8 Things to Do in London This Weekend (30 October–1 November 2026)
This is not just any weekend in London.
It is the Halloween weekend, it is the final weekend of October, and somehow London is already beginning to feel a little bit festive too.
From Friday evening through Sunday, you can move from literary events and Indian classical music to spooky trails, after-hours museums, horror films and even the first Christmas ice rink of the season.
And because Halloween falls on Saturday 31 October this year, the weekend is particularly packed.
So whether you want to dress up and go somewhere spooky, find something cultural to do, take the family somewhere fun or simply enjoy one of those autumn weekends when London feels full of things happening, here are 8 things worth putting on your list for 30 October to 1 November 2026.
1. Spend Friday Evening at the London Literature Festival
Southbank Centre
If Halloween isn't really your thing, start your weekend somewhere completely different.
The London Literature Festival is still running at the Southbank Centre throughout this weekend, with its 2026 edition continuing until 1 November. This year's festival is curated by Dua Lipa and brings together authors, musicians, writers and cultural figures for talks, readings and conversations.
There are several events specifically taking place on our weekend.
On Friday 30 October, you can catch The Funny Business of Serious Literature at 7:45pm in the Purcell Room, while the Service95 Book Club: Fierce Sounds takes place at 8pm in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Earlier in the day, the Creative Future Writers' Award Showcase takes place at 6pm.
Saturday continues with events including Service95 and English PEN: Censorship Live! at noon and Rewriting Male Tenderness at 7:45pm.
Then on Sunday, Xiaolu Guo: AI-esque takes place at 7:45pm, while the Goldsmiths Prize Shortlist Readings are scheduled for 4pm.
There are also free elements to the festival. The Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival Book Swap is running at 10am across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while the giant Search for a Story installation continues in the Clore Ballroom.
So if you want a weekend activity that doesn't involve Halloween at all, this is a very good alternative.
You can browse the full programme and book individual events through the official London Literature Festival programme before heading to the Southbank.
When: Friday 30 October – Sunday 1 November
Where: Southbank Centre
Best for: Books, culture, talks and something different from Halloween
2. Experience Darbar Festival at the Barbican
Barbican Centre
There is another excellent option this weekend if you want to experience Indian culture in London.
The Darbar Festival 2026 is taking place at the Barbican until Sunday 1 November, bringing Indian classical music, talks, workshops, meditation and a pop-up Indian Bazaar into the centre.
And there are events specifically happening across all three days.
Friday 30 October
The programme includes Dhrupad by Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar at noon, followed by Sunanda Sharma + Ustad Shahbaz Hussain at 6:15pm.
Saturday 31 October
Saturday is particularly packed.
The Darbar Indian Bazaar opens for the weekend, bringing crafts, clothing, jewellery, collectibles and independent vendors to the Barbican.
There is also yoga accompanied by live esraj, talks, sitar and tabla performances, breathwork, raga meditation and a late-night Midnight Ragas performance at 11:55pm featuring Kala Ramnath and Jayanthi Kumaresh.
Sunday 1 November
Sunday brings more music and talks, including India's Vanishing Voice at 10:30am, The Genius of Sandeep Narayan at 11:30am and The Singing Violin at 1pm.
You don't need to be an expert in Indian classical music to enjoy the festival.
In fact, this could be a great weekend to try something you've never experienced before.
Check the official Darbar Festival programme at the Barbican for individual event times and tickets.
When: Friday 30 October – Sunday 1 November
Where: Barbican Centre
Best for: Indian classical music, culture, markets and something different
3. Go to Halloween at Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Now for the obvious one.
Halloween at Kew is continuing right through this weekend, with the final night on Sunday 1 November.
The illuminated trail runs through Kew Gardens with eerie installations, spooky encounters, fire performers, Dracula and the return of the Headless Horseman.
Because the clocks have already gone back, the event now starts earlier than it did during the first part of October.
From 25 October onwards, sessions begin from 4pm, with timed entry slots continuing into the evening. The Gardens close at 10pm and last entry is at 8:30pm.
That makes it particularly useful for families who don't want to wait until very late for the Halloween atmosphere.
Kew also divides the experience into different levels of darkness:
Daylight sessions are the gentlest, Twilight gets a little spookier, and Moonlight is the darkest and most atmospheric. Despite that, the event remains family-friendly.
If you're going on Saturday 31 October, book ahead rather than simply turning up and hoping for a slot.
The official Kew page is also the best place to check remaining availability, ticket prices and which entrance your booking uses.
