It’s Halloween weekend, and London’s going all out. Duran Duran throw a dress-up Halloween party at The O2 on Saturday, Kew Gardens turns into a spooky light trail every evening until Sunday, and Jonathan Pie rants his way through two nights at the Apollo. Sunday’s all about Day of the Dead at Tate Modern and Camden Market, then Diwali at the Royal Albert Hall in the evening. It’s the last weekend of half-term too, and the clocks have already gone back, so it’s dark before 5pm. That’s perfect for anything with lanterns and pumpkins.
Want more ideas? The full events calendar has everything we’re tracking this weekend and beyond.
Duran Duran – Halloween 2026 — The O2 (Saturday 31 October, doors 6.30pm)
This is a one-off Halloween special. The band are bringing their “danse macabre” party to London for the first time, with twisted hits, covers and rarely played deep cuts from the Duran Duran crypt. Fans are encouraged to dress up, and The O2’s planning Halloween extras around the venue, like a silent disco and spooky film screenings. Tickets go through AXS, The O2’s official ticketing partner, and they live on The O2 app.
Event details — The O2 / AXS (official venue tickets).
Halloween at Kew — Kew Gardens (until Sunday 1 November, 4pm–10pm)
Kew’s after-dark Halloween trail is back for its third year, with Dracula lurking in the shadows, fire performers, the Headless Horseman and a brand-new cursed tomb. Pick your scare level: daylight sessions before 6pm suit little ones, twilight runs 6pm–7.30pm, and moonlight sessions after 7.30pm are as scary as it gets, though still fine for all ages. Last entry’s 8.30pm. Adult tickets are £19.50 off-peak and £24 peak, with family and child tickets available too. It’s timed entry and expected to sell out, so book ahead. Use the Victoria, Elizabeth or Brentford Gate.
Event details — Kew Gardens (official tickets).
Jonathan Pie – The End of the World According to Jonathan Pie — Eventim Apollo (Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, doors 6.30pm)
Tom Walker’s furious fictional newsreader is back in Hammersmith with a brand-new show. It’s billed as “a helpful and hilarious guide to surviving the impending apocalypse”, taking in Starmer, Reform, Musk, Trump, AI and everything else that’s keeping him up at night. If you’d rather laugh at the news than watch it, this is your Halloween weekend.
Friday: event details. Saturday: event details. Tickets: Eventim (the Apollo’s official ticketing). Partner options: Ticketmaster (Fri) and Ticketmaster (Sat).
Halloween and Day of the Dead
Halloween at Hampton Court Palace (until Sunday 1 November, 10am–5.45pm)
Henry VIII’s famously haunted palace goes full ghost story for half-term, with projections, eerie sound effects and costumed ghosts roaming the corridors. Keep an eye out for William Shakespeare’s. Outside, there’s a pumpkin and scarecrow trail in the Wilderness for younger explorers, and storytelling runs daily in the King’s Guard Chamber at 11.30am, 12.15pm, 1pm, 1.45pm, 2.30pm and 3.15pm. It’s all included with palace admission, and last entry’s 5pm. You can come in costume, but leave the masks, fake blood and glitter at home.
Event details — Historic Royal Palaces (official tickets).
Frida: Day of the Dead Festival — Tate Modern (Sunday 1 November, 10am–6pm, free)
Tate Modern’s Frida Kahlo-inspired festival, co-curated with DJ Coco María, fills the Tanks with cumbia, a community ofrenda, face painting and drop-in making workshops. A colourful Día de los Muertos procession sets off from the South Tank at 4pm. The daytime programme’s free and drop-in. In the evening (7pm–10pm), there’s a ticketed gig with Malphino, Carlos René and Coco María, at £10 or £5 for concessions.
Event details — Tate Modern (official).
Día de los Muertos — Camden Market Hawley Wharf (Sunday 1 November, 1pm–7pm, free)
Camden’s Day of the Dead party brings mariachi bands, Catrina parades, dance, Mexican food stalls and drop-in workshops, including chocolate tasting and papel picado crafting. It’s free. You can just walk in, though the market asks people to book a free place online.
Event details — Camden Market (free).
Last weekend of half-term
Wallace & Gromit with Live Brass Band — Alexandra Palace Theatre (Sunday 1 November, 2pm and 4.30pm)
The KNDS Fairey Band play Julian Nott’s scores live to the big screen. The 2pm show pairs A Grand Day Out with the world premiere live performance of A Close Shave. At 4.30pm, there’s a short concert followed by The Wrong Trousers, model-railway chase and all. It’s recommended for ages 5+. If you’re booking both shows, the code W&GFAMILY25 gets 25% off.
