Walking home tonight; the nights have already become darker, the cold breaze harshly tickles down the back of your neck and you are reminded that the time has come for Halloween to indulge the city with zombies, whitches, and other such scary beings clambering out of the clubs and pubs at the end of the night. Already witnessing several zombie like dolls making their way to the nearest pub on my journey home, I thought of all the biggest Halloween events in Leeds this year, and which one would be the best to go to;
Kirkstall Abbey Ghost Tour
To start the list, I thought I would include something in which does not include going out and getting absolutely out of their mind for those of us third years who are struggling to cope with the inability to go out and have a good night out without the horrendous burden of not only usual uni work, but the dreaded dissertation. What better way to spend a few hours of playing along with the theme of Halloween, and giving yourself enough time to return to the pit of your dissertation work, is the Kirkskstall Abbey Ghost tour, a chance to see this beautiful monument under a different, more spooky light, and to listen to the intriguing history surrounding this historical building. At just £5 a ticket, what a fantastic way to celebrate Halloween with friends to get yourself in the Halloween mood.
Propaganda Leeds, Halloween Spooktacular!
This Saturday, the 29th of October, o2 Academy in Leeds has prepared a night full of the scariest and heaviest Indie tunes to adorn your ears, promising an exceedingly haunting night of dancing until your feet can take no more. o2 Academy also has frightening drink offers for you to quench your deadly thirst with; Vodka and Mixer £2.20, Double vodka mixer only a pound more at £3.20, Carlsberg pints £2.20, bottles of VK £2.20, and £1.50 on selected shots with a Propaganda membership card, so head on down if you want to hear tunes in which will make your lifeless bodies dance until the moon dies, and the sun is reborn. With £5 entry, £4 entry for students before midnight, make sure you make it out of your graves in time to be included on this little thriller.
The Garage Haunted House Halloween special
From what is perceived as the hidden beauty laying in wait for its beloved prey, in the darkest dungeons of Leeds, The Cockpit takes advantage of its bat friendly surroundings, and hosts a magical night of Halloween mayhem. Let the darkness become you, with Room 3 being transformed into ‘a dark dungeon of terror’ including Apple Bobbing, Skeleton Hoop tossing, Pumpkin Shy, Spooky dip, a Zombie Booth, Scary face painting for those who aren’t already dressed up, and not forgetting creep twisted cocktails!For all you alternative music buffs, or just appreciate good music, and a willing heart in which has caught the virus of Halloween excitement, head on over to The Cockpit on Saturday the 29th, for a knuckle-cracking night. The Cockpit does not play games by half, and therefore if this sounds like your thing, you will not be dissapointed with the amazing lengths this place goes to, to ensure all its little zombies have the most supernatural ever. Open 11pm-3am, and stemming over the ‘witching hours’, it is only £3 in with those of you wearing fancy dress, The Cockpit is teasing you with its fantastic list of offers to enable your night goes off with a BANG.
If you prefer to celebrate Halloween on the actual day, The Cockpit has catered for you guys too, Come join us for a night filled with spooky music, such as the deep, leather lulls of Marylin Manson, to encourage you in to a hypnotic state of insanity for the night. The Cockpit has combined all their special nights to celebrate Halloween, and has even given the first lucky 100 customers free witches brew! Now who can say no to that! One sip of this, and with the hymns of a haunting rock melody in the background, will you be granted eternal youth? You may aswel try it and see. £2 entry with fancy dress, and £4 without, The Cockpit is also providing you with a cinema, showing all the scariest Horror films going, to ensure you really do have the spookiest Halloween. Bring it on!
Scary Warehouse Party
Warehouse is back with a vengeance, after the old venue was sadly demolished, these events have been reborn in the birthplace of VOX. With VOX being a completely blank canvas, the team in this club night are holding back no secrets when it comes to lighting, decoration, and music, to ensure that this ‘student only’ event is the most Halloween themed night in Leeds. With promises of monster lasers, amazing pyrotechnics, co2 freeze jets, and the mother of all sound systems, it looks like this promise will be fulfilled with flying colours. With 3 warehouses at your service, interactive entertainers, a huge outdoor chill out area for when things get too intense, n outdoor devils lair with food stalls for all those zombies needing a bit of brain to keep you going, ad activities such as mummy wrapping competitions. With the haunted Warehouse playing Halloween and pop songs, The spooky Warehouse with its R and B and dub step, and the V.I.P blessing clubbers with Motown classics. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased from many pubs in Leeds at £10.
Horny Halloween
No Halloween list in Leeds can forget about Evolution, in my first year of University this club night served me well and introduced me to the fantastically high standards of Halloween celebrations of clubs in Leeds. On Monday 31st of October Evo opens its doors to the finest outfits Leeds can provide you with (as I was reminded of today on my lunch break, with the fancy dress shops being so crammed that there was a one way system just to get to the wigs). If you like your student nights then this is not one to miss, with fairground rides to satisfy those people who like to ruin the night with their moody states of boredom, and dancers and entertainers to scare the wits out of anybody and everybody. With all drinks £1.80 all night, an outdoor graveyard area, fire eaters, Horny hot tub blood baths, and even a Halloween psycho photoshoot, as well as many more surprises, how can you complain? Many ticket outlets being The Hyde Park Pub, The Original Oak, The Box, and Varsity at £6, so get purchasing now if this sounds like your idea of a happy Halloween!
Which ever night you choose, make sure you celebrate Halloween in style, and with the best, and scariest costumes in town! Except Clowns, I hate clowns.
Written by Charlotte Owen, Leeds Metropolitan University.
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