Weekend Guides

Haunted forests, costume parties and film nights: Halloween weekend

Published

2 hours ago

October 30, 2026

Halloween falls on Saturday, 31 October, and Johannesburg is dressing up for it. Costume parties, family trails, cinema nights and one very scary forest fill the calendar from Friday evening. Here are eight events to pencil in this spooky weekend.

1. Edenvale Halloween Night Market

Kick off the weekend on Friday at the annual Edenvale Halloween Night Market. Stallholders hand out treats to trick-or-treaters, live music keeps the dance floor busy and a best-dressed competition rewards the sharpest costumes. Families are welcome.

Date: Friday, 30 October
Times: 18:00 to 23:00
Location: The Edenvale German Club, 8–10 Plantation Road, Edenvale
Cost: R30 at the entrance

2. Secret Sunrise Halloween

Secret Sunrise JHB turns Halloween into a morning dance party at Sandton Gate. Guests pull on headsets for a guided silent disco, join playful breathwork and dress up in capes, tutus or glow sticks for a shot at surprise treats. The session lasts one hour, which leaves the rest of Saturday free.

Date: Saturday, 31 October
Times: 08:30 to 09:30
Location: Sandton Gate, 25 Minerva Avenue, Glenadrienne, Sandton
Tickets: From R100 via Quicket

3. The Haunted Forest

The Haunted Forest celebrates its ten-year anniversary at Prison Break Market. Visitors walk through a fog-filled forest of life-size scenes and scare actors, then settle in at the festival site for horror films on a big screen. Children trick-or-treat before the forest walk, and costume prizes go to the Most Horrific Family and the Freakiest Couple. The haunted house, games and fun fair cost extra.

Date: Saturday, 31 October
Times: 15:00 to 23:00
Location: Prison Break Market, 10 MacMillan Road, Glenferness AH
Tickets: Adults R150 to R300 | Ages 13 to 17 from R200 | Ages 3 to 12 from R70 | Family from R700 | Toddlers free

4. SAPRA Halloween Walkabout

Saxonwold and Parkwood residents set up spooky stands along Blandford and Wells Roads, packed with games, décor and sweets, while costumed guests walk the route. The SAPRA Halloween Walkabout raises funds for the upliftment of Fearnhead Park, where the route starts and ends. Last-minute tickets, wristbands and route maps are available for collection from 09:00 on the day.

Date: Saturday, 31 October
Times: 16:00 to 18:00
Location: Fearnhead Park, 25 Blandford Road, Parkwood
Tickets: Walkabout R150 | Personalised Halloween bucket R80 | Face painting R60

5. Gold Reef City Halloween Movie Night

Gold Reef City turns Town Square into an open-air cinema for a Halloween date night. Couples enjoy a gourmet picnic basket dinner for two, selected rides and a screening of A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). Bookings for the movie night are open online.

Date: Saturday, 31 October
Times: From 18:00 | Movie starts at 20:00
Location: Town Square, Theme Park, Gold Reef City, Northern Parkway and Data Crescent
Cost: R1 200 per couple

6. Halloween at The Bioscope

The Bioscope runs a Halloween programme with screenings of What We Do in the Shadows, The Substance and Night of the Living Dead. On Saturday evening, Afro Visionary Movie Nights presents Street Trash, followed by a Q&A with director Ryan Kruger and an afterparty with DJ Black.

Date: Thursday, 29 October to Sunday, 1 November
Times: Screening times vary | Street Trash on Saturday, 31 October, 18:30 to 23:00
Location: The Bioscope, 44 Stanley Avenue, Braamfontein Werf
Tickets: From R85 | Street Trash from R120

7. Halloween Rave 2026

Teknotribe, Science Frikshun, Psyology and The Temple join forces for an all-night Halloween Rave in Newtown. The brief invites witches, spirits, vampires and monsters to dress the part and dance until late.