Best destinations to celebrate Halloween

Halloween is a fun holiday celebrated on the last day of October. It’s a great opportunity to let your creativity flow. The costumes, decorations, and food are all part of the fun.

It’s an excuse to throw a huge party with friends, family and kids! While some people prefer to celebrate this spooky holiday on their own, many others enjoy celebrating it together with other people.

It’s a good opportunity to meet new people or just spend some time with your friends or family. Halloween is a popular tourist attraction, so there are many destinations across the globe where you can enjoy this spooky holiday.

Read also: Best Halloween towns in USA

Why celebrate Halloween?

Halloween is the time to dress up in costumes, collect candies, decorate the houses and play games. It’s a time to be scared and to get scared. It’s a night to remember when the doorbell rings. It’s one of the most awaited days of the year because it brings a lot of enjoyment and fun.

The best destinations to celebrate Halloween

To celebrate Halloween, you have to know the best destinations. This is the perfect time to enjoy yourself and have fun with your friends. If you prefer visiting a place where you can have a good time and enjoy the atmosphere, I will give you the top 10 best destinations worldwide.

London, United Kingdom

One of the best travel destinations to celebrate Halloween is London, the capital of the United Kingdom. There are a lot of spooky things to do in the city during that time. Doing a tour by The Ghost Bus Tours is great for Halloween.

During such a tour you ride a special double decker bus, which will take you to places in the city with a dark history and there are actors that will make this a very immersive experience.

Also, the London Dungeon is a great place to go to during Halloween, as there is a special Halloween event at this place. As well, The Rivoli Ballroom is a great place to visit. Here, you can see a classic horror film during their “Halloween Fright Night Cinema” event while wearing a scary costume.

Moreover, this event includes a party with live music as well. Furthermore, there are a lot of decorations in the city during Halloween, including at some of the most Instagrammable places in London. For example, each year you can see Halloween displays at Covent Garden, the London Eye, and many other places.

Furthermore, you can experience “Halloween at the Tower of London”. During this, you can do a tour of the Tower of London and learn about its dark history, which can be very spooky.

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Los Angeles, USA

Not many people will think of Halloween and Palm trees, but the popular spooky holiday is a massive hit in the city of angels. LA is full of fun activities during Halloween time, especially if you love hay rides, haunted mansions, theme parks, parades, and festive bars.

One of the best things people love doing when visiting during the fall is hitting up Universal Studios for their themed Horror Nights evening events or Disneylands Oogie Boogie Bash. If you’re a fan of theme parks, either choice will be excellent and will offer a fun twist to the spooky holiday.

Just make sure to book your tickets as soon as possible because spaces are limited and highly valued, Oogie Boogie, for example sells out several nights each time tickets are released. Another fun activity to do that works epsicaly well for families, is Boo at the LA Zoo. This popular event is free when paying for regular admission and features shows, animal feeds and trick ortreating for the kids.

For adults exploring the city during this festive time fo the year, you can visit the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, this event features all out costumes, drinks, loud music, and fun typical carnival activities. There’s also a ton of themed bar nights that especially bustling during the weekends, and you’ll find bar crawls happening all around the city. 

When visiting Los Angeles, you’ll want to pick a place to stay that is centrally located near public transportation and highways incase you choose to drive instead. A perfect place to stay is the Omni Los Angeles  Hotel, it’s located in Downtown LA and near some of the main metro lines and they have valet parking with in and out privileges. 

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Mexico City, Mexico

Halloween is a wonderful time to visit Mexico City as it coincides with one of the country’s biggest festivals, the Day of the Dead. Easily the liveliest day to visit Mexico City, you’ll start to see signs of the festival all through October, with the city being decorated with orange flowers, skulls and colourful paper.

Ofredas (huge remembrance altars) are set up in the central square in Mexico City, as well as in museums, and death-themed activities overtake the city, such as theatre, street performances, parades and concerts. Despite falling at the same time as the Day of the Dead, there are also several Halloween celebrations in Mexico City, including a Horror Film Festival and Halloween-themed parties at nightclubs and Six Flags amusement park.

The highlight of the celebration, the Day of the Dead parade, is usually held around 31 October – 1 November, but the date is only announced a couple of months in advance, so check your dates. On the day itself, you can also go on a boat ride along the canals with special performances or take a stroll through a candlelit cemetery. No matter where you stay in Mexico City, you will find parties and celebrations in honour of the festival.

