From Thorpe Park to Alton Towers, the best spooky Halloween theme park events and deals this year
From escape rooms to spooky mazes and night-time rollercoasters, there's loads out there for those who love to be frightened
All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
HALLOWEEN is looming and what better to place to spend it than at a theme park getting scared to death?
Luckily, parks such as Disneyland Paris, Chessington, Legoland, Alton Towers and Dreamland have some very special spooky events on in celebration.
Here’s a roundup of where to head for Halloween if you’re after a fright – from family vibes to heart-stopping rides for adults who love to scream.
Disneyland Paris' Spooky Mouse Skelebration
Head off to Paris this Halloween for the park's annual spooky event - A Spooky Mouse Skelebration.
The event will see Halloween parades, special spooky shows and villains dressed up in costume all around the park, as well as a Halloween party.
Wowcher has a deal to visit the event on a day trip, travelling overnight on the coach before getting nine hours' of access to the park from £149pp. .
The event runs until November 4 and will be open until 2am to soak up the all the creepy events on offer.
Gulliver's Monster Magic
Gulliver's theme parks have a deal on with a big discount on their Halloween event and little ones will love it.
The park’s Monster Magic Halloween event takes place until November 2 this year.
Wowcher has a deal with entry for £13 instead of the usual £21 – a saving of 38 per cent. .
The event runs at parks in Warrington, Milton Keynes and Matlock.
It includes access to the parks, each with over 60 different rides.
There will be creepy characters from Hotel Transylvania 3 as well as sweets from Swizzels for fans of trick and treating.
Screamland at Dreamland
Margate’s retro theme park is putting on its award-winning Halloween event again this year.
The after-dark event has seven “scare mazes” and sideshows such as the “Dead and Breakfast” that will terrify.
Tickets will also get visitors unlimited use on the rest of the rides.
Screamland might be too scary for kids, but there are “no scare” tickets for those who are too terrified to enter the mazes, and little ones will love exploring the rest of the park.
The event takes place between 6-11pm on October 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 and 31. .
Alton Towers Scarefest
This year’s offerings from Alton Towers include a chilling new maze called Project 42.
Taking visitors down into the Forbidden Valley, they will be tasked with finding a vaccination for human test subjects who have been infected by a mutant disease.
Little ones will love the CBeebies Monster Land Ball for Halloween-themed dancing and games.
The park will also be open until 9pm so that rides can be enjoyed after dark – even more scary than usual, then.
The event runs on October 6, 7, 13 and 14 then from October 19-November 2. .
Thorpe Park Fright Nights
Thorpe Park is the place to be this Halloween - after all, it's the home of rides like The Walking Dead, which has been given a special Halloween twist.
There's also Containment, where groups of ten will be locked inside a haunted room and tasked with breaking out.
Platform No 15 is another spooky ride to try out, a live action scare maze on an overgrown railway line that the Sleeper Express train vanished from.
Fright Nights run from October 5 to October 31. .
Wowcher also has a deal where you can 49 per cent off entry to Fright Night - with tickets for £28, down from £55. .
Best ways to save on family days out
Use voucher websites and can be great for getting cheap theme park deals and are worth keeping an eye on, as their flash deals often only appear for a day or two.
Pick the right booking websites
is a booking website with discounted tickets to the likes of Disneyland Paris, Legoland and Thorpe Park.
Buy online in advance
It's almost always cheaper to buy your tickets in advance of turning up, and more expensive to buy them on the gate.
Buy an annual pass
Theme parks such as Thorpe Park and Alton Towers offer annual passes, which means once paid for, families can return as many times as they like.
Grab a Merlin pass
The company offers access to 32 of the UK's top family attractions such as The Dungeons, Madame Tussauds, and the London Eye, as well as Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures. If your family visits attractions regularly, passes are well worth the initial cost. .
Halloween and Vampire Pleasure Beach
Blackpool's iconic Pleasure Beach will be decorated in Halloween style from October 20 to October 31, and staff will be dressed up too.
Check out Creepy Hollow, an area where kids can get close to animals and insects like cockroaches, spiders, snakes and giant snails.
October 27 will be a special affair with a costume competition for kids and adults, a spooky maze and free Vampire Blood Slush Cocktails for grownups.
There are also late night Fright Nights from October 27 to 3, with a Circus of Horrors to explore. .
Chessington World of Adventures Resort Howl'O'Ween
There's fun for all ages at Chessington from October 13-31.
Check out the Creepy Caves Unearthed, set inside a zoo, where the zoo keepers have gone missing.
Little ones under the age of three will also love the Haunted Howl'O'Ween show, where monsters, werewolves and ghouls dance for all the family.
Rides such as the Vampire, Rameses Revenge and the Dragon's Fury are also available to ride at night, which will make them even more scary than usual. .
Brick or Treat at Legoland
Little monsters will love Legoland's Halloween offering - the brilliantly named Brick or Treat.
There's also a treasure trail as well as Frankie's Monster Disco to dance the night away at.
The park's Hill Train has had a spooky makeover and will be making a journey into the Enchanted Forest.
MOST READ IN TRAVEL
Fireworks will also be happening on the October 20, 21, 27 and November 2 to end the night on a high.
Brick or Treat runs from October 18-November 2. .
Sun Online Travel previously rode Alton Towers' terrifying Wicker Man ride - with a Go Pro headset on.