Sydney knows how to have fun with fear, especially during Halloween with creepy parties, haunted houses, and themed events taking over the city. This year, the city is welcoming its first-ever Halloween festival with parades, markets, and more. Plus, get excited for the return of Luna Park’s Halloscream. Discover your inner ghostbuster and make the most of this season with some of the coolest events happening around town throughout the month of October and beyond.
1. Ghost in The Rocks
Ghost in The Rocks is a new Halloween event which is set to take over The Rocks from October 31 to November 3. Touted as Sydney’s first proper Halloween Festival, the event will feature zombie parties, ghoulish markets, and even an authentic New Orleans-style street parade where everyone is encouraged to dress in their best. The immersive event will transform Sydney’s oldest neighbourhood with flickering lights, ghostly apparitions and multiple scare zones. Featuring both ticketed and free events, the giant festival promises to be the place to be this Halloween so don’t miss out. Read more here.
2. Halloscream
Luna Park leaves no stone unturned for Halloween every year with the spine-chilling Halloscream festival. Previous editions have featured wicked witches, scary spells and terrifying mazes to get lost in. This year is no exception with The Big Top transforming into a haunted immersive experience, actors playing the dead, themed food and drink, unlimited rides and a lot more. Halloscream is suitable for audiences over 14 due to its scary themes. Get in early and find ticket information here.
3. Halloween Family Rave
Families can look forward to the return of the Halloween Family Rave at Bungalow 8 which delighted both kids and adults alike in 2022 and 2023. Get the whole crew and dress up in your favourite characters and dance the night away at this family-friendly event which will also feature lights and music, drinks for adults and plenty of spooky elements. Turning up in your most creative costume is encouraged. The event will be held on Saturday, October 26 from 12-3pm. Get your tickets here.
4. Ghost Cinema
An immersive outdoor horror movie cinema is coming to Sydney with some seriously scary screenings on the menu. From classics like The Conjuring to The Blair Witch Project to more kid-friendly titles like Hocus Pocus and The Addams Family, the Ghost Cinema will take over The Rocks throughout select dates in October and November. Find more information and see the full line-up here.
5. Halloween at the Museum of Fire
Did you know Sydney is home to a Museum of Fire? One of the city’s most unique galleries, the interactive museum includes engine trucks, fire fighting equipment and a lot more. This Halloween they are also hosting a special themed event that is sure to delight the kids. Further details will be announced closer to the day but you can mark your calendar for Saturday, October 26. Keep an eye on their website for more.
6. Halloween Candlelight Concert
If you haven’t been to one of Sydney’s enchanting Candlelight concerts, now is the perfect time to plan a date night. The popular concerts feature tributes for artists like Coldplay, Whitney Houston, Hans Zimmer and more. This spooky season, book your spot for a spooky and immersive Halloween concert and enjoy classics like Thriller by Michael Jackson, Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Ghostbusters theme song and a lot more. Get your tickets.
7. Halloween High Tea Sir Stamford Hotel
Located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, Sir Stamford Hotel offers a classic staycation with the best of Sydney on its doorstep. This Halloween, the hotel is dishing out a themed Halloween high tea with plenty of sweet and savoury delights including fresh fruit, devilled eggs, pastries, lamingtons and more. The high tea will take place on Saturday, October 26 and you can book a spot here.
8. Fear Island
One of Sydney’s most haunted places is getting into the spirit this Halloween. Cockatoo Island will morph into a spooky ghost town complete with haunted tunnels, spooky asylums, live scare actors, themed food and drink and a lot more. The immersive event will take place across 2 weekends this spooky season on October 25-27 and November 1-3. Read more here.
9. Haunted Sydney Pub Tour
There’s no better way to get spooked than an old-school ghost tour of The Rocks. This guided tour of Sydney’s oldest historical area will take you through the city’s past exploring mass burial pits, opium dens and haunted corners during the most haunted time of the year and it kicks off on the doorstep of Sydney’s most haunted hotel so don’t miss out. Get your tickets.
10. Ghost Tour, Royal Botanic Garden
The Royal Botanic Garden is throwing open its gates for a special Ghostly Garden Tour this Halloween on October 1 and 15. Walk past shadowy trees, creepy grottos and dark ponds and hear about legends both past and present in Sydney’s oldest botanic garden. You’ll also get exclusive access to the garden after hours. Get your tickets.
11. True Crime Stories at Brix Distillery
Explore Sydney’s dark history with a snug evening of craft rum and true crime. Sydney crime historian Max Burns-McRuvie will share chilling stories, from the homicidal housewife of Botany Bay to the Haymarket bottle basher at Brix Distillery in Surry Hills on October 31. Enjoy a curated selection of Brix rums and a charcuterie board that pairs perfectly with these spooky tales for $115 per person. Get your tickets here.
12. Halloween at Funlab
From October 4 to November 3, Hijinx Hotel, Holey Moley, and Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq will transform into spooky and fun-filled destinations. From creepy challenge rooms at Hijinx Hotel to eerie mini-golf holes at Holey Moley, and a haunted laser tag arena at Archie Brothers, enjoy immersive Halloween activities at no extra charge. Plus, visit after dark from 6pm to 10pm for the Witching Hour, and get entertained by roaming ghouls and acrobatic performers.
13. Screamfest 2024 at Manning Bar
For an adults-only, dance-till-you-drop event head straight to Manning Bar at University of Sydney. Expect electrifying circus performances with funhouse mirrors and pyro shows, a fun silent disco, neon-lit futuristic cocktails, and a spooky church with a zombie priest. Plus, with costume contests, themed bars and lounges, and cuisine from all over the worldwide, this promises to be the perfect way to spend Halloween night in Sydney. Book your tickets here.