The LUXlife Halloween 2019 Experience Guide
Halloween is almost upon us and the spooky festivities are everywhere. Whether you’re in the mood for a vibrant Day of the Dead themed parade, a murder mystery weekend, or child friendly experience to enjoy with the kids, our Halloween experience guide has something for everyone to enjoy.
Blood and Tears: London's Horror Walking Tour
If you’re a history buff or simply after a unique day out in the capital then this history walking tour is just for you. You and a guest can peruse the hidden back streets and creepy alleyways of London as your tour guide tells you the dark, gruesome tales of Jack the Ripper, a variety of freaky conspiracy theories and plenty more!
What’s more, your tour guide is a former professional actor, researcher and writer who released the hit seller ‘Bloody London’ book so you’ll be in good hands. You’ll also discover secret tunnels and execution sites so prepare to feel your blood turn cold during the tour. A wonderful experience for your favourite horror enthusiast!
Get your tickets for London’s Horror Walking Tour here. A ticket for two to go on the tour is priced at £24.
Patrón Tequila Brings Día De Muertos Celebrations To London
This Halloween Patrón Tequila is taking over 19 Greek Street for a three-day immersive Día de Muertos experience featuring themed artworks, a tequila education experience and, of course, beautiful cocktails!
Kicking the festivities off, a theatrical parade will career through the streets of Soho on the evening of November 1st. Complete with iconic characters from the traditional celebration such as La Calavera Catrina, Monarch butterflies and sugar skulls, the performance will culminate at 19 Greek Street.
There, guests will be presented with an eye-captivating façade covered in Día de Muertos Marigold flowers, before entering and delving into the festival journey with Patrón Tequila. Across the venue, visitors will be immersed in the iconography of the holiday, learn about one of Mexico’s most iconic produce – tequila – and expand their palate through tastings of Patrón Día de Muertos cocktails.
The event will feature stunning artworks created by some of the most influential contemporary Mexican artists who have worked together to showcase the iconography of Día de Muertos and engage the public on the heritage of this festival; Lourdes Villagomez, Lola Argemi, Sofia Castellanos, Francesco Pinzon and Cocolvu. Lourdes and Lola will be on hand to exhibit their acclaimed art and will also present the artworks created by their fellows to ensure guests attending the event can learn from each artist’s distinctive style and narrative.
Also joining the celebrations, are some of the best bars in Central London – 100 Wardour Street, Chotto Matte, Soho Residence – where drinkers can enjoy a signature Patrón Día de Muertos cocktail.
- Date: 1st – 3rd November 2019
- Location: 19 Greek Street, Soho, London, W1D 4DT
Tickets on sale now via Eventbrite priced at £15 for a two-hour slot which includes entry and two cocktails and £30 for entry and two cocktails at the VIP launch party.
Stay over at a haunted castle
Hever Castle near Edenbridge, Kent was the place where Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife and the mother of Elizabeth I, spent most of her childhood and is still in remarkably good shape.
They have 28 beautifully decorated B&B rooms at Hever, not in the main castle but in the two adjacent mock-Tudor era Edwardian extensions. The original 13th century castle is sadly off-limits for over-night guests, though you are allowed to explore it during the day, including Anne’s old bedroom, and there are also 125 acres of gorgeous grounds to be enjoyed, in almost solitude, after the tour buses depart in the evening.
Spooky Details:
The ghost of Anne Boleyn has been reported in all sorts of places around England but here in her childhood home of Hever she has turned up the most. She has been seen standing at the bridge over the River Eden, wandering elegantly around the gardens and stopping awhile at the ancient oak tree where it is said she and Henry used to court.
An unidentified spirit, known as the ‘Unhappy Man’, also appears on occasion, moving slowly through the hallways moaning and groaning, as you do when you’re unhappy, and the ghostly figure of a horse has been seen galloping through the Castle’s Long Gallery, where poltergeist activity has also been recorded.
Book your night away in the haunted Hever Castle here. Prices start at 130.00 GBP per night B&B.
Jägermeister Floating Bar “The Dark Spirit” Is Setting Sail This Halloween
Jägermeister UK in partnership with Ladies & Gents bars, are summoning up an unearthly phantom boat, named “The Dark Spirit”, to sail the canals of London this Halloween.
Setting sail twice daily from Camden, the macabre barge will wind its way along London’s ancient canals and through the mysterious 1km long Victorian-designed Islington Tunnel.
Onboard, the talented team from Ladies & Gents will reward brave souls with an assortment of ice cold shots and delectable cocktails showcasing the intricate flavours of the dark spirits’ 56 different herbs and spices.
The boat can hold up to twelve people per sailing and is fully enclosed to protect the precious cargo from elemental forces. There’s a wood burning fire aboard to keep guests (both alive and undead) from the chills.
