Halloween is a popular holiday that is celebrated every year on October 31. On this spooky day, people wear scary costumes, do thematic make-up and go to numerous parties. We have collected all the information you would like to know about Halloween 2024 in this article

Halloween is an exciting, creative and very popular holiday celebrated all over the world. This day is filled with spooky fun, original costumes and interesting traditions. Whether you're throwing a haunted party or just enjoying the holiday moments at home, Halloween brings people together for a night of fear and delight.

Date, theme, history, traditions, trendy costumes and make-up, symbols, in which countries and how they celebrate, spooky events and festivals across Europe - in this article we have collected all the most interesting things about Halloween - 2024. So let's go on a scary adventure.

Date of Halloween 2024

This year, Halloween falls on Thursday, October 31, 2024. Unfortunately, it is a weekday, so this fact can make it difficult to participate in parties until the morning, but this has its plus - your weekend can start a little earlier.

In most countries of the world, Halloween is not a public holiday. Businesses and public transport are open as usual.

Theme of Halloween 2024

Although Halloween traditionally revolves around the theme of horror, ghosts and the supernatural, each year brings new trends and ideas to this holiday.

The main theme of Halloween 2024 was to focus on "Myths and Legends of the Underworld", where people will be able to explore ancient tales, mythological creatures and forgotten folklore.

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In which countries do they celebrate Halloween?

Halloween is very popular in Canada, Great Britain and the USA.

The holiday is also gaining popularity in Australia, where people hang orange balloons on their houses to signal their participation in the holiday, as well as in Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Germany, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Ukraine, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.

Ways to celebrate Halloween

Halloween is usually celebrated with family, friends and sometimes colleagues. However, many countries also have large city celebrations.

Parties and other events are usually planned for October 31st or the weekends before and after that date.

Adults can celebrate by watching horror movies, having costume parties, or creating haunted houses or graveyards.

Many children dress up in scary costumes and visit other houses in the neighborhood. Sweets, snacks or a small gift are demanded in every house. If they don't get it, they threaten to harm the occupants of the house. This traditional game takes place in a friendly spirit.

Some families carve lanterns with "scary" faces from pumpkins or other vegetables, or decorate their homes and gardens in Halloween style. They were traditionally used to ward off evil spirits.

If you're home for Halloween, it's important to have a bowl of small treats or treats to offer to anyone who knocks on your door.

Things to do on Halloween

If you don't know what to do on Halloween, we suggest choosing one of the following activities:

1. Throw a costume party: Invite friends and family and dress up as your favorite mythological creatures.

2. Pumpkin Carving Contest: Get creative with spooky or whimsical pumpkin designs.

3. Create a haunted house - set up a maze or haunted room at home.

4. Treats: Take part in traditional entertainment for children - a door-to-door candy hunt.

5. DIY Halloween Decorations: Make your own ghosts, ghouls, and spiderwebs.

6. Halloween Movie Marathon: Watch classic horror movies or Halloween specials.

7. Haunted Forest Walk: Take a walk through a local forest decorated with spooky elements.

8. Bake Halloween Treats: Create themed cupcakes, cookies, and candy apples.

9. Have a Halloween party with an exciting theme.

10. Spooky Storytelling: Gather around the campfire and share ghost stories.

11. Visit a pumpkin patch: pick pumpkins and take festive fall photos.

12. Attend a Halloween Parade: Attend or watch a local parade.

13. Have a Halloween themed game night: Play spooky games like Escape Room or Werewolf.

14. Halloween Photo Session: Take professional photos in your costumes.

15. DIY Halloween Costumes: Design unique and personalized costumes.

16. Scavenger Hunt: Organize a spooky scavenger hunt in your neighborhood.

17. Zombie Run: Participate in or organize a Halloween themed race or walk.

18. Pumpkin Spice: Throw a pumpkin-themed dinner party with festive fall dishes.

19. Ghost Tours: Join a local ghost tour to explore interesting places in your hometown.

20. Light the lanterns: Decorate your path or porch with glowing pumpkins.

What to eat on Halloween?

Europe is home to several unique Halloween dishes, and 2024 will bring them back with a modern twist. In countries such as Ireland, the traditional Barmbrack (a fruitcake with a hidden charm) is making a comeback, with bakeries adding a Halloween twist by using seasonal ingredients such as pumpkin and spiced apples.

Meanwhile, in Spain and Portugal, families prepare Huesos de Santo (Saint's Bones), a bone-shaped marzipan treat traditionally eaten on All Saints Day.

In Italy, Fave dei Morti (Beans of the Dead) are small almond cookies that are a Halloween staple and are often served with a glass of red wine or espresso.

Pumpkin-flavored treats are also becoming more popular in Europe, with cafes in cities such as London, Berlin and Amsterdam now offering pumpkin lattes, pies and cakes to celebrate the season.

For those who love Halloween cocktails, blood red sangria, witch beer punch and spooky gin-based concoctions are trending in bars and restaurants.

