7 Activities in London to Get You in the Halloween Mood 

If you haven’t noticed yet, London is old, like spooky, creepy old. I think this vibe sets the Halloween mood perfectly but there are plenty of activities around London that will enhance your haunted experience. While there are plenty of ways to celebrate Halloween by night with piles of themed pub and club nights, don’t count out these (mostly) daytime activities to explore the creepy history of London or indulge in some modern favorites. No matter what the Halloween season means to you, whether it’s about ghostly hauntings, Harry Potter movies, or singing witches, there’s something on this list that should interest you. 

1. Visit the Hauntingly Beautiful Highgate Cemetery 

Take the Northern Line 30 minutes out of central London to take a spooky walk through the overgrown maze of 53,000 graves in this popular Victorian burial site. Check out Egyptian Avenue where the British 19th century fascination with Egyptology translated into the construction of their burial markers. Karl Marx’s grave is located in the East cemetery which is remarkably hard to miss due to the massive bronze sculpture of his face that sits on top of it. If you’re brave enough (or just trying to replicate a weekend in Paris) take a stroll through the terrace catacombs and look at the resting place of Robert Liston, a 19th century surgeon who could reportedly remove a leg in 30 seconds. Visit their website for more information and to book a ticket ranging from £5-10. 

2. Check Out the Covent Garden Pumpkin Market 

If you’re anything like me, you’re missing the apple orchards and pumpkin patches that make up the Halloween season in the North East. A little taste of that environment is coming to Covent Garden this Halloween weekend (29-31 of October) so if you have some time to spare, check out the pumpkin market that will be set up in the Covent Garden Market Building. If you’re not in the market for a jack-o-lantern this Halloween season, I’d still recommend taking a stroll through the over 200 pumpkins, squashes, and gourds to take in all the displays full of fall colors courtesy of the Covent Garden horticulture team. When you’re done exploring the foliage in the West Piazza, move over to the East Piazza where there will be an international food pop up featuring seasonal dishes. 

3. Immerse Yourself in the Jack the Ripper Tour 

If the reviews don’t speak for themselves, I can personally vouch that every night I see more than two dozen people walking down Whitechapel Avenue hanging onto the tour guide’s every word. Go a step further than your typical true crime documentary and really immerse yourself in one of the most famous unsolved mysteries of history. This tour meets at sundown nightly near the Aldgate East underground station (1 block from the Curve dormitory!) and they’ll transport you to 1800’s Whitechapel when Jack the Ripper roamed the streets terrorizing women. You’ll see the murder sites, historic pubs where prostitutes used to find their clients, and locations where the one and only clue was discovered. Additionally, you’ll hear about potential suspects, the details of the investigation, and try your own hand at solving the case. Book your tickets for £12 on their website. 

4. Catch a Movie During HorrOctober at Prince Charles Cinema 

Take the opportunity to watch some classic scary movies on the big screen. Not only will you get to scare yourself, you’d also be supporting this classic London Business. Prince Charles Cinema prides itself in being the last independent movie house in the West End and they play movies that are hard to find playing in theaters otherwise. For the rest of October they’re showing 3-4 movies every day that are perfect to enhance your Halloween mood. There’s upcoming screenings of The Exorcist, Nosferatu, The Shining, The Witch, Scooby-Doo, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Beetlejuice, and so so many more! If one movie just isn’t enough for you and you’d rather see 5 in one night, grab a ticket to one of their movie marathons. You can book tickets through their website starting at £14. 

5. Scare Yourself with a Spooky Play on the West End 

There’s plenty of shows playing in London now that fit the Halloween mood. If you want to be spooked I’d recommend The Woman in Black or 2:22: A Ghost Story both of which feature the same jump scares and jarring moments that you know and love from horror movies. 2:22 was called ‘a great, spine-tingling night out’ by the Evening Standard and ‘a cracking supernatural thriller’ by Time Out. I saw The Woman in Black a few weeks ago and I was very skeptical that a play could actually scare me but I was proven completely wrong. If being genuinely scared isn’t your thing, Wicked has more witches than you can count and The Canterville Ghost is just like being told a scary story around a campfire if that story was told by a comedian/ ventriloquist, a magician, and a psychic. 

• The Woman in Black rush tickets for £22 or tickets starting at £22.50 

• 2:22: A Ghost Story tickets starting at £13 

• Wicked tickets starting at £19.50 

• The Canterville Ghost all tickets £24 

6. Take Yourself on a Harry Potter Tour 

Start off in King’s Cross Station to grab a picture with the disappearing trolley under the Platform 9 ¾ sign. The exterior of King’s Cross wasn’t as magical as the production staff wanted, so they used the nearby St Pancras International building to represent the outside view. While you can enjoy the beautiful, neo-gothic architecture from the sidewalk, Ron and Harry enjoyed the very same view as they flew to Hogwarts in an enchanted car in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

While you’re in the area, take the 10 minute walk down the road from King’s Cross to find No. 23-29 Claremont Square, you may recognize this as the filming location of the exterior of 12 Grimmauld Place. 

Your average Harry Potter souvenir shops can be found inside King’s Cross Station and at House of Spells, down that street from the theater that plays the Cursed Child. However, if you’re looking for something more unique check out the House of MinaLima which serves as both a store and gallery that would delight any Harry Potter fan. This shop is owned by two members of the graphic design team who worked on the Harry Potter franchise and you can find prop replicas, illustrations of your favorite scenes, and posters you would recognize from the movies. 

Moving East, Leadenhall Market served as the inspiration for Diagon Alley and you can go see the rows of shops, cobbled streets, and Victorian architecture for yourself. Adding to the magical feeling, there’s a temporary art display of purple tentacles extending from the buildings courtesy of Hoxton Street Monster Supplies. 

Of course, the best Harry Potter experience you can hope for would probably be the Warner Brothers Studio tour where you can explore sets, costumes, props, and the process behind it all. But if you’re not up to shelling out the £50 for a ticket, this self guided tour could serve as a peak into the Harry Potter world right here in London. 

7. Celebrate The Old Operating Theater’s 60th Birthday

Few things are scarier than Victorian surgery and we are lucky enough to be in London while The Old Operating Theater is celebrating its 60th birthday with free admission! This is the only remaining operating theater in Europe where poor, typically female, patients would give their consent in allowing medical students to watch their operations in exchange for healthcare. Naturally, an operating theater that performed surgery before anesthesia or antiseptics had a high mortality rate and maybe on your visit you’ll be lucky enough to see the ghosts of a grieving family member, a patient in a glowing white dress, or the unseen spirit who has an affinity for opening the herb drawers. To celebrate their birthday they’re offering free admission on October 27 but otherwise admission for students is only £6.