Recently updated on September 30th, 2025 at 03:52 am
Almost every continent has its own spooktacular event that celebrates the grisly, gruesome and downright ghoulish. From macabre parades to ancient rituals, these spooky Halloween festivals around the world will transport you to the dark side.
Banks of the Foyle Carnival: Derry, Ireland
Halloween (or All Hallows’ Eve, as it was known) originated from the Celtic harvest festival Samhain, so it’s no surprise the Irish like to throw a good party. Derry’s four-day extravaganza sees the city come alive (or dead) with a riot of ghoulish events, parades, concerts, markets and fireworks. Over 80,000 people flock to participate in the devilish celebrations. In fact, Derry has been awarded the Best Halloween Destination in the World by USA Today.
Read next: 11 best destinations in Europe to celebrate Halloween in
Halloween at Sleepy Hollow: New York, USA
If Salem is the spookiest spot in the U.S. for history lovers then Tarrytown is the Halloween epicenter for literary lovers. The eponymous setting for Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow goes all out to lure autumn travelers in for fun and frights.
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is the hallmark event: a spectacle showcasing thousands of hand-carved pumpkins throughout the town. There are also cemetery tours, haunted hayrides, readings of the famous tale, and the annual Tarrytown Halloween Parade.
Day of the Dead: Mexico City, Mexico
DÃa de Muertos is so important to Mexicans, it’s been named a national holiday. Celebrated the day after Halloween on 1st and 2nd November, it’s believed to be a time when families are reunited with the spirits of their ancestors. Festivities occur all across the country, though Mexico City holds striking a parade; you’ll instantly recognise the famous colourful skull iconography amongst the floats, marionettes, dancers and acrobats.
Festival de los Barriletes Gigantes: Sumpango and Santiago de Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
Like many places in Latin America, Guatemala celebrates the All Saints Day on November 1st. Just outside of Antigua in the villages of Sumpango and Santiago de Sacatepéquez, the Festival de los Barriletes Gigantes sends kites soaring into the skies. The origin of this festival is said to arise from the bad spirits haunting the cemetery of Sumpango. Bright kites, or barriletes, were created to ward off the evil spirits.
READ NEXT: 13 spooky Halloween traditions from around the world
Hungry Ghost Festival: Hong Kong, China
What do ghosts like to eat? Offerings of watches, jewellery, money and food, apparently. China’s month-long Hungry Ghost Festival acknowledges the souls of the dead returning to roam the earth. If ignored, they will get up to mischief, hence the generous offerings being made. In Hong Kong, the Chiu Chow community hold many rituals as well as a three-day festival. In neighbourhoods, you’ll smell the aroma of burning incense wafting in the air and find offerings on the pavements.
Transylvania Halloween Parties: Bran & Sighișoara, Romania
How better to spend Halloween than in the hills of Transylvania? Annual Halloween parties taking place in Bran and Sighișoara take the Dracula-focused destination to new heights. Private tours of Bran Castle and Sighișoara Citadel, exciting Halloween parties, and live reenactments of folklore set the stage for a unique Romanian holiday.
Village Halloween Parade: New York, USA
A street pageant like no other, Greenwich Village’s Halloween Parade is a New York institution. With an assorted menagerie of wildly creative attendees wearing all manner of crazy costumes, the parade is the city’s main showcase of spine-chilling fun. Led by a procession of gigantic puppets, the parade of thousands is joined by countless bands playing music from all round the world. Expect zombies, Medusas and Ghostbusters galore.
Read next: 10 most haunted places in the world
PumpkInferno: Ottawa, Canada
Canada may get cold come Halloween, but it doesn’t let a little chill but the season’s festivities on ice. PumpkInferno is Ottawa’s take on the traditional jack o’lantern walk. This longtime event uses artificial pumpkins, though they’re still hand-carved and light up like the real deal. What’s exciting about this rain or shine event is that it’s enhanced with a miniature train ride, interactive photo zone, and a sound and light show perfect for boogeying to.
Fed Gede: Haiti
Translating to ‘Festival of the Ancestors’, Fed Gede is a Voodoo holiday celebrated by some communities in Haiti. Similar to Mexico’s Day of the Dead, it takes place on the 2nd November and it is observed by feasting in honour of the gede – the spirits that surround us. Haitians typically make visits to cemeteries to pay respects to the ancestors, with offerings of fruit and coffee made to Baron Samedi (the cemetery gatekeeper) for health and prosperity.
Read next: Spooky season is here. These are the 10 best places to visit for Halloween
Frankenstein Halloween: Germany
While covens of vampires head to England for Whitby Goth Weekend, the Frankenstein fiends make a yearly journey to Germany to celebrate Mary Shelley’s famous fictitious creation. Typically held in Burg Frankenstein, Germany’s oldest Halloween show will temporarily spend another year at Königstein Castle. This interactive experience gets more hands-on than other haunted houses, with some scare zones allowing costumed actors for full-contact with visitors.
Join us on a journey to these exciting destinations by clicking here to discover a captivating Trafalgar trip.
Image Credits: Day of the Dead © Greg Willis/Flickr. Derry © Greg Clark/Flickr. Hungry Ghost/Grungeman/Flickr. NYC © Paul Stein/Flickr.Fed Gede © Andrew Welch WikiCommons.