When: Friday 30 October – Sunday 1 November, from 4pm
Where: Kew Gardens
Best for: Families, couples and a proper Halloween evening
4. Explore Halloween at the Tower of London
Tower of London
Want your Halloween experience to come with several centuries of history?
Head to the Tower.
Halloween at the Tower of London continues through Sunday 1 November, with the Halloween programme running daily from 10:30am to 4pm.
The experience brings some of the Tower's darker history to life, with ghostly stories and characters appearing around the fortress.
You could encounter a poet, pirate, queen, astronomer and even a bear as part of the Halloween adventure. There is also a Haunted Forge and an Enchanted Wishing Well to discover.
The best part?
The Halloween activities are included with standard Tower admission, rather than requiring a separate Halloween event ticket.
That makes this a good choice if you were already planning to visit the Tower.
And because the experience runs during the daytime, you could easily combine it with a walk along the Thames afterwards, head towards Borough Market for food, or continue towards St Paul's.
The official Halloween at the Tower page has the current admission information and details before you visit.
When: Friday 30 October – Sunday 1 November, 10:30am–4pm
Where: Tower of London
Best for: History lovers and families
5. Watch Horror Films at Tubi FrightFest Halloween
ODEON Luxe West End, Leicester Square
If your idea of Halloween is sitting in the dark watching films that genuinely make you uncomfortable, this is the weekend for you.
Tubi FrightFest Halloween takes place on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October at ODEON Luxe West End.
The 2026 Halloween edition features nine films across two days, covering horror, science fiction, fantasy and thriller titles.
You can buy a full two-day pass, a Friday day pass, a Saturday day pass or individual film tickets.
The official FrightFest information lists the full two-day pass at £85, Friday's day pass at £36, Saturday's at £65, with individual tickets at £14.99, before ticketing fees.
And there is one important thing to know before booking:
This is an 18+ event, and the programme can contain strong language, violence, gore, disturbing scenes and other mature content.
So this isn't the family-friendly version of Halloween.
It is for serious horror fans.
You can see the current films and ticket options on the official Tubi FrightFest programme.
When: Friday 30 – Saturday 31 October
Where: ODEON Luxe West End, Leicester Square
Best for: Horror-film fans and adults looking for something genuinely spooky
6. Spend Halloween Night at the Natural History Museum
South Kensington
Imagine walking around the Natural History Museum at night, surrounded by skeletons and specimens, with a Halloween party happening around you.
That's exactly what is happening on Saturday 31 October.
The Natural History Museum's Halloween at the Museum runs from 7pm until midnight.
The evening includes after-hours access to galleries, a silent disco in Earth Hall, live music and Halloween entertainment built around the museum's collections. The 2026 experience is themed around a gathering of vampiric characters, with guests invited to enter their world.
Tickets start at £65, with member tickets from £58.
There is also a premium ticket option with access to a private area, private bar and an included drink.
This is one of those London experiences that feels memorable simply because of the setting.
The Natural History Museum already looks spectacular during the day.
Seeing it after hours on Halloween is something else entirely.
When: Saturday 31 October, 7pm–midnight
Where: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road
Price: From £65
Best for: Adults looking for a unique Halloween night out
7. Dance Through London's Transport History at a Halloween Silent Disco
London Transport Museum, Covent Garden
If a Halloween party sounds more appealing than a horror film, but you don't want to spend the night in a nightclub, try something much more unusual.
The London Transport Museum is hosting a one-night-only Iconic Silent Disco: Halloween Special on Saturday 31 October.
The museum's historic trains, buses and vehicles become the backdrop for an after-hours party, with headphones offering music channels featuring 80s, 90s, 00s and indie hits. Halloween-themed cocktails and themed entertainment are also part of the evening.
There are two sessions:
6:30pm–9pm
9:30pm–midnight
Tickets start from around £25.
It is a very London way to spend Halloween.
You are literally dancing among the city's transport history.
And if you're already in Covent Garden, you can combine it with the neighbourhood's Halloween activities earlier in the day.
The museum's official booking page for the Halloween Silent Disco has the current session and ticket information.
When: Saturday 31 October
Where: London Transport Museum, Covent Garden
Price: From £25
Best for: A unique Halloween night out
8. Start the Christmas Season at Skate Leicester Square
Leicester Square
And here's where the weekend gets interesting.
Halloween isn't quite over before Christmas starts arriving.
Skate Leicester Square officially opens on Saturday 31 October 2026, marking the beginning of the festive season in the heart of the West End. It will remain open until 3 January 2027.