Tickets cost £20 and include two hours on “The Dark Spirit” floating bar plus two cocktails. Additional cocktails will be available for £5 each.
Tickets are on-sale now via Design My Night for 23rd October – 3rd November.
Zombie Infection Experience
Have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse? This immersive experience for two is at three locations, each one chosen for its sheer grandiosity and authentic atmosphere. Pick from an abandoned asylum, a terrifying factory and the eerie depths of York Dungeons. Then, get armed with life-like weapons and prepare to take on flesh-eating zombies and terrifying challenges. With limited resources available, use team work, bravery and determination to take on the hair-raising challenges.
Book your Zombie Infection experience here. The zombie experience for two is priced at £149.99.
The Making of Harry Potter- Studio Tour with Afternoon Tea
Combine an enchanting visit to the world of Harry Potter with an exquisite afternoon tea at the equally magical Mercure Hunton Park Hotel. The new Making of Harry Potter Tour at Leavesden Studios lets you step right onto the set of the most famous movie series of all time, with the original sets, costumes and props all on show from all eight films.
Take a stroll down Diagon Alley, tread the stone floor of the Great Hall at Hogwarts and pay a visit to the famous Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Even have your picture taken flying a broomstick, or guzzle down a Butterbeer! Your experience also includes a delicious afternoon tea, complete with tasty cakes, pastries, finger sandwiches and scones with clotted cream and jam. Of course, you will also be treated to a hot pot of tea or coffee too. Tea is served from 3pm to 5.30pm.
Get your tickets for the Harry Potter Studio Tour with afternoon tea here. Prices are set at £129 for two people.
Death Row or The Lost Soul Escape Exit Game
For a truly unique family day out, look no further than this thrilling escape room experience in Warrington. Choose one of two interactive games, and solve exciting puzzles as you race against the clock in a bid to escape the locked room. In the ‘Death Row’ scenario, you’ll have 60 minutes to prove your innocence, solving puzzles and finding clues, before it’s too late and you’re sentenced to death by electric chair.
Pick ‘The Lost Soul’ and you’ll take on the role of a Paranormal Investigator who has been trapped in a spine-tingling Vortex of Lost Souls. You’ll have one hour to piece together evidence before your soul is taken to the other side forever. Does your family have what it takes to escape?
Get your tickets for the Death Row and The Lost Soul Escape Exit game here.The total price for two adults and two children is £29.
The Stratford Coven
This Halloween join The Stratford Coven with their resident mystic DJs for an evening of ghost hunting, cocktails and dancing in The Mezzanine.
Be on the lookout for spooktacular cocktails, including the Super Natural (St Germain, Grey Goose poire, Apple wine, Lemon, Carbonated Garden, Wild fennel) and the Werewolf (Stoly Elite Vodka, Pumpkin seeds, Maple, Cinnamon syrup, Black citrus, Purple Carrots).
The Supreme Witches of the evening are on the hunt for the best blood-curdling dressed, so put on your most hair-raising robes and ghoulish glad rags. The chosen one will win a bottle of Champagne.
The witching hours are from 7pm – 2am, so dance the night away with their Warlock, Wizard and High Priestess DJs playing through this Hallows’ Eve.
Overnight Murder Mystery Break with Dinner for Two
Immerse yourself in a murder mystery and put your detective skills to the test with this eerie overnight break. Available at top quality locations nationwide, and with over 100 original plots featuring twists, turns, gory confessions, and stone-cold killers desperate to hide their crimes, your experience is guaranteed to be a riot.
As soon as you step through the door you’ll find actors mingling with guests, unfolding the story piece by piece over the course of an exciting evening of entertainment. A delicious three course dinner will be served alongside the murder plot, although you may lose your appetite once you learn the deadly motives involved! When the mystery is solved, you can retire to your comfortable room (hopefully nothing goes bump in the night!).
Book your murder mystery break here.The total price for two is £179.
A Horrible History Tour with Diplomat Cruises
Diplomat Cruises, London’s leading yacht charter company which offers bespoke River Thames tours and on-board experiences, is launching two NEW packages in time for Halloween and Bonfire Night, available to book now.
A Horrible History Tour:
Suitable for those seeking an alternative sightseeing experience that brings to life the capital’s most grisly past, guests can expect tales of fearsome fires, petrifying plagues, dungeons, dragons and more from their very own Blue Badge Guide as they cruise past London’s most famous landmarks on a voyage of one of the most famous rivers in the world. The tour includes a two-hour cruise for up to eight passengers with a captain and a Blue Badge Guide, one bottle of champagne and soft drinks.
