Top 15 Spooky Places Around The World To Celebrate Halloween

Spooky and fun for some, traditional and spiritual for others, Halloween has different meanings depending on where you live or travel. However, one thing’s for sure: this special day is pretty much celebrated all over the world, sometimes in quite unique ways too.

So, if you’re wondering where to spend your next Halloween filled with joy, fright and mystery, here are my top 15 places!

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1. Samhain, Ireland

Can I start this post without mentionning the origins of this world-famous holiday? I don’t think so!

Because yes, it all began in Ireland with Samhain, the festival that marks the end of the harvest and therefore the beginning of winter. And as this particular day of the year is supposed to be the day when the boundary between this world and the otherworld is at its thinnest, people used to make offerings, lit bonfires and offered sacrifices (crops, animals) to appease the gods and make sure of surviving the winter.

Don’t worry, though, traditions have changed since then: no more sacrifices during Halloween but festivals filled with magic and spine-chilling entertainment. The two most famous festivals to include in your itinerary if you visit Ireland at this time of the year: Púca Festival and Derry Halloween!

I mean, what could be better than revisiting old traditions in the country where it all began?

2. El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Latin America

So let’s be clear, this celebration doesn’t fall on Halloween, strictly speaking, but on November 1 and 2, but as it’s also the Day of the Dead, I thought it would be nice to add it here.

Plus, I have to confess that the colorful calaveras (skulls) and simply the way they honor and mourn their dead have always impressed me because here death is not represented as something dark and gloomy but as something joyful and colorful (where each color has a specific meaning) aimed at remembering and celebrating the lives of those who have passed away.

What do you think? Quite unique but beautiful, isn’t it?

3. Allerseelen, Austria

Like our Latin American friends, Austrians aren’t really into the traditional trick-or-treat hunt of Halloween (although it’s starting to become popular), as they celebrate Allerseelen or All Souls’ Day, where they honor their deceased by decorating their graves and lighting candles.

4. Reformation Day, Germany

Another country where this spooky holiday isn’t really celebrated and is the subject of some controversy. Why’s that? Because it also falls on the same day as Reformation Day, a Protestant holiday that originated with a German monk, Martin Luther, who challenged the teachings of the Catholic Church in the 1500s.

The day has therefore become a public holiday in nine German states, and even though Halloween isn’t very popular in the country, you’ll still see kids asking for candies in the streets or costume parties in clubs, but mainly in the big cities and on a much smaller scale than in the USA, for example.

5. Pangangaluluwa, Philippines

What’s Filipino Halloween like? Well, first of all, you need to know that it lasts almost a week, as preparations for the two special days (November 1 and 2) are very thorough: from cleaning the graves to buying evertyhing necessary (flowers, candles…), nothing is left to chance.

In the Philippines, it’s a time for families and friends to gather in cemeteries or memorial parks to remember their loved ones and enjoy a nice picnic.

Another tradition, somewhat forgotten and mostly practiced in more rural areas, is Pangangaluluwa: where children dress up in scary costumes and pretend to be lost souls from purgatory, then go from door to door singing song and asking for alms (often in the form of rice cakes).

6. El Día de la Mascarada (Masquerade Day), Costa Rica

A cheerful carnival, with giant masks, music and various events, is what awaits you on the 31st of October in Costa Rica. Not only this day is about having fun, it’s also a way of celebrating their traditions and cultural heritage dating back to the colonial period.

An ideal day to learn more about the country’s culture and local customs!

7. Street party, Japan

Halloween in Japan is a whole different story: no freaky parades or trick-or-treating, but crazy street parties where the costume you wear is the most important element of the festivities. The more unique, the better. And when you consider how fond the Japanese are of cosplay, it’s no surprising that this day is one of the most anticipated events of the year.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind a trip to Japan just to parade in my favorite Card Captor Sakura outfit! What about you? Do you have an idea of the anime or manga character you’d like to play?

And if you’re wondering where the party’s taking place, you’ll be sure to find it around Roppongi Hills and Shibuya!

8. El Festival de los Barriletes Gigantes (Giant Kite Festival), Guatemala

Similar to the Filipino tradition of visiting the graves of the deceased and adorning them with flowers, the locals, in addition to this tradition send giant, tastefully decorated, handcrafted kites into the sky…

Another touching, artistic and colorful way to remember their loved ones.

9. Fave dei Morti cookies (Beans of the Dead), Italy

There are many traditions that involve the preparation of a particular kind of food, and Halloween is no different. In Italy, as in most countries around the world, people visit the cemetery and their relatives, but that’s not all: they also bake “fave dei morti” cookies.

These cookies have a history dating back to the ancient Romans, who believed that fava beans could house the souls of the dead and were often used as funerary offerings to the gods.

Since then, the tradition remained and they are eaten during the Day of the Dead.

10. Hungry Ghost Festival, China

Held on the 15th day of the 7th month in the lunar calendar (July or August), the Hungry Ghost Festival is our Halloween of sorts.

On the first day of the Ghost month, when the gates of hell and heaven open, hungry ghosts come to Earth looking for food and offerings…

This festival is an opportunity to pay homage to the ancestors by lighting incense, burning joss paper, offering food and performing other rituals, with the aim of relieving the ghosts’ pain and making them happy, while guarding against bad luck.

A fascinating festival, isn’t it?

11. Salem Haunted Happenings, United States

Who hasn’t heard of the Salem Witch Trials? There’s probably no darker, more ominous place to spend Halloween, is there? With its month-long festival and being one of the largest celebrations in the world, Salem Haunted Happenings is quite the event. One that will delight thrill-seekers.

So get out your best spells and prepare to be spooked!

12. Fet Gede (Festival of the Sacred Dead), Haiti

The Gede are the family of Lwa (spirits) representing the powers of death and fertility. And this festival is where the believers of voodoo assemble and honor their ancestors as well as Baron Samedi (God of Death), among others.

Those said to be possessed by the Gede are dressed in black, white and purple, their faces covered in white, and they drink piman (a very, very, very strong drink) as they parade along the path to the cemetery. And once they arrive there, it’s only the beginning of the festivities, as singing, dancing and loud celebrations go on all day and all night.

And for those who are not possessed by the Gede, they watch the processions and bring their offerings to the deceased.

13. Bran Dracula’s Castle, Romania

Want to experience Halloween in a unique setting that perfectly fits the castle of Transylvania’s most famous mythical character, Count Dracula?

Well, why not file your fangs and dance the night away inside this gloomy fortress, hoping you won’t turn to dust when the sun rises.

14. Samhuinn Fire Festival, Scotland

Fire shows, drumming, acrobatics – our Scottish friends sure know how to celebrate the transition from summer to winter, don’t they?

And if you’re looking for an even more immersive and scary experience, Scotland has plenty of Ghost tours for the bravest among us! From haunted vaults to the visit of historical but obscure sites, you’ll be lucky if you don’t find yourself tossing and turning all night!

15. The London Dungeon, UK

Not far from the disturbing Ghost tours of Scotland, here’s another way to spend a chilling Halloween: by visiting The London Dungeon!

Here, you’ll learn more about the capital’s not so glorious past and dark history. You’ll meet infamous serial killer Jack The Ripper, get a close shave in Sweeney Todd’s office, relive Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot and much more.

A dungeon from which you won’t escape unscathed!

Any other original Halloween traditions or activities you like to do during this autumnal event? Leave them in the comments!

And if you’d like to celebrate the beauty of autumn a little more, here are 20 other top autumn destinations from around the world!

Want to stay on the topic of weird and funny? Here are some of the strangest laws in the world!