Top Halloween Events for Kids in Ireland

October is here – it’s time to get into the Halloween spirit! Ireland is the home of Halloween and there are plenty of spooky and fun activities taking place around the country to keep your child entertained this midterm break. From making slime in Limerick to watching fireworks in Belfast, your children will love these events.

Halloween Events for Kids in Dublin

1. The Dublin Ghost bus Tour for kids

Get ready for a family Halloween activity like no other as you step aboard the Dublin Ghost Bus. Joined by your guide (a professional actor) and the bus driver, you’ll take a tour of Dublin’s dark side seeing spooky sights and hearing tales of body snatching, Count Dracula, Vikings and werewolves. The tour will run each Saturday in October as well as the 29th, 30th and 31st of October and is recommended for families with children aged between 7 and 14. Tickets are priced at €15.

2. Halloween Family Frights at The Wax Museum Plus

The National Wax Museum Plus is always top of the bill when it comes to having some family fun in the city. To celebrate Halloween, they’ll be hosting The Haunted Halloween Takeover from October 1st through to November 4th. Each day visitors will take part in a ghoulish treasure hunt around the museum and encounter evil clowns, menacing witches, grim reapers and even the dreaded pumpkin king! The question is – are the monsters real or wax? Guests can also tour around the usual exhibits too for some more fun. Tickets cost €45 online for a family of 4.

3. Creepy Town at the Helix

If you’re seeking fun over fear this Halloween, Creepy Town at the Helix is a must. Taking place at multiple times throughout the weekend of the 27th and 28th of October, Creepy Town is an immersive theatre performance for families with young children. The show is an hour long and totally interactive. With a panto type production featuring visual effects, crazy characters, Creepy Town guarantees lots of laughs for all the family right from the comfort of their seats. Tickets cost €10 - €12. 

Halloween Events for Kids in Leinster

1. Redhills Adventure Halloween Event, Kildare

The people over at Redhills Adventure Centre in Kildare have organised a fantastic family Halloween event: Spooky Hallow. Taking place on 27th and 28th of October, this event promises to be the highlight of your child’s mid-term break. Slots will be available at either 11am, 12.30pm or 2.30pm and the event is suitable for kids aged 2-12 years old. There will be a range of spooky activities to enjoy such as:

• The Field of Spooks
• Zombie Archery
• Zombie Target Shooting with paintball guns
• Pumpkin carving (€4 supplement)
• Face painting
• Giant puzzle games
• Spooky Disco
• Halloween Make and do

Tickets are €13 for children, €7 for an adult and a Family Pass is €33 covering 2 adults and 2 children. There will be some delicious food suppliers serving gourmet burgers and artisan pizza and parents can try their hand at some axe throwing for only €5.

2. Halloween Happenings at Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park 2019

Taking place over seven spooky days from Saturday 36th October to Friday 1st November, Halloween Happenings at Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park is the perfect family Halloween Event. Terrifying treats for visitors include haunted holograms, terror treasure hunts, fun in the Funky Forest and, for older kids, terror train trips and zombie attacks! The event begins at 2pm each day and fancy dress is encouraged – best dressed will win a prize! Family admission costs €32 for a family of four and covers the Halloween event and Lullymore’s usual attractions too.

3. Ladyrath Pumpkin Patch, Meath

Since launching their children’s Halloween event in 2016, the Ladyrath Pumpkin Patch has sold out every year. This year, they’ve expanded the patch, added extra facilities and more fun activities for the family to enjoy. At the patch kids can play on bouncing castles, run through an inflatable obstacle course, get lost in the maze, pick a pumpkin and carve it among other fun activities. Tickets cost €13.95 per child and pre-booking is advised.

Halloween Events for Kids in Munster

1. Boo at Ballymaloe Halloween Event, Cork

Boo at Ballymaloe is a spectacular Halloween event for the whole family. Running from October 25th to 31st from 10am to 5pm daily, this interactive experience with live characters will bring both fright and delight to your little ones. Younger kids can attend from 10am until 12pm, then the scare factor rises for older kids as they explore the area collecting clues and cracking puzzles to find the lost prince. Tickets are €15 per person.

