On Halloween Weekend, Exploring London’s Scary Side
London ParanormalA promotional image from the group London Paranormal.There’s more to the dark side of the English capital’s history than that of the Tower of London. Around Halloween the city will come alive (so to speak) with the dead, as ghosts, ghouls and witches take to the streets for a weekend of spine-chilling revelries, from Oct. 29 to 31.
The London Ghost Festival, put on by a group called London Paranormal (44-79-8223-0208; a k a Phantasmagoria Events), includes a performance in Greenwich, ghost walks, boat rides, and a late night opening of the London Dungeon, all culminating in a Halloween Ball.
You can sign up for a scary one-hour boat trip through the half-mile-long, pitch-black Islington Tunnel, organized by the London Canal Museum, or head to Thorpe Park, a theme park outside the city, for a special Halloween evening of roller-coaster rides and horror mazes, until 10 p.m. (Advance booking required for Thorpe Park.)
On Oct. 29 and 30, Charlton House, a Jacobean Mansion in Greenwich, will host performances of “The 13th Ghost of Gruesome Greenwich,” in which summoned spirits are invited to plunge the spectator into eerie interactive intrigues.
Back in London, Haunted History Ghost Walks explore the city’s “most horrid history and petrifying ghost stories.” On the route are execution sites, graveyards with body-snatching histories and ancient plague pits.
“This year we have two walking tours over Halloween — ‘Saints and Sinners of Southwark’ and ‘Spooky Smithfield and Beyond’ — and a special ‘Midnight Shocker: If You Dare,’ ” which starts at 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, said Ian John Shillito, the director and founder of Phantasmagoria Events. “Our aim is to reveal local social history — forgotten histories, lost regional myths and colorful characters.”
The New York Times
No comments:
Post a Comment