- Departs from Imperial Wharf
- Daytime and evening tours run from 19th October to 1st November 2019
- Costs from £950
Fireworks Night Experience
This Bonfire Night watch the London sky light up, illuminated by spectacular fireworks displays, whilst navigating the Thames on-board your very own yacht. Cruise past the Houses of Parliament, the target of Guy Fawkes 1605 gunpowder plot, and up to The Tower of London where Fawkes and his comrades were imprisoned and interrogated. The tour includes a two-hour cruise for up to eight passengers with a captain and host, one bottle of champagne and soft drinks.
- Charter departs at 7pm, on the 2nd November 2019 from Imperial Wharf
- Costs from £950
To book visit www.diplomatcruises.co.uk
‘GHOST’ APE this Halloween!
Go Ape is set to host the ultimate trick or treat on daredevil customers this Halloween, as they invite fearless families on a spook-tacular series of twilight adventures in the trees.
When the sun goes down and dusk takes over the bewitching forest, swap knocking on neighbours’ doors for leaps of faith as a family, on a special after-hours Go Ape Treetop Adventure.
Designed for younger adventurers (over 1m tall) and fun-loving families, the Halloween adventure is heightened by the darkness of the forest which comes alive at night. Scramble through a series of suspended tunnels, clamber across weird wobbly walkways, and negotiate all sorts of other tricky (or treaty) obstacles, before leaping into the night air and zooming down hair-raising zip wires, as eerie owls and forest wildlife provide a spooky soundtrack. With ghostly rustling in the treetops and strange shadows across your path, it promises to be a scarily good night out!
Go Ape is opening up a number of its nationwide locations after nightfall for Halloween fun in October and November, available at the following sites only: Alice Holt, Cannock, Crawley, Haldon, Moors Valley, Normanby Hall, Southampton, Thetford, Wendover, Chessington, Black Park and Sherwood Pines. With only a limited number of sessions available, and prices starting at £16 per person, Halloween adventurers are being urged to book ahead to avoid disappointment.
Book your Halloween treetop thrills now at www.goape.co.uk/halloween
Haddon Hall's Little School of Sorcery and The Magical Marks and Graffiti Tour
Children will be able to enjoy a plethora of ghastly games and activities throughout the hall, from creating potions in the kitchen with medieval herbs collected from Haddon’s gardens, to wand decorating, broom and hat making, learning spells and scroll writing. Dressing up is warmly welcomed, with all sorcery students receiving a certificate at the end of their lessons. All the School of Sorcery activities are free of charge and open to children up to 12 years of age.
- Date: October 26th – 31st
Meanwhile for the adults, , Haddon will also be offering its specialist Magical Marks and Graffiti Tours, in which Haddon’s incredibly knowledgeable guides will delve into the mediaeval mind set and explore the history behind the hall’s extensive range of Apotropaic Marks. These magical marks were believed to have the power to avert evil spirits and malign influences and are scattered through the hall’s rooms, hidden in plain sight to offer ritual protection to the property and its inhabitants.
These tours will be conducted in candlelight, with the guides leading visitors through the house, encouraging them to find the Witches Marks, while experiencing eerie tales from the hall’s rich and varied 900 year history. This year, the tour will also include a visit to the Museum, to learn about objects discovered by the 9th Duke during the hall’s restoration, as well as a rare opportunity to visit a mysterious space, historically named ‘The Death Room’.
- Date: Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st October at 6pm.
- Tickets cost £29 per person. Places must be booked in advance via the Haddon Hall website.
For more information on Halloween activity, please visit the Hall’s website.
Myddelton House Garden's Boo-Tanical Trail
Witching hour is fast approaching and fiendish friends are lurking in the shadows of Myddelton House Gardens in Enfield this Halloween. Once the home of renowned Victorian gardener and horticulturist E A Bowles, this sweeping gardens will play host to Gussie the ghost and his ghoulish gardener friends who will be haunting the grounds every evening between 29 – 31 October 2019.
Brave children up for the challenge of exploring the spooky pathways, flower beds and vegetable patches will be given a mysterious map to follow. Once they complete their puzzle-solving mission without being caught by a creepy creature, they will get to claim a goody-bag bursting with treats to take home.
Families can also listen to some scary story-telling and tuck into a selection of devilishly good drinks and gruesome goodies which will be on offer at the Bowles Tea Room.
Frightful costumes of all shapes and sizes are encouraged (but not mandatory) – and you never know, you may give Gussie the ghost a fright yourself!
- Where: Myddelton House Gardens, Bulls Cross, Enfield EN2 9HG
- When: Tuesday 29 – Thursday 31 October
- Times: 16:00 / 17:00 / 18:00
- Tickets: Children £6 (adults go free)
This Halloween there’s something for everyone to enjoy, so now you know where to go if you want to do something different from going to the annual party or going trick or treating with the children.
