Well folks, with Halloween fast approaching we want to make things a bit easier for everyone trying to plan a Halloween themed night out with friends. That’s why we have a little easy-to-follow guide of when and where they are taking place and what extra surprises are planned for the night!
From fancy dress to ghoulish gowns there are plenty of reasons to get dressed up and partying hard in Galway this Halloween. In this list we’ve got top prizes for best costume, drink specials, and fearsome musical performances. Keep reading to find out where you and your pals need to be making a dramatic entrance this Halloween!
above: photo by Ciarán MacChoncarraige from Planet Retro's Halloween Shop
First Off, Get Your Halloween Costumes
Before we jump into all the craic we first need you to be dressed in your Halloween best. Thankfully we know exactly where to send you, to Planet Retro’s Halloween Shop in Unit 120 in Eyre Square Shopping Centre. It’s Galway’s coolest Halloween pop-up shop and this year it is back and better than ever. Here they have outfits suitable for all members of the family (that’s right, even for the youngest members of the family!) ranging from the classics and family-friendly, to the eerie and unsettling. With prices at just €25 for 1kg or €15 for 0.5kg, it’s a dream for friends shopping together or for anyone planning multiple outfits. Experiment, layer, and create a costume that no one else will have. Shop at Planet Retro and you’ll be ready to hit the streets for a bit of trick-or-treating, and the dance floors to monster mash with pals. For more on Planet Retro please see here.
Hole in the Wall: Fancy Dress Party & Halloween Night Party
When: Thursday, October 29th & Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31st
Entry fee: free
This October, Galway’s iconic Hole in the Wall is transforming into a Halloween destination for the entire month! Expect hauntingly spectacular decorations, creepy themed cocktails, delicious food, an electric atmosphere and amazing live performers every weekend. Think Halloween meets freak show – weird, wonderful and full of surprises. Two of their most notable parties planned include the Fancy Dress Competition on October 29th; Time to go all out! Get dressed up and join them for their Halloween Fancy Dress Competition, with some fantastic prizes to be won. As well as the Halloween Night Party on the 31st; Ditch the trick or treating and head into the biggest Halloween bash in town! Expect a huge lineup of live entertainment, spooky cocktails, outrageous costumes and Halloween mayhem as we take the celebrations right through Halloween night.
More information here
Address: 17 Eyre Street
Tom Sheridans Bar & Restaurant: Haunted House Halloween Party
When: Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31st
Start time: 9.30pm
Entry fee: free
Prizes: €50 oneforall voucher for Best Female Costume / €50 oneforall voucher for Best Male Costume / €100 oneforall voucher for Best Couples Costume
Tom Sheridans Bar & Restaurant is just giving you plenty of time to get your costumes together because their favourite time of year is creeping up again… Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and if that’s not a sign to throw a party, we don’t know what is! They’ve got a frightfully great night planned and they want to see you all arriving in your finest fancy-dress attire. The more creative the better. With live music ‘til late, specials, and plenty of prizes, it’s going to be the best party yet!
More information here
Address: Clybaun Road, Knocknacarra
Electric: Danse Macabre
When: Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31st
Start time: 9pm
Entry fee: €10 + booking fee
This Halloween, Electric invites you beyond the ordinary and into a world of dark glamour, sinister elegance and beautiful chaos. Expect an atmosphere steeped in mystery, where the line between the living and the dead begins to blur. As darkness descends, the music rises, the shadows come alive and the night unfolds into something altogether more wicked. Expect theatrical decadence, haunting energy and a dancefloor that refuses to rest. This is no ordinary Halloween party.
More information here
Address: 36 Upper Abbeygate Street
O’Connell’s Bar: Spooky Shindig
When: Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31st
Start time: 9pm
Entry fee: free
Prizes: Prizes for first, second, third and best staff member
Is that cackling we hear in the distance? Something wicked this way comes… and you’re all invited to embrace your dark side this Halloween at O’Connell’s Bar. On the night there will be spooktacular live music to raise the dead, frightfully good drinks to keep your spirits high and a cash prize for the best costume, so dress to kill! Expect thrills, chills, and a tomb-raisingly good night. Don’t ghost them, gather your crew & mark your calendars, it’s gonna be the party of all parties.
More information here
Address: 8 Eyre Square
Róisín Dubh: So Fetch - 2000s Halloween Party
When: Thursday, October 29th
Start time: 11pm
Entry fee: €10 (€8 for students)
Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! It’s not going to happen!” Regina George was wrong. So Fetch is happening, playing all your favourite hits from the 00s! Think Britney Spears to Avril Lavigne. McFly to Usher. Rihanna to Gwen Stefani. Justin Timberlake to Busted. Beyonce to Amy Winehouse. So whether you were a skater boi, or spent the decade hanging out under your umbrella-Ella-Ella-eh, you can expect to hear your faves on the night! Mean Girls inspired fancy dress is highly encouraged!
More information here
Address: 9 Dominick Street Upper
The Front Door: Casamigos Haunted House of Friends
When: Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31st
Start time: 9pm
Entry fee: free
Prizes: Prizes for best dressed
The Front Door Pub is transforming into the Casamigos Haunted House of Friends. Step inside The Front Door and discover the immersive haunted Halloween experience with all the works with killer installs...it’s gonna be a thriller! There’ll be all the usual craic too from DJ playing deadly good tunes to scarily good drink offers, so gather your ghouls & dress to slay as they’ll be picking their fav costumes. The door’s open… everyone welcome but come early!
