Halloween is many people’s favourite celebration of the year, whether you’re a horror-film loving thrill-seeker or you just love fun costumes and pumpkin-flavoured cooking.
And if you live in or are visiting a Celtic country like Wales, there’s a bit of extra fun to be had because here, Halloween has roots in an older Celtic tradition with similar creepy vibes. That’s ‘Noson Galan Gaeaf’, which both celebrated the autumnal harvest and made room for lots of eerie traditions, like running away from ghosts including ‘The White Lady’ and ‘The Tail-less Black Sow’, or even predicting people’s deaths.
So spooky season has deep roots here! Whether you’re heading out to join a fun activity in the community, or finding creative ways to celebrate at home, there’s something for everyone in Wales at Halloween.
Photo Credits
Photos of Zip World, Tretower Court, and Castell Goch, are from the Wales Asset database. © Hawlfraint y Goron / © Crown copyright (2022) Cymru Wales. Additional credits can be found on individual photos.
All the other remaining photos are property of Mathieu Gasquet / We Travel Wales.
North Wales
Further away from the country’s biggest cities in rural North Wales, you might worry that there won’t be as much to get up to come October 31st. You shouldn’t! The imposing castles, mysterious forests and dramatic natural beauty of this part of Wales lend themselves perfectly to a celebration of the macabre.
For those who truly love being frightened, you should head to Zip World Betws-y-Coed. This is a popular destination year-round for its unique forest-set roller coaster and high-ropes courses. During October they also run night-time events, where you can enjoy the same activities but with the added bonus of being chased by scary clowns while you do so! This is for those nine and over – it’s not recommended for very small children.
If you do have little ones to entertain, try one of the region’s family parks. Greenwood in North-West Wales, near Y Felinheli, is holding their ‘Spookwood’ event every single day for the week leading up to Halloween. There’ll be pumpkin carving, face painting, crafts, and a costume competition in their picturesque woodland location.
Alternatively if you’re on the North-East, head to Conwy’s Manorafon Farm Park, where literally everything is pumpkin-themed for the whole month! There’s pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, pumpkin eating and plenty more, plus buying a ticket includes admission to the farm park itself too. This is a great choice if you prefer a cosy rather than creepy take on the season.
You can also take advantage of family events put on with Cadw, the organisation that protects and preserves Wales’ historic buildings. On Friday the 31st of October itself there is a skeleton-themed treasure hunt at Castell Conwy going on all day. Also in Conwy there’s another trail on offer at Plas Mawr, a grand Victorian townhouse which will be more than suited both to the daytime event and to the following out-of-hours tour with ghost stories that they’ll be holding from 4.30-6pm.
On the other side of North Wales in Anglesey, Cadw is also holding an event at Beaumaris Castle, on all day on Halloween itself as well as Saturday and Sunday this weekend. There will be a trail to follow around the castle and prizes to win, as well as a witchy craft-making session.
Mid-Wales
Cadw is also a great go-to if you’re in mid-Wales, where the landscape is practically dotted with historical castles that have mysterious secrets to tell. If you haven’t yet visited Tretower Court in South Powys, for example, now’s the time to do so. On both Thursday and Friday this historic manor house is decorated for Halloween with a trail organised for children.
Just a little further North in the market town of Builth, the beautiful independent Wyeside cinema is holding a morning of crafts and other Halloween activities for families on Wednesday 29th October, and a farmer’s market on Halloween itself with seasonal produce and local art – again a good pick if you’re keen to celebrate autumn but aren’t a fan of the scary stuff.
On the absolute opposite end of the spectrum if you absolutely love being terrified, you should head to Aberystwyth! The aptly named Terror Mountain takes place just outside the town on the 24th, 25th, 30th and 31st of October, and the 1st of November. Your ticket includes access to five horror-themed experiences with live actors. Terror Mountain is known for being very intense and is particularly popular with students.
For Aberystwyth-dwellers looking for a less intense Halloween activity, drive out to Pwmpenni Pendre for pumpkin picking, enjoy an evening ghost walk starting at St Michael’s church, or visit the wonderful National Library of Wales for a talk on the history of witchcraft in Wales with author Mari Ellis Dunning. Dunning writes in Welsh but the event will be held in English.
