Hit One Of These Spooky Festivals Around The World For The Halloween Season
While American kiddos are prepping their costumes for trick-or-treating, you could be planning a trip to participate in a spooky fall activity of your own. Halloween revelry is pretty unbeatable in the States, but Ireland, Britain and Mexico also offer some serious contenders for an on-theme vacation.
Village Halloween Parade — New York, New York, U.S.
October 31
You’re required to have a costume to join this decades-old parade through Greenwich Village in Manhattan. You can march alongside fellow Halloween superfans and paper mache puppets or watch from the sidelines.
Dia De Los Muertos — Oaxaca, Mexico
October 31 to November 2
Recently, Day of the Dead celebrations have become a mixture of traditional feasts to honor the departed and newer masquerade-style parties. You’ll find both in Oaxaca this year.
Bonfire Night — Sussex, Great Britain
November 5
Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Day, originates from a religious political conflict in 1605 where conspirators tried to blow up the English Parliament. To this day, fireworks, bonfires, burning scarecrows and exploding barrels mark the occasion.
Zombie Pub Crawl — Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
October 13
This beer-filled night lays claim to two major undead titles: it’s the original zombie pub crawl, and it boasts the Guinness World Record for the most zombie party-goers in one place.
Festival de Calaveras — Aguascalientes, Mexico
October 26 to November 4
Part of the Day of the Dead festivities, this festival brings local, creative flair to the countrywide celebration. Aguascalientes has a long tradition of folk art, which is obvious with its vivid parades and sugar skulls.
Aboo Festival — Galway, Ireland
October 26 to 29
Ireland’s biggest Halloween festival has a parade and a haunted house dubbed Carnevil. The parade has giant creepy characters, and “Carnevil” speaks for itself.
Sleepy Hollow Halloween — Sleepy Hollow, New York, U.S.
October 1 to 31
Sleepy Hollow is a Halloween legend for the Headless Horseman, gothic mansions and eerie cemeteries. Come for the haunted graveyard tours by candlelight and ghost story reenactments.