If you haven’t found a creepy yet unusual place to celebrate Halloween yet, here are some of the best destinations all around the world to consider. Do you know where the Halloween tradition came from? Most people are sure that this holiday was born in America, but this is not true! I thought the same way, but the first Halloween was in Ireland. So, enjoy learning about the best Halloween destinations you can visit on October 31 this year.
1. Salem, USA
There are plenty of places to celebrate Halloween in the USA. Salem starts decorating for Halloween in early fall. By the first of October, you’ll see Halloween decorations everywhere. Moreover, all special attractions, shows, and events dedicated to Halloween are open and continue to host guests throughout the month. In addition, there are parades, costume contests, Halloween cruises, many ghost tours for visitors, and more.
Best places to go for Halloween in Salem
In Salem, you can visit the Witch Museum, the only building in the city that is directly connected with the Salem Witch Hunt. In October, the museum extended its opening hours.
The former home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, who took part in the witch trials, is now a 17th-century museum where you can get acquainted with the architecture, interiors, and lifestyle of that time.
Salem Witch Village is also considered the best Halloween place and worth visiting if you are going to tickle your nerves.
Halloween events in Salem
You are welcome to devote your time to the Salem Haunted Happenings Grand Parade, which was first organized in 1982 by the Salem Chamber of Commerce and the Salem Witch Museum. The festival was an attempt to organize family activities for guests interested in visiting the “City of the Witches.”
Haunted Salem Witch City Tours, Salem Voodoo, Vampires, Ghost tour, and Dark Stories of Salem are considered the most popular entertainment tours on Halloween in Salem.
In addition, every self-respecting club, hotel, or restaurant holds large parties from the first of October until the end of the month.
More: Top 14 Best Cities and Towns to Celebrate Halloween
2. New Orlean, USA
New Orleans is another mysterious place to celebrate Halloween this year. Above-ground cemeteries, voodoo, and an excellent penchant for weird costumes make New Orleans one of the best places to celebrate Halloween in the world. If you are a fan of the Originals, you know what I’m talking about.
Best places to go for Halloween in New Orlean
The Museum of Death features horrifying moments and stories, such as a history of cannibalism, crime scenes, body bags, a skull collection, and more.
LaLaurie Mansion is one of the spookiest locations in New Orlean since one of the most brutal female murderers in New Orleans history set up a torture chamber in her mansion.
For those looking for an extra thrill, New Orleans also has its own Halloween-only haunted houses like the Mortuary or Scout Island Scream Park.
Halloween events in New Orlean
If you want to be in the middle of the action and don’t mind the crowds, head to the Rue des French in Marigny on Halloween day. Over the past few years, the celebration has become one massive street party popular with locals and visitors alike.
For two decades, Voodoo Authentica has hosted this celebration, which brings together an incredible amount of voodoo-inspired information, entertainment, and gift shopping into one very action-packed event.
In addition to traditional parades and theme parties, New Orleans hosts the famous voodoo music festival, where the city is one big stage with endless colorful performances.
Finally, embark on walking tours of haunted places. Accompanied by an experienced guide, you will discover why New Orleans is considered America’s most mystical city and visit places where paranormal activity has allegedly taken place, including the Lalaurie mansion and other sites in the French Quarter.
3. Anoka, USA
Halloween was celebrated in America for the first time in Anoka, Minnesota. Since then, this one of the best cities for Halloween has been unofficially considered the capital of the holiday. The first celebrations included “game parties” and public events to celebrate the harvest.
Best place to go for Halloween in Anoka
For those who want something spooky, Anoka has a haunted house. You can tickle your nerves by being there because of the creepy atmosphere that reigns there.
Halloween events in Anoka
The self-proclaimed Halloween Capital of the World, Anoka, Minnesota, celebrates Halloween with a big civic parade and a few other city-wide events.
In addition, there are also pumpkin carving contests that people of all ages can enjoy. Finally, decorating contests and a carnival are the most exciting things to do on Halloween in Anoka.
4. Bangkok
I had never thought about the Halloween celebration in Bangkok before, but now I’m planning to visit this place in October. In Thailand, Halloween is perhaps the most actively celebrated in Asia. Firstly, to please the continuous flow of tourists and give them an excellent opportunity to have fun. Secondly, various Thai minorities use Halloween as an opportunity to parade and claim their rights.
Best places to go for Halloween in Bangkok
There are a lot of special areas that are built and decorated for the great Halloween street party.
Bang Rak Fire Station is one of the spookiest Bangkok destinations. Today this eerie building is often used as a backdrop for incredibly scary photoshoots.
Another creepy destination in Bangkok is the New World Department Store. After the top seven floors were demolished in 1997, the remaining four floors were abandoned without a roof, resulting in heavy rains flooding the basement. The building’s collapsing structure and exposed escalator wiring created an eerie feeling.
Halloween events in Bangkok
In Bangkok, this holiday is celebrated in numerous bars, nightclubs, and even shopping centers.
On this day, Thais try to visit the temples of the deities responsible for fertility since it is believed that the sacrifice made to the god of fertility on October 31 is the most desired.