Event details — Alexandra Palace (official venue tickets).
Family Station: Halloween Weekend — British Library (Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, 11am–3pm, free)
Pop in any time for spooky crafts, a pop-up reading corner and sensory play on the Upper Ground Floor. It’s free, it’s drop-in, and it’s fully accessible, with a relaxed opening for families with children with sensory needs.
Event details — British Library (free, no booking).
Halloween Family Drop-in — Design Museum (Saturday 31 October, 3.30pm–7pm, free)
Try mask-making, a monster-spotting trail inspired by Samhain and some group doodling, all aimed at ages 5–11. It’s free with no booking, and handy if you’re heading for the Halloween goings-on along Kensington High Street. Grown-ups need to bring at least one child.
Event details — Design Museum (free, no booking).
Still running until Sunday: free creepy-crawly half-term at the National Maritime Museum (event; official), Piccadilly line crafts at the London Transport Museum (event; official) and the last of Barbican Family Film Week (event; official). Disney’s The Lion King has 2.30pm matinees at the Lyceum on Saturday and Sunday (event; official tickets; also London Box Office).
Gigs and concerts
Skindred – YOU GOT THIS Tour — Alexandra Palace (Saturday 31 October, doors 6.30pm)
Benji Webbe and co bring their ragga-metal Halloween party to the Great Hall, with big riffs, reggae bounce and feel-good anthems. Alien Ant Farm and Spineshank are the special guests, so it’s a proper noughties nu-metal night. It’s 16+.
Event details — Alexandra Palace (official venue tickets).
Kíla – Samhain Evening Show — London Irish Centre, Camden (Friday 30 October, doors 7pm, show 8pm)
Dublin’s Kíla, the band behind the music for Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers, mark Samhain with a night of furious jigs, uilleann pipes and big world-music rhythms. It’s standing and 18+. Tickets are £27.50, or £25.50 for concessions, and the centre says these shows usually sell out.
Event details — London Irish Centre (official venue tickets).
Celebrating Diwali — Royal Albert Hall (Sunday 1 November, 7.30pm)
One of India’s best-loved voices, Kavita Krishnamurti, joins the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra for a devotional Diwali concert, with new arrangements by Rahul Ranade written just for the night. Doors are at 6.45pm, it finishes around 9.45pm, and tickets start at £40.50 including fees. All proceeds go to the charity behind it.
Event details — Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (official tickets).
Sport
Chelsea v Manchester United — Stamford Bridge (Saturday 31 October, 12.30pm). This one’s members only. Spare tickets go through the club’s official Ticket Exchange, which closes at 9.30am on matchday. Event details — Chelsea ticket exchange update.
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace — Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Saturday 31 October, 5.30pm). It’s a teatime London derby, and it’s for One Hotspur Members and season-ticket holders only. Seats are on the club’s official Ticket Exchange too. Event details — Spurs home tickets.
Free and outdoors
Frieze Sculpture — The Regent’s Park English Gardens (last day Sunday 1 November). This is your final chance for the free outdoor sculpture trail. It’s open from 8am until dusk with no booking, so go early because it gets dark sooner now. Event details — Frieze Sculpture.
West End and theatre
Hamlet Hail to the Thief opens at the Barbican on Saturday. It’s the RSC and Factory International show where Thom Yorke’s reworked Radiohead album is played live by the cast and band, with Samuel Blenkin as Hamlet. It runs about 1 hour 40 minutes with no interval, and it’s 14+. Tickets start at £34 (including a £4 transaction fee), and 16–29s can get £18 tickets through Young Barbican. Radiohead themselves aren’t performing (event; official tickets).
Sam Ryder’s still leading Jesus Christ Superstar at Drury Lane (event; official tickets; also London Box Office), and The Devil Wears Prada is strutting its stuff at the Dominion (event; official tickets; also London Box Office). There’s also Into the Woods at the Noël Coward (event; official tickets; also London Box Office), Hay Fever at Wyndham’s (event; official tickets; also London Box Office) and Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at @sohoplace (event; official tickets; also London Box Office).
Tickets and tours
If you’re squeezing a few sights into the last days of half-term, the London Pass from Go City bundles plenty of attractions into one ticket. For a wider West End catalogue with offers across shows, try London Box Office. For gigs and arena shows, Ticketmaster UK is a handy partner option. Whatever you pick, check times with the organiser before you head out, especially for outdoor Halloween events if the weather turns.
Browse the full events calendar for more dates through November, including Bonfire Night and the run-up to Christmas.