2. Halloween Spooktacular: Bugs & Slime Lab at King John’s Castle, Limerick

Organised by Planet Science Kids, the Halloween Spooktacular event at King John’s Castle is centred around children’s favourite activity: making slime! Kids from age 5 to 12 can take part in the 45-minute-long slime workshop and create gooey bugs, giant slime bubbles, slime monsters and other spooky potions while learning about the gooey side of chemistry. This event takes place on October 29th at 11am, 12.20pm and 1.40pm and costs €20 per child.

3. Ghost Trail Knocknagoshel, Kerry

Now in its 26th year, the Knocknagoshel ghost trail will take place on October 27th 2019 for one night only beginning at 6.30pm and lasting 2.5 hours. It is a community-run event that raises money for local organisations and clubs. Suitable for 12+ but parents may bring children under 12 at their own discretion, you can expect to run into some ghoulish characters along the way. Tickets for the event cost €5 per person.

Halloween Events for Kids in Connacht 

1. Halloween Treat at Turoe Pet Farm, Galway

Turoe Pet Farm’s very own Halloween party is taking place on Sunday 27th, Monday 28th, Thursday 31st October this year. There will be a range of indoor and outdoor activities taking place each day including balloon modelling, face painting, a fancy-dress parade and a Halloween disco. Guests can also tour the farm, cuddle and feed the animals and play in the inflatable zone and playgrounds. Entry is €13 for a child and €8 for an adult or €40 for a family of 4.

2. Halloween Festival at Westport House, Mayo

The hugely popular annual Halloween Festival at Westport House is back! Get ready to be scared silly in the transformed basement of the house between the 26th to the 31st of October from 11am to 5pm where you’ll hear ghost stories, visit dungeons, carve pumpkins and learn the moves to Thriller. Tickets cost €20 and include entrance Pirate Park and all of its attractions including the Ferris wheel, swing ship and zip wires. 

3. Hallowe’en Bonfire & Storytelling, Brigit’s Garden, Galway

Brigit’s Garden is running a Celtic-themed Samhain festival featuring an afternoon of Spooky Arts & Crafts, Chilling Stories with master storyteller Rab Fulton, notions, potions and lotions with the Wacky Witch, Hunting for the Púca and the grand finale, everybody’s favourite - the Bonfire to celebrate Samhain. Taking place on October 27th and 28th, the family-friendly event runs from 3pm to 6pm. Tickets are €10 per person or €35 for a family of four.

Halloween Events for Kids in Ulster

1. Bundoran Pumpkin Carving and Parade, Donegal

Now in its fourth year, the Bundoran Pumpkin Carving Competition & Parade promises fun for the whole family. The event takes place on Halloween and registration begins at 3pm. Take part as a family or a group for just €10 and the organisers will provide you with a pumpkin and cutters. There will be prizes for pumpkins and costumes and face painters on hand.

2. Derry Halloween Festival 

Get ready for some Halloween fun in Derry! The Halloween festival has a massive program of events and workshops happening from the 3rd to the 31st of October. Kids can take their pick from dance classes, spooky stitching workshops, haunted walks, parades, funfairs, movie screenings and much more. There are also events for teens and adults. The festival is wrapped up with a fantastic firework display from 8.15pm on Halloween night. Some events are free, and others have admission fees. View the Derry Halloween Festival programme here. 

3. Halloween Monster Mash & Fireworks Display, Belfast

This exciting Halloween experience is a free event! Taking place on October 27th at the Titanic Slipways in Belfast, this Monster Mash contains elements from Halloween, Diwali and the Day of the Dead. You’ll be greeted by freakish street performers, see spooky shows, hear live music and see the most spectacular fireworks display. There will also be a funfair with rides, arts and crafts workshops and fire shows. Things kick off at 4pm and the fireworks will begin 6.45pm to close the event. 

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