from Saturday 28 October – Wednesday 1 November, promise an extraordinary experience for families seeking seasonal fun rather than scares and are perfect for children aged between five and twelve, accompanied by an adult. See crokepark.ie/halloween for more details.
Celebrate the Samhain Festival at Killarney Pumpkin Farm, Co Kerry: Weekends in October
Venture through the rambling vines of the Pumpkin Patch to find your perfect pumpkin or ghoulish gourd at the Samhain Festival at Killarney Pumpkin Farm. Soak up the atmosphere in their courtyard and feast on Harvest Eats from the eleven77 food truck.
With plenty of treats, tricks and creatures, children will also be delighted to find pixies, spooks, adventure and lots more more! Runs Friday – Sunday for the month of October. See killarneypumpkinfarm.ie for further information.
Have a fiendishly fun time at the Bram Stoker Festival, Dublin: 27 – 30 Oct
One of Dublin’s biggest and most-anticipated festivals, Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival is back with more than 50,000 expected to enjoy four days of Deadly Adventures across the city from Friday 27 October to Monday 30 October.
This festival celebrates one of Ireland’s most internationally recognised authors and offers devilishly fun experiences for all ages, including free events for families, fascinating tours, reimagined movies with live scores, comedy, freaky cabarets, live podcast recordings, themed events at national cultural institutions and this year, even a trip through a Victorian graveyard for Dublin’s bravest souls. From the return of Macnas to the city’s streets to theatrical terrors at the Abbey Theatre and Smock Alley Theatre, the programme invites Dubliners to embrace the macabre and have fun this Halloween in unique and unusual locations throughout the city. Visit bramstokerfestival.com for more information.
Check out Strokestown Park House’s autumn events, Co Roscommon: 28 Oct – 5 Nov
- 28 October: Join an immersive and thrilling Murder Mystery Night at the magnificent Strokestown House, proudly hosted by Enchanted Croí Theatre. Step back in time and enter the opulent halls of this grand mansion, where intrigue, suspense, and a dash of historical charm await.
- 28 October – 5 November: Join the Samhain Self-Guided Trail, to discover the traditions and customs of Samhain and Halloween. Gather eerie clues along the way to receive a spookalicious treat. Visit strokestownpark.ie for more details.
Unearth the murky side of Waterford with the Dark History guided tour: 23 – 27 Oct
The season of Samhain will be alive in Waterford this Halloween as the award-winning guides from Waterford Treasures Museums take you on a 90-minute fully guided experience through the dark history of Ireland’s oldest city. As well as that, there will be After Dark tours available at the recently opened Irish Wake Museum.
Vampires, ghosts, murderers and poor creatures from Waterford’s past will make an appearance on this special limited edition tour experience. From the home of the Waterford Treasures museums in the Viking Triangle to the top of the town in Ballybricken square, the city is filled with stories just dying to get out. The Dark History Tours will take place on 23, 25 and 27 October at 7pm, and are suitable for those aged 16 and over. Tickets cost €15 and are now available to book at waterfordtreasures.com.
Immerse yourself in all things Halloween at the Púca Festival, Co Meath: 27 – 31 Oct
Púca was developed by Fáilte Ireland, to celebrate Ireland as the birthplace of Halloween and to tell the origin story of Samhain or ‘Summer’s End’. With over 36,000 visitors at the festival in 2022, organisers have planned the biggest and best Púca Festival yet, with reimagined spectacles, alongside contemporary entertainment, and a host of free events for all ages, all designed to help connect visitors to the ancient past.
Working in partnership with Irish artists, seanchaí storytellers, and the local community, Púca will showcase the best in contemporary Irish music and performance. There are plenty of free events available, including the dazzling opening procession and closing ceremony so visit pucafestival.com to plan your weekend and book tickets.
Get into the Halloween spirit at Kilruddery House and Gardens, Co Wicklow: 28 Oct – 1 Nov
Families and visitors alike can rest assured that a fantastic Halloween awaits at Killruddery this year. Visit the pumpkin patch in the Walled Garden, enter this year’s Scarecrow Competition and be in with a chance to win a Killruddery Gold Membership and Farm Shop hamper with your winning design!
Alternatively, you can attend the Halloween Hooley on Sunday and Monday, 29 – 30 October, which is sure to be great fun – complete with pumpkin carving, face painting, music and more. Visit kilruddery.com for more information.
Embrace all things sinister at the Dead of Night Festival, Co Longford: 27 – 31 October
The Dead of Night Festival is returning to Longford this year with an expanded five day offering for Halloween. The festival will take place this year over the entire Halloween bank holiday weekend kicking off on Friday, 27 October and concluding with a spectacular Samhain Procession and fire beacon finale in Connolly Barracks on Halloween night – Tuesday, 31 October.
The scaling up of this year’s festival is the result of a partnership between Longford County Council, Fáilte Ireland, Milestone Inventive and Waterford’s spectacular street carnival company ‘Spraoi’. Longford is raising awareness of Ireland as the true ‘Home of Halloween’ through its ‘Samhain Town’ event in Connolly Barracks and Longford’s ‘Fire and Shadows’ Samhain Parade. Click here for more details.
