Halloween, Fireworks and Illuminations
Ghost tours, bonfires and fireworks are just some of the activities on offer for your group this autumn. Carrie Drage finds out more about what to expect as the nights get longer.
As summer gives way to autumn, groups can look forward to an exciting array of Halloween events, designed to scare both the young and the young at heart, or take in some of the fireworks displays, bonfires and illuminations being staged up and down the UK.
Eerie attractions
Many of Britain’s visitor attractions have special events planned for Halloween and Bonfire Night.
From 27th until 31st October, visitors to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard will be invited to create their own paper lantern in one of a series of free workshops and be part of an illuminated procession from the Dockyard to the waterfront at Gunwharf Quays. Voyage East, which is free to attend, culminates with a dramatic fireworks display.
Meanwhile, at the Black Country Living Museum, in the West Midlands, groups can attend a Traditional Bonfire Night on 5th November. Taking centre stage will be a giant bonfire; however, groups will also be able to indulge in hot roasted chestnuts or enjoy a variety of entertainment, including fairground rides.
Also offering a spooky Halloweeen setting are many of Britain’s castles, which have arranged ghost tours over this period exploring their haunted histories.
Starting in Warwickshire, Warwick Castle will be staging its Haunted Castle event between 25th October and 2nd November. Visitors will be able to hear spooky tales from actors dressed as ghoulish grave diggers and grotesque plague victims or take part in the ‘Warwick Ghosts – Alive’ experience where actors and sound, visual and light effects will all combine to bring alive the story of the Castle’s most famous ghost, Sir Fulke Greville. Groups can also lengthen a stay by attending an evening ‘Ghosts and Ghouls Alive Supper’ on 31st October and 1st November. Special rates will be available.
Between 25th and 31st October, Dover Castle, in Kent, will be running tours of The Haunted Castle. Costumed characters will lead you through the building, claimed to have nine resident ghosts and, for the brave souls among you, a night time walk through the war time tunnels is also included. A 15% discount is offered for groups of 11 or more.
Also offering spooky evening tours is Kenilworth Castle, in Warwickshire, which has Ghost Tours planned for 27th until 31st October. Taking in the Castle and the gatehouse, the tour concludes with a mug of warming soup. Again, a 15% discount is available for groups of 11 or more.
Fangtastic funfairs
For thrillseekers, Halloween offers groups the opportunity to ride rollercoasters after dark at theme parks around the country as well as meet some unseemly characters.
At Thorpe Park, in Surrey, a series of Fright Nights return for another year between 13th October and 2nd November. As well as hopping on the rides, brave group members will be able to enter the Park’s interactive horror mazes including Hellgate, where you will be entertained by sideshow freaks, and The Asylum, a maze containing creepy characters waiting to jump out at you. Discounts will be offered on a sliding scale.
Meanwhile, at Staffordshire’s Alton Towers, visitors can be terrified at its Scarefest, which takes place between 17th October and 2nd November. Brave groups can enter the Terror of the Towers, based within the ruins of the theme park’s gothic house, where there will be a ‘scare-maze’ with live actors ready to frighten you. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more.
Taking place between 18th October and 2nd November is Halloween Hocus Pocus at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey. Actors dressed as witches and vampires will be stationed at various points across the park to interact with visitors and groups will also be able to ride the park’s scariest rollercoasters in the dark. Admission will be discounted for groups of 10 or more people.
Haunted houses
Halloween also provides the perfect opportunity for visitors to the UK’s historic houses to hear grim tales and ghostly goings-on from their colourful pasts.
In Oxfordshire, Blenheim Palace will be hosting An Awfully Victorian Halloween between 25th October and 2nd November. A costumed Victorian guide will lead you through the Palace recounting grisly tales from the Victorian era and, at weekends, Victorian magic lantern shows will be performed in the Stables Courtyard offering optical magic tricks and circus acts. Group rates are available for 15 or more people.
