Halloween festivities get bigger and better each year and London is now rivalling many US cities for its creative celebrations. Check out the range of activities taking place on or near Leake Street Arches…
1. The Church at 26 Leake Street For this year’s Halloween celebration, The Church are doing Day of the Dead at 26 Leake Street. They’ll be infusing the Church, carnival, theatre, DJ, live music and unadulterated partying to bring you a day of the dead like no other. Dress up, don’t dress up, dress up in Halloween or Day of the Dead. Come as you are, be comfortable, laugh, dance, sing. Events by The Church are not your typical, they don’t abide by the rules, they are one of a kind and so are their loyal congregation!
2. Challoween at The Vaults Combining comedy, clubbing, klezmer, theatre, drag and smoked salmon, there’s nothing quite like Buttmitzvah. This Halloween get ready for a terrifying experience you’ll never forget. Spread across multiple spine-tingling rooms including a secret forest and volcanic wasteland, it’ll be scarier than a solo tour from Blue’s Antony Costa. They’ve got mass chair dancing, Zombie Bette Midler, kosher-ish catering from Tony Page, speeches from The Rimmers and rival family The Clitovitz’s, a spooky shofar competition, matchmaking drag kings, Bubbah’s Last Rites, Chanukah Lewinsky, Fiddler On The Poof and So. Much. More.
3. Licks and Liquor at Rat Bar Providing the official after-party for The Church’s Day of the Dead celebration next door, Licks and Liquor is sure to be a colourful affair. Surrounded by Rat inspired art work and sipping on rat themed cocktails, enjoy 5 hours of live music for just £5.
4. Haunted House of Vans The gnarliest Halloween party in town is back again for a raucous night of music carnage and terrifying immersive experiences, with a glowing twist. Grimy bass sounds will take centre stage as elusive North London MC CASisDEAD headlines the night, joined by Black Josh & Cult Mountain who will be bringing you weighty riddims with sharp spitting, deep vocals and a few deeper baselines until the early hours. The spooky cinema room will also be in full spin, hosting an all-nighter for all gore film lovers with epic horror flicks running back-to-back for those who need a break from the dance-floor. Watch out for glowing creatures hidden in the darkest corners of our tunnels, ready to make your hair stand on end.
5. Halloween Graffiti Graffiti artists have already started putting up pieces with a Halloween theme. Head to the tunnel to see artists at work or see the art they’ve created but get there quick, the ever changing canvas, of Leake Street means it won’t stay long!
6. Spooky games at Draughts The huge selection of board games at Draughts includes a number of Halloween themed options from Mysterium to Vampire Empire. Or for something truly terrifying, a round of Cards of Humanity will make you look at all your friends differently 😉
7. Cocktails at Banh Bao Bros Looking for a pre-party boost? Head to Banh Bao Brothers for a Chocolate Confucius cocktail! Made with black sugar liquor, vodka and choc bitters…it’s the perfect accompaniment to your look.
8. Pre-event photoshoot Leake Street Arches offers the perfect urban backdrop for Halloween outfit photos! For inspiration, check out the pictures created by @UK.Shooters during their recent Halloween Insta Meet such as this one by @AmateurAperturePhoto. For more, search the hashtag #uks_halloween2018 on Instagram.
9.Underground Cocktails at Vaulty Towers Voted one of London’s quirkiest pubs, Vaulty Towers recently opened The Basement Liquor…bringing the cocktail creations accompanying shows at The Vaults under one roof. Merging art, theatre and booze, it’s the perfect stop on a Halloween tour of the neighbourhood.
10. Carve your own Pumpkin Carve your own pumpkin using stencils, freehand drawing or more advanced craft techniques courtesy of this free workshop in partnership with We Are Waterloo. The free sessions are open to office workers, residents and shoppers – anyone who longs to get away from their desk or take a break from the daily grind to relax and be creative!