Halloween Celebrations Expand Across UK, Ireland, US

Communities across the U.K., Ireland and the U.S. are staging a wide range of Halloween and Samhain events throughout October into early November, from family-friendly pumpkin trails and trick-or-treat programs to haunted mazes, immersive scare experiences and live-music nights. In the West of England, highlights include a silent disco linking Bristol Aquarium and We The Curious, haunted tours aboard the SS Great Britain, Bristol Zoo’s Howl‑O‑Ween, Over Farm’s Pumpkins After Dark trail, Painswick’s Time Traveller Scarecrows, Wookey Hole family shows, Shepton Mallet Prison ghost tours and Berkeley Castle’s Haunted Castle Experience, while Barrow will run haunted mazes and themed live shows including a Sleep Token tribute gig (Oct. 31) and The House of Horror maze (Oct. 30–31) with 25+ live scare actors. In Ireland, offerings include Killarney’s Haunted School at St Brendan’s (Oct. 22–24), the Kenmare Howl series (Oct. 24–28), the Samhain Chiarraí festival (mid‑Oct–early Nov) and Carlow’s town‑wide Samhain Festival (Oct. 20–Nov. 2), along with other Kerry county school-run haunted houses and multi-day Samhain events. U.S. local listings highlight family spooktaculars such as Milwaukee’s free Brady Street Halloween Spooktacular (Oct. 25), school-district “bus‑n‑treat” walk-throughs, Rock Springs’ Halloween Stroll with a new Trunk‑or‑Treat partnership, community trick‑or‑treat streets in Pierce County and Puyallup, and Kansas City ghost tours including the Midland Theatre’s famed ghost “Frank.” Larger U.S. fan events include the Washington State Horror Con (Oct. 24–26) with celebrity horror guests. Organizers and agencies are emphasizing safety and community involvement: some attractions require tickets and set time slots, and local programs including a Virginia Department of Transportation roadside‑cleanup appeal (Oct. 25–Nov. 2) are asking residents to help keep public spaces clean and safe during the Halloween period.