From playing with Lego to late-night brunches: Things to do in UAE on Halloween

Halloween in the UAE is going well beyond plastic pumpkins this year. Across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, October 31 brings everything from family breakfasts and costume runs to late-night parties, brunches, bingo and full-blown immersive dinners. Kids can Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND, dogs get their own costume moment at Stomping Grounds, and grown-ups can choose between Día de los Muertos nights, circus-themed soirées and Halloween brunches that carry on well into the evening. Whether you want something family-friendly, food-focused or gloriously over the top, there’s plenty happening across the UAE to make Halloween worth dressing up for.

AMARU is giving Halloween a theatrical makeover. The Souk Madinat Jumeirah restaurant will move through four chapters during the night - The Veil, The Awakening, El Fuego, and La Celebración - before projection mapping, singers, dancers and a fire performance steadily turn things into a late-night party. There’ll be themed décor, a special dessert and beverage, masks and a best-dressed competition, with dinner for two going to the winner.

Price: A la carte., but min spend Dh750 per person
When: October 31, 9pm onwards
Where: AMARU Restaurant & Lounge, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai

Calling something a brunch when it starts at 8pm feels like Halloween trickery in itself, but Barfly by Buddha-Bar is going with it. From Dusk ’Till Dawn combines a sharing menu, free-flowing drinks, live performances and DJs with rooftop views from Palm Jumeirah. The dress code calls for statement looks, so this is not the night to arrive in the emergency witch hat you found at the back of a cupboard. Dinner, sips and dancing all roll into one late-night Halloween session.

Price: Dh365 (soft beverages) ; Dh445 (house beverages); Dh545 (premium beverages)
When: October 31, from 8pm
Where: Barfly by Buddha-Bar, Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah

Chalco’s Cantina is marking Halloween with three hours of Mexican food and free-flowing selected bevvies. Dinner starts with sharing plates such as Chipotle Wings and Chicken Flautas, before choice of mains such as Birria Tacos and Green Enchiladas, followed by churros, flan or arroz con leche. There’s a DJ playing Latino tunes too, plus a costume competition where the winner gets dinner for four. Suddenly that elaborate outfit feels less like an impulse purchase and more like an investment.

Price: Dh250 per person
When: October 31, 8pm-11pm
Where: Chalco’s Cantina, Dubai Marina, Dubai

There is something quite funny about trying to set a personal best while dressed as a ghost. City Walk’s Halloween Family Fun Run returns with 2.5km and 5km routes, themed entertainment, face painting and more than Dh20,000 worth of prizes for speedy runners and brilliant costumes. Everyone who finishes gets a medal too. Pick your outfit carefully, though: that elaborate cape may look fantastic at the starting line, but you might feel differently about it somewhere around kilometre three.

Price: From Dh55 adults; from Dh20 children under 12
When: October 31, 6.30pm-8pm
Where: City Walk, Dubai

CLAW BBQ is not exactly known for restraint on a normal Saturday, so Halloween should be interesting. The Palm restaurant’s annual All-American Brunch brings free-flowing beverages and big sharing platters from 12.30pm, before rolling straight into a Halloween after-party later in the day. Costumes are very much part of proceedings, so this is your opportunity to commit fully to whatever questionable outfit idea seemed brilliant when you ordered it online three weeks ago.

Price: Dh199 (soft beverages); Dh299 (house beverages); Dh399 (premium beverages)
When: October 31, from 12.30pm
Where: CLAW BBQ, Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah

COYA Abu Dhabi is turning Halloween into a circus — although probably not one you’d take small children to. From 9pm, the restaurant and Pisco Bar will shift into Cursed Circus: After Dark, with themed production, an illusionist and music from COYA’s resident DJs carrying dinner into a late-night party. There’s also a candied apple-inspired dessert and special Halloween cocktails. The dress code is “circus-inspired glamour”, so think slightly more dramatic than putting on a red nose five minutes before leaving home.