If you’re planning on celebrating Halloween in Mexico City, it pays to book in advance as it gets very busy in the lead up to the festival. Try to be in the city a week before the parade, to give yourself time to soak up all the activities and excitement.

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Chicago, USA

Halloween is a festive time of year, and there’s no better place to celebrate than Chicago. The Windy City comes alive during Halloween, with costume parties, trick-or-treating, and Chicago Park District events.

Here are a few reasons why Chicago is the perfect place to celebrate Halloween:

For starters, costume parties are aplenty in Chicago. If you’re looking for a costume party to attend, you won’t have to look far. There are costume parties at bars, clubs, and other venues throughout the city. And if you’re looking to host your own costume party, Chicago is a great place to do it. There are plenty of party rental companies that can help you make your party a success.

Trick-or-treating is also a popular activity in Chicago. Many of the city’s neighborhoods are safe and welcoming for trick-or-treaters, especially Wicker Park and Logan Square. And if you’re looking for a place to take your kids trick-or-treating, there are several Chicago Park District events that are perfect for families.

The weekend before Halloween, one of the best things to do in Chicago is at Garfield Park Conservatory for Creatures of the Night. Kids can trick or treat in costume and learn about cool nighttime creatures like owls and bats. Plus, it’s free!

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Washington, USA

Olympic National Park, in Washington state, is the perfect destination to celebrate Hallown, given its moody beaches, low-hanging clouds, and mysterious forests. With its haunting beauty, it’s no surprise that Forks, located along the western section of the coastline of the park, was the setting of the supernatural romance, Twilight, complete with vampires, werewolves, and eternal love.

If you’re a diehard Twilight fan, consider visiting some of the sites from the books here, like the rugged Rialto or La Push Beaches. You can even stay in the Miller Tree Bed and Breakfast, which matches the description of the Cullens’ residence in the Twilight series and has vampire themed accessories sprinkled throughout the house.

Alternatively, if you want to see some other places within the park that offer natural beauty with a hint of spooky, check out the Hall of Mosses trail, one of the best hikes in Olympic National Park that’s right by Forks, that meanders through an ancient forest, with towering trees, hanging moss, and a propensity for dramatic fog. 

If ghost hunting is more up your alley, head to Lake Crescent, which is believed to be haunted by the Lady of the Lake. This legend dates back to 1937, when Hallie Latham Illingworth’s husband strangled her and dumped her body in the lake, leaving her spirit to wander its shores for centuries, seeking help. If you’d like to seek her out, sightings are most commonly reported along the Spruce Railroad trail around the lake.

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Dublin, Ireland

Most visitors to Ireland are unaware that it was in fact the birthplace of the spookiest holiday of the year – Halloween. A pagan holiday originating from the Celts that celebrated the end of the harvest season and the beginning of longer less fruitful months, the pagans would dress up in costumes and disguise themselves from the spirits that were supposed to cross over on the eve of October 31st. 

This makes Dublin easily the best place to celebrate ghouls, spirits, and the underworld. Dublin also happens to be the birthplace of Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, and arguably the most famous vampire in ‘existence’. What better way to celebrate Dracula and Bram Stoker than by attending the Bram Stoker Festival, which promises to be a spooktacular affair? 

The city of Dublin loves to celebrate all things Halloween, and you’ll find several pubs across the city hosting fancy dress costume parties – even if Halloween falls in the middle of the week. Check out event guides in the city to learn more about Halloween parties. 

What better time to visit the Glasnevin Cemetery, and compelling graveyard with incredible storytellers? Join their ‘Dead Interesting’ tour of the graveyard and learn about the fascinating history of some of Ireland’s most famous permanent residents. 

Stay in the heart of the city in the Grafton Hotel, where everything you could possibly want is located on your doorstep. Some of the best pubs in Dublin are a few feet away, such as the Hairy Lemon, Grogans, and Peter’s Pub. And don’t forget about picking up some costumes on Grafton Street, a stone’s throw away from the hotel’s front door.

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New York, USA

Halloween in New York is a big thing and fun to experience. New Yorkers take Halloween very seriously and decorate their houses, wear costumes and kids go from door to door for trick and treats. 

