It’s that time of the year again, when ghouls and creatures of the night come out to play. If you’re wondering where and how to get into the ghoulish spirit (no pun intended) of Halloween, we’ve got you covered with this handy guide to Halloween festivities. From the massive, chaotic street party at Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong to a haunted version of Universal Studios Singapore, there’s screams and scares aplenty to be found this Halloween, from Hong Kong to Singapore.
Origins
Halloween might very well be one of the oldest festivals in the world. It’s believed to be the one night in the year when the line between the physical world and the spirit world gets blurred. The origins of Halloween lie in the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that the visiting ghosts were a blessing and a curse: while the ghoulish guests damaged crops and created mayhem, they also made it easier for the Celtic druids to see into the future. To mark this important day, the Celts would light a huge bonfire and wear costumes made of animal skins.
The practice of dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating also comes from much older, darker traditions. Before Halloween was a family-friendly neighbourhood event, it was widely believed that you might run into a ghost on Halloween. People would wear masks so that the ghosts couldn’t identify them, thus creating the forerunner of the current tradition of wearing costumes on Halloween. Trick-or-treating, which mostly involves vast quantities of candy these days, also has somewhat sinister roots. People would originally leave food and wine outside their houses for roaming spirits, although this practice was replaced by the giving of soul-cakes to the poor on Halloween.
While Halloween isn’t widely celebrated across Asia, as it is in the US, you can still find quite a lot of rollicking Halloween fun to enjoy. If the sight of skeletons and pumpkins fills you with ghoulish glee, this guide to Halloween events will help you plan your Halloween adventures.
Singapore
1) Halloween Horror Nights 5
This year’s Halloween Horror Nights offering from Universal Studios Singapore looks very promising, particularly because it has weaved in elements from local urban legends and supernatural creatures familiar to Singapore such as the pontianak. Look out for the MRT train filled with ghastly creatures, a housing block crawling with zombies, and a hungry ghost village.
2) Clarke Quay
Expect the usual assortment of angels, devils, and other costumed revellers at clubs in this stretch of Singapore’s nightlife. Recommended for more easy-going Halloween enthusiasts who like to dress up but don’t necessarily want to be scared witless. There’s a focus on local horror stories this year, and a contest for the best-dressed costume featuring an iconic Singapore character.
3) Changi Revisited: The Hendon Horrors
In this interactive mystery adventure, you’ll have to play detective and solve the case of a missing guest at the fictitious Hendon Hotel. Not so fictitious: the setting for this mystery adventure, which is none other than the infamous Old Changi Hospital and Changi Barracks. For those of you not in the know, the Old Changi Hospital is believed to be one of the most haunted buildings in Singapore, and several chilling urban ghost tales have been spun around this building.
Hong Kong
1) Lan Kwai Fong Street Party
There isn’t any party quite like the Lan Kwai Fong street party every Halloween. Expect chaos as throngs of revellers turn up in costume. This is only for those who enjoy crowds, though: there’s a staggering 150,000 expected visitors at this year’s Halloween street party. This year's street party starts at 6pm on 31 October at D'Aguilar Street in the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife area.
2) Ocean Park Halloween Fest
If it’s frights you’re after, Ocean Park’s Halloween Fest looks more than capable of delivering. There’s the Walking Dead attraction, which recreates scenes from the popular TV show about the zombie apocalypse. Intriguingly, there’s also an age-restricted Halloween attraction, H15. To experience this attraction, you need to be over 16 and “capable of withstanding extreme fear,” according to Ocean Park's website. There’s also the Puppet Master’s Deadly Workshop, which is perfect if you enjoy creepy dolls and puppets.
3) Disneyland: Haunted Halloween
Gentler, more family-friendly Halloween fun can be found at Disneyland Hong Kong this year. Expect the usual attractions with a spooky overtone, but no overt, terrifying thrills and spills: great if you have young children and you don’t want to give them PTSD from your theme park outing.
That’s it for our Halloween roundup! Which spooky adventures will you choose on the night when the line between the worlds is blurred?