It’s spooky season! What to do this Halloween around Chiswick

What’s on?

It’s spooky season, and Chiswick is brimming with eerie events for all ages. Whether you’re looking for a family-friendly fright, a night of nostalgic fun, or a ghoulishly good time, there’s something for everyone. From haunted light trails to pumpkin patches, rave parties to silent cinema classics, there’s plenty to do in and around Chiswick this Halloween

Dive into our What’s On? listings of the best local Halloween activities, and prepare for a chillingly good time. Read on to discover what’s lurking in the shadows this October!

Images: Halloween at Kew; Kew Gardens

Halloween at Kew

This October, visitors to Kew Gardens in London can expect tricks and treats as a new Halloween light trail transforms the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the first time.

As dusk falls, Halloween at Kew will see the Gardens transformed with eerie illuminated trees, ghoulish installations, fire performers and more. A band of actors will haunt the Gardens and bring family-friendly thrills as the light fades, creating a spooktacular evening out for everyone to enjoy.

Stumble across a Possessed Pumpkin Farm, wander through an illuminated Spiders Web, survive a sensational storm and discover a neon Carnivorous Tree feeding on unsuspecting skeletons. Witches, scarecrows, vampires and monsters will lurk in the shadows, and you may even stumble upon a headless horseman along the way.

Three sessions each evening offer visitors the option to choose the scare-factor that suits them: Daylight, Twilight and Moonlight. Each session will have a slightly different feel, with the ghostly goings on gradually increasing as the evening progresses. The darker it gets, the spookier it gets.

Adam Thow, Head of Commercial Activities at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, says:

“We are delighted to be able to unveil Halloween at Kew, a chilling new light trail around the Gardens to celebrate the spooky season. We hope to see families really get into the spirit of Halloween, dressing up and creating some spooktacular memories.”

The Halloween at Kew trail is curated by Raymond Gubbay Limited and Culture Creative who design the ever-popular Christmas at Kew.

When

18 – 26 October 2024, 6pm – 10pm

27 October – 3 November 2024, 4pm – 10pm

Tickets

From £15, book at kew.org.

Image: Get into costume at Chiswick House’s family rave; Chiswick House & Gardens

Family rave at Chiswick House – This Halloween there will be no tricks, only beats.

For the first time ever at Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, the original family rave Big Fish Little Fish is bringing the spooktacular fun and excitement for the whole family.

Get dressed up and get down this Halloween Season. Resident DJs Baker & Beale will get you rattling your bones with an eclectic set of club classics from acid house onwards.

Bubbles, foam and balloons will get your little monsters thrilled and Nifty Natty crafts will get them creepily creative.

There will be a licensed bar throughout event, serving alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks.

When

Saturday 2 November 2024, 2-4pm (Sold out)

Saturday 2 November 2024, 11:30am – 13:30pm

Tickets

From £11, book at seetickets.com.

Image: Zumba dancers; Chiswick School

Halloween-themed Zumba Dance Party at Chiswick School

Combine cardio and latin dance with your spectacular costumes as there is a prize to be won for the best costume.

Halloween dress up is encouraged but not mandatory.

If you don’t dress up please follow the event theme colours which are; dark purple/dark green/dark blue & black. Doors open 2pm.

When

Saturday 2 November 2024, 2.30pm – 5pm

Tickets

£19.67, book at eventbrite.com.

Theatre at the Tabard presents Dracula – One Bloody Fang After Another!

Whitby, England, 1897.

A haunting, paranormal force has gripped the town. The young Lucy Westenra is taken ill and psychiatrist Dr. Seward calls on his mentor Professor Van Helsing for his advice. The Professor has a perplexing diagnosis – Lucy carries all the symptoms of a vampire’s latest victim.

So begins a frenzied stab at trying to uncloak Count Dracula as the vampire in their midst. Will Dracula see the light of day? Or will he forever be a pain in the neck? Bram Stoker’s immortal horror story is given an affectionate lampooning in this physical, riotous comedy.

