They come around soon, these ‘biggest nights of the year’. Some say it’s NYE, others say it’s exam results day; but we all know what it really is, don’t we? Yeah, that’s right: Halloween.

Formerly a cause for celebration strictly to our American cousins, Halloween is now a firm favourite in the calendars of British clubbers, with the excuse to dress up and get down too tantalising to pass up. Up and down the country, people will don their scariest clothing, faces painted like all kinds of harrowing creatures, and pass up door-knock tricks for dancefloor treats. Here to help you find your Halloween destination, we ran through the best of the action in London, Leeds, Manchester and beyond.

London

Drumcode Halloween 2017
Saturday 28th October
Tobacco Dock

Adam Beyer has a pretty hefty team behind him, and that’s a good thing too because Drumcode is one of the biggest brands in techno at the moment. Nick Hoppner, Levon Vincent and Dense & Pika are among those joining for the Halloween special at Tobacco Dock.

Krankbrother presents Halloween
Saturday 28th October
Studio Spaces

A stellar lineup of big hitters heads to Studio Spaces as Krankbrother bring Anthony Parasole, B.Traits, Efdemin and special guests to town for another killer night. 

Hollywood Forever Halloween Part 2: Christian Smith, Drunken Kong, Matt Sassari, DJ Spen & Karizma
Saturday 28th October
Egg London, London

Karizma and DJ Spen are enough to make this a serious contender for London house heads, with Christian Smith, Drunken Kong and Matt Sassari sealing the deal.

Artwork Presents Art's Haunted House
Saturday 28th October
Electric Brixton

Artwork takes on a full night in South London for a freaky fancy dress party.

Bristol

In:Motion / The Blast Halloween
Saturday 28th October
Motion

Brutal beats will combine drum and bass, jungle, grime, hip hop and more as The Blast growl their way through a blistering Halloween party. Sets from Shy FX, Congo Natty, Chris Lorenzo, Zinc and more will not be for the fainthearted.

In:Motion / Just Jack Halloween
Saturday 28th October
Motion

Just Jack are always a safe bet to provide one of the best nights of an In:Motion series, and with Steffi, Virginia, Young Marco and Interstellar Funk in one room whilst DJ Harvey plays all night long in the other, this year is no exception.

Leeds

Brotherhood presents Tama Sumo & Lakuti
Friday 27th October
Wire

Two of Berlin's finest selectors bring the heart and soul of Panorama Bar to Leeds. Expect the best you've ever heard in house, techno, disco and more.

system. Halloween - Richie Hawtin / Nicolas Lutz
Saturday 28th October
MiNT Club

Minimal techno, unyielding breakbeat and the deepest 90s tech house collide as Richie Hawtin meets Nicolas Lutz at MiNT Club. Virtuoso DJing guaranteed.

Manchester

Ultimate Power Bat Out of Halloween Special
Friday 27th October
O2 Ritz

Power ballads all night long. Trick or treat?

The Warehouse Project || ANTS Halloween Takeover
Saturday 28th October
Store Street

Paul Kalkbrenner’s live set tops the bill for ANTS, with Andrea Oliva, Eli & Fur, Groove Armada and more supporting.

IllumiNaughty presents: Underworld indoor Festival
Saturday 28th October
Bowlers Exhibition Centre

LTJ Bukem, Vini Vici, Sesto Sesto and plenty more will bring the noise at Bowlers Exhibition Centre, with everything from reggae to trance on the menu.

Liverpool

Yousef Presents Circus Halloween
Saturday 28th October
Camp & Furnace

Yousef has stirred up a real magic potion in the Camp & Furnace cauldron, which bubbles and boils with Richie Hawtin, KiNK, Sasha, Alan Fitzpatrick and more providing the heat.

Brighton

Fright Festival
Saturday 28th October
Brighton Racecourse

Brighton’s scariest night returns to the enormous Racecourse for a storming sophomore edition of Fright Festival.

Sheffield

FF17 (Fearfest 17)
Saturday 28th October
Magna, Templeborough

Bass, bass and plenty more bass, provided by the likes of Chris Lorenzo, wAFF, Low Steppa, De La Swing and many more en vogue selectors.

Detonate Halloween
Saturday 28th October
O2 Academy Sheffield

Detonate return to Sheffield with DJ Hazard joining My Nu Leng, AJ Tracey, SaSaSaS and more. Sign up for tickets here.

Sheffield Halloween - Organised Chaos Crawl - The Living Dead 31/10
Tuesday 31st October
Various venues

It’s a zombie apocalypse, so what do you do? Do you barricade the doors and live out your days eating tinned food a forkful a day? “No!”, you say. “Let ‘em come”, you say. We’ll see you at the pub.

Photo courtesy of Fright Festival