The days are growing shorter, there’s a chill in the air, and plentiful amounts of pumpkins are popping up everywhere. Yep, it’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween. Here’s over a dozen ideas to help you enjoy the most spook-tacular time of the year in the Netherlands.

Scream your head off at Walibi Holland or Toverland
The downright devilish clown Dirigent Eddie and his fearsome friends are raising hell once again at Walibi Holland. This theme for the 2024 edition of the theme park’s annual Halloween extravaganza is ‘Cheers to Fears!’ The festival of frights continues now through 3 November.

If the roller coasters aren’t enough to get your blood pumping, there are several haunted houses, scare zones, and ‘extreme experiences’ that should do the trick. ‘Us vs. You’ is one of the horrifying highlights this time around. Will you, and whoever’s brave enough to tag along, escape from this bizarre game show?

The freaky folks over in the Camp of Curiosities are also hosting dinners for all you foodies out there. Those who are a bit more timid or would like to bring young kids along should stick with Walibi’s daytime ‘Spooky Days’ activities…and be sure to clear out by sunset. Things get pretty intense at the park after dark. Toverland, a theme park down south in Sevenum, also hosts Halloween Nights. This year it features ten experiences, scare zones, and a parade that’s pretty dang paranormal. 

Check out the new and improved ghouls at Efteling
The Efteling doesn’t go all out for Halloween like Walibi Holland. It typically hosts a annual autumn celebration, but this year the theme park’s Spookslot will reopen on 31 October. This haunted castle attraction has welcomed still living and breathing guests since 1978 when Efteling celebrated its debut with a very weird television special starring singer Kate Bush (there’s clips over on YouTube if you’re curious).

The new, improved Spookslot has been redubbed Danse Macabre and is the centrepiece for a ghostly corner of the park called the Huyverwoud. After finding out what the castle’s residents have been up to lately, visitors can grab refreshments from a spooky old tavern and attend a performance starring Virginie and Otto Charlata, a creepy couple with an even creepier barrel organ named Esmerelda.

A different danse macabre
The weekend closest to Halloween tends to be a huge one for the nation’s nightclubs. 2024 is sure to be no exception. The Melkweg will host High Tea Amsterdam: Trick of Tea on Friday, 25 October. If you like plenty of electronic bass in your face, you can get tickets on their website.

The 15th annual Amsterdam Halloween has a post-apocalyptic theme and will break out plenty of atomic-sized beats on Saturday the 26th. A Halloween edition of Fiesta Macumba, a Latino club series, takes over Annabel in Rotterdam on the 25th. LITT Halloween will feature two areas and is set to invade Paard in The Hague the same night.

If a belated ‘60s style go-go bonanza sounds like your idea of a good time, the Halloween Freakfest at Paradiso in Amsterdam has been postponed until after the holiday and bounced to Sunday, 3 November.

Purchase some pumpkins or go for a few gourds
While Halloween has become increasingly popular in the Netherlands in recent years, the chances you’ll find yourself in a American-style pumpkin patch is pretty much zero, especially if you’re hoping for one with hay rides and a corn maze. But there are plenty of farms that sell pumpkins and other decorative gourds at roadside stands.

De Pompoenwinkel is a fantastic one in Zeeland with a wide assortment. Closer to Amsterdam, Pompoenen Ter Aar is one of many you’ll find in farming communities scattered across the Randstad. Pompoenerie Wezep is another option. Those willing to settle for a bog standard carving pumpkin will find them at the nearest Albert Heijn or a garden centre like Intratuin.

Plenty of horrifying high jinks in Amsterdam
There are several unique ways to celebrate Halloween in the nation’s capital. Dive into the Amsterdam Dungeon if you enjoy immersive scares, but the lines are long this time of year, especially during the weekend closest to Halloween. Get your tickets in advance.

Amsterdam Catacombs, located beneath the Posthoornkerk, is one of the country’s scariest escape rooms and features theatrical elements. It’s received plenty of accolades from folks who are into this sort of stuff. I Amsterdam has a list of historical sites worth visiting and the Muiderslot Castle in nearby Muiden is once again hosting a Halloween night tour if you’re more interested in (allegedly) real haunts.

