Halloween In Scotland With Kids | Activities, Events & Traditions

Discover the top Halloween activities And Traditions in Scotland

Halloween in Scotland is a truly spooktacular occasion with more than its fair share of pumpkin patches and haunted castles!

While kids love the mix of spooky excitement, costumes and sweet treats, there’s plenty of fun for the whole family.

Scotland’s blend of history and stunning scenery lends itself well to those looking for traditional, family-friendly Halloween events and activities. We’ll take you from its ancient roots to modern-day celebrations and give you a few pointers on the way.

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Halloween In Scotland

Halloween’s origins date back many centuries to ‘Samhain’, an ancient Celtic festival. Every year, on the on the 31st of October, bonfires, costumes and rituals were used to celebrate the end of the harvest season and ward off ghosts as the long, dark nights took hold.

Nowadays though it’s much more about having fun than celebrating the harvest. Despite the tradition dating back 2000 years, children across Scotland still eagerly plan their Halloween costumes and jokes for their favourite autumn activity, even before summer is over.

There are many family-friendly events in the weeks leading up to Halloween before ‘guising’ marks the end of the celebrations the day before ‘All Hollow’s Day’ on the 1st of November.

Scottish Family Halloween Traditions

Many ancient Celtic Samhain traditions have now evolved into what we call Halloween. Every year on October 31st, kids across Scotland will celebrate in fun adaptations of these traditions, including:

👻 Halloween Guising – Similar to trick-or-treating where children dress up and knock on doors but with a Scottish twist. Children don’t ‘trick or treat’, they perform a song, poem, joke, or dance in exchange for sweets or a coin.

🎃 Pumpkin Carving and Turnip Lanterns – In the days leading up to Halloween families carve designs into pumpkins and turnips in Scotland. Younger kids may need help carving, while older children can have a family-friendly competition to see who can create the spookiest, or most creative pumpkin to display on your doorstep. Put a light inside for maximum effect; a candle, glowstick or torch is perfect!

🦇 Dooking for Apples – ‘Dooking’ involves participants using their mouths to try and grab apples floating in water. Trust us when we say it’s not as easy as it sounds, but the kids will love getting wet!

👻 Treacle Scones – Similar to apple dooking but messier. Kids are challenged to eat a treacle scone hung from a piece of string without using their hands.

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Family Halloween Events And Activities in Scotland

Family-friendly themed events happen all across Scotland in the run-up to Halloween. Teenagers might enjoy a scary ghost walk while younger kids can enjoy dressing up, picking a pumpkin or playing fun Halloween-themed games.

1 | Explore Pumpkin Patches

Visiting one of Scotland’s pick-your-own pumpkin farms is a great way to start your Halloween preparations. Popular pumpkin patches like Arnprior Farm, Craigies Farm and Cairnie Fruit Farm also have adventure play areas, perfect for a family day out.

Once you’ve chosen your pumpkins you can carve them together, ready to display for Halloween. Some farms such as Clyde Valley Family Park, have a dedicated carving area where you’ll find tools and inspiration to help.

2 | Visit A Haunted Scottish Castle

People widely recognise Scotland for its castles, many of which have ghostly histories. If you’re looking for a top thing to do with kids at Halloween, visiting a haunted Scottish Castle should be near the top of your list!

Some castles offer special Halloween tours and events. Check they are age-appropriate to avoid terrifying young children! Places on these tours often sell out fast so book early to avoid disappointment.

• Edinburgh Castle: Known for its rich history and numerous ghost sightings, a visit to Edinburgh Castle promises to thrill. There are plenty of Halloween ‘high-jinks’ with a Halloween trail, and dark tales told by ghouls and ghosts. Not far from the castle, you’ll find the Edinburgh Dungeons, a full-on sensory experience that will take you back through the centuries. To finish off your Halloween experience, with a ghost bus tour of Edinburgh.
• Stirling Castle: With its long history of battles, Stirling Castle has more than a few tales to tell during its Halloween Shenanigans weekend. Suitable for families, with kids that love a bit of Halloween fun!
• Glamis Castle: Known for its ghostly legends, Halloween brings a mix of family-friendly storytelling and teen-appropriate tours in the castle after-dark on a selection of dates in October.

