South Africa is starting to catch on to the fearsome fun and frivolities that come with Halloween. We’ve put together a list of all the happening places to go trick or treating (including a few for children) this Halloween 2012 and we dare you to join in. Don’t forget to dress up!
Halloween parties and events in Cape Town
1. South African Horrorfest
Labia Theatre, Orange Street, Cape Town
24 October – 2 November
Rising from the doctor’s slab for its 8th blood-curdling year, Africa’s most prestigious Halloween festival is set to deliver another all-encompassing event unlike any other. Expect 27 movie screenings including feature films, documentaries and short films from around the world. There will be sneak previews of Frankenweenie and The Possession, an audience participation screening of the legendary Rocky Horror Picture Show, along with dress-up prizes and giveaways. For ticket information and line-up, go to www.shadowrealminc.com/horrorfest/2012horrorfest.html.
2. Two Oceans Aquarium’s aSCAREium
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Saturday, 27 October
Enter at your peril and experience the Aquarium as never before! From 19h00 until 22h00, families can enjoy games and creative arts and crafts, including face-painting and magic shows, while discovering some of the bright and beautiful, dark and mysterious creatures of the deep . Let your imagination run wild and dress as either the scariest ghost, witch, monster or vampire, superhero, or wizard. Or you can use the ocean as a source of inspiration and come as a mermaid, sea princess or prince. Tickets are R140 for children and R100 for adults. www.aquarium.co.za.
3. The Great Cape Town Zombie Walk of 2012
Sea Point Promenade, Cape Town
Saturday, 27 October
Get a little deader in the name of a good cause (and because it’s fun to see all the strange looks and scare pedestrians). Don your best living dead outfit, smear on the make-up and drag yourself to the Sea Point Promenade where Three Anchor Bay meets Beach Road for 15h00. All proceeds will go to the Lucky Lucy Foundation and the best-dressed zombies will win tattoo vouchers (prizes total R3 000). South African Horrorfest is also offering “buy one, get one free” movie tickets to all zombies. Of course you can just amble down to the beachfront and watch the spectacle from a safe distance – just be prepared to run if necessary. www.facebook.com/pages/Zombie-Walk-Cape-Town/173373109346471
4. Heroes and Villains Halloween Party
Zula Bar, Cape Town
Saturday, 27 October
A mixed line-up of rocking bands on one floor and pumping electro music on the other. Bands on the Hero Stage include Fox Comet, Boombox Troopers and Woodstock Mafia. DJ’s on the decks at the Villian Stage include Fletcher, Damage inc and St Skeletor. This party will leave your ears ringing and feet bleeding. Doors open at 20h00 and R50 gets you in. Prizes and bartabs for best superhero and best super villain costumes of the night. www.zulabar.co.za.
5. Shake Some Action Monster Mash
Mercury Live, Cape Town
Saturday, 27 October
Get to this Halloween hootenanny for the best time you’ll have above ground. Dance the souls off your shoes long past the witching hour with howling rock n’ roll classics and creepy obscurities. Upstairs will be taken over by people in black as Gotham The Entity and Dark Power spin dark and wicked tunes from 80s alternative to synthpop and EBM. Doors open at 21h00 and R30 gets you in. http://mercuryl.co.za/
6. Mystery Ghost Bus Tour
Cape Town
Tuesday, 30 October and Wednesday, 31 October
Visit The Mother City’s spookiest venues, including the Kimberley Hotel and the Castle of Good Hope searching for the resident ghosts. Those brave enough will be granted entrance into one of the city’s dark haunted rooms, a historic cemetery and into other off-the-bus stops. We recommend you get some Dutch courage at one of the pub stops along the way! Leaves from Ferryman’s Tavern at the V&A Waterfront at 19h00, returning at midnight. Tickets R295 per person from Computicket. www.mysteryghostbus.co.za
7. 6th Sense Halloween Party
Springboks, Stellenbosch
Wednesday, 31 October
6th Sense’s darker side comes out to play as they turn Upper Level at Springboks and its surrounds inside out with circus themed attractions, eerie art installations, haunted house displays, unearthly characters and more. On top of that there’ll be a state of the art sound system,and psycadelic beat freakery bought to you by some of Cape Town’s finest beat twisters. Prizes for best dressed and “buy one, get one free” until 22h30. R30 before 22h00, R40 after. R50 if not dressed to theme. www.facebook.com/events/434108103298997/
8. The Haunted Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner
Winchester Mansions, Cape Town
Friday, 2 November
The Winchester Mansions invites you to enjoy a bloody good meal while searching for a perpetrator who’s committed a ghastly crime. The inspiration behind this thrilling affair stems from the classic horror and thriller movie genre. The setting for this murder mystery is a haunted mansion and you can be part of the ghost busting team to find out what happened to David Cohen. Costs R295 per person including 3-course dinner. RSVP by Friday, 12 October 2012 with Inspector Keyser on 084-993-8040 or by email at [email protected], www.winchester.co.za.