We all know about “gay force” here, and they usually organize a really impressive witching time.
5. Mexico
Many people from Mexico, Spain, and Latin America believe that all their dead relatives come back to them on Halloween and spend this holiday together. This event starts on October 31 and continues till November 2.
Best places to go for Halloween in Mexico
If you want to celebrate your Halloween here, you can choose some spooky places in Mexico. For example, in Mixquic, you will be plunged in the procession to the cemetery and see tons of lighted candles. People in the cortege tote a cardboard coffin to the vigil that usually happens in the lighted cemetery.
Welcome to the colorful markets in some villages near Oaxaca. This city is very bright and beautiful on Halloween. There are many thematic altars, sand tapestries, and Comparsas to discover.
Also, if you want a more lively celebration, you should choose the Chiapa de Corzo colonial town, where you may see very colorful decorations all over the cemetery. Ribbons, candles, and flowers combined with life represent dead citizens who came to be with families.
The exciting Day of the Dead ritual happens every year on Halloween in Janitzio. This small island becomes full of singing and dancing people, and they go to the cemetery to chant for their dead relatives. It looks very solemn and impressive, especially when you see some rowboats with a lot of lighted candles on the lake!
Halloween events in Mexico
One of the biggest fests in Mexico, the Festival of Life and Death, usually happens in Xcaret Park. This one of the best places to visit for Halloween is located in the Riviera Maya.
In Merida, Yucatan, you will see a special ritual connected with “Feast for the souls” (Maya language: Hanal Pixan), when families cook a pit chicken tamale in banana leaves. Also, they organize some festivals on cemeteries and streets.
Finally, citizens of Aguascalientes organize the Festival of Skulls (Festival de las Calaveras) every year.
More: 10 Fabulous US Fall Getaways
6. Ireland
As you already know, Halloween was born in Ireland, so here it’s known as “Samhain Night.” This event takes 5 days, and everybody gets something special. There are breathtaking fireworks and dancing with fire. In the medieval Irish, this event meant that the days became shorter and harvest went to the end. Also, they celebrate with a fire and some spooky dead revisiting.
Best places to go for Halloween in Ireland
Malahide castle is one of the best locations to visit on Halloween. During a tour of Malahide Castle, you can learn the family history of the owners and see authentic antique furniture and works of art.
Ross-Castle is another popular Halloween place. Built in 1536, this five-bedroom stone castle sits on the edge of Loch Sheelin in County Meath. Visitors have reported supernatural activity both inside and outside the castle. For example, they woke up at night because of screams or the constantly opening and slamming of doors.
The spookiest Halloween place in Ireland is Kilmainham Gaol. It is known for its political prisoners or Easter Rising leaders such as Padraig Pierce, James Connolly, Charles Parnell, Eamon de Valera, and others.
Halloween events in Ireland
One of the fastest-growing and most exciting festivals in Europe is the Bram Stoker Festival. It includes vampire hunts, film screenings, literary readings, street performances, and ghost gatherings.
Púca Festival, Co. Louth and Co. Meath is also one of the brightest Halloween events in Ireland, full of fun, music, fire, and feasting.
You can also look at haunted houses, get a ghost-spooky tour, and participate in a Dragon Safari. Each family has some fun, and no one feels bored.
7. England
British Halloween is associated with noisy large-scale festivities, masquerades, fortune-telling, special dishes and drinks, selections of themed films on television, and numerous entertainment events. So put on your best mask and enjoy dancing the night away in the fabulous candlelight setting at a masquerade ball.
Best places to go for Halloween in England
Within the mysterious Georgian tunnels beneath the Strand, the Masque of the Red Death promises an evening of decadence and debauchery, with fantastic live music, dancing, and sweet treats.
If you want to remember your Halloween celebration for years, spend the night in a Haunted Castle or attend a Psychic Supper. Explore Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset. You will creep around the witch’s kitchen, parlor, and a big hall, drenched in neon color and echoing with the cackles and dull drips of the enigmatic river.
In addition, if you want to celebrate Halloween in a morbid Victorian style, you are welcome to visit Blists Hill Victorian Town in Ironbridge, Shropshire. As dusk falls and the sun slips away, the street lamps cast strange and frightening shadows at each corner of this 19th-century town, and plenty of ghostly figures replace the smiling shopkeepers and friendly townspeople.
Halloween events in England
The Stratford-upon-Avon Halloween Festival features a mass zombie walk, magic classes for budding witches, wizards, and numerous ghost stories.
You can also join crime historian Donald Rumbelow on a guided stroll around Jack the Ripper’s haunts in East London. Also, be sure to visit the Ten Bells, a pub at the corner of Commercial Street and Fournier Street, where two of his victims allegedly drank.
Explore the ghostly side of the West Midland Safari Park in the scary, bat-infested Twilight Cave. Or, go on a spooky tour of a 14th-century castle at the Old Wardour Castle, Wiltshire.
You can also take the Exbury Ghost Train through the pitch-black tunnels to be spooked by scarecrows, skeletons, and other ghouls on the route. In addition, Napoleon Bone-aparte and Batty the Vampire will be on board to spook the whole family with scary stories and jokes.