More ghosts are waiting to be discovered on a spooky out-of-hours guided Ghost Tour of Ham House and Garden, in Surrey. Taking place over four days on 30th and 31st October and 1st and 2nd November, these one-hour torchlit tours of the House, reputedly one of the most haunted houses in Britain, end with canapes and drinks in the 17th century orangery. Discounts may be negotiable.
In Kent, Ghost & Gourmet Evenings can be enjoyed at Ightham Mote on 1st and 7th November. The evening comprises a mulled wine reception before embarking on a ghostly tour of the house, followed by a two-course buffet meal in the Mote Restaurant. Discounts may be negotiable.
Another property set to send shivers down your spine is Aberconwy House, in Wales, which will be offering Ghost Stories in the House on 2nd November.The guided tour will explore the 500-year old House’s paranormal activity. Again, discounts may be negotiable.
Fireworks and illuminations
Alternatively, groups can take in an elaborate fireworks display or illuminations show.
One of the year’s most anticipated events is the Blackpool Illuminations, which will shine from 29th August until 2nd November. A new element at this year’s Illuminations will be ‘Local Heads’, a colourful installation influenced by 60s pop art. Five hundred faces will appear in lights, a mixture of both local people and influential artists, past and present. Another option introduced for the first time this year is a guided tour of the Illuminations, which will give your group an insight into more of the new features, the 129-year history of the lights and behind-the-scenes facts. Guides can either board your coach for the six-mile journey or, for those of you planning to visit the Illuminations by foot or tram, call in at your hotel for a pre-visit talk. A fee will be charged.
Kicking off the firework season is the British Musical Fireworks Championships, in Southport, which will be held between 3rd and 5th October. To coincide with both the 10th anniversary of the Championships and Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture year, it will be an extra-special event, whereby all past winners will be invited back to compete in a Champion of Champions contest. Staged in a location overlooking Marine Lake, the event is best known for the colourful reflections it casts over the water. Discounts are available for pre-booked groups.
In Berkshire, Legoland Windsor will, once again, be running its popular Fireworks event over six days on 25th, 26th and 31st October and 1st, 2nd and 8th November. Discounts are offered on a sliding scale.
Claiming to be one of the top ten bonfire and firework displays in the country, the Carlisle Fireshow, in Cumbria, continually attracts in excess of 30,000 visitors each November. Taking place in Bitts Park on 1st November, the show will be synchronised to music and a fairground will also be on site. Admission is free; however, donations are welcomed.
Meanwhile, at Drayton Manor, in Staffordshire, a two-day Fireworks Spectacular will take place on 1st and 2nd November. On both nights, the fireworks will be set to a different musical theme (yet to be announced) and the theme park will stay open later than normal giving visitors the chance to ride the rollercoasters in the dark. Discounts are offered on a sliding scale.
A similar experience can be enjoyed at Thorpe Park, in Surrey, where groups can enjoy the thrill of its high-octane rollercoasters – Stealth, Colossus and Nemesis Inferno – well into the night, whilst taking in a spectacular firework display. Thorpe Blast will be held from 7th until 9th November and discounts are, again, offered on a sliding scale.
In Kent, Leeds Castle will be hosting two events this fireworks season. Music and Light Firework Spectacular on 7th November will be an evening pyrotechnic display set to music, whilst Legend of Excalibur Firework Spectacular, on 8th and 9th November, will be a firework and light show based on the tales of King Arthur. As well as a themed firework display, groups can also enjoy watching jousting by re-enactors, which will take place in the castle grounds over the course of the afternoon. Both events will be discounted for groups of 15 or more
Moving to the West Midlands, a Bonfire Bonanza! will be staged at the West Midland Safari and Leisure Park on 8th November. Along with a roaring bonfire and a fireworks display, groups can also take in the Safari Illuminations, which is a trail of replica African animals lit up in lights. Discounts are available for groups of 12 or more.