Overview
There's something for everyone when it comes to Halloween — whether it's eating nauseating amounts of lollies, flexing your arts and crafts skills by fashioning yourself a costume, or pulling that five-piece (mask included) Batman get-up out of storage and donning it to feel like the superhero you really are.
Trick or treating never really caught on here, but we'll be damned if we won't use it as an excuse for a spooky time. There are plenty of parties, tours and immersive events happening around town for you to hit up.
Here's a list of some of the best things going on in Sydney for Halloween, ranging from the not-so scary (charcoal ramen) to the truly terrifying (a spine-tingling takeover of Luna Park).
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If 2021 hasn’t already felt like a never-ending horror film, brace yourself for the spookiest night of the year. If you’re looking for even scarier thrills than what 2021 has delivered — or just a night off from watching the freak show that is the evening news — Luna Park has you sorted.
Its festival of spine-tingling thrills, aptly dubbed Halloscream, is returning to the fun park for seven nights of frightening scares. For seven spine-tingling nights, Luna Park will open after dark for you and your mates to wander through three scare mazes and seek out even more thrills on eight new rides at the park.
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One of the first Sydney venues to get into the Halloween spirit this year was Kickstarter-funded Darling Square IIKO Mazesoba. The noodle specialist has designed a Halloween-themed menu featuring some of its fan-favourite dishes alongside some new creations done up to look a little more frightening.
The centrepiece of the menu is soft shell crab mazesoba, naturally blackened with activated coconut charcoal powder to give it that Halloween feel. Also on the menu, you’ll find pumpkin croquettes and black sesame tiramisu for dessert, providing a strong black and orange colour palette throughout.
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If you’re looking for an excuse to break out your cowboy hat this Halloween, look no further than the Factory Theatre’s Halloween Hoedown. The inner west concert venue is collecting a heap of local modern country music acts for a night of sweet country tunes on Saturday, October 30.
Tunes will kick off from 4pm, with Sydney country stalwarts The Morrisons and Cruisin’ Deuces joined by exciting new singer-songwriters Babitha and Georgia Mulligan. Rounding out the lineup are The Sweet Jelly Rolls and Shelly’s Murder Boys.
The outdoor stage will be accompanied by The Factory’s beloved beer garden and food trucks.
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Australia’s A Night of Horror International Film Festival clearly loves the genre no matter the time of year; however, in 2021, it’s showcasing its lineup of fear-inducing flicks in the two weeks right before the spookiest day of them all. This year’s fest is online meaning you can get into the spirit at home at any time during its run.
This is A Night of Horror’s 13th fest, fittingly, and it comes with an unsettling program of shorts and features. From the full-length titles on the bill, highlights include the UK’s Lair, about an occult expert and skeptic with a pal who thinks he’s possessed; New Zealand’s The Turn of the Screw, the latest big-screen adaptation of Henry James’ novel; and the Aussie-made My Cherry Pie, which nods back to 80s slasher fare — plus dreamlike Austrian effort Memory, and the supernatural and sinister Sunod from The Philippines.
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The Rocks is celebrating Halloween this year with a series of events across the weekend. If you’re looking for an authentic ghost experience, you can head to a series of five haunted heritage buildings, each with a secret letter hidden in the form of a QR code. If you find all five letters it will spell a codeword which will allow you to claim a prize at The Rocks Square.
If you’re more inclined to hit up a party-heavy Halloween experience, neighbouring venues The Argyle and El Camino Cantina are both throwing huge dress up parties throughout the weekend. Head to El Camino for ghost and ghoul-themed versions of their famed giant frozen margaritas as well as a dress-up party, or pop next door for DJs and fancy dress at The Argyle Asylum.
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Darlinghurst’s vegan Middle Eastern bar Simply Hummus is putting on a spooky $60 set menu filled with spiced vegan goodies that are sure to leave you satisfied this Halloween. At the Hummus Horror Night, guests will be treated to a multi-course meal that Simply Hummus has created in collaboration with local baker My Neighbour Bakes.
To help the restaurant comply with COVID-safe protocols, there will be three seatings on the Thursday: 5.30–6.50pm, 7–8.20pm and 8.30-9.50pm. Book online to ensure your spot.
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On Saturday, October 30, the Georges River Council is hosting the type of event you’ll want to add to your calendar. It’s celebrating Halloween by bringing back its Frightful 80s Drive-In Cinema, which’ll be free to attend at Donnelly Park in Connells Point.
As for what you’ll be watching, this pop-up drive-in is screening 80s vampire classic The Lost Boys. Get ready for a blonde-haired Kiefer Sutherland, not one but two Coreys (Haim and Feldman), and a tale of teenagers and the undead set in a Californian beach town. Entry opens at 5pm, with the film kicking off at 7.30pm. There are no bookings or tickets, so arriving early to nab a spot is recommended.
Top image: Elder.
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Cafe Freda’s is bringing back the dancefloor this spooky season, combining Italian dance music, spritzes and Halloween for a huge free Sunday party fittingly titled Italoween.
Jumping on the decks at the Taylor Square venue is ambient electronic producer Body Corp (renamed Body Corpse for the night), alongside the equally spookily-named Impale Jextra (Paul Jextra) and DJ Hot as Hell Salami all spinning exclusively Italo house, disco and pop.
A special themed menu will be on offer to keep you energised between stints on the dancefloor, and $10 Aperol Spritzes will be available from 3–5pm.