9. Renegade Bingo
Wunderbar, Hope Street, Cape Town
Friday, 2 November
It’s Bingo with a twist – it’s scary bingo! Expect Nosferatu, The Blow-up Halloweenies, Dracula in a Bottle, Moon Howlers, the Bride of Funkenstein, Ghastly Explosions, and more. Party after the bingo with Andrew F, Will Travel and surprise guest. Doors opens at 19h00. Tickets cost R140 and include six games of bingo. Dress code is “Voluptuous Horror”! www.renegadebingo.com. (Note: This one is going to be such a goody that the author is attending.)
Halloween parties and events in Gauteng
10. South African Horrorfest
The Bioscope, Fox Street, Johannesburg
26-31 October
Rising from the doctor’s slab for its 8th blood curdling year, Africa’s most prestigious Halloween festival is set to deliver another all-encompassing event unlike any other. Expect 27 movie screenings, including feature films, documentaries and short films from around the world. There will be sneak previews of Frankenweenie and The Possession, an audience participation screening of the legendary Rocky Horror Picture Show, along with dress-up prizes and giveaways. For ticket information and line-up, go to www.shadowrealminc.com/horrorfest/2012horrorfest.html.
11. Mystery Ghost Bus Tour
Johannesburg
Friday, 26 October and Saturday, 27 October
Go in search of ghosts that haunt the city while listening to ghostly tales and legends. Those brave enough will be granted entrance into one of the city’s dark haunted rooms, a historic cemetery and into other off-the-bus stops. We recommend you get some Dutch courage at one of the pub stops along the way! Leaves from the Sunnyside Park Hotel in Parktown
at 19h00, returning at midnight. Tickets are R295 per person from Computicket.. www.mysteryghostbus.co.za.
12. Hallows Eve 2 – The Return
Stuck in the Mud, Kwaggafontein, Bloemfontein
Saturday, 27 October
Get to Stuck in the Mud and join All Will Fall, Truth And Its Burden, Freedom For Your Life, Die Agenda and
We Own Gizzly Bears for a fearsomely fun night. Merchandise will be on sale and Jack Daniels will be having a promotion. Doors open at 18h00 and there will be prizes for best dressed. R20 if you are dressed up and R40 if not. Free shooter at the door on arrival. Cell 082-524-9890. www.facebook.com/events/286272504821209/permalink/286272518154541/
13. Schivas Rock Halloween Party
Schivas Rock Pretoria
Saturday, 27 October
Time to bring the ghouls and goblins out of the attic! Schivas Rock have joined forces with Jagermeister SA, Butcherbird Clothing and Wihann Strauss: Visual Strategies to bring you the sickest Halloween Party this year. From indie to punk and rock to dubstep, there’s something for everyone. There’s also loads of drink specials and free Jagermeisters. R30 if dressed and R40 if not dressed (as in Halloween costume, not naked). Cell 083-481-4987.
14. Halloween Ball
Truth, Johannesburg
Saturday, 27 October
Jozi’s true underground transforms for a night of trick or treat for Truth’s annual Halloween Ball. Four international DJ’s will on the decks – Alex M.O.R.P.H. (Germany), Sied van Riel (Holland), Hector Couto (Spain) and Jordan Peak (UK). Plus a full house of South Africa’s underground DJs will be playing trance, electrodance and more all night long. Pre-sale tickets R120 from Webtickets, or R150 at the door. www.truthjhb.com.
