Discover NI has curated a list of Halloween events for October 2025, celebrating the region’s connection to Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival that birthed Halloween over 2,000 years ago.
Events span Derry, Belfast, Hillsborough, Armagh, and the Causeway Coast, all within a 90-minute drive from Dublin. Derry hosts Europe’s largest Halloween festival from 28 to 31 October, featuring the Awakening the Walled City Trail, a Samhain Market, and a Halloween Carnival Parade with a fireworks finale. Belfast offers the Jail of Horror at Crumlin Road Gaol from 17 to 30 October and W5’s Enchanted Hollow from 11 October to 2 November.
Hillsborough Castle provides a Halloween maze and pumpkin carving from 25 October to 2 November. Armagh’s events include the Footsteps in the Forest Festival at Slieve Gullion from 20 to 26 October and the Game of Thrones Studio Tour’s Beyond the Wall event on 31 October to 1 November. Ballygally Castle offers a Trick or Treat Castle Retreat on 26 October with a Halloween-themed buffet and overnight stay.
- Derry’s Halloween festival, from 28 to 31 October, includes a carnival parade, fireworks, and family-friendly trails and workshops.
- Belfast’s Crumlin Road Gaol hosts the Jail of Horror from 17 to 30 October, and W5 offers Enchanted Hollow activities from 11 October to 2 November.
- Hillsborough Castle features a Halloween maze and pumpkin carving workshops from 25 October to 2 November.
- Armagh’s Footsteps in the Forest Festival runs from 20 to 26 October, and the Game of Thrones Studio Tour hosts Beyond the Wall from 31 October to 1 November.
- Ballygally Castle’s Trick or Treat Castle Retreat on 26 October includes a buffet, overnight stay, and breakfast for €150 per person.
Clare McCoy shared: “Northern Ireland’s Halloween events capture the spirit of Samhain with something for everyone.”
