Spooky season will soon be upon us, which means it’s time to start choosing some fun Halloween activities and games for the family.
In this article, we’ve put together a list of our favourite outdoor activities and games suitable for all ages to enjoy this Halloween.
With so many options to choose from, picking the right Halloween activities for your family can be tricky. In this section, you can explore some of our top suggestions for how you can spend the day (and night).
We couldn’t write a list of outdoor Halloween activities without starting with the classic: a visit to the pumpkin patch.
Spend time together before picking the best pumpkins to take home, or, soak in the fresh autumn weather (hopefully it’s not raining). You could even get some great shots for the all important Instagram grid.
Halloween walking tours have become incredibly popular. You can learn more about the area, and get your steps in at the same time.
Why not take a Halloween walking tour of your town? There are loads of trails to explore up and down the UK, and plenty of spooky stories to be told across our history. You could even go for a night walk – if you’re brave enough!
If Halloween walking tours aren’t for you, but you’re still keen to get outside this October, check out our article on UK Walks To Boost Your Mood for inspiration.
Spiders are spooky all on their own, so why not go on a spider hunt to put you in the mood for Halloween? Explore the outdoors with the family as you look for different sized spiders, or have a competition to see who can find the most complex designs!
Although you should be careful not to harm their habitats. Just as you wouldn’t want a giant spider traipsing through your home, they don’t want a person running through theirs.
Fun fact: There are plenty of superstitions about spiders – many believe they’re lucky, or can warn you if a witch is nearby. According to mediaeval folklore, seeing a spider on Halloween was actually the spirit of a loved one.
Halloween parties are a brilliant excuse to get friends and family together for a spooktacular night of fun and games. Enjoy tasty treats like toffee apples and pumpkin bread, and wash it down with a fruity punch from a nearby cauldron.
There are plenty of Halloween party games to play too, like broomstick races or pin the hat on the witch.
If you’re looking for something a little spookier, why not go on a night hike?
With your vision limited, all of your other senses are enhanced, and every flap of a bird or rustle in the bushes can take on a new meaning. This isn’t for the faint hearted, but it can be a brilliant Halloween activity to get your heart racing – and not just from the exercise.
Safety tip: We recommend exploring our range of head torches to keep you safe on your night hike.
Sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories is a classic way to spend your Halloween.
So why not go the extra mile and spend the night camped out under the stars? You can pitch up your tent, and then spend the night coming up with the best tall tales to scare your friends and family.
Haunted houses are everywhere across the UK, so why not take a step on the spooky side by spending the day exploring one in your local area?
These are a great way to hear local legends, and learn more about history across the nations. Who knows, you may even spot a ghost of two listening along!
Everywhere from National Trust properties to theme parks run yearly Halloween themed events, designed to offer you a night of frights and fun for all the family.
There are plenty of Halloween activities and games at these events, so you’ll be sure to find the right spooky adventure for your family.
Trick or treating is the most iconic Halloween activity, with tasty treats and creepy costumes for everyone involved.
Make this a group activity by gathering other friends and families to join you. Or, if you’re having a party, give the kids a bucket and see who can collect the most sweets from the other party guests.
Top tip: Try making this more engaging for children by coming up with a rhyme or dance for each house you knock at.
Halloween games are a brilliant way to spend some time outside with family and friends. We’ve chosen a selection of party games that require different levels of preparation to give you a variety of options.
Get everyone running about with a Halloween themed obstacle course. You can use anything you find to make a creative course, including pumpkins, broomsticks and witches hats.
This is an interactive Halloween game for any age, so everyone can take part and join the fun. You can even make it a competition by adding categories like fastest time, or best zombie impression around the course.
Safety tip: Don’t hang fake cobwebs outside for an obstacle course. These are dangerous for birds and other flying creatures because they can get trapped.
Bobbing for apples, or apple dookin’ in Scotland, is one of the most traditional Halloween games. This dates back hundreds of years, but has remained a firm favourite up and down the UK.
Simply fill a large bucket with water and add your chosen apples for hours of hilarious, and somewhat soggy, entertainment. Although we recommend making sure you have plenty of towels on hand for speedy clean up.
