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. 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.
3. 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.
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. 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.
6. 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.
7. Party inside a real haunted house
The Old Merchant House in The Rocks is the place to be if you’re looking for a spooky dance party this Halloween. For three nights from October 31 to November 2, the heritage-listed venue will transform into a haunted attraction filled with techno dance parties and four floors of thrills and surprises. Plus, expect DJ takeovers, themed rooms, cocktail bars, and more. Get your tickets here.
8. Head to Haymarket’s Spookfest
For a day of wholesome family fun with a dash of spooks, head down to Haymarket and Flemington from November 1-3 for Spookfest. The local festival will feature street performers, activities like face painting, amazing bargain shopping, and delicious street food.
9. Get tickets for a horror movie marathon
Horror movie lovers can head to Dendy Newtown for a Halloween takeover. 25 of the scariest movies ever made including classics like Nosferatu (1922) and Poltergeist to newer titles like Hereditary, Lake Mungo, and Thesis will be screened for one night only on the spookiest day of them all — October 31. Even better, horror movie ticket holders who show up dressed in a Halloween costume will receive a free small popcorn. Get your tickets on Dendy Newtown.