When

Sunday 27 October 2024, 7pm

Tickets

£18/£15 concessions, book on the Tabard’s website: dracula-one-bloody-fang-after-another

Kevin McNally presents … Monsters! at Chiswick Cinema

Writer, actor and Chiswick resident Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean, Cry Freedom, Doctor Who) presents a series of Halloween classics in an exclusive season at The Chiswick Cinema.

Revisiting the Universal Monsters silent films throughout October, Kevin will introduce each screening cultivating a special Halloween Film Club. The films, approaching one hundred years old, remain as unsettling and as chilling as ever. Legends such as Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Claude Rains and others are immortalised in inventive and chilling features that demand to be seen in the comfortable dark of the cinema auditorium. We bid you welcome…

When

The Mummy – 10 October
The Invisible Man – 17 October
Frankenstein – 24 October
Dracula – 31 October

Tickets

Book on the cinema’s website: chiswickcinema.co.uk

Image: The Phantom Carriage (U); The Musical Museum

Silent Sundays at the Musical Museum

Continuing the series of silent cinema screenings, with live musical accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer by Silent Film Maestro, Donald Mackenzie.

The Phantom Carriage (U): This ghoulish Swedish film rides in for pre-Halloween Chills; on New Year’s Eve, the driver of a ghostly carriage forces a drunken man to reflect on his selfish and wasted life. Released on New Year’s Day in 1921, this film was remade for foreign audiences but is shown here in its original version.

Admission includes a cocktail or soft drink.

When

Sunday 27 October 2024, 2.30pm – 5pm

Tickets

£20, book at musical-museum.odoo.com.

Image: Ghostly Galleon Scream Up at Hampton Kempton Waterworks

Further afield … Ghostly Galleon Scream up at Hampton Kempton Waterworks

Beware me hearties of those spooky pesky pirates sailing around Hampton Kempton Waterworks railway who are in search of lost gold as you climb aboard their ghostly Scream Up train.

Watch out for the pirates as they try and board the train to carry out their search for gold. Not to worry- ghostly Guards will see them off, or will they? Only with your help.

Advance booking only. Tickets £4 for children (under 3s free) and adults 16 years and over £8 – ticket price includes hot drink and cookies. (Parental discretion advised as under 3s may find this event scary).

When

Saturday 26 & 27 October 2024, 5pm – 8pm

Tickets

From £0. Book Saturday or Sunday here.

Image: Pumpkin picking; Hobbledown Heath

Pumpkin Picking at Hobbledown Heath in Hounslow

This autumn, celebrate the season by picking your favourite pumpkin straight from Hobbledown Heath’s very own patch.

Whether it’s a day out for toddlers, a family outing, or a special date night – there’s no better way to make autumn memories than pumpkin pickin at Hobbledown Heath in Hounslow

Hobbledown Heath invites you to take a stroll down to the brand-new pumpkin patch, where you can enjoy a whole range of seasonal delights – including pumpkins galore, fairground rides and Instagram-worthy photo points.

The pumpkin patch is located in an expansive meadow on the River Crane, right beside the Hounslow Heath nature reserve. It’s a green oasis hidden away in the heart of Hounslow!

Grab your wellies and collect your wheelbarrow, browse through a wide variety of different pumpkins, and find the perfect one to take home with you.

Plus – with a combined ticket, you can make your pumpkin-picking session into a full day out! Enjoy all the fun of Hobbledown Heath, complete with ultimate adventure playground and zoo, and then head down to the pumpkin patch whenever you like.

When

From 27 September to 20 October, open every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10am – 4pm.

Daily from 20 October to 3 November

Tickets

From: £6.50. Under 2s go free

Book online here.

Please note: The pumpkin patch entry price does not include the cost of pumpkins. After selecting your pumpkin, you will need to purchase it separately. Pumpkins are priced according to size, starting at only £3 each.

All event details are correct at the time of publication. Event details are subject to change without notice given to The Chiswick Calendar or due to unforeseen circumstances. Readers are advised to check with the event organiser for the latest information.