3 | Dress Up for Guising

Guising in Scotland is similar to the American tradition of ‘trick-or-treating’. Instead of threatening a trick, children offer a song, joke, or poem in exchange for sweets or coins. As darkness falls on the last day of October, kids across Scotland don their costumes and head out in search of their bounty from willing neighbours.

Family Tip: Ensure kids have rehearsed their offering and that costumes are warm enough for Autumn in Scotland.

4 | Attend A Family Halloween Event

Many cities and towns across Scotland host special Halloween-themed events for families and children in October. They normally run in the weeks leading up to Halloween.

• Halloween Pumpkin Party at Kelburn: Kelburn Estate transforms into a spooky family fun day, with a pumpkin carving competition, marshmallow toasting and Halloween games.
• Glasgow Science Centre’s Halloween Family Party: Perfect for curious minds, this science-themed Halloween event includes spooky shows, creepy crafts and a monster disco.
• GlasGLOW: This is one of Scotland’s largest family-friendly Halloween events. Set in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens, GlasGLOW offers a spectacular illuminated trail. You’ll journey through ten magical (sometimes scary!) worlds including the Boneyard and Haunted House. Be sure to drop into the unmissable Marshmallowland and visit Clowntown if you dare. But remember, ‘there is no light without dark, no trick without treat’.
• Samhuinn Fire Festival in Edinburgh: Celebrate the ancient Celtic festival of Samhuinn (also known as Samhain). This festival is suitable for teens who will enjoy a night of fire shows and eerie performances in Holyrood Park.
• The Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry: This woodland magical light show is not Halloween-themed, however, it creates an eerie atmosphere perfect for the season. Kids can explore the illuminated forest trails without the fear of being scared by a clown!

5 | Create Your Own Halloween Party

Throw a home Halloween party for your kids with traditional Scottish crafts, games, and music. To set the atmosphere, decorate the house with homemade spooky crafts.

Apple dooking and mummy wrap are Halloween favourites suitable for all ages, especially to a themed soundtrack! Kids love themed party food such as eyeballs (pickled onions or eggs) and wiggly worms (spaghetti) or let them get creative making pumpkins and monsters with biscuits and icing.

Finish with a costume parade, awarding a simple prize for the most imaginative or scariest outfit.

6 | Watch A Family-Friendly Halloween Movie

Get into the spirit of Halloween and tuck into your guising goodies while watching a Halloween movie. There are plenty to choose from but our kids love Hocus Pocus, Casper, Addams Family and Goosebumps.

7 | Storytelling and Ghost Tales

Gather together in the dark with a torch to share some of Scotland’s classic ghost tales or even make up some of your own.

‘The Grey Lady of Stirling Castle’ is perfect for young children while ‘The Bloody Murder at Castle Fraser’ is better suited to teens. If you like spooky poetry, Tam O’ Shanter by Robert Burns’ is said to have been inspired by the Devil’s meeting with some 18th-century witches.

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Tips for Celebrating Halloween in Scotland

Halloween is a family-friendly celebration with traditions that date back 2000 years. Here are our tips for celebrating Halloween in Scotland with kids:

• Book Halloween Event In Advance: Halloween events are popular and sell out fast, book tickets in advance.
• Prepare For Guising: Help your kids learn a dance, some poems and jokes to perform while guising. In return embrace the spirit of Halloween and have treats for anyone who knocks at your door.
• Guising Times: While there are no specific times for guising, children usually start knocking soon after dark and finish by 2100hrs.
• Stay Warm: Make sure costumes are suitable for the Autumnal Scottish weather. October nights can get chilly so layer up under costumes.
• Avoiding Halloween: If the thought of Halloween is too much, do not attract visitors with outside lights.

Halloween In Scotland | FAQ’s

Final Thoughts | Halloween In Scotland With Kids

Halloween is deeply ingrained in Scotland’s culture and the celebrations are a reflection of the centuries of tradition that have shaped them. For a unique, family-friendly event that brings history to life, it’s hard to beat Halloween at a Scottish Castle!

There are spooky memories to be made for every family this Halloween in Scotland. Whether you take part in traditional customs like guising and dooking for apples or events like pumpkin picking and a haunted castle tour, Halloween in Scotland will be a great memory.