WHAT: Warwick Castle: Castle After Dark
WHERE: Warwick Castle, Warwick, CV34 6AU
WHEN: Saturday 21st October – Tuesday 31st October 2023
PRICE: £27.50 – £42.50
OUR RATING: Do It!
This Halloween season Storefront City visited Warwick Castle, a medieval castle in Warwickshire, England, which was developed from a wooden fort built in 1068. The fort was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century, and then refortified and used as a stronghold until the 17th century. Nowadays, Warwick Castle has fantastic historical programming throughout the year with tours of both the castle and dungeons, but during October things take a bit of a spookier turn with both daytime and evening Halloween events.
We ventured to Warwick for the opening night festivities of Warwick Castle’s Castle After Dark events, an evening full of festivities to delight both young and old. Upon entering the castle grounds, we were directed to park in a large field and then queued for a coach that would drive us down a 5-minute route to the castle itself. It is obvious that the staff here know how to cater an event to the masses with this level of operational management in place, with plenty of ushers and signage to show us where to go.
After getting our tickets, we were thrust full throttle into the festival environment offered by the castle, with attractive fairlights along paths and the giant castle beautifully illuminated against the night sky. Outside of the castle itself we first came upon Hangman’s Hollow, a mini outdoor “scare” maze which was easily our favourite part of our evening. The trail had a spooky narration of Warwick’s more gruesome history, and took us on a 5-minute trek through an amazingly decorated trail complete with fog, animatronics, and a few live actors who were completely decked out in chilling Victorian garb. There were gargoyle fountains, a spine-tingling journey through a mini greenhouse, and plenty of nooks and crannies to investigate. While not very scary for adults, it certainly was a bit too scary for some of the younger children inside (thus recommended for ages 10+), but we think most who ventured through thoroughly enjoyed the immersive ambience. We thought it was breathtaking!
After our journey through Hangman’s Hollow and a cheeky walk through the daytime labyrinth they have on site for the kids, we followed the trail up to the castle itself, with pretty lights and decorations guiding us towards the festival atmosphere in the castle courtyard. Upon entering the courtyard we were amazed by the sight that greeted us. In the centre was a wonderfully LED-lit gazebo (the DEAD Centre Stage) with live music and other performers including a firebreather. We stayed for their live band, a saxophonist playing to some great tunes, and even saw both the firebreather and a talented performer by the name of the Painless Princess. There were also countless food and drink vendors in and around the grounds, creating an amazing festival aura!
There were so many people enjoying the space with us, families and groups of friends, with quite a few dressed up themselves for Halloween. There were also roaming performers, including a stilt walker and an amazing looking werewolf juggling hats. All of this was perfect entertainment for those queueing up for the three additional experiences of the night: the Pestilence scare maze, the Glass Coffin experience, and the Dungeon at night walkthrough.
There was an extra fee to experience the Dungeon, so instead we spent our time queuing for both The Pestilence and the Glass Coffin. The former Pestilence is a 5-minute scare maze in the depths of the castle – after lying dormant for centuries, the deadly plague that gripped medieval Europe is back. This classic arms-on-shoulders maze takes you through this slightly spooky trail, with the unfortunate inhabitants that dwell within attacking at all sides.
Meanwhile, the Glass Coffin was a more unique experience, and you needed a specific time slot in order to enter, which were handed out to us for free upon entering the castle grounds. In this experience we walked through the halls of the castle itself. We were asked to summon a spirit from beyond in a mini-seance, and then were witness to the spirit wreaking havoc within the castle walls until we worked together as a group to free it from the glass coffin keeping it hostage. This was certainly a unique performance, and we were thrilled to walk through the castle halls at night!
Final Thoughts: Warwick Castle’s Castle After Dark offers a fun and vibrant atmosphere for a family or friends’ night out. Complete with roaming performers and many mazes to experience, not to mention even more live entertainment and tons of food and drinks on offer, this is truly a jam-packed night of spooky fun. While the mazes themselves aren’t as terrifying as we thought they might be, they offer the perfect level of spine-tingling entertainment for general audiences, enough to spike your adrenaline and provide numerous laughs. This was a lovely event and the logistics of managing the space and audience experience were really well done. We absolutely recommend this as a family outing, especially if you have slightly older children, just make sure to wrap up accordingly for all the chills and thrills thrown your way!
P.S. Can’t make it to an evening outing at Warwick Castle? Not to fret! The castle also offers daytime programming with The Haunted Castle from October 21st through to November 5th, with spooky events including their Witches of Warwick Live show, the daytime version of their Haunted Hollows trail, two mysterious mazes, and underground adventure in The Curse of The Kingmaker, and more! And if that isn’t enough, why not extend your stay at Fright’s Village, an overnight stay in medieval-themed lodges where you can experience both daytime and themed evening entertainment? So many options for family Halloween fun!