In Greenwich village there is a parade starting at 7 PM where anyone in costume can join, including tourists! With live music, spooky decorations and some of the creepiest and wildest Halloween costumes, this Halloween parade is a big happening in New York. 

Another fun thing to do during Halloween in New York is taking the Ghost Tour of Greenwich Village. During this tour you will pass some haunted places and the Hanging Tree. This tour not only takes place during Halloween, you can book it any day of the year, making it some of the best things to do in New York at night. 

If you’re more into Halloween parties instead of parades or spooky tours, then you can go to one of the many rooftop bar Halloween parties in New York. Join the local New Yorkers and come dressed up in your best Halloween costume to party all night! 

Another fun thing to do during Halloween in New York is going on a Halloween themed cruise! This is the perfect combination of enjoying the New York skyline from a yacht while enjoying the Halloween party. 

Lastly, for the dog lovers there is an annually dog parade on Tompkins Square where you can see hundreds of dogs in all kinds of fun and spooky costumes.

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Salem, USA

Infamous for its late 17th century hunt and execution of a number of accused witches, it is no wonder that Salem is a spooky place, perfect for all Halloween lovers. 

Less than one hundred years after its founding, Salem became the hotspot for witch trials where nearly two dozen people were put to death in just three months time.

Whether on a ghost tour or on your own, some historical haunted sites you can visit in Salem include The Witch House, Old Burying Point Cemetery, Proctor’s Ledge, Howard Street Cemetery, Old Salem Jail, the House of Seven Gables, and the Hawthorne Hotel. 

The real history is enough to make Salem a great haunted destination, but it also has plenty of present day attractions for anyone visiting during the months of September and October.

Special attractions and events include a number of haunted houses, a haunted halloween boat cruise, a halloween museum, the witch history museum, the Salem Witch Museum, a magic show, Halloween on the Hill (a halloween themed trail), the International Monster Museum, Pirate stories and artifacts and so much more. 

There are also some kid themed activities like the Fun Fest, a Jack-o-lantern festival, a children’s costume ball, live music and a firework show on Halloween night. Aside from those events, Salem is more of an adult Halloween destination as trick or treating is generally just for residents of the area. 

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Madrid, Spain

Madrid is great to visit year-round but fall, right around the time of Halloween is one of the best times to go if you can. Since the city is so multicultural, there will be different cultures celebrating their special events during this time, including a considerable Mexican community who honour the Dia de Los Muertos.

It’s important to note that this is not usually a part of Spanish celebrations but Mexican influence has brought the Dia de Los Muertos to Madrid over time. There will be skull decorations, flowers and intricately decorated altars at places like the Mexican House in Madrid. Most events are free so this is a fantastic budget-friendly activity in Madrid during Halloween.

You’ll, of course, also find plenty of traditional Halloween events such as club nights all themed for Halloween. It’s often considered one of the biggest nights for going out in the entire year, only second to New Year’s Eve.

Head to a big venue like Kapital, Fabrik or SoHo which often plan giant fiestas with thousands of attendees. Of course, you’ll have to dress up in a fun costume. If you’re not too keen on nightlife, check out other Halloween activities such as the Panic Bus which drives around the city with horror actors and other scary surprises.

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Oaxaca, Mexico

Not many people will think of Halloween and Oaxaca, Mexico. But we should! This is because the city is famous for its Dia de los Muertos, also called the Day of the Dead. This is a very important celebration for the locals. In fact, it’s so famous that it’s been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos in Spanish) is an ancient Mexican holiday celebrated primarily in Mexico, where it is also known as Día de Los Muertos. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

Celebrations consist of parties, where both young and old get together to eat, drink and dance. The celebrations are a mix of modern life with traditional customs and beliefs. Families set up small altars called “ofrendas,” which are decorated with pictures of their deceased relatives.

They also decorate the tombstones of their dead relatives with flowers and burn candles in their memory. It is believed that the souls of the dead return to visit their homes on this day. The celebration is an important part of Mexican culture and identity.

Halloween is a time for celebration, dressing up and enjoying parties. However, which destination is the best place to celebrate Halloween? There are so many options out there.

You can choose to celebrate in a big city like London or New York, or you might prefer a country setting. Whatever you decide, this time of year is all about having fun and enjoying being scared, so go ahead and have a happy Halloween!

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