My terrifyingly good plans for Halloween 2016

I have always loved the atmosphere of Halloween… I can’t really tell you why… Perhaps because I love the supernatural, unexplained phenomena, or simply because the imagination evoked by this holiday remains, for me, a unique moment in the annual calendar.

Anyway, here is my traditional selection of good deals to enjoy during this hair-raising holiday taking place next week, on the night of Monday, October 31st (for the record, I will be celebrating it in Brussels this year)…

A bit of history:

At the origin of this celebration is the day of Samhain, which marked the end of the Celtic year and provided an opportunity for spirits to haunt the homes of the living. For a long time, the Catholic Church sought to get rid of this pagan commemoration.

The feast of Samhain (dating back to the 3rd century BC) consisted of 3 days of solemnity: the 1st dedicated to the memory of heroes, the 2nd to the memory of the deceased, and the 3rd to popular and family festivities around a banquet.

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Manoir de Paris, Halloween style

You know that I often talk about the Manoir de Paris on the blog because it is a place I enjoy visiting (well, that’s a figure of speech). Naturally, it organizes a special event for the occasion.

From October 14th to November 6th, the Manoir de Paris kicks off the festivities with 2 new shows: Prom Night and the Royal Hotel Paradis. Two new shows with costumes, special effects, and unique sets featuring a total of 120 actors, 18 dates, and 8 hours of non-stop entertainment each day.

Le Manoir de Paris
18 rue de Paradis 75010 Paris

Friday, October 14th from 6pm to 10pm
Saturday, October 15th and Sunday, October 16th from 2pm to 10pm
From October 20th to October 23rd from 2pm to 10pm
From October 25th to November 2nd from 2pm to 10pm
Friday, November 4th from 6pm to 10pm
Saturday, November 5th & Sunday, November 6th from 2pm to 10pm

Standard ticket: 27€ / Child ticket (12/15 years old): 22€
Fast pass: 37€

Show recommended for ages 12 and up

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The Vampire Ball

The famous Bal des Princesses and its host, Dan Marie Rouyer, are organizing the first edition of a vampire ball for the occasion inside Dracula’s castle, reconstructed on the Champs-Elysées, the stronghold of the golden triangle in Paris-the-dead.

To join this macabre assembly, a grandiose dress code is mandatory! Visitors will be required to wear their most unsettling costumes.

Le Bal des Vampires

Monday, October 31, 2016
From 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM
Price: 25 € in pre-sale

Pavillon des Champs-Elysées
34 Rue Marbeuf 75008 Paris

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Halloween at the Chocolate Museum

For the occasion, “little monsters” will be able to create their own Halloween treats, each more terrifying than the last: pumpkin balls, owl-shaped chocolates, and mendiants.

Workshops from October 1st to 30th, 2016

Price: 35 € / person (includes museum admission)
Reservation required

Musée du Chocolat
28 bd Bonne Nouvelle, 75010 Paris

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Disney Halloween

For Halloween, the Chefs at Disneyland Paris are inviting celebrities (Iris Mittenaere, Eric and Ramzy, Hélène de Fougerolles, Lola Dubini,…) to concoct a deliciously bewitching menu: from appetizers to dessert, chills and treats are guaranteed thanks to a Special Halloween Menu found at “Walt’s – an American restaurant”.

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The Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation

The Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation, to which I have already dedicated an article on the blog, is also getting into the Halloween spirit with two unique cycles celebrating fantasy and horror cinema. On the screen of the Charles Pathé theater, monsters, ghosts, and deformed beasts from the early 20th century will take turns to make us shiver.

Program:

• The Fantasy World of Silent Film – from October 20th to November 8th, 2016: a curated retrospective of the first 25 years of fantasy cinema. From Georges Méliès, who was obviously its pioneer, to Walt Disney, including Willis O’Brien‘s The Lost World which heralded King Kong and, much later, Spielberg‘s dinosaurs….

• Universal Monsters – from November 10th to 22nd, 2016: iconic studio franchises from Universal with Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon, all born in the 1930s. The talkies (rare for the Foundation) will be presented in new restored prints!

From October 20th to November 22nd, 2016
Price: 6.50 € / 5 € per screening

Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation
73 avenue des Gobelins 75013 Paris

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Pumpkin carving workshops at the Viltain Farm

To keep your children occupied during the All Saints’ holidays, the Viltain Farm (which I have already mentioned several times on the blog) offers a fun, creative, and budget-friendly activity: Pumpkin Carving Workshops.

Viltain Farm
Chemin de Viltain, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas

October 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28, 2016 from 10 am to 6 pm
Price: purchase of a pumpkin 4.50 €
No reservation needed

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Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican All Saints’ Day

Since I have just returned from a 2-week trip to Mexico (of course, I will tell you more about it very soon on the blog), I had to talk to you about the special Parisian Dia de los Muertos parties to bring a touch of Mexican color to All Saints’ Day.

• A big party dedicated to the Mexican holiday will be organized at Porte de la Villette, at the Cabaret Sauvage.

• The alimentation générale is dedicating its night of October 31st to Latin rhythms to “honor the dead in a festive way”. The Mexican group Cascabel Sonfactory and the Franco-Mexicans of A la diabla will set the dance floor on fire.

But after our little Mexican trip, I am convinced that to experience it fully, you have to do Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, I think it must be unforgettable!…

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A stroll at nightfall

Cultival, an agency for Parisian cultural outings, is offering activities from October 14th to November 6th, 2016, to get scared and fully enjoy the Halloween celebrations. This includes a neighborhood walk at nightfall, guided by a lecturer, to travel back in time to the heart of the dark side of an unknown and mysterious Paris.

Paris Dark Side special Halloween 

October 28, 29, 30 and 31 departure at 7:00 PM 

Price: 11.50 € for adults and 8.50 € for children (under 18)

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Memphis Coffee celebrates Halloween with a special “Têtes Brûlées” menu

Memphis Coffee

is celebrating Halloween with “Têtes Brûlées” candy, which will be distributed to children for the occasion.

The chain is offering special creations, available from October 17th to November 1st: the “Terrific Cheese” (15.90 €), the Halloween version of the triple cheese, the “Dracula’s Kiss”, a vodka-based cocktail (6.90 €), and the “Iced Brain” for dessert (5.90 €). A special menu combining these three products is offered at the price of 22.90 €.

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All that remains is for me to wish you plenty of scares and chills for this Halloween period…