15. Horrorwood III
Brightwater Commons, Randburg
Wednesday, 31 October
Gauteng’s biggest, scariest and most impressive affair, with ten’s of thousands of people arriving in their most creative and gruesome gear. Kids can take part in trick or treating, visit the ghost house and watch the hair-raising Snakebite Jones snake show. Gilan Gork, the “master mentalist” will also demonstrate the astounding feats he can achieve through the power of his mind. From 16h00. R30 per car and R10 per pedestrian. There will be frightfully good prizes for costumes. www.brightwatercommons.co.za/archive/2012_halloween.html
Halloween parties and events in KwaZulu-Natal
16. The Halloween Ball
Origin, Durban
Friday, 26 October
Origin will be transformed in a horror hotel with a gruesome 22 DJ performance billing across 5 blood pumping dance floors. Navigate your way through the labyrinth of death to find the mysterious 5th floor and watch out for Jack Torrance (The Shining) and his band of blood splattering terrors, along with vampires, cadavers and the Grim Reaper. There are four international DJ’s in the line up – the Dutch tattoo crazed ‘Sied van Riel,’ the German trance wielding ‘Alex M.O.R.P.H’ (official ‘Prime Mover’ album launch), the Amnesia (Ibiza) floor filler: ‘Paul Bingham’ & the Mauritian madman ‘Dish Dash.’ Professional make-up artists will be at the entrance from 21H00 until 00H00, offering a free service to all patrons looking to enhance their dark side appearance. From 20h00. Tickets R120 pre-sale and at the door. www.theorigin.co.za.
17. Halloween Night at uShaka
uShaka Marine World, Durban
Saturday 27 October and Sunday 28 October
Celebrating things that go “boo” by the sea, uShaka Marine World will once again make Halloween a thrilling family experience. Have a terror-ific time in the House of Fear, watch bewitching dolphin shows, get a goodie bag from the wacky Pied Piper and under 18s can party up a storm in the freakish party zone, with prizes going to the scariest outfits. Prices and dates vary. Tel 031-328-8000, www.ushakamarineworld.co.za.
18. Heritage Market Halloween Hunt
Hillcrest, Durban
Saturday, 27 October
Kids will love taking part in the Halloween Hunt, where they will go on a “trick or treating journey” around the centre. There will be activity sites on this journey, including cupcake decorating, balloon sculptures, face painting, a magician and fun photo boards. They can partake in these activities in any order and are all included in the fee. Entry is R25 per child, with all funds from the entrance fee being passed directly onto C.R.O.W. wildlife rescue. Spot prizes for best dressed! Phone 031-765-2500, www.heritagehillcrest.co.za.
19. Inferno Halloween Party
Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom
Saturday, 27 October
Roger Goode, Gareth Cliff, Ryan the DJ and Ready D will be in action at Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom’s Krakatoa Nightclub for the ultimate Halloween party. Krakatoa will be transformed into a true inferno with fire dancers, pyrotechnics, décor and fireworks. There will be giveaways for those who get there early and for those who party the hardest, with prizes for best dressed. Entry is R120.00 with doors opening at 21h00. Dress up in your favourite Halloween costume or Strictly Smart and Sexy! No guys under 23 years and no ladies under 21 years. www.suninternational.com.
20. Mystery Ghost Bus Tour
Durban
Wednesday, 31 October
Go on a tour of Durban’s paranormal hotspots while listening to ghostly tales and legends. Those brave enough will be granted entrance into one of the city’s dark haunted rooms, a historic cemetery and into other off-the-bus stops. We recommend you get some Dutch courage at one of the pub stops along the way! Leaves from the Protea Edward Hotel on the Beachfront: at 19h00, returning at midnight. Tickets R295 per person from Computicket. www.mysteryghostbus.co.za.
How will you be celebrating Halloween this year?
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