This Halloween, Wales is going properly dark. Steam trains disappearing into haunted woodland? Demonic clowns taking over a Conwy forest? Welsh folklore, medieval castles, Hitchcock on the big screen? Antonia LeVay picks out 10 seasonal treats.
Ffear Fforest: The Last Laugh
Anyone afflicted with coulrophobia (look it up if that’s a new term to you – or think Stephen King’s It) should probably jump to the next entry. For those still reading, Zip World’s annual Ffear Fforest returns with The Last Laugh, unleashing a horde of demonic clowns into the north Wales forest. A standard ‘night pass’ includes two rides on the Cursed Coaster, access to The Nets all night, and participation in The Surge – with upgrades available for those whose nerves somehow remain intact.
Zip World, Betws-Y-Coed, Thurs 8 Oct-Sun 1 Nov
Tickets: from £24. Info: here
Monsters Of The Mine
There’s something inherently unsettling about spending Halloween around an old Welsh colliery, isn’t there? Zip World evidently agree, and their southern branch is leaning into it this month. Monsters Of The Mine brings a Halloween scare experience to the former Tower Colliery site, combining the industrial landscape with Zip World’s taste for high-adrenaline entertainment. It’s a great south Walian alternative to Ffear Fforest – and certainly more memorable than another pumpkin trail.
Zip World Tower, Hirwaun, Fri 9 Oct-Sun 1 Nov
Tickets: from £22. Info: here
Scream Time
Margam is atmospheric enough in daylight, but throw in darkness, live scare actors and things lurking between the trees and it becomes considerably less reassuring. Scream Time transforms the estate into a large-scale Halloween experience: there’s a family-friendly spooky trail earlier in the evening, aimed at ages seven and up, then an intense scare attraction from 7pm, if you or your kids are 15 or older. Expect darkness, jump scares, theatrical horror, smoke, strobes… and a Scare Village with street food and toasted marshmallows.
Margam Country Park, nr Port Talbot, Thurs 15 Oct-Sun 1 Nov
Tickets: from £22.95. Info: screamtime.co.uk
Spooky Goings-On at Fonmon Castle
This 13th-century castle is going all out, with everything from family Halloween antics to full-on Scare Nights, plus paranormal investigations for those who suspect the real thing might be considerably scarier. Daytime Halloween events run 17 Oct-1 Nov, 10am-3pm, with Dracula’s Story Trail, Beetlejuice’s Castle, Skeleton Gardens, Haunted Dinos, Frankenstein’s Lab and a not-so-scary scare run. The Sanderson Sisters and Maleficent also make appearances, while pumpkin picking, archery and suitably gruesome photo opportunities are available at extra cost.
Come nightfall, things get darker, with Scare Nights from 6-10pm: the gates are opening once again, but this is no ordinary summer camp… Camp Fonmon has gone horribly wrong. Prepare to enter the darkness as terrifying characters, unexpected scares and horrifying surprises lurk around every corner.
Fonmon Castle, Rhoose, Sat 17 Oct-Sun 1 Nov
Tickets: prices vary. Info: here
Ghost Tour / Ghost Stories
Chepstow Castle is just a few decades away from celebrating its thousandth birthday, so has a fair head start when it comes to Halloween atmosphere. On Thurs 22 Oct, visitors can join a dedicated ghost tour through one of Wales’ great medieval fortresses; one week later, the castle hosts an evening of ghost stories, for which ancient stone walls, darkness and several hundred years of death, drama and intrigue provide their own production values. There are also mini pumpkin-decorating activities from Sat 24 Oct-Sun 1 Nov.
Chepstow Castle, Thurs 22 + Thurs 29 Oct
Tickets: £15. Info: here
Creepy Quest
If Dracula had commissioned a holiday home just outside Cardiff, it might look something like Castell Coch. The fantastical Gothic Revival castle, rising out of the woods above Tongwynlais, was practically designed for Halloween. Cadw’s special evening tours on Sat 31 Oct and Sun 1 Nov allow visitors to experience the castle when its turrets, richly decorated interiors and surrounding woodland are at their most atmospheric. During the daytime, the Creepy Quest also runs from Sat 24 Oct.
Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, Sat 24 Oct-Sun 1 Nov
Tickets: FREE after admission. Info: here
Steam ‘N’ Scream
This Halloween special from Gwynedd attraction Talyllyn Railway sends passengers towards Dolgoch Woods, aboard a steam train and under the cover of darkness. What could possibly go wrong? The experience combines a two-course meal with a ghoulish nighttime journey, giving Halloween a wonderfully old-fashioned feel. One for families, railway obsessives and anyone who has ever thought a remote Welsh narrow-gauge railway could be improved by adding ghosts.
Tywyn, Gwynedd, Thurs 29 + Fri 30 Oct
Tickets: £28/£17 under-18s/£6 under-5s. Info: here
Halloween Nights / Dark Wales Ghost Tours
Halloween with an unmistakably Welsh twist. St Fagans delves into the folklore, traditions and superstitions surrounding this time of year, with its historic buildings and pathways taking on a different character after dark. (Much of the experience takes place outdoors, so wrap up warm.) There are ghostly encounters, creepy activities and plenty of things hiding in the shadows as families explore the museum grounds. If you think of Halloween as an import from across the Atlantic, this is an opportunity to revel in Wales’ own darker side.
Once the families have departed Halloween Nights, things get rather more serious. At 11pm, Dark Wales Tours – working arm-in-arm with Museum Wales – takes visitors into the 16th-century St Fagans Castle for a late-night exploration of its ghost stories and unexplained happenings. The Castle Ghost Tours have become a regular fixture at the museum, and sell out quickly, but scheduling them at 11pm over Halloween weekend ups the ante considerably.
National Museum Of History, St Fagans / St Fagans Castle, Thurs 29-Sat 31 Oct
Tickets: £16/FREE under-2s (Halloween Nights); £20 (Dark Wales Ghost Tours). Info: Halloween Nights / Dark Wales Ghost Tours
Halloween Trains
If one haunted Welsh trainline isn’t enough, Bala Lake Railway has another. Evening trains leave Llanuwchllyn, travelling down the track until – according to the railway – disaster strikes, and passengers are forced to turn back. Unfortunately, the return journey involves stopping at the little-used haunted Flag Halt, complete with resident ghosts, ghouls and a witches’ coven. Staff and volunteers get into costume and passengers are encouraged to do likewise… plus you can bring your dog and, for a quid outlay, get the shite scared out little Ollie or Dolly.
Llanuwchllyn, Bala, Fri 30 + Sat 31 Oct
Tickets: £12.50/£5 kids; dogs £1 extra. Info: here
Hitchcock Halloween
And finally, something for those who prefer their horror with impeccable direction and a Bernard Herrmann score. National Museum Cardiff celebrates Halloween with a double helping of Alfred Hitchcock: The Birds at 2pm followed by Psycho at 7pm. Kitsch & Sync Collective’s drearily-transformed usherettes will entertain you pre-show as they escort you down the aisles, providing the in-house bar services with a twist. Both films have been imitated endlessly, and neither has lost its ability to unsettle.
National Museum Cardiff, Sat 31 Oct
Tickets: £12. Info: here
words ANTONIA LEVAY
