It's a Halloween Scare-fest for all the family here in Blackpool

Blackpool doesn’t just do light – we also do dark pretty well, too!

There is a magical programme of fun for all ages lined up over the next two weeks as we dust off the pumpkins and the cobwebs and turn our attention to those things that go bump in the night.

For those who like to put on a brave face, there are plenty of spooky activities and events to sink your teeth into and, with Halloween creeping ever closer, now is the time to start planning.

And even if scare-fests are not your cup of witches’ brew, our award-winning attractions are still open with their usual fantastic experiences and there is the spectacular Blackpool Illuminations display to enjoy as well as the annual Lightpool Festival which runs from October 14-29.

Here’s just a taste of the haunting Halloween adventures taking place in Blackpool:

Family-Friendly

• Dare to ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach where there is an extraordinary programme of spellbinding Halloween adventures this October. Watch out for Lougarock, the 8ft tall werewolf; join late-night thrill sessions on October 29; ride on the world’s original Ghost Train; or book a ticket for the child-friendly Circus Of Horrors matinee show.
• Check out the famous Haunted Hotel in the tableaux section of Blackpool Illuminations. Watch out for the spooky holograph and special lighting effects with ghosts, goblins and witches played out to classic songs like Thriller and Monster Mash.
• SEA LIFE Blackpool has turned from aquarium to “ascarium” with a special underwater trail, giving visitors the chance to help the Sea Witch find missing ingredients for a magical potion.
• Where better to celebrate Halloween than The Blackpool Tower Dungeon? Get dunked head first into 1000 years of grisly and hilarious history as the live actors and immersive sets bring Lancashire's past back to life.

Join The Victorian Ghost Hunter on a Blackpool Ghost Walk as he guides you to some of Blackpool’s most famous and most haunted locations with his tales of the supernatural.

• Take a Haunted Tram Tour as our resident Ghost Hunter regales passengers with spooky stories as the tram rumbles along the Promenade.
• Hop into a rabbit-sized world of adventure this Halloween for a month of fun and games with your favourite characters from the hit Peter Rabbit™ CBeebies TV show. Follow the trail that will lead you to Peter’s pumpkin patch for a Halloween hare-raving disco, where you’ll get to hop and dance to your favourite spooky tunes.
• Arcade Club are staging a Halloween Family Fun Day. Join Europe's biggest video and pinball arcade for an action-packed day full of petrifying party games, creepy craft activities, and of course unlimited gaming in the free play arcade.

• Join Russ Brown in the 'Haunted' House of Secrets for this Family Halloween Spooktacular, with party games, a not-so-scary Halloween Magic Show and fancy dress competition.
• Hocus Pocus heads to Houndshill Shopping Centre where you will get the chance to say hello and take a selfie with lookalikes from The Sanderson Sisters.
• elebrate in style (and vigour) with themed children’s parties at Ascent Trampoline Park during October-half-term.
• Ideal for your mini monsters, Revolution’s Spookfest is a frightfully fun evening out for all the family. Enjoy Witches Surprise Kitchen for some devilish delights, Hook-a-Spooky Duck, freaky face painting, and a chocolate apple station for you to sink your teeth into.
• Head for the Pumpkin Festival at Ridgeway Farm on the outskirts of Blackpool where children can pick their own pumpkin and take it back to the orchard to decorate it to their heart’s desire
• Halloween Family Party at The New Philly offers a family friendly, ghoul-filled evening packed with games, best-dressed competitions, disco and plenty of prizes to giveaway.

Grown-Up Ghoulishness

• Journey to Hell Freak Nights are back at Blackpool Pleasure Beach with a terrifying experience with nine scare zones throughout the park.
• Will you brave Pasaje del Terror, the UK’s longest and most intense scare attraction? Located just outside Blackpool Pleasure Beach, you will find 18 actors lurking in the dark representing characters from some of cinema’s scariest horror movies.
• Circus of Horrors is an amazing amalgamation of bizarre and fantastical circus acts that tell a shock-horror story, interwoven with magic, rock ‘n’ roll and loads of laughs.
• A grown-up trip to Blackpool is never complete without a visit to the witty and colourful drag show Funny Girls. This Halloween, enjoy a frighteningly fantastic night out with this special themed performance.
• Join Arcade Club Blackpool for a night of terrifying tunes, creepy cocktails and spooky shots with a selection of prizes for the best fancy dress.

For the full programme with dates, start times and ticket details, go to www.visiitblackpool.com/halloween

A VisitBlackpool spokesperson said: “Our programme of Halloween events and attractions gets bigger with each passing year.

“This year we have got an amazing range of activities going on throughout October with something for visitors of all ages. It’s amazing to see how inventive our attractions and venues can be when it comes to creating a Halloween atmosphere!”

The October Halloween programme is part of an extensive autumn/winter season in Blackpool during 2022:

The Illuminations are shining every night until January 2; the award-winning Lightpool Festival which features a spectacular mix of light installations and live performance takes place from October 14-29; there are free firework displays on Saturday 15, Thursday 27 and Friday 28 October; and Christmas By The Sea, which includes free skating, snowfalls, magic forest, outdoor lightshows and festive market, runs from November 18 until January 2 on the Tower Festival Headland.