Six fun things for adults to do this Halloween
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Halloween is considered to be one of Scotland’s biggest cultural exports, originating as a mixture of Celtic harvest festivals and Christian religious holidays.
So, where better to celebrate the holiday we helped create, than by enjoying the plethora of excellent events happening up and down the country.
Sorry kids, these are for the adults only.
(9pm on Monday 31st October 2016)
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Hide AdReturning to its traditional home, this year’s Samhuinn Fire Festival will proceed down Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile before arriving at West Parliament Square where the main performance will happen. Expect colourful costumes, plenty of fire, and street theatre and live musical performances.
Watch on as two worlds collide with the overthrowing of Summer by Winter, celebrate the last excesses of the season of light, as the Cailleach, a Celtic representation of the Goddess, or Divine Hag oversees the ushering in of the cold, dark nights of winter.
Best of all, no tickets are required for the Festival, though if you want to show your appreciation for the efforts of organisers the Beltane Fire Society, you can donate a chosen amount to one of their lovely Bucketeers on the night.
Halloween Ghost Hunt - Glasgow
(9pm-3am 28 October 2016 to 29 October 2016)
If you are a fan of ghost hunting shows like Most Haunted and Ghost Hunters then you’ll love this experience which takes you round the Pierce Institute in Govan in search of paranormal activities.
Join the Scottish Ghost Nights crew as they return to scene of some very strange phenomena on their last visit, with growls, shadow figures and a voice recorded with a horrible laugh.
Costing just £39 per person your night includes a medium tour, ghost hunt workshop introducing you to the latest in technology plus the more traditional methods, supervised vigils with our expert investigators and refreshments. There’s even a prize for the best fancy dress.
The Gorbals Vampire - Glasgow
(Shows at 2.30pm, 7.30pm, 28 October 2016 to 29 October 2016)
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Hide AdIn 1954, school playgrounds in Glasgow were awash with rumours of a vampire with iron teeth, who had killed two children in the area. This led to a massive manhunt led by the children themselves as hundreds of them, armed with whatever weapons they could find took to the Southern Necropolis one night in September to find the vampire and kill him before he could harm anymore of them.
Skip forward 60 years and a new play by Johnny McKnight inspired by the real-life events which took place that night comes to the Citizen’s theatre in the weekend leading up to Halloween.
Film Fright Night - Crathes Castle, Aberdeenshire
(9pm-11.30pm, 29 October 2016)
With the release of this year’s sequel to the Blair Witch Project, the Blair Witch, why not check out the original and best with this special Halloween viewing at Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire.
This night-time screening involves a terrifying wander through Woodland before being scared out of your wits by one of the scariest films ever produced.
The Original St Andrews Witches Tour - St Andrews
(Regular tours, every Thursday and Friday)
St Andrews is a town wrapped with a rich history but be prepared to see it in a new light, as this spooky guided walking tour takes you round the moonlit streets and claustrophobic wynds, regaling you (or perhaps scaring you) with tales of “horror and history, phantoms and folklore”.
The expert costumed guide is sure to have you laughing and screaming in equal measure as you make your way round this terrifying (well at least for a night) town.
The Jacobite Ghost tour at Traquair House - Scottish Borders
(7pm and 9pm, 28 – 29 October)
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Hide AdPlaces with history has a funny way of throwing up ghosts, and Scotland’s oldest inhabited house has more than a few skeletons in its cupboards
The centuries-old former hunting lodge will open its doors this Halloween, as the Jacobite Ghost tour resurrects characters from Traquair’s past to retell the daring deeds and extraordinary bravery of those who supported the Jacobite cause at enormous personal cost.
Be warned the after-dark tour will feature several unexpected surprises, but those of you seeking comfort will find it in the eighteenth century Dining Room where you will be asked to share in a Jacobite toast to the “King o’er the water”.