Halloween in Lewisham is Saturday 31 October: the Horniman's Day of the Dead from £6, a £12 kids' rave at the Albany, and pay-what-you-can Coco and Ringu.

Halloween falls on Saturday 31 October 2026, the day after Lewisham’s October half term ends, and the borough’s big event is the Horniman’s Day of the Dead. The family festival runs 11am to 4pm (adults £8, under 16s £6) and an 18+ evening fiesta follows from 7pm (£22). Elsewhere that day, the Albany in Deptford runs a £12 Halloween rave for ages 3 to 8, and Deptford Cinema screens Coco in the afternoon and the horror film Ringu at night at the Telegraph Hill Centre, both pay what you can.

There is no council-run Halloween event in Lewisham, and no pumpkin farm inside the borough. What follows is everything we could find with a 2026 date on the organiser’s own page, checked on 3 October.

One trap first: the Horniman Gardens are closed to ordinary visitors all day on 31 October. The museum’s Gardens page says “Closed 31 October, 25 December”. If your plan is a free walk round the gardens on Halloween, go another day, or book the festival.

The big one: Day of the Dead at the Horniman

Both events are in the Conservatory in the Horniman Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23 3PQ, presented with MexiBrit.

Family festival Evening fiesta
When Sat 31 October, 11am to 4pm Sat 31 October, 7pm to 10.30pm
Who All ages 18+ only
Adult £8 £22
Under 16 £6 not admitted
Under 2 Free, but needs a ticket not admitted
Tickets Coming soon, when we checked On sale now

The family festival opens with a ceremonial procession, Journey to Mictlán, with Aztec dancers and musicians, then live mariachi and folkloric dance through the day. Children get mask-making, storytelling from Mexican legends, face painting and a Día de Muertos discovery trail, and there is a community ofrenda for your own tributes. A market of Mexican and Latin American makers sells crafts, pan dulce, coffee and street food. Much of it is outdoors: the Horniman says it goes ahead whatever the weather, with no refunds for rain, and well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. Everyone in your group needs a ticket, including babies, and bags are checked at the gate. You cannot bring your own alcohol. The festival page still said “Tickets coming soon” on 3 October; advance booking is required.

The evening fiesta is a different event in the same space: a welcome cocktail, live music, a sonidero DJ playing Mexico City street-party sounds, contemporary Mexican food, and tequila and mezcal. Tickets are on sale on the fiesta page.

The week before, on Sunday 25 October, the Horniman runs The Enchanted Cinema: The Music of Spirit Animals, inspired by Mexican traditions of the spirit world: one-hour workshops where children aged 5 to 12 make the sound effects for animations, at 11.30am and 1.30pm on the Sunday and 10am, 12pm and 2pm on Monday 26 October, £10 a person (Horniman). That evening, 5pm to 7pm, Murnau’s 1926 silent film Faust, the deal-with-the-devil classic, gets an immersive live score, adults £15 (Horniman).

For children: a Halloween rave and Coco

Disco Kids: Halloween Special, Saturday 31 October, 2pm, at the Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford SE8 4AG. A three-hour daytime rave for children aged 3 to 8 and their families, with spooky tunes, dancing, games, fancy dress and a craft table in the cafe. Tickets are £12, or four for £40, which the basket applies automatically (The Albany).

Coco, Halloween Fright, Saturday 31 October, doors 2.30pm, film 3pm to 4.45pm, at the Telegraph Hill Centre, Kitto Road SE14 5TY. Deptford Cinema and the centre screen Pixar’s Day of the Dead film, with prizes for the best costumes. The centre has fancy dress for children to borrow: arrive early to pick one. Pay what you can, with some tickets on the door (Deptford Cinema).

Halloween films

Deptford Cinema’s tickets are pay what you can. Online, the concession options are £0, £1.50, £3 and £4.50, and £4.50 is the suggested price; on the door you can pay any amount.

  • The Exorcist (1973, rated 18), Sunday 25 October, 7.30pm, at The Brookmill, 65 Cranbrook Road, Deptford SE8 4EJ, Deptford Cinema’s last-Sunday residency at the pub (Deptford Cinema).
  • Ringu (1998, rated 15), Saturday 31 October, at the Telegraph Hill Centre. Doors 6.30pm, music 7.30pm, film 8pm (Deptford Cinema).

What we looked for and did not find

  • Beckenham Place Park has nothing on its events listing for this autumn. In 2025 its ranger ran free half-term bat walks on 28 and 29 October, and in 2022 and 2023 a Halloween-themed funfair took over the field by the mansion. Neither has a 2026 date. Horniman members have their own bat walk on 23 October.
  • Lewisham Council has published no Halloween event, and its events listing shows none.
  • Lewisham Libraries: nothing for Halloween 2026 was readable on its events listing when we checked.

If you run a Halloween event in the borough and it is not here, email the details below and we will add it.

Getting there

The Horniman has no visitor car park, beyond limited Blue Badge spaces; the museum points drivers to the pay-and-display car park behind Sainsbury’s and the two at Forest Hill station, and the 176, 185, 197, 356 and P4 stop outside on London Road. The Albany is on Douglas Way, just off Deptford High Street, and the Telegraph Hill Centre is on Kitto Road, SE14. Our parking in Lewisham page has the zones and charges, and the roadworks and travel page has the weekend closures; check it for engineering works before you set out.

The rest of the week is on our October half term page, the full month is on what’s on in Lewisham, and the borough’s fireworks follow a week later: Blackheath Fireworks on Saturday 7 November, display at 8pm.

Send us your event

Running a Halloween event in Lewisham? Email hello@lewishamnews.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free, and your event goes on this page and in the What’s On diary.

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