Halloween events for kids in Edinburgh 2021: scary activities for children near me - from pumpkin carving to haunted trails

With arrival of spooky season in the Capital, here are some of Edinburgh’s Halloween 2021 events for the whole family to enjoy – including costume parties, trails and Edinburgh Zoo’s Spooktacular

Halloween events for kids in Edinburgh 2021: scary activities for children near me - from pumpkin carving to haunted trails (Image credit: Getty Images/Canva Pro)

As the days become darker and colder with the onset of autumn, the changing of the seasons marks the return of Halloween for yet another year.

While the streets of Edinburgh will no doubt fill with students in scary costumes destined for special Halloween clubnights or the Edinburgh Dungeons for fright night, there are plenty of scary and fun events taking place in the City which can be enjoyed by its younger citizens.

Here are some of the Edinburgh’s Halloween events for kids and families taking place in the Capital this October and everything you need to know about them.

Conifox Pumpkin Carving and Halloween Hunt

As Kirkliston’s Conifox Adventure Park prepares to unveil its new facilities following a £2 million investment, the site will be hosting its Pumpkin Carving and Halloween Hunt again this October.

Running from 16 October to 31 October, Conifox Adventure Park features a range of time slots when families can come along to pick a pumpkin and follow a Halloween trail around the park.

Tickets for children are £13 each and include a pumpkin, entry to the Halloween Hunt and Adventure Park entry.

Conifox Adventure Park entry tickets for adults are £6 each.

You can book your preferred time slot and find out more at the event’s ticket page.

Wicked Halloween Bash

Conifox is also holding a fancy dress party in the form of a Wicked Halloween Bash at its home in Kirkliston this year.

The event on Saturday 23 October will let kids get into the spirit of spooky season with Maleficent and her friends, who will guide children through a scary sing-a-long, dance and spooky story.

Tickets are priced at £14.95 per child and £8 per adult.

Go to the Conifox event ticket page to buy now.

Conifox Adventure Park, Kirkliston, Edinburgh EH29 9ER

Edinburgh Zoo Spooktacular

From 8 October to 31 October, Edinburgh Zoo will be opening its doors at night to invite families on a spooky, illuminated trail through the zoo grounds – with hot and cold food and drinks to snack and sip on along the way.

Meet Scotland's only sloths as they make their first public appearance at Edinburgh Zoo

Open every night from 5.30pm until 9pm, entry slots for the Edinburgh Zoo Spooktacular will be every 15 minutes and let children enjoy meeting a variety of magical, creepy characters on a wander through the site.

The last entry time is 7.30pm but attendees can stay right up until the zoo closes at 9pm.

Tickets must be booked in advance and are priced at £11 per child ticket and £17 per adult ticket.

Member tickets are available at a cheaper price of £13.50 per adult and £8.50 per child.

You can find out more on the Edinburgh Zoo website here.

Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, 134 Corstorphine Rd, Corstorphine, Edinburgh EH12 6TS

Newhailes Haunted Halloween Trail

Not far from Edinburgh, the East Lothian Newhailes House and Garden estate in Musselburgh is hosting a Haunted Halloween Trail.

Families can wander through the eerie woods at the vast stately home site and enjoy the spooky atmosphere and creepy crawlies in a gorgeous setting.

Multiple time slots are available over the course of the Halloween weekend, with multiple trails on Saturday 30 October and Sunday 31 October.

Children must be accompanied by adults and tickets are priced at £4 per child and £1 per accompanying adult – with anyone under three allowed on the trail for free.

Book your Haunted Halloween Trail ticket and find out more via the event’s Eventbrite ticket page here.

Newhailes House & Garden, Newhailes Road, Musselburgh, EH21 6RY

Children's Classic Concerts and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra - Ghost Ship

Usher Hall will be transformed into a perfectly spooky atmosphere this Halloween as the Ghost Ship team take to the stage for an afternoon of film favourite tunes at 3pm on Sunday 31 October.

Families can join Owen Gunnell as he and his ghostly pirate crew embark on a voyage across the seven seas soundtracked by an orchestra playing the music from classic films like Pirates of the Caribbean, Hook and Jaws.

Kids tickets are priced at £10, adults at £16.50 with family tickets available – as well as free entry for children under 12 months old.

Book and find out more on the Usher Hall website.

Usher Hall, Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EA

Halloween Family Jekyll and Hyde Tour

The Edinburgh Walking Tour Company have got plenty of thrills in store for families with perhaps slightly older and braver children looking to indulge in fright night.

Its Halloween Family Jekyll and Hyde Tour on 31 October at 7pm offers a spooky nighttime tour of the Capital complete with gory and gruesome tales of its most devilish and eerie inhabitants.

Tickets are priced at £15 for adults, £10 for 12 to 16-year-olds and £6 for those younger than 12 and are available on Eventbrite with an additional small booking fee.

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