What’s On This Halloween in the Lake District, Cumbria

Written by:Alex

Date posted: 12 October, 2026

With its ancient castles, stately homes, and eerie forests, Cumbria is a magnet for ghosts, ghouls – and brave visitors! Whether you’re after family-friendly fun or spine-tingling scares, there’s something for everyone this Halloween in the Lake District, Cumbria.

Halloween Festival at Muncaster Castle

Celebrate Halloween at one of Britain’s most haunted castles! Muncaster’s legendary Halloween Family Festival (24 Oct - 1 Nov) includes costume competitions, a scary maze, pumpkin patch, and the entertaining The Zombie-Boggle Apocalypse show.
Feeling brave? Scarecaster (29 - 31 Oct) turns up the fear factor for ages 16+, featuring a chilling maze and live music in the Stable Yard Sanctuary.

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Talk at the School - An Evening of Folklore and Spooky Tales

Explore the horrifying tales, folklore and legends of the small Lake District village of Hawkshead, with an evening of folklore and spooky tales at Hawkshead Grammar School Museum, hosted by The Director of Hawkshead's ghost tours, Tallow Tales.

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Pumpkin Picking at Walby Farm Park

Pick your perfect pumpkin between 3 - 31 Oct and enjoy a day of fang-tastic fun at Walby Farm Park - from pumpkin carving and pumpkin cannons to photo opps and farm animals.

For grown-ups, Pumpkin Picking After Dark (16 & 17, 23 & 24, 29 & 30 Oct) features live music, food & drink, and - of course - pumpkin picking! Enjoy toasted s'mores, seasonal decorations and explore parts of the farm park with no kids around - so you can be a big kid yourself.

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Halloween at Holker

Get ready for a spooktacular celebration of Halloween at Holker Hall & Gardens, complete with magical storytelling from Taffy Thomas - the nation's Folk & Fairy Tale Laureate - as well as pumpkin carving sessions and a fun Halloween trail through the gardens.

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Halloween with the National Trust

Across the Lake District, National Trust properties are hosting frightfully fun events - from pumpkin carving at Allan Bank to nighttime tours of Townend.

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Sundown Adventures & Halloween Potion Hunts at Go Ape Whinlatter & Grizedale

Swing through the trees after dark at Go Ape Whinlatter’s Sundown Adventures sessions (10 Oct - 8 Nov). Their thrilling treetop course will be illuminated by glowing lights for the ultimate adventure with epic forest views to match.

At both Go Ape Whinlatter and Grizedale, visitors can take on the Halloween Potion Hunt, with clues along the way to help you find the ingredients for the Woodland Wizard's secret Halloween potion recipe (24 Oct - 1 Nov).

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Halloween at Dove Cottage, Wordsworth Grasmere

Enjoy hot chocolate, gingerbread, and Twilight Tales in Dove Cottage (21, 26 & 27 Oct) - ghostly stories told in Wordsworth’s old home.

For something different, Ghost Story! Halloween Late offers the chance to experience Wordsworth Grasmere afetr dark, with activities and candelit tours inspired by the works of writers like Mary Shelley, Lorn Byron and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. 

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Halloween at Levens Hall

Step into a world of secrets, shadows and spine-tingling fun with Halloween at Levens Hall. Explore the historic house with ghostly guided tours, take on a Halloween scavenger hunt through the grounds, try your hand at creative workshops, and enter the costume competition - there's lots to enjoy.

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Halloween Pet Encounters at The Beacon Museum

Get ready for a spooktacular Pet Encounter session at The Beacon Museum in Whitehaven. Meet, greet and interact with adorable and fascinating animals, and enjoy a Halloween twist on your favourite pet encounter.

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Trick or Treat Cartoon Circus at Rheged

Featuring funny clowns, traditional slapstick comedy, mahic, illusions and plenty more, this one hour family show at Rheged offers half term for all the family (25 Oct).

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Day of the Dead supper club at Bartons Yard

Enjoy a five-course tasting menu at Carlisle's Bartons Yard with their Day of the Dead supper club, complete with a Mexican inspired menu for a celebration of food, memory and colour.

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Explore After Dark

Embrace Cumbria’s dark skies this Halloween with the Cumbria Dark Skies Festival (23 Oct - 20 Nov), featuring activities like guided night time walks and starlit canoeing beneath some of England’s darkest skies.

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Top tip: several of these attractions are easily reached by train or bus! Go car-free this Halloween and make the journey part of the experience.