More information here
Address: 8 Cross Street
Pálás Cinema: The Dirty Circus Halloween Extravaganza
When: Friday, October 30th
Start time: 8pm
Entry fee: €25
Step right up, if you dare. The Dirty Circus are fresh from another iconic appearance at Electric Picnic to take the helm of Galway’s saucy Halloween celebrations, as part of Gaillimh Ah-Boo! 2026. Enter a twisted world of wicked performers, dark seduction, burlesque stars, drag queens, pole devils & much more. The lights are low. The music is sinful. And the night is just getting started. Leave your good behaviour at the door and prepare for a night of chaos, temptation and twisted fun.
More information here
Address: Pálás Cinema, Screen 1, 15 Merchant Road
De Burgos: Creatures of Samhain
When: Wednesday, October 28th to Sunday, November 1st
Start time: various start time available, duration 30 minutes
Entry fee: €12
This Halloween, descend beneath Galway City and enter the world of Creatures of Samhain. Before Halloween had masks, movies and modern monsters, Samhain had creatures of its own. Not your typical haunted house or scare maze. Step through the portal and into the dark world of Ireland’s ancient folklore. Creatures of Samhain | Terrors from the Irish Underworld is a 30-minute, fully guided indoor immersive audio exhibition based on Irish mythology, folklore and the traditions of Samhain. You will be guided through a series of scenic displays representing characters and dark legends from Irish folklore. Hear the stories from the perspective of the creatures, delivered through headphones at the displays, supported by atmospheric lighting, projection, sound and controlled atmospheric effects.
More information here
Address: 15 St Augustine Street
Sally Longs: Halloween Rock Party
When: Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31st
Start time: 7pm
Entry fee: free
Brace yourselves for one of Sally Long’s most anticipated nights of the year... a night of fangtastic music and mighty craic! Sally Long has got four amazing live bands playing on the night and it’s all kicking off from 7pm; With Ra (Hardcore Crust), Where Gomies Dare (Misfits Tribute), Genuflection (Doom Metal), and Green Week (Green Day Tribute). Join them if you dare..
More information here
Address: 33 Abbeygate Street Upper
The Ol’55 Pub: Monster Mash - Halloween Alt Drag Showcase
When: Thursday, October 29th
Start time: doors at 7.30pm
Entry fee: €10 + booking fee
It's Halloween in Galway and the freaks are out to play. Join Arlene Odd, Laryn Gitis, Viktor Complex and Cera Bells for a night of spooky, scary, kooky, hairy drag performances down at the Ol '55. Come for a night of glam, glitz, gutz, and gore with some of the best local alternative drag performers, and as always, content warnings will be provided per performance, but expect blood, violence and a bit of a splash zone…
More information available here
Address: 30 Prospect Hill
Monroe’s Tavern: Absent 037 - Halloween Emo Night
When: Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31st
Start time: 8pm
Entry fee: €12 + booking fee
Come down to Galway’s Westend on Halloween Night to sell your soul to ABSENT! It’s their 4 year anniversary and they are back with a banger! Get ready for a night full of live music, DJ sets, fancy dress and a whole lot more! Get ready for the best Emo night ever.
More information available here
Address: 14 Dominick St Upper
Monroe’s Tavern: Zombie Nation Halloween Party
When: Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31st
Start time: 11pm
Entry fee: €11 + booking fee
Prizes for best-dressed
Get ready for a spine-tingling night of music, costumes, and high-energy fun as Monroe’s Live presents a Halloween Party with one of Ireland’s top radio DJs, Fergal D’Arcy. With a thrilling line-up of music and a fancy dress contest featuring fantastic prizes for the best-dressed, this is one Halloween event not to be missed. Whether you're looking to dance the night away or take home the top costume prize, Monroe’s Live is the place to be for a hauntingly good time.
More information available here
Address: 14 Dominick St Upper
Áras na nGael: Tromluí ag an Sceach Gheal/Nightmare at the Hawthorn
When: Saturday, October 24th & Halloween, Saturday, October 31st
Start time: various time slots available, duration 20 minutes
Entry fee: €11
Looking for a spooky activity for this halloween season? Well look no further! On The Precipice Theatre Collective are bringing an immersive bilingual haunted house experience to Áras na nGael. Settle in and listen as they tell a cautionary tale on why you should never mess with a hawthorn tree! Showings will be available in both Irish and English. Disclaimer- This is an immersive storytelling show performed in almost total darkness. There may be startling and frightening scenes. Actors may make light contact with audience members. This is a haunted house experience, expect some jumpscares.
More information available here
Address: 45 Dominick St Lower
The Cellar: Akumakon Halloween Cosplay Party
When: Thursday, October 22nd
Start time: 8pm
Entry fee: €10
The annual Akumakon Halloween party will be taking place on October 22nd in the Cellar and you’re all invited! There will be various events running during the night, such as their yearly cosplay competition and treasure hunt, and in the spirit of the season, they might have a few more tricks and treats up their sleeve. All cash raised on the night will go to their wonderful charity partners at Claddagh Watch.
More information here
Address: 12 Eglinton Street
Feature photo by Lisett Kruusimae on Pexels.
