Ghost Festival

Back in June, something spooky cropped up in The Rocks, with visitors spotting what appeared to be a ghost looming in the windows above Sydney’s oldest pub. After a lot of speculation, the “ghost” was later revealed to be a cheeky teaser by the people behind some of the city’s biggest experiential events (the likes of Bastille Festival and Le Jolly Markets), who are launching a huge Halloween festival in The Rocks this spring.

Kicking off on October 31, Ghost Festival is a first of its kind – transforming the entire historic precinct into a spine-chilling phantom’s playground for four days of haunted feasts, spooky storytelling and supernatural experiences. Though the event will play into fantastical Halloween tropes – with “zombies” roaming the streets and tentacles protruding from buildings – it will also lean on the eerie history of The Rocks, with interactive experiences taking inspiration from the precinct’s history.

During the daytime, The Rocks will play host to an immersive Halloween market – with stallholders slinging spooky goods, food trucks keeping visitors sustained with the kind of delicious treats we’ve come to expect from BBR group’s markets, and Deadhouse Productions bringing spine-chilling stories to life. As you wander the cobbled laneways, you’ll be joined by frightening characters who will share stories that have haunted the streets for decades. Once the sun has set, the fright level will amp up – with a parade winding its way through the streets, and a Haunted Woods dining area waiting to host your scariest dinner to date.

Over on the Tallowoladah Lawn in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art, you’ll find a zombie wasteland with eerie soundscapes and undead-inspired installations in the sun-soaked corner of the city. As night sets in, the harbourfront lawn will transform into a supernatural dance floor with the Silent Zombie Disco Party – with DJs spinning from a giant five-metre automated zombie head booth.

If that’s not surreal enough, get out-of-body at the “Reborn from Ice” ice bath zone, then make your way through a vodka tasting and get into character with a zombie-style makeover by a professional makeup artist.

The event is free to attend, with additional ticketed experiences available from $29. You can learn more about what to expect over here and you can grab tickets here.

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