The festival runs for three days, but most people will come for one. It helps to know in advance which one — because the three days are not the same, and some things happen on only one of them.
The practical bit first
Admission costs €5 (early bird) and is sold in advance on more.com. With a ticket for any activity (workshop, movie nights, stand up comedy), admission is included — you do not buy a second one.
The hours:
- Friday 30/10 — 12:00–23:00
- Saturday 31/10 — 10:00–23:00
- Sunday 1/11 — 10:00–22:00
Friday, if you want room to breathe
It is the quietest day. It opens at 12:00 and the morning belongs to the school visits, so from 14:00 onwards the venue empties out and fills back up with a different crowd. If crowds bother you, or if you are coming with someone who tires easily, Friday is the answer.
It also has something the other two do not: from 17:00 Candycane Tattoos ink spooky designs for free. There is no booking — come half an hour early if you want to be sure of it.
Saturday, if you want the big night
It is Halloween itself, and it shows. It opens at 10:00, closes at 23:00, and the evening is the peak: the costume contest, the shows, the stand up comedy at 19:30. Pumpkin carving runs in shifts until 22:00 — the last one is also the best, because by then the place is full of people with no intention of leaving.
If you pick Saturday, book ahead. It is the day the workshops sell out first.
Sunday, if you are coming with children
Sunday morning is built for younger ages: the felt ghosts at 10:30, the spooky mouse ears at 12:00. The afternoon changes pace with the scented potions at 14:00 and the Grangel Studio drawing workshop. It closes at 22:00, an hour earlier than the other two — factor that in if you are thinking of arriving late.
Four hours, realistically
If you have one afternoon and nothing more, this order works:
- First hour — the Halloween Market. It is the biggest part and it needs time; you do not walk 80+ stalls in a hurry.
- Second hour — the Horror Museum and the Grangel brothers’ exhibition. Both are included with admission.
- Third hour — the Witch Hunt and face painting. Free, no booking, and the hunt puts you in the prize draw.
- Fourth hour — whatever you have booked: a workshop, a pumpkin or the stand up.
What does not fit into four hours is two workshops. Stick to one.
What you book in advance and what you do not
These need a ticket: the workshops, the stand up comedy and pumpkin carving. Places are limited and carving goes by the hour, so pick a shift that suits you instead of just hoping.
These need nothing: the market, the Horror Museum, the Grangel exhibition, face painting, the Witch Hunt, the make-up classes and the board games. The €5 covers all of it.
Getting here
Metro Kerameikos, two minutes on foot. Gazi has no parking in the evenings — and on Halloween night itself, do not even think about it. All the travel directions are gathered on one page.