Halloween may not be as big in Sweden as it is elsewhere – Swedes traditionally celebrate All Saints on November 1st instead – but you’re likely to still see kids out on the streets dressed up around October 31st.
This year, it’s the same week as the autumn school holidays for much of the country, so there’s a lot to do for kids and families at the end of October heading into November.
Although Halloween technically falls on the last day of October, many Swedish families celebrate the weekend before or the weekend after. October 31st is a Friday this year, so most of the events are actually on the first weekend in November.
As far as local Halloween events are concerned, individual streets and housing associations often agree on a date together so that parents are prepared with sweets and decorations for any trick-or-treaters.
The custom of trick or treating is called bus eller godis in Swedish, and there's growing consensus that children should only knock on doors which have some kind of Halloween decorations outside, even if it's just a pumpkin on the doorstep, and respect those who do not wish to take part.
But what if you're interested in a larger event?
In Stockholm, Shockholm, Scandinavia’s largest Halloween parade, kicks off at 5pm from Sergels torg on October 31st. It includes food trucks, a Halloween stage show, a costume contest for humans and for dogs, all rounded off with a parade through Gamla Stan.
Theme park Gröna Lund will be decorated for the spooky season from October 10th until November 9th, with pumpkins, haunted houses and other scary decorations throughout the park (with other, less scary autumnal options for smaller kids).
Liseberg in Gothenburg is also hosting Halloween events from October 3rd to November 2nd. There will also be ghosts, bats and spiders taking up residence in Alfons Åbergs kulturhus in the Trädgårdsföreningen park from week 40-44 (September 29th to November 2nd), along with daily shows with a kid-friendly spooky theme.
Up in the north of the country in Umeå, you can visit Halloween på Liljeståls from October 24th to November 2nd, a 5,000 square metre large Halloween trail in the back garden of couple Urban Liljeström and Sofie Rodeståhl’s home, who both have full-time jobs and run the Halloween trail in their spare time.
Furuvik near Gävle celebrates Halloween from October 11th to November 1st, with Pelle Svanslös-themed Halloween events for younger children. There are also more scary Horror Nights events on selected days for teenagers and adults.
Down in the south of the country in Skåne, Skånes Djurpark has a whole host of spooky events each weekend in October (and the höstlov holiday weeks on week 42 and 44), like the spökskogen (ghost forest) where you can go looking for trolls, carve pumpkins and take part in animal feeding events.
Vellingeblomman, which is technically a garden centre, also has a 1,000 square metre Halloween-themed ghost tunnel from September 6th to November 11th, where you’ll also be able to buy sweets and decorations for your own celebrations. It's hosting Halloween evenings on Wednesdays throughout that period with "fun, laughs and taste experiences for the whole family".
In past years, Folkets Park in Malmö has hosted a Halloween event, Skräckveckan, each year during the autumn half term holidays. That event is back for 2025, taking place from October 27th to November 1st.
Do you know about another Halloween-themed event in Sweden which we haven't mentioned? Comment below!
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