One of my favourite times of year is Halloween, and, in honour of this, I thought I’d make a list of the best places around the world to spend this frightening fete.
Including creepy castles, freaky festivals, chilling catacombs and petrifying parades; Here are my top 5 places to have a ‘spook’tacular Halloween.
1. || TRANSYLVANIA || ROMANIA
What better place to indulge in Halloween celebrations than at the birthplace of horror; Transylvania. It’s eerie atmosphere immortalised in the Bram Stoker classic, Dracula; throughout the week of Halloween there are a number of extravagant and spooky events to mark the occasion. The best by far is the uber-exclusive Dracula extravaganza at Bran Castle. With only 100 guests in attendance and with tickets ranging from €3,700 all the way up to €10,000, it is certainly a party of legend and sadly one only a few will ever get to experience. If you don’t have that kind of cash you can take tours of the castle during the day and the nearby town of Bran holds a variety of alternatives on the night including; The Witch Trial, Dracula’s Wedding and the Romanian Folk Show to name just a few.
2. || NEW ORLEANS || USA
Known as “The Most Haunted City in America”, New Orleans is ideal place to spend Halloween. The French Quarter has long been famed for its rich history of voodoo and black magic and Come Hallows Eve, the whole area comes alive with haunted history tours, special events and fun festivals. The biggest attraction is definitely the Endless Night Vampire Ball which occurs every year on Frenchmen Street in Faubourg Marigny. An all night street spectacle with outrageous costumes, music and revelry; there really is nowhere more fun to celebrate the holiday.
3. || OAXACA || MEXICO
Taking place two days after the traditional Halloween, the ‘Day of the Dead’ is arguably one of the world’s greatest festivals and one of the most culturally important events in all of Mexico. Dating back over 3,000 years, El Dia de Los Muertos celebrates the day in which their dead relatives and departed beloved ones come back to our world to visit them once a year. Dressed as skeletons and ghosts, there are countless events running throughout the day and night. A different kind of Halloween than the traditional freaky fare, think celebrations of life, love and joy; full of colour, flowers, music and dancing.
4. || PARIS || FRANCE
One of the creepiest places to spend Halloween ironically happens to be in the same place termed “The City of Lights”. The dark side of Paris has been drawing tourists for over 200 years and there is no better time to come than on October 31st. There are two spots that are not to be missed; The Père Lachaise Cemetery and the Paris Catacombs. First head over to the utterly eerie Père Lachaise Cemetery which has mile after mile of legendary tombstones including those of Chopin, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. Even more haunting is what can be found beneath in the Catacombs. A central inspiration of Edgar Allen Poe, the bones of 6 million Long-dead Parisians line the maze-like 300km of tunnels. On Halloween, there are several tours that operate which guarantee a unique and creepy experience.
5. || SALEM || USA
The hotspot of ghostly and Wiccan activities, there is perhaps no better place to celebrate all Hallows Eve than in the home of the notorious Salem witch trials. Festivities begin on 1st October and continue throughout the full month with the whole town embracing the freaky festivities.There calendar of activities is certainly rich and varied including tours of infamous and haunted spots, re-enactments of trials and hangings, markets, carnivals, witches’ circles, fireworks and parades. Two of the best are definitely the Witch House and The Official Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball which has direct links to the infamous trials of the same name. A truly magical way to experience the holiday.
Where are your favourite places to spend Halloween?
Drop me a comment below
Drop me a comment below
photo credit: Brett Kiger via photopin cc
0 comments