The Paper Cinema
24 & 25 Oct | 7.30pm | The Gulbenkian

Short tales of other worlds; ghosts, dreams and the supernatural. The Paper Cinema create extraordinary, magical worlds with vivid pen and ink drawings, puppetry, and a treasure trove of acoustic and electronic sounds.

Performed by two puppeteers and a multi-instrumentalist, The Paper Cinema return to their ‘out-of-a suitcase’ origins to delight you with atmospheric tales of ghosts, dreams and the supernatural.

This show gathers favourite short stories, including the dream-like Night Flyer, humorous Devil in Cornwall, spooky Wanderer and Edgar Allan Poe’s King Pest.

Fright at the Museum: Wicked Whiskers
4 Oct – 2 Nov | The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge | 10am–5pm 

Something strange has been happening at The Beaney… A black cat called Ember has been seen late in the day, searching the museum and there are rumours of a witchy robbery in the works! Help Ember and the other familiars solve interactive puzzles around the museum and rescue powerful objects from the collection. Complete all six puzzles to collect a tasty treat and enter a prize draw. £6 family trail.

Age recommendation: The trail is particularly popular with children aged 5 – 10. Younger children may need help with solving puzzles and reading. Complete the trail and fill in a questionnaire to be in with a chance to win £100 of Curzon Gift Vouchers.

Spooky Day: Saturday 1 November 2025. Visit in costume and explore the museum as we turn down the lights and turn up the spooky!

Spooky Inflatable Maze
Whitefriars Square: 29, 30, 31 Oct & 1 Nov | 10am – 5pm
Riverside: 2nd Nov | 11am – 5pm

What’s On

• Spooky Inflatable Maze 🕷 Test your courage on the scare-o-meter – will you dare to enter?

• Children’s Spooky Face Painting 🦇 Transform into your favourite Halloween character.

• Lucky Dip – Trick or Treat (if you dare!) 🎁 Who knows what surprise you’ll find?

• Best Dressed Prize 🧛‍♀️ Come along in your spookiest costume and you might win!

Recommended for ages 3+
Please note: Parents/guardians must remain with children at all times during the event.

Free to attend – no booking required, suggested £2 donation to East Kent Mind. 

McSpooky Halloween Party
Fri 31 Oct | 4.30 - 6.30pm | McDonals, Canterbury High Street

Join a spooky party at McDonald's Canterbury High Street - book tickets in advance, £8 per child includes a meal and a goodie bag. 

Call into the Canterbury restaurant to secure your ticket.

Spooky Storytelling 
Saturday 1 Nov | Various Locations | FREE booking essential

Spooky Songs and Stories with Dragonfly Tales (5 and under).
11am-12noon | No.10 Pilgrim's Hotel, St Peter's High Street, Canterbury
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
Tickets are FREE but booking essential

Spooky stories with Dragonfly Tales (6 years and up) 
2-3pm | 1st Floor, Waterstones, Rose Lane, Canterbury
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 6 years and up.
Tickets are FREE but booking essential

The King’s Mile Trick or Treat Trail
Saturday 1 Nov | 2-4pm | 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 King’s Mile areas displaying a special Trick or Treat bag. Plenty to keep the mini monsters busy from 2pm to 4pm.

Ghostly Tales 
Saturday 1 Nov | 5.30-8pm | Café No.35, St Margaret Street, Canterbury

‘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. Join professional storyteller Emily Hanna for a macabre evening of spells, spirits and seances for those who dare to venture into the dark… Meet in the darkness outside the spooky medieval Buttermarket and be taken on a storytelling journey into the darkness of the underworld, finishing up by heading up the creaking stairs of Cafe No.35 to their secret, timber-beamed room, seeped in history, for refreshments.
Tickets £6pp including a hot drink. Suitable 16 years +

Chilling Tales Riverboat Tours
17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31 Oct and 1 Nov | 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) 

Haunted River Tour with Canterbury Punting
17 Oct to 1 Nov | 5.30pm – 8pm | The Mooring Cafe, Stour Street

During the tour along the River Stour, your chauffeur will tell you a series of local and national ghost stories which will make you chill!

But don’t worry, You get blankets, cushions and hot water bottles. They even have candlelit lanterns.

Halloween Workshops at Lush
20 Oct – 31 Oct | 11am and 3pm sessions | £15

Celebrate Halloween the Lush way at their half-term Halloween workshops! Make your own exclusive Lush Halloween bath bomb, play brand-new themed games and create the ultimate Halloween potion. These workshops are approximately 20-30 minutes long.

What’s Included?

• An exclusive Halloween product making kit
• A Halloween product (worth approximately £9)
• A Halloween fun game activity
• Exclusive sample

These workshops are for everyone! They just ask that children are accompanied by an adult 18+ and are able to complete the product kit making independently.

Canoe Wild Halloween Paddle Special
25 Oct to 1 Nov | Fordwich

Dress up for spooky season and sail along the River Stour with Canoe Wild. 

Paddle in costume from 25 October to 1 November, book your session soon for an extra special spooky experience on the river!

Book on 07947835688 or email info@canoewild.co.uk

Canterbury Ghost Tours
Tuesday – Saturday | 90 minutes | £ vary | Canterbury City Centre

Join 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!

Midnight Masquerade
31 Oct | 7pm to Midnight | Socialite Canterbury

Step beyond the velvet rope and into a night of mystery, decadence, and allure.
This Halloween, Socialite Canterbury transforms into the city’s most exclusive masquerade ball. Lose yourself in candlelit cocktails, hauntingly good music, and an atmosphere dripping with drama. The only rule? No mask, no entry.

Expect:
🎭 A night of opulence with a dark, glamorous edge
🍸 Signature Halloween cocktails and rooftop revelry
🍴 A chef-curated 5-course tasting menu (VIP ticket holders)
✨ Canterbury’s most stylish crowd in full masquerade

Dare to unmask at midnight…

🎟️ TICKETS LIVE NOW. Get ready for a night of magic + mayhem! 🖤🕷️

Club Climax Halloween Special 
31 Oct | 9pm onwards | The John, Canterbury 

Canterbury's hot new queer club night by + for the lgbtq+ community & allies celebrates the season with HEX RATED on Friday 31st October. A haunting Halloween ball where the disco’s deadly and the spirits are high. We’re summoning all creatures of the night to the dancefloor for a night of camp horror realness! Come dressed to possess… if you dare! 
🔥 9pm - late
🎧 DJs tba soon!
🏆 Costume contest to slay the night
🍹 Cocktail specials brewed just for you

The Drapers Arms Halloween Party
31 Oct | 9pm onwards | The Drapers Arms

Enjoy a rip-roaring Halloween evening at The Drapers Arms, with live music from Decades Showband.

Come along in fancy dress and get into the spirit of things! Special offers include 2 cocktails for £15 and 4 J Bombs for £10.