Halloween events 2019: 6 spooky events taking place in Sheffield this October

Showing off the costume you spent hours working on? Cowering behind a tub of popcorn at a classic horror movie screening? Doing spooky shots at a wild Halloween party or taking the kids along to some family-friendly fright-fests?

However you want to enjoy the scary season, there is something going on in Sheffield which will be just right for you.

Here are a few of the best Halloween events happening in Sheffield in 2019.

Out of This World

Sunday 27 October, Sheffield City Centre

Now in its sixth year, this free event is a celebration of all things otherworldly.

Sci-fi fans, fantasy geeks, comic book nerds and video game nuts are all welcomed to join forces and celebrate the out-there things that bring them joy.

There will be game zones featuring arcade machines, modern video games and board games, as well as a magic zone with flea circuses and magical tricksters. And for little monsters, you’ll find a kid-friendly zone at the Moor, filled with activities and games.

Best of all, the whole thing will be populated by some of the most iconic characters in comic book, movie and video game history.

An Evening of Gothic & Ghosts with Northern Yarns

Wednesday 30 October, The Samuel Worth Chapel

Scary stories told by torchlight have been a staple of Halloween for about as long as we have been celebrating it.

But are you brave enough to hear some terrifying tales in the middle of the night, in the middle of a graveyard?

Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly, HP Lovecraft – all the spookiest scribes will have their works read aloud during this cultured fright fest.

To ensure maximum goosebumps, the show will begin with a specially-commissioned Gothic film.

Halloween Pumpkin Trail

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October, Renishaw Hall & Gardens

You can't have Halloween without a pumpkin. That would be like Christmas with no tree or Easter with no egg.

Fortunately, Renishaw Hall's gardens feature a patch filled with the little orange guys, all ripe and ready to be plucked, scooped out and carved into whatever you think will best petrify your neighbours.

They also have a spooky Halloween pumpkin trail for added scares.

Witches and Wizards

26 October – 3 November, The Butterfly House

Ever since JK Rowling first introduced readers to the world of Hogwarts, children across the world have been anxiously awaiting their owl-delivered letter.

This Halloween, the Butterfly House can make some of those dreams come true by offering aspiring witches and wizards the chance to hone their skills.

There will be a sorting hat to select their house, a bit of broomstick training and a (hopefully Snape-free) potions class where they can learn a few magical concoctions.

Naturally, fancy dress is a must, and there will be a contest for the best costume.

The Carnival of the Damned

23 October – 3 November, The Great Escape Sheffield

Ringmaster “Stromgoli the Dismal” has returned with his band of freaks and misfits to stage one final, terrible performance of the Carnival of the Damned.

Are you brave enough to bear witness to it?

Given that there have been three separate films named “Escape Room” in the last three years, it seems safe to say that their popularity is more than a fad.

With this seasonal spin, Sheffield's own puzzle-solving playroom is at its very best.

The Grand Halloween Ball

Sunday 26 October (doors at 8.30pm), Sheffield City Hall

If the Rocky Horror Picture Show taught us anything, it’s that Halloween horrors and burlesque debauchery go together just beautifully.

Fishnets and fearsome masks, strip-teases and circus acts – The Grand Halloween Ball brings the same combination to create one of the year's strangest, most seductive parties.

With live acts performing on stage and wandering throughout the party, this extravagant Halloween celebration is sure to be one you'll remember.