Price: À la carte; Halloween cocktail prices not specified
When: October 31, from 9pm
Where: COYA Abu Dhabi, The Galleria Al Maryah Island

If your memory of bingo involves hushed community halls, Ballsy Bingo is here to ruin that image completely. The Coterie’s Halloween edition mixes bingo with brunch, loud music, prizes and four hours of free-flowing beverages. Costumes are encouraged, the atmosphere is decidedly not subtle and there are spooky surprises promised throughout the afternoon. Basically, you’ll still have a bingo card in front of you — you may just have to concentrate rather harder than usual to hear the numbers.

Price: Dh275 (soft beverages); Dh345 (house beverages); Dh395 (premium beverages)
When: October 31, 1pm-5pm
Where: The Coterie, Level 2, P6 Car Park, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai

Halloween, but the fun version. Until November 2, LEGOLAND Dubai is filling the park with monster meet-and-greets, Halloween builds, a HARIBO Brick or Treat trail and mischievous ghosts hiding around MINILAND. Kids can hunt for a secret code, build pumpkins, catch The Great Monster Chase in 4D and finish the day dancing with Lord Vampyre and his monster crew. All the Halloween activities are included with admission, although themed snacks may test your resistance at the till.

Price: Dh295 online; Dh330 at the gate
When: Until November 2
Where: LEGOLAND Dubai, Dubai Parks and Resorts

If you want Halloween without having to build an entire personality around your costume, McGettigan’s Factory offers a more relaxed afternoon. Its five-hour Halloween brunch comes with food, beverages and live entertainment, with enough spooky touches to make it feel festive without requiring two hours of prosthetic-wound application beforehand. Grab a group, find something vaguely Halloween-ish to wear and settle in for an afternoon where the biggest decision is probably which package to choose.

Price: Dh299 (soft beverages); Dh429 (house beverages); Dh529 (premium beverages)
When: October 31, noon-5pm
Where: McGettigan’s Factory, Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah

Parents of small children already know Halloween doesn’t need to wait until dark. Reform Social & Grill is starting at 8am with a breakfast buffet, costumes and a magic show from Adrian Hurley at 9.30am. Children’s tickets include both breakfast and the show, while adults can settle in with the buffet and appreciate celebrating Halloween at an hour that won’t destroy bedtime. Get the costumes on early, take the photos and be home long before anyone starts negotiating for “just one more sweet”.

Price: Dh99 per child, including breakfast and magic show; Dh125 per adult
When: October 31, breakfast from 8am; magic show 9.30am
Where: Reform Social & Grill, The Lakes, Dubai

Finally, a costume contest where your dog has every chance of upstaging you. Stomping Grounds is making Halloween an all-family affair, with prizes for the best-dressed dog, child and adult. Costumed grown-ups get a complimentary espresso-based coffee, while kids receive a babyccino or hot chocolate plus a chocolate goodie bag. There’s also a Halloween photo area and seasonal dishes during the day. Just accept now that your dog is the winner.

Price: Food specials from Dh99
When: October 31, 9am-9pm; Halloween specials 9am-4pm
Where: Stomping Grounds, Villa 98, Jumeirah 1, Dubai

Not every Halloween plan needs costumes, DJs and a 2am finish. Uptown Social is keeping things considerably easier with a limited-edition menu of Halloween-inspired food and drinks running into November. The idea is simple: stop by, order something seasonal and enjoy a little Halloween silliness without committing your entire evening to it. The menu has been designed with the camera roll in mind too, so expect drinks and dishes that will probably be photographed several times before anyone actually remembers to eat them.

Price: À la carte
When: Oct 20-Nov 15
Where: Uptown Social, Dubai

If plastic cobwebs and novelty vampire teeth aren’t really your thing, Voyage by Amelia is taking Halloween in a moodier direction. For three nights, the speakeasy will be filled with marigolds, sugar skulls, candlelight and dramatic décor inspired by Día de los Muertos. DJs will keep things moving until 3am, while the bar serves a special menu of Don Julio tequila cocktails created for the occasion. Dress accordingly — this feels more dark glamour than last-minute fancy-dress-shop panic.

Price: Not specified
When: October 29-31, 11.30pm-3am
Where: Voyage by Amelia, Address Sky View, Downtown Dubai