Halloween in London for kids: 15 wicked activities for families

The history of the Tower of London goes back a whopping 900 years, which covers a hell of a lot of torture, prisoners and executions – most famously the beheading of Anne Boleyn. It‘s no surprise then that the landmark is notorious for ghostly sightings. Visit over October half term and follow a spooky trail around teh ancient landmark and see if you can spot medieval queens, Roman soldiers and wizards lurking about the place. Keep track of the ghosts you see along the way and drop by the ruined garden in the shadow of the White Tower where you’ll see the decaying walls and barred windows of a lost palace. 

It’s the perfect time of year to explore the Henry VIII’s haunted palace. Over October half term the grand, gloomy corridors and courtyards of Hampton Court Palace will be filled with atmospheric projections and creepy sound effects. Tiptoe through the grand pile and learn about the infamous ghosts said to roam the grand rooms. Look out for witches and alchemists dotted all over the palace, visit to the ‘Gallery of the Damned’ to see eerie portraits come to life, or stop by the ‘Council Chamber’ to take part in a séance. Feeling brave? Head outside to the Haunted Garden to spot carved pumpkins and listen to spooky stories. 

Warner Bros Studios’ blockbuster Harry Potter exhibition has undergone a spooky makeover from now until mid-November as its Dark Arts theme returns. Most spectacularly, the Great Hall is filled with a hundred flickering, flying jack-o’-lanterns – aka Instagram heaven. Elsewhere there’s a special limited edition passport, plus Death Eaters galore: wandering around looking menacing, but also with interesting demonstrations of everything from their wand stance, their choreography and their costumes.

Get stuck into some seasonal nature-themed activities at this Hyde Park discovery day for children of all ages. Stick your hands into creepy 'feely boxes', make an owl mask, learn about hibernating hedgehogs and make a potion using natural ingredients. Fancy dress is encouraged. The event is free but places should be booked in advance on the Royal Parks website.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich’s planetarium gets a spooky twist this Halloween. Ted and Plant will go on an adventure across the Solar System in search of the best place to take a holiday, with an interactive workshop to follow. The event is suitable for three to six year olds so expect the scares to be gentle.

Chelsea Physic Garden is a wonderfully gothic place to celebrate Halloween, and as usual will be staging all manner of kid-friendly fun for its Family Halloween season. Head down to the Grade I-listed botanic garden during the half-term holidays, and your brood can take part in pumpkin painting and carving workshops (Monday October 28), where you’ll learn about how pumpkin plants grow and explore the autumnal flora growing in the garden, or a broomstick-making session (Tuesday October 29), where you can craft your own steed from material foraged from the garden, before joining a mass broomstick ride around the gardens. Check out the Chelsea Physic Garden site to register for each event (and be quick about it, because they always sell out well ahead of the half-term holidays!)

If you want to make some festive treats to munch on this Halloween, pay a visit to Biscuiteers’ School Of Icing at its Belgravia and Notting Hill locations. Here, you’ll be taught – as the name suggests – how to master the art of icing, including colouring, piping, feathering, line and flood icing. All the biscuits and decorating materials you need are included in the ticket price, plus they’ll throw in a special Biscuiteers tin for you to take home your spooky creations in. The standard events have an age limit of 14 and up, but a half term event will be specifically designed for younger budding icers.

Chessington’s annual frighlfest is back, filling the theme park with even more screams than usual. It’s your last chance to catch the award-winning show ‘Banyan – The Final Flame’, while werewolf Wilf and vampire bat Violet will be throwing a kid-friendly party. In the Wild Woods, the Vile Villagers will be recruiting for fresh blood, and all the usual spine-tingling rides will be in operation.

Forget just picking a pumpkin from the patch, this event lets the little ones get really hands on with their gourds. With the provided paints, they’ll be able to turn the orange orbs into whatever spooky design they choose, and learn about the fruit in the process. The workshop is designed for kids aged five and up and all materials are included. 

The producers of Kew Gardens’s beloved Christmas trail get spooky for 2024 with the introduction of a brand new Halloween trail through the iconic gardens. It’s a light trail, basically, but a super souped up one: we’re promised eerie illuminated trees, ghoulish installations, fire performers and more, with a troupe of actors on hand to stoke up our horrors (in a family friendly way of course) There are three timeslots: Daylight sessions run during the daytime and are intended for younger audiences who want an absolute minimum of spookiness; Twlight slots are between 6pm and 7.30pm and things are definitely getting a bit scarier (ie darker); finally the Moonlight slots run after 7.30pm and it should be fully dark at this point. It’s worth stressing that the trail is suitable for all ages at all times but certainly there are ways a means of managing the spook factor and fitting it around the bedtime of younger audiences.

If none of that’s your bag, there will be Room on the Broom-themed activities running at Kew from October 19 to Nov 3 during the day.

Some of the zoo's inhabitants are pretty scary at the best of times, but Halloween is their chance to be extra creepy as visitors are treated to this run of family-friendly activities. Pay a visit to the Extinct Species Graveyard to learn about all the animals that a no longer with us and find out how we can prevent more furry, feathered and scaly friends from leaving us for good in the future. Drop by the pumpkin patch to paint your own gourd, make a spooky mask in a special crafts area, or listen in to a talk about animals like spiders and bats. If you’re feeling really active, grab a trail card and time jar and go on a quest to beat extinction.

Lauderdale House will be transformed into an immersive, circus-themed experience this Halloween, where visitors will be led by The Ringmaster and meet different characters along the way. The walk lasts 45 minutes and finishes with a singalong and special Halloween treats for the kids. The venue notes the show is best enjoyed by children aged five to nine, but younger and older attendees are welcome.

This Halloween, Serafina the Sea Witch will take up residence at the SEA LIFE London Aquarium, where she’ll be setting magical challenges to all who pass through to help her protect her ocean home. Grab an activity sheet and complete the tasks as you make your way around the aquarium, learn about the tricks of the sea creatures who make up our seas and earn some SEA LIFE Halloween treats to take home with you. Sounds like a scarily good day out to us.

Get the kids raving early with Big Fish Little Fish’s Halloween family extravaganza. The events – in Hackney and Woolwich – are aimed at parents with children aged 8 and under, and bring together all the best bits of a more adult party (a bar, dancing, DJs playing club bangers) with kid-friendly excitement added. We’re talking craft tables, bubbles, balloons, foam machines and the big one – a parachute dance. It actually might be better than your average grown-up night on the tiles… Buggy parking and baby-changing facilities are, of course, provided so get the kids dressed up in their best Halloween costumes and get ready to rave.