It’s almost time for Halloween, aka Spooky Christmas, the favourite time of the year for scare-hungry kids, deliciously dark-hearted adults and, of course, goths. Halloween is mostly aimed at the kids – the shelves of the city’s supermarkets are overflowing with plastic pumpkins and rubber bats – but there’s plenty to do for the young-and-demonic-at-heart too. Here’s a guide to some of Newcastle's Halloween highlights.
Extra-Spooky Events
Tyneside Cinema has long been the horror-fan cinema of choice in the city and their Halloween All-Nighter is always a fantastic event. They’ll be showing sixteen films across all their screens from dusk till dawn on Saturday October 29th to Sunday October 30th. The night is split into 85 Years Of Horror Classics (all-time greats like The Shining and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre), Found Footage (the likes of The Blair Witch Project and [•REC]), J-Horror (Japanese creepers like Ringu and the absolutely crazy Hausu!) and a 35-mm Surprise Film Jukebox, with the titles yet to be revealed. All-night tickets are £20, otherwise prices vary – check the website.
If you’d rather party, on the same night the Royal Station Hotel is hosting a Halloween Monster Ball in its fantastically central venue. For just £30pp, get involved with everything from a fancy dress competition to spooky-themed food and drink.
Up at The Gate, popular city centre nightclub The Hustle is staging a Sinister Circus Halloween Special on Saturday 29th - a night of themed cocktails, DJs, spooky performers and a host of offers. The bottomless Halloween Brunch gets you 90 minutes of fizz and cocktails (Zombie Apocalypse! Pumpkin Spice Espresso!) and there’s even free face painting from 6.30-8.30pm.
At the nearby, brand new NX, you can find Farfetched Featuring Fright Night, their regular rave night taking place on a Monday just for Halloween. With tickets from just £4, expect big name DJs playing house, dance anthems and bass plus a host of drinks promotions.
The Purple Peacock always knows how to put on a show so their Halloween Highway To Hell event is going to be special. They’ll be decorating the venue specially and inviting a host of zombies, vampires and monsters along to make the evening fantastically spooktacular. Tickets are £25, which includes a free drink.
To get in the mood for Halloween a few days early, why not join in with the Halloween Bath Bomb Workshop at popular Cuban bar and restaurant Castros? Get a ticket for the event on Wednesday 26th for £20pp and as well as one of Castros’ delicious cocktails, you can make your own spooky bath bomb in a collaboration with Lush Cosmetics.
Or get together with friends and family for some thrills against the clock at Exit Newcastle, taking part in The Heist. You get an hour to steal a diamond in one of their most challenging games, with a team of 2-6 players for just £50, and kids are welcome!
After Dark
The good people at Soho Rooms clearly LOVE Halloween and this year they’re hosting an entire week of spooktastic events. Running from Tuesday 25th with their Slam! Halloween Special through to the big night itself when they’ll be staging their Gimme Gimme The Purge night, it’s all spooky, all the time. Tickets for all the events start at £1 and come with all manner of offers and exclusives.
Meanwhile, The Riverside is also getting in on some fright-night action, hosting Halloween Discoland. Running from 10pm on Sunday 30th till 4am the next morning, they promise spooky décor, performers, competitions and the rest. Tickets are advised.
The Skint crew aren’t doing things by halves for Halloween this year. First off, they’re taking over Times Square on Saturday 29th for the Skint XL Times Square Terror Tent! Running from 7pm till midnight, the event will feature the Skint resident DJs plus a PA from D.O.D. and a full Halloween production. And then on Halloween itself they’re staging a three-venue party in the Bigg Market. Skint Halloween takes in Points, Filthy’s and Passing Clouds for some spooky mayhem running from 10pm till 3am. Expect club classics, fancy dress and £1 drinks.
Finally, if you want to add some sparkle to the spookle, there’s a Halloween Spooktacular at acclaimed cabaret club Boulevard. Running every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the month and with a special Monday show for Halloween itself, hostesses Danny Dee and Miss Rory will be joined by The Broadway Dancers for a night of ghastly entertainment!
So there you are - lots of ghoulish goings-on to make this Halloween go with a bang! Just don't each too much candy!
