Rooftop Monsters are set to return to Nottingham city centre this Halloween!

Tentacles of an inflatable halloween monster on the roof of Cleaver and Wake, Nottingham

The season of spooks and thrills is just around the corner, and we're getting ready to bring the frightful fun to life. Mark your calendars because the Nottingham Halloween Festival is back!

Posted: Sep 2025

🧟‍♂️ Monsters on the roof

Get ready for monstrous fun this October half-term - our favourite rooftop monsters are returning from Saturday 25 October - Sunday 2 November 2025.

There will be some new monsters to spot this year, as the crazy creatures take up residence on the rooftops of high-street shops and businesses across the city.

To help you find them, we've created a map, which you will soon be able to pick up from Nottingham Tourism Centre on Smithy Row.

🎃 Monster Bus: Spooky Safari - sold out!

Hop aboard the Monster Bus for a fang-tastic adventure! This spooky safari will take you on a thrilling tour around the city to spot all the rooftop monsters as we ride along!

Dates:

Thursday 30 October
Friday 31 October
Saturday 1 November

Tour Times:

Morning Safaris: 10am AND 11.30am
Afternoon Safaris: 1pm AND 2.30pm

Dress up in your favourite costume, bring your best monster-spotting skills, and get ready for a wickedly good time!

Tickets are now sold out!

Please note - Every passenger needs a ticket - adults too!

👻 Monster Mash at Nottingham Castle

Join us on Friday 31 October from 10am to 5pm* for a day of ghostly delights, family fun, and Halloween magic at the Monster Mash! Enjoy music and dancing in the bandstand with our family-friendly DJ, free face painting for kids, spooky games, crafts, and tasty treats from food and drink stalls.

Dress up in your best Halloween costume to show off your spooky style!

Tickets*: £2 for each adult and £1 per child under the age of 15 year, which includes entry to the Castle!

*Choose your time slot to enter - 10am, 12pm or 2pm.

Please note - Visitors should only attend if they have purchased tickets in advance. Once the online tickets are sold out, anyone seeking an on-the-day ticket would be charged the standard admission price by Nottingham Castle - i.e: Adult: £15, on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to capacity only, and entry would not be guaranteed.

Click here for tickets - Adults - £2. U'15s - £1.

Ticket costs apply to Nottingham Castle annual pass holders. No concessions.

Tickets must be pre-booked.

💀 The Strolling Bones Parade

Get ready for some hair-raising fun with the Strolling Bones Parade! This eerie yet playful walkabout performance, created by Walk the Plank, features lively skeleton puppets dancing to the infectious sounds of the Fat Cat Brass Band.

Catch one of the three performances within the grounds of Nottingham Castle on 31 October:

11:00 AM
1:00 PM
3:00 PM

Perfect for families and Halloween fans, this walkabout performance is part of the Monster Mash event at Nottingham Castle and is included in the £2 entrance fee. Don’t miss out!

Competition time!

We’re giving one lucky family (up to 5) a two-night stay in Nottingham to celebrate Nottingham Halloween Festival!

✨ Stay in a stylish SACO apartment from Thursday 30 October to Saturday 1 November 2025
🦇 Party at the Monster Mash at Nottingham Castle
🚌 Take a ride on the Monster Bus Spooky Safari

📲 Enter over on our Instagram page - @itsinnottingham & start planning your Halloween adventure!

✋🏼 Competition ends 23.59 on Wednesday 8 October 2025

Looking for somewhere to rest your bones?

You're in luck! Nottingham has a great choice of family-friendly restaurants serving up awesome deals on kids meals.

Download our app to find out more about what's happening in Nottingham this Halloween!

The It’s in Nottingham app is loaded with the latest shops, restaurants, bars, venues and events across the city centre - plus Google Maps to help you get around easily.

Whether you're a ghoul, a foodie, or looking for family fun things to do, our app will point you in the right direction and help you enjoy your time in our city.

Download it free today on Apple or Android and start exploring Nottingham!

Park for less

How's this for an offer - park at either NCP St James's or NCP on Maid Marian Way for just £6 per day from 30 October until 1 November 2025.

To get the offer, download the NCP App before you park - use Promo code “MASH25”.

Pssst...

Travelling into Nottingham couldn't be easier with our handy guide to local transport options.

Don't miss the chance to travel to the spooktacular events with NCT's 'Ghoulrider'! Between Saturday 18 October and Sunday 2 November 2025 inclusive, the price will be:

Grouprider: £6 all day, every day for unlimited travel in the City Zone
Network Grouprider: £9 all day, every day for unlimited travel across all NCT services in the City Zone and Outer Zone, including Loughborough, East Leake, Cotgrave, Cropwell, Burton Joyce, Lambley, Woodborough, Calverton and Southwell.

There are no discount codes or vouchers needed to pay the lower price during the promotional period – ask the driver or buy in the NCTX Buses App.

These reductions are thanks to the Nottinghamshire and Greater Nottingham Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), where bus operators across the county and city are offering up to a third off group tickets over the October half-term period.

Our friends at trentbarton are also offering discounted group travel for families! Grab the reduced Zigzag ticket for just £12, allowing up to five people to travel anywhere across trentbarton land. This offer is available until 3 November 2024.