There’s plenty of gruesome goings-on for Halloween in the city this weekend, but make sure you don’t let all of the haunting happenings overshadow the traditional Catalan festival, la Castanyada.
Here’s a roundup of how Barcelona is ending October with a bang.
Halloween Hotel Party
A night of terror awaits you at the Gallery Hotel’s electronic Halloween party on the 31st. The hotel will undergo a terrifying makeover and guests will be invited into the two dance rooms of horror. Perhaps those brave enough will even enter the open air dance floors of the rooftop terrace. The event is organised by Future Sound Agency. Although the lineup has yet to be confirmed, each floor promises a different music genre to meet all of your ghoulish needs.
This is a masked party and the dress code is smart casual. Tickets for the event cost €10, however there are discounts available on the event’s Facebook page. The party starts dead on at 3pm, but don’t worry if you’re a little late as the celebrations will continue into the early hours of November.
Halloween Ghost Hunt
Stoke Barcelona is offering a chance for the bravest souls in the city to take part in a supernatural scavenger hunt in the Gothic Quarter on the 31st. Join the lonely spirits who wander late at night and discover the secrets of Barcelona’s dark past along the eerie streets of this historic district. The ghost hunt begins at the George Payne Pub where guests will be regaled with blood-curdling tales before facing their ghostly challenge.
Each team (two to five members) will receive a map with a series of challenges and checkpoints to unravel the mystery as well as a cup to enjoy the unlimited beer and sangria on offer for those who need a little Dutch courage. Spooktacular prizes will be awarded to the winning team and the best costume. After the competition, all guests will be given tickets to Fright Night at City Hall for an after-party of horrors.
Tickets cost €25 and can be bought on the website. The night of terror begins at 8:30pm until the most unholy hours of the early morning.
Maratón Halloween
Head to Phenomena on the 31st to celebrate the scariest night of the year with a hair-raising horror movie marathon. The marathon will kick off with the terrifying Eighties classic, Child’s Play (1988), the first film to feature the horror icon Chucky. There’s no rest for the wicked (witches) with a subsequent screening of Pet Sematary (1988), a film adaptation of one of Stephen King’s most spine-chilling novels of the same name. The night closes with a final mystery film - enter at your own risk.
Tickets cost €12 and can be purchased here.
The Great Night of Halloween
Join a whole host of unsavoury characters, from zombies and monsters, to witches and more, at PortAventura’s Halloween boo-nanza on October 31st. The Great Night of Halloween promises spooky shows, parades and three horror mazes, all of which are guaranteed to petrify. Thrill-seekers will also be able to ride the park’s many attractions throughout the night.
Don’t be a scaredy-cat - tickets cost €22 for adults and €18 for juniors/seniors and can be purchased here.
Blood Bank at Hard Rock Cafe
Watch out for vampires at the Halloween blood drive on the 31st. Two buses will be stationed at different locations in the city, one at Portal de l’Àngel and one at Carrer Rivadeneyra, aiming to receive blood donations from at least 200 people to go towards helping the sick in Barcelona. Selfless souls can give blood at either location from 11am to 8pm, as long as they are over 18, weigh more than 50kg and are not pregnant or sick. The Hard Rock Cafe have joined forces with the blood banks to provide a special VIP area for those who give blood, complete with food, drinks and a spooky setting.
More information here.
Día de los Muertos Party
The end of October isn’t just for Halloween. The Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican holiday, in which family and friends gather together to remember and honour their loved ones who have passed away. Ocaña’s Día de los Muertos event is set to include live music from a mariachi band, special makeup and a tantalising menu of Mexican treats such as ceviche, guacamole and, of course, tequila.
The party starts at 8pm on Saturday, the 29th, and lasts until the early hours of Sunday morning. Entrance is free but reservations are recommended and can be made here.
La Castanyada
Finally, it is impossible to write about Halloween in Barcelona without mentioning the quintessential Catalan tradition of la Castanyada. Common belief is divided on where the tradition of eating roasted chestnuts, panellets and sweet potatoes (so soft you can eat them with a spoon) on All Saints’ Day comes from. Some claim these foods were used as sustenance by the bell-ringers who rang in the day that commemorates the dead, while others believe the tradition comes from old funeral meals, when prayers were said for deceased relatives while chestnuts roasted in the background. Either way, it is common to see street vendors selling castanyes wrapped in newspaper during the whole of autumn.