Festival of Halloween

The inaugural Festival of Halloween will make its spooktacular debut at the Waterside Workers Hall on Saturday 5 October, transforming the historic hall into a haunted haven for Halloween fans.
The festival, organised by Adelaide haunt operator and Halloween aficionado Stasia Read and Hallozween founder and editor-in-chief Andrea Beattie, is designed to be a family-friendly event, ensuring that everyone, from the youngest trick-or-treaters to the most dedicated Halloween fans, has a memorable experience.
“We’re so thrilled to present Adelaide’s first ever Festival of Halloween,” says Stasia. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for families and Halloween enthusiasts to come together and enjoy a day of spooky fun and community spirit.
“Both sessions are selling fast, and we’ve only had discounted early bird tickets on sale for less than a fortnight, so the response so far has been absolutely amazing.”
With activities planned throughout the day, attendees are encouraged to come in costume and immerse themselves in the Halloween spirit.

• Trick or treat trail: Kids and families can embark on a spooky adventure, collecting treats and surprises along the way.
• Kids’ activities: A variety of engaging Halloween crafts will keep the little ones entertained.
• Mini-Haunt Experience: For those brave enough, a mini-haunt experience will offer a taste of Halloween chills and thrills.
• Spooky market: With more than 20 unique stallholders, visitors can shop for all things eerie and enchanting, from handmade crafts, tasty delights and themed merchandise.
• Photo opportunities: Capture memories with an array of spooky backdrops and roving scare actors and characters perfect for family photos.
• Costume and cosplay competition: Come in costume to be in the running to win some great prizes.
• DIY talks and demonstrations: Learn how to create your own Halloween decorations and carve the perfect jack o’ lantern with expert-led DIY sessions.
• Halloween show bags: Take home a piece of the Halloween fun with specially curated show bags filled with festive goodies with profits going to Go Foundation who create opportunities for indigenous youth through education.
• The South Australia Ghost Busters: The fundraising fan faves will be on fan to keep everyone safe from the supernatural.
• Food trucks to satisfy those cravings.
• And so much more!

“It’s exciting presenting this first-time event and we’re having a lot of fun watching it all come to life,” says Andrea.
“Adelaide, and South Australia in general, has a very passionate and devoted Halloween community and we really wanted to present an event that embraced everything folks love about Halloween – fun, inclusivity, and of course, some scares!
“We also love that the Halloween market, which will feature more than 20 local vendors selling spooky and Halloween-themed products, gives back to the community by supporting local small businesses.”
To keep crowds at a minimum and fun at its peak, the event will be presented in two sessions so folks can choose to buy a ticket to the morning session from 11am to 3pm, or the afternoon session from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.
A 30-minute session from 3pm has been allocated for those with sensory needs. This will be a quiet time for those who are easily overwhelmed but would like to take part in the trick or treat trail.
“It’s all coming together really well, and we’ve got some cool presentations happening,” says Stasia. “We don’t want to give too much away, but it really is going to be a frightfully good time!”