Spooky events and festivals across Europe for Halloween

Halloween has also become synonymous with festivals and events in Europe, with each country offering its own spooktacular experience. Some of the most popular Halloween events in 2024 include:

- Halloween in Derry in Northern Ireland. It is often called one of the best Halloween festivals in Europe. Derry has parades, haunted houses and spectacular fireworks, all rooted in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This year's theme focuses on mythological creatures from Irish folklore, offering locals and tourists alike a rich cultural experience.

- Edinburgh Samhuinn Fire Festival: Edinburgh, Scotland celebrates the annual Samhuinn Fire Festival, a stunning re-enactment of ancient Celtic rituals. Expect dramatic performances, fire dancers and mythical creatures roaming the streets of Edinburgh's Old Town.

- Pumpkin Festivals in Germany and Austria - Central Europe, especially Germany and Austria, loves an unusual Halloween. Instead of focusing only on the spooky side, these countries celebrate pumpkin festivals where the highlights are pumpkin carving competitions, pumpkin dishes and art installations.

- Haunted Castles of Transylvania - No mention of Halloween in Europe would be complete without Transylvania, Romania. As the home of Dracula, it's the perfect place for those looking for a truly terrifying experience. Halloween tours of Bran and Corwin Castles are in high demand this year, with many visitors dressing up in full vampire gear to immerse themselves in the fun world of Halloween.

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Top best travel destinations for European travelers for Halloween in this article.

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Halloween symbols

There are various symbols associated with Halloween. These include ghosts, walking skeletons that represent contact between the spiritual and physical worlds, as well as between the living and the dead.

Human figures often depicted on Halloween are witches and wizards, who are believed to have the power to contact the spirit world.

Bats, black cats and spiders are often associated with this holiday. These animals are associated with night and darkness and often accompany witches and wizards.

Blood, fire, tombstones, pumpkins, bones and skulls are also associated with Halloween. All of them are symbols of death, the spirit world or protection of property from evil spirits.

Many of these items are currently available in stores as decorations for the Halloween season.

Trendy costumes for Halloween 2024

One of the highlights of Halloween in Europe is the ever-evolving costume parade. This year, a combination of dark glamor and classic horror is in trend. Velvet dresses with intricate lace, capes with sequins and shimmering masks that combine elegance and fear will become relevant. Characters such as vampires, witches and spirits from the Victorian era take on a more luxurious tone, with deep jewel tones such as emerald, ruby ​​and sapphire replacing the traditional black.

Makeup for Halloween 2024

Makeup has always played a crucial role in Halloween costumes, and 2024 is no different. However, this year the focus is on hyper-realistic make-up with special effects. Across Europe, makeup artists create body wounds, vampire bite marks and glamorous looks.

Among the popular trends is makeup that glows under the evening light, creating a mesmerizing effect during the party.

In addition, gothic glamor with dark lips, smoky eyes and complex facial features is gaining momentum, especially in cities such as Paris and Milan.

Selection of movies and music for Halloween

1. Don't forget to make a list of the scariest Halloween movies to watch in honor of the season.

The editors of Visit World suggest paying attention to the following horror films: The Exorcist (1973), Hereditary (2018), The Conjuring (2013), The Shining (1980), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), The Ring (2002), Halloween (1978), Sinister (2012), Insidious (2010), IT (2017). 

2. To create a festive mood, make a selection of best halloween songs:

- The Day of the Dead – Randy Sharp, 

- Jones 2.0, Under Spell – Sémø, 

- Sneakers – Roie Shpigler, 

- Freaky Halloween – SPACETRAIN UNLIMITED, 

- Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers – Monster Mash,

- Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters,

- Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho,

- The Edgar Winter Group – Frankenstein, 

- Eminem feat. Rihanna – The Monster,

- Bobby Brown – On Our Own (From ‘Ghostbusters II’),

- Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me, 

- Cher – Dark Lady,

- T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – Dead and Gone,

- Janet Jackson – Black Cat. 

History of Halloween

Halloween has a long, legendary history that is as full of spirit and intrigue as the holiday itself.

Many believe that Halloween originated with the Celts who lived two centuries ago in the regions now known as Ireland, England and northern France. On October 31, they celebrated Samhain to mark the end of summer and the onset of cold weather.

Also, it was on November 1 that the Celts began their new year. They believed that on the night before the new year, ghosts have the ability to return to earth. So they dressed up in costumes to ward off evil spirits, built bonfires, and tried to predict the future through fortune-telling.

After the Romans conquered the lands of the Celts, they began to borrow some Samhain traditions, such as jumping for apples. Later, the holiday continued to live in Christian culture in various forms.

Halloween 2024 promises to be an exciting, fun-filled event that combines ancient traditions with modern holidays. Whether you immerse yourself in spooky folklore, carve a pumpkin or throw a Halloween party, the festival offers endless opportunities to express your creativity.

We will remind you! While in the USA and many European countries Halloween is associated with sweets and costumes, in other countries the holiday looks completely different. We have already talked about events and festivals in honor of Halloween around the world and how Halloween is celebrated in different countries of the globe.

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