Another great way to spend a fun, spooky night with the family is on a steam train! The Talyllyn Railway holds its annual Steam ‘n’ Scream event from 29 to 31 October, for a ghoulish train ride to Dolgoch Woods!
South Wales
Just a little further South at Castell Cilgerran near Cardigan, the Arts Council of Wales is sponsoring a particularly unique event taking place on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of October, inspired by the area’s history, Victorian photography, and traditional Welsh ghost stories. Blending live folk music with theatrical performance and displays of light, sound, and fire, The Phantom Coracle is completely free.
There are also daytime Halloween activities for children going on at Laugharne Castle on the 25th and 26th. Or, if you’re near St David’s, why not head to the iconic cathedral itself the day before Halloween for All Hallows Eve themed lantern making?
Swansea City Centre hosts a free all-day Halloween event each year. This year it’s on for Saturday the 25th. It includes both a family-friendly section, held in St David’s Place, with children’s entertainment, music, and games, and a horror-themed area with scarier sights for older guests. Close by on the same day is the ‘Terror at the Market’ garden, also for children, where faces can be painted and biscuits decorated.
And just south of the city, Oystermouth Castle is hosting out-of-hours evening ghost tours for adults exploring the darker parts of the castle’s history.
For those in South-East Wales, there is a huge amount for families on at Fonmon Castle. They’re hosting events every single day from the 24th of October to the 2nd of November, where you can enjoy all their usual historical attractions decorated for the season plus a huge amount more. In the daytime, it’s aimed at being not too frightening for little children, and there’s pumpkin-picking, face-painting, and age appropriate ‘scare runs’.
In the evening the scare runs get scarier and tarot reading, marshmallow roasting and Halloween character meet and greets are also available – it’s more aimed at older kids and teenagers but there’s a lot that would be fun for adults too. Do visit their website, because there are so many more activities than I can list!
Cardiff
Finally, if you’re within reach of Cardiff, you are spoilt for choice. One lovely opportunity this Saturday the 25th is Techniquest’s Spooky Science Party, with a Halloween-themed live science show, various educational crafts workshops, and a costume competition. They also have an adults-only event on the 30th with similar demos and crafts but also planetarium tours and a welcome soft or alcoholic drink included in your ticket.
More family fun is to be had at the Halloween Festival at Cardiff Bay, where there’s a huge amount to do and explore. Guests take a voyage on the ‘ghost pirate ship’ to Halloween Island, where there are plenty of live shows and funfair-like games and rides to experience, musical and fire displays, mini-golf, crafts, balloon modelling, and a bouncy castle. You can still buy tickets from 10am to 5pm on the 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th of October, as well as of course on Halloween itself.
For a children’s activities with historical inspiration, Castell Coch is open every day throughout half term with Halloween-themed quests, treasure hunts, and prizes.
Or, for music lovers – on the evening of the 30th, head to the Millenium Centre for an orchestral concert playing a selection of classical music and film scores picked according to the Halloween theme. There’s a performance at 7pm as well as a matinee at 3pm with sign language translation. It’s suitable for people of all ages, and you’re encouraged to come in costume!
If you want to do some slightly calmer pumpkin-picking, there are plenty of venues near to the city offering this. Clearwell Farm also has live music on in the evenings, so you can pick your pumpkins with a soundtrack under the stars.
Lastly, there’s a lot going on in Cardiff too for party animals and lovers of the alternative scene. Fuel Rock Club is holding a daytime gothic craft market on Saturday the 25th, or you could attend a Halloween-themed cabaret performance or silent disco at the Millenium Centre. Looking to go really wild? There are central Cardiff Halloween pub crawls on the nights of the 31st and the 1st, plus a day party with bottomless cocktails and drag performances on the 1st.
Whether you treat Halloween as an excuse to find the scariest experience possible, or just a fun theme for some relaxing autumnal activities, it’s nice to have something to celebrate as the days get colder and the nights get longer. What are you doing to celebrate Halloween (or Noson Galan Gaeaf) in Wales this year?
