Halloween tips, ghost catching and giant hippopotamus

Vienna residents have a wide selection of family-friendly Halloween activities scheduled for late October and early November 2026, ranging from costume parties in city parks to spooky tours at historical sites. While the Prater amusement park has cancelled its traditional parade and ghost train this year, it offers daily face painting, scary stories, photo opportunities, magic shows, and pumpkin painting until October 31. These activities take place daily between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Additionally, children can jump for free in the air castle located near the entrance, provided they are wearing costumes or have painted faces, through October 31. A major running event, the Vienna Halloween Run, is organized by Fair Sport Events for Friday, October 30, starting at 6:30 p.m. within the Prater grounds. Participants aged three and older, along with adults, run the course while attempting to outrun zombies. On Saturday, October 31, the Central Cemetery hosts a Halloween festival from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. This event includes interactive stations and allows particularly brave visitors to lie in coffins. For families preferring a gentler atmosphere, Gmundner Keramik in the eighth district holds a children's Halloween event at 10 a.m. on October 31. Attendees aged three and up can paint ceramics, get their faces painted, or simply celebrate together. Several markets and community spaces host specific events during the weekend. The Schlingermarkt market features a Halloween celebration on Friday, October 30, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Children can participate in trick-or-treating at market stalls, paint pumpkins, and receive face paintings. In the Seestadt area, the WienXtra City Box offers a spooky game afternoon on Friday, October 30, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Although one listing indicates the date as October 31, the text specifies the activity involves hours of scary board games and stories suitable for ages three and up. In the Neubau district, two related events occur on Saturday, October 31. The street party on Neubaugasse begins at 2 p.m. and is popular among costumed attendees. Children can collect small gifts from local shops, where individual owners often compete annually with elaborate decorations and costumes. Nearby, the Spuk-Amtshaus provides a warming station with free mulled wine and sweets from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. At the main railway station, specifically in the basement level next to the Thalia store, a Halloween event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 31. Activities include pumpkin painting, a children's face painting station, and candy distribution in participating stores. Historical sites offer themed experiences for older children. The Children’s Museum at Schönbrunn Palace hosted a horror tour called "Headless Through the Children's Museum" on October 29 and 30, starting at 5 p.m. Children aged eight and older explored imperial rooms armed only with flashlights while encountering frightening figures. A separate puzzle rally for seven-year-olds ran through November 2, available during opening hours, focusing on discovering secrets and hearing ghost stories. Another option for families is the Bohemian Prater, which held multiple children's Halloween parties with play stations, magic, and fire shows on October 30 and 31, starting at 2 p.m. Beyond Vienna, Lower Austria presents numerous attractions around the holiday. The Aggstein Castle ruins hosted medieval-themed scares from October 30 to November 1, featuring witches, fire and dance shows, blacksmiths, card reading, and a fireworks display on Friday. The Eis-Greissler Krumbach experience park in the Bucklige Welt region offered "Scary Days" until November 5, operating daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Attractions included a monster corn maze, a Dracula magic show, a 5D horror cinema, face painting, tattoos, and trick-or-treat options. Schloss Hof transformed into a legendary setting for its "Spooky Autumn" program, offering entertainment for all ages. The Gänserndorf Experience Park featured a crafting tent, a Halloween magician, and face painting, making it suitable for family outings during autumn holidays. In Tulln, actors turned the water park into a dark experience world on October 30, providing unexpected encounters and twists. Near the spa park in Bad Vöslau, a Halloween course designed by local clubs and the fire department offered chills stations guided over approximately one hour. Other locations in Lower Austria included the Haunted House Ravelsbach, which opened on October 31 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. This experience combined theater, stations, and horror elements over a five-kilometer route, requiring participants to solve riddles and pass courage tests within two hours. The Escape Haus in Traismauer offered a ten-minute scripted horror tour with live jump scares, light effects, and sound. The Fischapark in Wiener Neustadt provided a scare labyrinth, pumpkin workshop, makeup station, fortune teller tent, and a performance titled "The Other Side." Finally, the inner city of Baden saw eerie figures roaming the streets on October 31, with coffins and tombstones decorating familiar squares. In Vienna, the Mozarthaus Vienna advertised a workshop for children aged six to twelve on Friday, October 30. Sessions were held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., lasting 90 minutes. The price for children was 8.50 euros, reduced to 4 euros with a child activity card, while adults paid 22 euros. Participants listened to stories about Mozart and built their own spooky show, with organizers encouraging attendees to wear costumes and bring flashlights.