Last year Spooky Saturday in Canterbury was one of the busiest business days of the year (beating Black Friday and the Christmas shopping rush). On offer we saw zombies, witches and plenty of trick or treating.
This year Canterbury BID continues to promote our stunning city as the perfect backdrop for Halloween and our businesses are ensuring there’s loads do across the city. Events start from half term week (Monday 23 – Friday 27 October) in Whitefriars, The Beaney and the Westgate Towers, then on Saturday 28 October Halloween is taking over the whole city!
So, make sure to mark Saturday 28 October in your diary for a bumper day of fun in the city with all sorts of free activities for the family including face painting, trick or treating, spooky storytelling and even a chance to meet Death… (yes really!)
Scroll down, if you dare..
THROUGHOUT HALF TERM
Fright at the Museum: Beasts at The Beaney
7 Oct – 5 Nov | £5 Family Halloween Trail
The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge
Join the griffins and other beasts of The Beaney to take on Gaborax, an evil wizard looking to plunder the museum for rare and unusual potion ingredients. This interactive Halloween trail is fun for the whole family. Together you will solve puzzles, pick up clues and discover treasures from the museum collection. Complete the trail, receive a tasty treat and enter a competition for an even bigger prize!
Spooky day on Saturday 28 October – Dress up, get spooky and explore the museum!
Closed Mondays (except Monday 23 October)
Halloween Pumpkin Patch at Whitefriars
23- 27 Oct | 11-4pm
Whitefriars Square
Come along to Whitefriars this half term where you’ll find loads going on including pumpkin-themed activities and enough spooky entertainment to keep your little ghouls, ghosts and goblins entertained (and plenty for the Mummies to do too..)
Halloween Workshops at Lush
23- 27 October | 10am and 3am sessions | £15
Head down to Lush on the High Street for special Halloween themed workshops where you get to make one of these exclusive Halloween products:
Ghostie Bath Bomb
Punkin Pumpkin Bath Bomb
Mr Pumpkin Face Fresh Face Mask
You will also be playing some spooky themed games with their brand new Halloween products!
Canterbury Ghost Tours
Tuesday – Saturday | 90 minutes | £ vary
Canterbury City Centre
John the famous Canterbury Ghost Hunter John Hippisley on a fun packed 90 minute tour of Canterbury’s dark side as he leads you through the streets of Canterbury on a unique tour that is both spooky and historical. You won’t want to miss it!
Chilling Tales Riverboat Tours
21-31 Oct | 6-8pm starts | £ vary
Meet at Old Weavers bridge
Uncover the dark and gruesome past of our religious capital. From stories of ghostly sightings to gory torture and beheadings, our Chilling Tales tour is a deep dive into the hidden horrors of Canterbury by night… (not suitable for under 10s)
SPOOKY SATURDAY! (28 OCTOBER ONLY)
Cathedral Quarter Face Painting
Sat 28 Oct | 10-4pm | £ Donation to local charity
Burgate
Ghouls or ghosts wanting a makeover, head over to Burgate for FREE face painting. Then navigate your way through the streets of the Cathedral Quarter, the Buttermarket, and then down to the King’s Mile to spot the devilish treats lurking along the way….
Spooky Songs and Stories with Dragonfly Tales (Under 5s)
Sat 28 Oct | 10-11am | FREE
Moo Like a Monkey, Palace Street
Join professional storyteller and singer Emily Hanna for some interactive, spooky family fun. Chase away the Boogie Man, do the skeleton dance and listen to spooky songs and stories that will tickle your funny bone but won’t keep you awake at night. Suitable for under 5s.
Limited FREE spaces, booking essential CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Come and meet Death!
Sat 28 Oct | FREE
11-11.45am | St Margaret Street
3-4pm | Orange Street
Are you brave enough to stare Death in the face?
This year we are giving you the opportunity to try – as Death roams the streets of Canterbury. Meet the team behind ‘Death and the Carpenter‘ and their amazing puppet – a photo opportunity not to be missed!
Myths and Monsters with Dragonfly Tales (7 years and up)
Sat 28 Oct | 12noon – 1pm | FREE
Waterstones (1st floor), Rose Lane
Join professional storyteller and singer Emily Hanna for some interactive, spooky fun. Banish ghosts from a haunted castle, defeat the Goblin rat, and escape an Amazonian witch in this story session for 7 years and up.
Limited spaces, booking essential CLICK TO BOOK HERE
Trick or Treat in the The King’s Mile & Cathedral Quarter
Sat 28 Oct | 2-4pm | FREE
Burgate, Buttermarket, Palace Street, Orange Street, Northgate and more!
All children of primary-school age or younger are invited to put on their scariest costumes and search for shops in the Cathedral Quarter and King’s Mile areas displaying a special Trick or Treat bag. Plenty to keep the mini monsters busy!
Beyond the Veil (16 years +)
Sat 28 Oct | 5-6pm | FREE
Café No.35. St Margaret Street (The Haunted Room)
‘The veil is thin, the shadows seep in, and the ghostly voices begin’. Screams from a locked room; phantoms on the road; whispers from the grave.
Come join professional storyteller Emily Hanna for a macabre evening of spells, spirits and seances for those who dare to venture into the dark…
Limited spaces, booking essential TO BOOK CLICK HERE