8. Colombia
Halloween festivities in Colombia are the result of the huge influence of American culture. Colombians like Halloween and go all out with amazing costumes. Therefore, anyone who comes to Colombia at the end of October can witness a unique celebration.
Best places to go for Halloween in Colombia
The José Raimundo Russi House. The residents say that the ghost of Rusi haunts the Plaza Bolivar, where he was executed for the murder of a certain Maunelito Ferro.
Another one of the spookiest places to visit for Halloween in Colombia is the Casa Sámano Museum. It is a former home of Colombia’s most hated historical figure, Viceroy of New Granada Juan Samano. This current museum supposedly still houses his vile and vengeful spirit.
The scariest Halloween place is Armero. Ferocious volcanic landslides engulfed the town in minutes, claiming more than 25,000 lives.
Also, visiting Hotel del Salto and Tequendama Falls is an excellent idea for Halloween. Unfortunately, the tragic truth is that this hotel and its downfalls in the 1990s are linked to numerous suicides.
Halloween events in Colombia
Bogota undoubtedly is the best place to celebrate Halloween in Colombia. Bogotá is also the hub of Halloween for adults, with most nightclubs hosting costume contests. Every year, the capital city of Bogotá hosts huge public costume contests and mega parties.
You may also want to celebrate Halloween in Cali, where motorcycle enthusiasts dress up in their scariest outfits during the Moto Halloween Party and ride around the city to celebrate Halloween.
9. Hong Kong
Hong Kong is known as the Halloween party capital of Asia. Such a popular and worldwide celebration as Halloween acquires special features here. Busy residents of the metropolis, living a fast-paced life like no one else knows how and love to relax and have fun on All Saints’ Eve.
Best places to go for Halloween in Hong Kong
Lan Kwai Fong is still today the center of Hong Kong’s nightlife, which is now filled every evening with a festive mood and a joyful crowd.
A well-documented haunted spot, Nam Koo Terrace is tucked away in a quiet corner of trendy Ship Street, where ghost sightings have been repeatedly reported.
Another haunted place is the infamous “High Street Ghost House,” which refers to the hall of the Sai Ying Pun Community Complex, whose façade was part of a demolished building built in 1892.
Halloween events in Hong Kong
In the last days of October, the holiday captures all the city’s streets, shops, and bars, turning into a real festival called Hong Kong Halloween Treats.
You can also visit a street celebration in Hong Kong that traditionally takes place on Tsim Sha Tsui Avenue, where you can see many people in interesting costumes and participate in the fun yourself!
Another great Halloween event is the “Yue Lan” festival of the Hungry Ghosts.
You are welcome to a more commercial event celebrated by American or Canadian expatriates. For example, Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park (Halloween Bash) hosts an annual Halloween show. Guests will be treated to carnival processions, performances, and colorful spooky installations.
10. Transylvania, România
Brasov is the birthplace of the legendary Count Dracula, located in the historical region of Transylvania. This mysterious land is best known for its medieval cities, mountain ranges, Gothic castles, and the many stories created thanks to Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. Whether you believe in the legends of bloodthirsty vampires and moon-howling werewolves or not, Brasov is the perfect place to celebrate Halloween.
Best places to go for Halloween in Transylvania
Transylvania begins in Brasov: there are forested mountains, gloomy Gothic churches, and impregnable castles.
If you want to spend your Halloween in one of the scariest places in the world, consider visiting Bran Castle. It is especially loved by thrill-seekers, as it is rumored to be haunted by vampires and ghosts. Built on a high hill, it has gained fame today as Dracula’s castle. Gothic architecture, narrow passages and stone stairs, small rooms, and original furniture – everything reminds of the times when a bloodthirsty vampire lived here.
Poenari Castle is a must-see for anyone who comes to Transylvania for Halloween. There is a version that is the real Dracula’s castle, but not Bran, as many historical documents confirm that Poenari has long been one of the main residences of Vlad the Impaler.
Hoia Baciu Forest is one of the most mysterious and the best places to visit for Halloween in Transylvania. There is a legend that at the beginning of the last century, the area, which had been normal before, for unknown reasons, changed beyond recognition. Animals and birds left the forest, tree trunks gradually bent at incredible angles, and the ground was covered with thick moss.
Halloween events in Transilvania
You can visit one of the most popular Halloween parties that takes place in Dracula’s castle itself! Built in 1377, the legendary gothic fortress hosts a massive Halloween party with the best music, entertainment, and gala dinner.
You are welcome to a Halloween party held at the Medieval Citadel in Dracula’s hometown of Sighisoara. The action takes place in a real dungeon with dinner, drinks, DJs, food, and Halloween-themed decor.
One of the world’s oldest holidays, Halloween, is celebrated worldwide. Kids dress up in different costumes and go trick-or-treating, and awesome decorations, including carved pumpkins, adorn all the streets. Do you love Halloween? Where are you going to celebrate it?
Below, we have compiled a list of the most interesting questions about the unexpectedly spooky Halloween destinations:
