Hallow-Queen Of Parties

This article was originally published in International

If you’re anything like us, you’ve spent your life trying to recreate that iconic Halloween party in Hocus Pocus where Bette Milder blasts out a major rendition of I Put A Spell On You — undeniably a seminal piece of film. As we delve deeper into a social media-led landscape, Halloween hullabaloos are getting more and more extravagant, with party planners seeking to serve up the ultimate all hallows eve bash that breaks the internet sans Kim K big ole booty.

As the spooky night fast approaches, when you’re certain to be scared half to death by an Instagram feed filled with totes terrifying images of girls dressed as cats and muscle men dressed as the hulk (we hope you sense our sarcasm), we’ve handpicked some weirdly wonderful halloween parties to get your ‘gram poppin’ this October 31st. Here’s your chance to recreate SJP’s Hocus Pocus crew…

HALLOWEEN IN THE SKY, LONDON 

Ah, to be a  dressed witch at 150ft! Smashing back copious amounts of prosecco! London’s Sky Garden is the perfect place to get absolutely wrecked while dressed in your spookiest get up. Let’s face it, atop a London skyscraper is a bit of an upgrade from your best mates back garden house party, where the “pumpkin punch” is basically just everyone’s drinks thrown into a bucket and the cockroach cocktails are basically just cheap vodka and home-brand summer fruits.

GLITTER & DOOM, PARIS 

Glitter and Doom — quite the juxtaposition/oxymoron but the perfection potion for a party in Paris. Bloody burlesque takes centre stage in a killer circus, Cirque Electrique to be precise. If you’ve watched THE world’s best horror TV series, ‘Twisty The Clown’ should spring to mind when you think of Glitter & Doom. If circus’ weren’t scary enough, they just got TERRIFYING.

THE HALLOWEEN RAVEYARD, LONDON 

You’re gonna have a dead good time at this one! What better way than to worship the dead in the underground tunnels that were formerly used to ship corpses across London? At The Vaults, you can enjoy The Halloween Raveyard (amazing name, right?) and expect “Bizarre Bands, Devilish Djs, Bloodcurdling Cabaret, Feverish Funerals, Zombie Dance Halls.”

THE LABYRINTH, LA 

It’s only forever, not long at all! Situated atop LA’s swanky AF Mondrian Hotel, the Labyrinth Ball pretty much says what it does on the tin. Taking inspiration from the Bowie masterpiece, step into an Instagrammable haven where goblins and ghouls take centre stage. If you’re a true Labyrinth obsessive, the hotel is also serving up a screening of the film on Halloween itself.

Words - Ryan Cahill

Illustrations - Michal Loba