6 best Halloween events at theme parks in Japan

Tokyo Disneyland’s annual Halloween festivities are always highly anticipated. This year, the entire park will be decorated with Mickey Mouse-shaped pumpkins and ghosts.

The Haunted Mansion ride, specifically, is getting a Nightmare Before Christmas revamp as usual, with Jack Skellington featured throughout the ride. During the day, you’ll get to enjoy the 'Into the Frenzy' parade featuring Disney villians including Maleficent riding on floats decked out in spooky Halloween decor.

Over at the restaurants and shops, expect seasonal souvenirs featuring ghost Mickey and a selection of Halloween-inspired dishes such as candied sweet potatoes and chestnut sundae. And yes, you’re welcome to dress up in full costume as your favourite Disney character this year.

Until November 7

Sanrio characters are dressing up as magicians this year for the amusement park's magic-themed PuroHalloween celebration. For the 20-minute Halloween parade, you'll find Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kuromi and friends transformed into wizards. You can catch the spectacle from the first floor or second-floor balcony at Puro Village.

You’ll also get to meet and greet Halloween versions of Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Pom Pom Purin and friends. Make sure you stick around for the illumination show. It’s a inspired by Ojamajo Doremi, as the TV series is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Throughout this Halloween season, Sanrio Puroland’s food court is serving some appropriately themed food and drinks. There’s a pitch-black Kuromi pumpkin dumpling curry (¥1,540) and turquoise blue Cinnamoroll magical curry with fried shrimp (¥1,540), as well as sweet treats like a golden Pompompurin sweet potato parfait (¥1,350) and lavender-coloured candy lassi (¥880).

Until November 5

There's lots to do at USJ's annual Halloween Horror Night extravaganza. During the day, you can enjoy a Pokemon dance party hosted by DJ Pikachu and DJ Gengar, alongside ghost-type Pokemon including Misdreavus, Banette and Mimikyu. 

Elsewhere in the park, popular characters like the Minions, Elmo and My Melody will also appear in Halloween costumes while staff hand out candies to children who say ‘trick or treat’. If you’re looking to get spooked, stay until sundown. That’s when the streets are swarming with zombies (from 6pm). These undead creatures will be putting on a dance show choreographed to Japanese pop singer Ado's latest hit. 

USJ will have five Halloween-themed attractions this year. The main highlight is Universal Orlando’s famed Halloween Horror Night maze, which requires you to escape from Werewolf, Frankenstein and Dracula. If you’re game for more jump scares, continue on with the Biohazard-themed Survival Horror Maze, Chucky's Carnival of Chaos as well as two new Chainsaw Man rides. For something a bit more tame, go on the Hollywood Dream ride which will feature the song ‘Show’ by Ado.

Until November 4

This Nagasaki theme park boasts scenery that resembles an old Dutch town, complete with colourful houses and a canal. The grounds have started lighting up with autumn-themed illuminations to kick-off its Halloween festivities.

The Halloween decor is extensive. The amusement park is covered in illuminations and there are hundreds of jack-o-lanterns adorning the streets leading up to the Art Garden, where you’ll find Huis Ten Bosch’s main light display. Musicians wearing Halloween-coloured costumes are performing at various times of the day to set the mood. 

Children can enjoy a daytime Halloween parade with pumpkin floats featuring Miffy, and get treats from the staff by saying ‘trick or treat’. Adults, however, can enjoy the park's Haunted Halloween event until November 4, where you can encounter zombies roaming in the park and performing a dance after dark. If you’re looking for even more spooky ways to end the night, visit the Mission in Silence attraction to locate the whereabouts of a cursed painting.

Visitors on September 14-15 and 21-22, October 12-13 and 26 as well as November 2-3 will be treated to a special Halloween-themed fireworks display. You can catch the spectacular show from mostly anywhere in the park, but we recomment booking a reserved seat to get the best view. Tickets can be purchased online for ¥1,000 (¥2,000 for photographers) in advance.

Until November 4

This Halloween, Legoland gets taken over by creepy monsters like vampires, mummies and spiders. If you want to participate in Legoland's 'Brick or Treat', come dressed in costume and purchase the colourful pumpkin bucket (¥1,500) to collect your treats.

This year, the Palace Cinema is screening ‘The Great Monster Chase’, a short 4D Halloween-themed Lego movie that runs for about 15 minutes. Don’t leave the theme park without trying some special Halloween food. There’s a ghost pumpkin chewy tart (¥750), mochi mummy dog (¥700) and more. 

For three nights only, Legoland will be open after sunset for its special Halloween Night on October 25 through 27. This means you can enjoy the park from 6pm to 9pm for just ¥2,000 (free for annual passport holders and those staying in the official hotel). The park’s attractions will take on a spookier theme and you can enjoy special workshops and evening shows that are exclusive to Halloween Night.

Until November 4

One of the three Sanrio theme parks in Japan, Harmonyland in Oita prefecture is celebrating the spooky season with Halloween-themed decorations, shows and food. For this occasion, popular Sanrio characters will dress up in Magical Masquerade-themed Halloween costumes for meet and greet. So you can expect to interact and take photos with My Melody, Kuromi, Hello Kitty and more. Cafés and restaurants within the park are serving exclusive meals like Kuromi’s black keema curry hotdog (¥600), pink magical cheeseburger (¥800), vivid red Hello Kitty curry (¥1,600) and the like.

For one night only, Harmonyland will be open after dark for the special Halloween Magical Masquerade Excite show on October 26. With a special ticket (¥3,500), you can re-enter the park at 6.30pm and watch a one-night-only special performance, and receive an exclusive keychain.

Until October 31