Run for your life in Almere
Aim for the Almere Buiten in Almere if running away from monsters sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday evening. The park’s annual Halloween Run kicks off at 16:30 on October 26 this year with a family-friendly one kilometre kids walk and run. Things will get progressively scarier as the night goes on with further walks and runs named for various famous nasties like Chucky, Dracula, and Freddy Krueger. The course is sure to attract plenty of zombies, scary clowns, and other horrors. Will you make it all the way to the finish line?

Sip a pumpkin beer
Some people love ‘em and other people think they taste like lager mixed with mashed vegetables and cinnamon. Pumpkin beer definitely isn’t for everyone. Those who like a little autumnal kick in their brews should track down one of at least two pumpkin beers available from breweries located here in the Netherlands.

Gebrouwen door Vrouwen in Amsterdam recently improved the recipe for their ‘Pumpkin Party.’ You can order some from their website, try a glass at their bar on the Jan Pieter Heijestraat, or maybe find it on the shelves of your nearest bottle shop. Lowlander has a pumpkin weizen that’s available via their website and at your local Hema. The Jopen in Haarlem also whips up a stellar pumpkin spice stout, but good luck finding some. It’s all sold out at the time of this writing.

Watch a few freaky films
This year’s Imagine Film Festival in Amsterdam will run Thursday, 24 October through Sunday, 3 November and the schedule is packed with plenty of cinematic terrors. Arguably the scariest thing on the slate given the current state of global politics? Director Michael Radford’s adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984.

Other highlights include several rarely seen Islamic horror films, a Halloween party with ‘Bloody Eyeball Bingo’ on the 26th, and a screening of Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers with an introduction from the film’s visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett. He’ll be at the festival to screen his nightmarish new film Mad God. Mr. Horror is also back in action with his Halloween movie marathon at various cinemas around the country on the 26th. The epic 9+ hour endurance test includes the third entry in the popular, and incredibly gory, Terrifier series.

Spice up your life
Awful or awfully delicious? The Dutch aren’t entirely sold on pumpkin spice, but there’s a good chance that pumpkin spice lattes have snuck onto the menu at your favourite local coffeehouse. If not, there’s always the nearest Starbucks. The American coffee chain is currently cranking out traditional and iced versions along with a new concoction they’re calling ‘Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam.’

Pumpkin spice products have also crept onto the shelves at Albert Heijn. We recommend trying a splash of Nature Barista pumpkin spice oat milk in your morning coffee. Tea drinkers will no doubt prefer the pumpkin spice blend over at Simon Lévelt. And if you’re looking to bridge the gap between Halloween and Sinterklaas with a seasonally-appropriate treat, be on the lookout for Peppernuts Holland’s pumpkin spice pepernoten.

Where to find candy corn
For some, gobbling up as much candy corn as possible before the clock strikes midnight on the 1st of November is a cherished annual pastime. It can be hard to find any in the Netherlands, though.

Kelly’s Expat Shopping has plenty in stock and, according to their website, it’s a brand preferred by ‘candy corn connoisseurs.’ This small chain of grocery stores specialises in products from the UK and US. They’re the place to head if you’d like to stock up on international sweets for the holiday or if you want to make a pumpkin pie but can’t find a certain key ingredient.

March through the streets of Haarlem
The Haarlem Halloween Parade is back, this time on Saturday the 26th. The theme? ‘Light Up the Night’, so be sure to bring plenty of LEDs and other ways to illuminate the city along with a costume, of course. Participants are asked to gather on the Nieuwe Groenmarkt around 20:00. The parade will begin at 20:30. Stick around for the after party over at the Patronaat. Tickets are available for the latter via Ticketmaster.

Stock up
Need a last minute costume or decorations for a Halloween party? Hema has a few along with Siepie the cat trick or treat bags this year. SoLow is a chain of party shops with a decent selection of costumes, makeup, and other Halloween gear. Louis Wittenburg in Amsterdam is the city’s oldest party shop and first opened its doors way back in 1901. They’ve got plenty of Halloween masks and some really elaborate decorations for sale in the basement.

Read a book
If you’d rather read about ghosts and goblins than dress like them, the American Book Center has limited edition Halloween-themed Book Lover Boxes. They’re available through 25 October or until they’re sold out.