October half term lands on Halloween week this year, and both Manchester and Sheffield have put on a strong programme for it. There are ghost walks for the curious, a proper scare trail for adults who like to be frightened, and free city centre festivals the whole family can enjoy. If you’re staying with us in either city, here’s what’s worth planning around for Halloween 2026.
Manchester: Monsters, Ghost Walks and Scares
Manchester goes big for Halloween. The city centre fills with free family events during half term, and the evenings belong to ghost stories and fright nights.
MCR Monsters and Halloween in the City
The headline family event is MCR Monsters, a free trail of giant inflatable monsters that takes over the city centre from Saturday 24 to Saturday 31 October. This year’s trail is the longest yet, with monsters appearing at spots including Exchange Square, the Corn Exchange, the Science and Industry Museum, Mayfield Park and Medlock Square.
The busiest days are the Halloween in the City Weekender: Saturday 24 October (10am to 6pm) and Sunday 25 October (10am to 5pm). Expect walkabout performers, spooky storytelling, a monsters disco and a party procession with dancing puppets, stilt walkers and a brass band. It’s free, it’s mostly outdoors and it’s easy to dip in and out of with children.
Manchester Ghost Walk
For a slower, stranger evening, the long-running Manchester Ghost Walk takes you through the backstreets and passageways of the city centre in around 90 minutes, finishing at Chetham’s Library with its most unsettling story. Walks this October run on Friday 9, Monday 19 and Monday 26 October, starting at 7pm from the rear entrance of Manchester Town Hall. It’s a good way to see a side of the city most visitors walk straight past, and booking ahead is sensible in Halloween week.
Scare City
If you want a genuinely frightening night out, Scare City runs from 26 September to 7 November 2026 at the former Camelot Theme Park near Chorley in Lancashire, an easy drive from Manchester. It’s one continuous walk-through trail of outdoor sets and scare zones, taking anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. When we checked the Scare City website in September 2026, standard entry for the season was £32.50 plus a booking fee. It’s aimed at adults and older teenagers, so leave the little ones with the monsters in town.
Bars and Nights Out
Grown-up Halloween is well covered too. Bars and clubs across the Northern Quarter and the city centre run themed nights through the last week of October, so if you’re here with friends there’s no shortage of places to show off a costume.
Sheffield: Out of This World
Sheffield takes a different approach, mixing Halloween with sci-fi, comics and magic in one free festival.
Out of This World Festival
Out of This World returns on Sunday 25 October 2026, from 10:30am to 5:30pm, across outdoor spaces in Sheffield city centre. It’s free, family-friendly and split into zones, so you can follow whatever the children (or you) are most excited about.
Sci-Fi, Comic and Gaming Zone
Fans of all things geeky will find comic artists, costumers, trade stalls and character meet-and-greets, with the likes of Darth Vader, Stormtroopers and the Ghostbusters wandering about.
Magic and Illusion Zone
UK magicians and illusionists perform throughout the day, alongside fire and balance acts.
Halloween Zone
The Halloween Zone brings the spooky side, with themed attractions and activities. Street entertainment, stalls and fairground rides run across several city centre locations, and more of the programme is still being announced, so check the festival page before you go.
Choosing Between the Two Cities?
Manchester suits you if you want variety across the whole week: free family events by day, ghost walks and scare trails by night. Sheffield’s Out of This World is a single, well-organised day that works brilliantly for families and anyone who loves sci-fi and fantasy. Both events fall on the same weekend, so it’s worth picking one base and making a proper trip of it.
Where to Stay
Halloween week is also half term, so city centre hotels get busy. For a family or a group of friends, a serviced apartment is often the easier option: you get more room than a hotel, a living space to regroup in between events, and a kitchen for breakfasts and the inevitable post-trick-or-treat snacks. Take a look at our Manchester apartments or our Sheffield apartments, or get in touch with your dates and we’ll help you find the right fit.