Scavenger hunts are one of the best Halloween games whether you have 4 or 40 people joining your festivities.
Whilst it may take time, the actual planning of a scavenger hunt is simple – you just need to create a list of tasks to win the game. For example, you could have challenges like ‘take a selfie with the biggest pumpkin you find’ or ask people to return with a spider shaped biscuit.
Top tip: Have your players take photos as they complete the tasks on their list to save time and money. This also makes a great slideshow to watch the next day.
Have you ever been stuck with what to do with carved pumpkins? Well, one idea is to turn them into part of a Halloween game of golf.
Cut the mouth open as wide – or small – as you want to make a spooky golf course in your garden. All you need is a couple of putters and balls to have hours of fun. You could even make more obstacles out of brooms, buckets and plastic spiders to increase the difficulty.
Who doesn’t love a game of hide and seek? This is a brilliant game because it requires absolutely no equipment, so it’s open to everyone.
Make an even spookier Halloween version of the game by adding new rules, like ‘you can only walk like a zombie’ or ‘try and make the seeker jump for another chance to join the round’.
Murder + mystery = one fun Halloween party game. Murder mysteries are already well suited for the spooky season, but you can make one even scarier for your friends and family.
Why not set a game in a haunted house, where they have to find the ghostly murderer? Or, flip the script by having attendees come as werewolves, vampires and witches trying to figure out who the imposter human is amongst them – and who isn’t the murderer.
There are endless Halloween crafts you can do to make your house and garden a spooky hideaway. Get creative with the ones we’ve mentioned below, or design your own to celebrate the day.
Originally thought to ward off evil spirits, pumpkin carving has become an essential staple amongst Halloween crafts.
Carving pumpkins is one of the best Halloween activities because you can get creative and use any design you want. Plus, you can use the seeds and pumpkin flesh to make tasty treats once you’re finished!
Top tip: If you don’t have the space or tools for pumpkin carving, try painting fun designs on them instead.
Making spooky decorations is an easy way to get young children involved with Halloween crafts, as they can be tailored for any age.
For example, you can make everything from handprint ghosts to paper plate monster masks, or even cereal box tombstones for the garden with basic craft supplies and items found around the house.
Tissue ghosts are a quick and easy Halloween craft to add a little flair to your house. All you need is tissue paper, elastic bands, some kind of balls (think ping pong, tennis ball etc), and a black pen.
Wrap the tissues over the ball until it’s thick enough that you can’t see beneath the paper, then secure at the base of the ball with an elastic band. Then, draw some eyes on the front and hang (or hide) them around the house.
Top tip: If you don’t have any balls, you can make these from lollipops for a sweet treat.
Stick skeletons are a simple Halloween craft that will look great when they’re finished. To make them, the first step is to get your children to find as many sticks as they can (we recommend bringing a kid’s rucksack to make getting everything home easier).
Once you have enough, arrange the sticks in a skeleton shape and secure them with string, or glue them to a large sheet of cardboard. As a final touch, you could paint your skeleton with glow in the dark paint and hang them outside for everyone to enjoy.
Halloween crafts are a brilliant way to get the most out of your excess decorations. Making and designing a pumpkin trail is a creative way to use up spare materials – and help the children expend their energy through the day.
Use a mixture of handmade, real and fake pumpkins to create an interactive trail through your house or garden. You can hide sweets and tricks along the way to get everyone in the mood for the evening.
If newts’ eyes and spider legs aren’t that appealing to you – although we couldn’t imagine why that would be – you could try making your own witch’s potion out of different ingredients.
For this edible Halloween craft, you simply need to fill a glass with chocolate mousse, crushed up biscuits for the soil. Then, top with plenty of gummy worms and creepy crawlies, chocolate eyeballs, and edible vampire teeth for a tasty treat.
Top tip: Sneak in spicy or sour sweets to add a little ‘trick’ to this treat.
At Winfields Outdoors, we believe in making the most of your time outside, whatever the season. Our range of waterproof jackets and coats will keep you warm and dry so that you can explore the UK Halloween scene with confidence.
For more expert advice, information, and buying guides, check out our Winfields Outdoors blog…
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