The outdoor rink surrounds the Shakespeare statue in Leicester Square and sessions last 45 minutes, with new sessions beginning every 15 minutes.
Tickets currently start at £15 for adults and £10 for children, with family tickets from £42. Walk-in tickets will also be available, subject to availability.
So yes, you can technically spend the afternoon celebrating Halloween and then find yourself surrounded by Christmas lights and ice skating later that same evening.
That feels very London at the end of October.
If you don't want to skate, the surrounding festive food and drink traders give you another reason to stop by.
And because Leicester Square is surrounded by West End theatres, restaurants and cinemas, it's easy to turn it into a full evening.
You can check the latest skating sessions and booking information through Underbelly's official Skate Leicester Square page.
When: From Saturday 31 October
Where: Leicester Square
Best for: Ice skating and getting your first taste of Christmas in London
A Few More Things Worth Adding to Your Weekend
The eight experiences above are the ones I'd put highest on the list, but there are a few other things happening this particular weekend that are worth knowing about.
See the final weekend of Frieze Sculpture
If you're looking for something free, head to The Regent's Park.
Frieze Sculpture 2026 finishes on Sunday 1 November, so this is your final weekend to see the outdoor exhibition.
The display features 11 international artists and is spread throughout the English Gardens.
It is an easy one to combine with a walk through Regent's Park, and unlike the main Frieze art fairs, the sculpture exhibition is free to visit.
You can use the official Frieze Sculpture guide to see the artists and works before you go.
Spend Halloween in Covent Garden
Covent Garden is also going all-in for Halloween.
The Spooktacular Piazza Pop-Ups run from 28 October to 1 November, with seasonal food, Halloween drinks and decorations around the Piazza.
The Haunting Pop-Up Bar on Russell Street also continues until 1 November.
There is also a family-friendly Halloween Trick-or-Treat Trail through Covent Garden and Seven Dials, with activities at The Phoenix Garden.
And if you are there on Friday or Saturday night, Dials After Dark at Seven Dials Market continues its October run with live music and DJs from 7pm.
The official Covent Garden Halloween guide is useful if you want to plan several of these activities together.
A Simple London Weekend Plan
If you want to fit several things into the three-day weekend without spending the entire time rushing around, here's one way to do it.
Friday Evening – Culture Before Halloween
Start around Southbank.
Have dinner near the Thames, then choose one of the London Literature Festival events at the Southbank Centre.
If you're more interested in music and culture, head east to the Barbican for Darbar Festival instead.
For horror fans, make Leicester Square your destination and start Tubi FrightFest Halloween.
Saturday – Halloween Day
Make Saturday your main Halloween day.
Start with the Tower of London during the day or head to Covent Garden for its Halloween activities.
Later, go to Kew Gardens if you want an outdoor Halloween trail.
Or, if you want something completely different, spend the evening at the Natural History Museum or London Transport Museum.
And if you're in central London afterwards, take a look at Skate Leicester Square, which officially opens that day.
Sunday – Slow Down
After a busy Halloween Saturday, Sunday is a good day to slow things down.
Walk through Regent's Park and see the final day of Frieze Sculpture.
Then head towards the Southbank Centre for the final weekend of London Literature Festival.
Or continue at the Barbican for the final day of Darbar Festival.
If you still haven't had enough Halloween, Kew, the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace all continue their Halloween programmes through Sunday 1 November.
One Important Thing to Remember
This weekend comes immediately after the clocks changed.
The UK moved from British Summer Time back to GMT on 25 October, so by this weekend London will already be operating on the new winter clock.
That means it will get dark relatively early, which actually works perfectly for Halloween events.
It also means that if you're planning an outdoor afternoon followed by an evening event, leave yourself enough time to travel across London before the darker part of the evening.
Final Thoughts
The weekend of 30 October to 1 November 2026 is one of those weekends where London almost feels like several different cities at once.
Friday can be about books, literature and Indian classical music.
Saturday belongs to Halloween whether that's a family-friendly day at the Tower, a spooky trail at Kew, a horror-film marathon or dancing among London's historic transport.
And then Sunday gives you a chance to slow things down while still catching the final day of several major events.
There is also a little glimpse of what comes next.
Skate Leicester Square opens on Saturday 31 October, meaning Halloween and Christmas are officially sharing the same London weekend.
So choose your mood, pick your part of the city and make the most of it.
Because by Monday, October is over.
And London moves firmly into November.
Planning your next London day out? Discover more neighbourhood guides, hidden gems, food spots and things to do on LondonYaar.com.
Follow @rohan.londonyaar for more London places, stories and things worth knowing before you visit.