We got a look inside Cardiff’s huge Halloween attraction as it opened on Saturday
Welcome to Halloween Island.(Image: Richard Swingler)
Cards on the table: Halloween has never been my thing. It might be a trick of the mind but as I remember it as a child I went trick or treating only at a very young age and even then to accompany younger siblings rather than because I had a rabid desire for sweets.
Ghosts and ghouls and all that associated hocus pocus has always felt a bit, well, daft if I’m honest. If you’re into it then absolutely fine, no judgement, but it’s just never held the same excitement for me as it does for some people. Now, though, as a parent I’m very much back into the annual whirlwind of Halloween discos and costumes and general spooky season japery and I’m trying to shake off that curmudgeonly streak that’s held fast for me for a few years (well, decades, but I digress).
So I was genuinely looking forward to a trip to Cardiff Halloween Festival’s opening day, a sprawling vista of ghostly goings-on under the late autumn sun in Cardiff Bay. The action begins with a pirate boat ride from Mermaid Quay out to the ‘island’ at Alexandra Head and from then the adventure is your own – you can do everything from watch shows or dance to play mini golf or vintage parlour games (I loved the zig-zag game and spent an infuriatingly long time trying to upgrade my top score of 90 to 100 but, alas, I failed), indulge in seemingly countless fun photo opportunities, or take on some fairground rides. These are my essential takeaways if you’re planning a visit this half term.
Stretch your legs one way
The ghost ship leaves from and returns to the southern end of Roald Dahl Plass. Given the way the time slots are staggered through the day it’s possible you might well find yourself at the back of a sizeable queue to head to the island.
People queue for the Ghost Ship(Image: Richard Swingler)
We waited about 40 minutes – not a huge problem on a sunny Saturday afternoon – but there were maps and seemingly a bit of a trail to follow to get to the main event for those prepared to foot it.
On the boat(Image: Richard Swingler)
The boat trip is a nice addition – and highly atmospheric afterwards as you head back towards the brightly-lit Cardiff Bay after dark – but it’s also not exactly Pirates of the Caribbean so if you’d rather avoid a wait and stretch your legs you could very easily walk it over and then get the boat back.
Ahoy shipmates!(Image: Richard Swingler)Daytime v evening
On the subject of timings and logistics you get the choice of a daytime or a twilight visit with the latter slightly pricier. We went during the daytime and, in our lengthy boat wait, heard people voicing a concern we’d had – that at 5pm, when the day session seemingly ends, we’d all be asked to leave ahead of the later session beginning.
You can meet many characters while you’re there such as the charismatic Count Dracula(Image: Richard Swingler)
It meant we felt slightly rushed while we were there initially, thinking we had less than two hours to try and get around everything, but it turns out that’s not a hard rule – most people were naturally filtering out by 5ish but we were able to catch a show while we ate at around 5pm and then squeeze a quick Ghost Train ride in prior to us being naturally ready to go anyway.
The food is decent
So often at things like this, where you can’t take your own food or drinks (though you can, should you go in early and wish to, leave and return thanks to a stamp on your hand), you’re left with greasy and unfulfilling overpriced food options as the only way to get by. Not so here thankfully.
The range of stuff is not just slightly wider than you might expect (you’ve got pizzas, a mac and cheese van, and a grill for burgers and the like essentially) but it’s pretty good fare and cooked to order rather than sat being warmed through.
The pizzas are cooked in a proper pizza oven so have a crispy base and crust. Yes please(Image: WalesOnline)
We worked our way through a couple of pizzas and some treats from the mac and cheese van and felt like we’d actually had a proper meal rather than stodgy fast food.
Chicken, chorizo, and hot honey mac and cheese (front) and loaded chicken fries mac and cheese (rear)(Image: WalesOnline)
All the main meals are in the £10 range with sides coming in around £5 or £6.
This guy didn’t bother eating any pizza and look how he ended up(Image: Richard Swingler)Be prepared to spend money
You could be forgiven for thinking that having paid for entry you could get through the rest of your visit without spending any or much money. You probably could if you really tried but, unless your kids have a saintly level of acceptance and the limitations of your purse strings, you’re almost inevitably going to need to fork out a decent bit of wedge on top of the price of admission. You could consider skipping the pricier add-ons like Trick or Treat street (a chunky £8.95 per head for a relatively short and slightly pedestrian experience) for a few rides and maybe supervising the little ones as they channel their inner Tiger Woods for a round of nine-hole mini golf (£4.95 per player).
Take a bag
Every child gets to take home a pumpkin. Pumpkins are heavy.
There are apparently 16,500 pumpkins on site(Image: Richard Swingler)
Cardiff Halloween Festival runs daily up to and including October 31. Admission starts at £14.50 for adults and £13.50 for children aged two to 16 while under-twos go free. Family tickets are available too. For more details and to book visit https://www.cardiffhalloweenfestival.com/.