Victorian Hallow’s Eve

Victorian Hallow’s Eve celebrations were quite different from the ones we know today. Although we often picture Victorians in stiff black-and-white portraits and link them with all things macabre, they actually loved a lively Halloween party. In fact, they embraced the spooky season with enthusiasm, with favourite costumes including: witches, ghosts, bats, cats, and devils.

This October Half-Term, we’re exploring how Victorians celebrated Halloween, from eerie party games and strange matchmaking rituals to the lavish feasts that defined the season. Together, these traditions helped shape the Halloween festivities we enjoy today.

1.A Right Royal Scare 

2.Macabre Matchmaking 

3.Opulent Party Food

4.Hallow’s Eve Aboard The SS Great Britain 

A Right Royal Scare

Even Queen Victoria and Princess Beatrice embraced the spooky spirit of Hallow’s Eve. Each year, they hosted elaborate celebrations filled with light, music, and mystery. One grand party in 1874 was described in the Staffordshire Sentinel:

“Her Majesty and the Princess Beatrice, each bearing a large torch, drove out in an open phaeton. A procession, formed of the tenants and servants on the estates, followed. All carried high torches, lighted. They walked through the ground and round the castle, and the scene as the procession moved onwards was very weird and striking.”

Halloween gatherings were popular across Victorian society. While few could match the splendour of the royal parties, people across the country joined in with enthusiasm. Guests wore costumes, and hosts planned elaborate scares to entertain their visitors.

Houses flickered with candlelight, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Some hosts hid in dark corners to frighten guests, while others offered eerie fake hands to shake at the door. Meanwhile, many gatherings included séances as guests hoped to reconnect with spirits from the afterlife.

Photo credit, vintagedancer.com

Macabre-Matchmaking

At their core, Victorian Halloween parties often centred around one thing — matchmaking. Young men and women used the eerie atmosphere to test their romantic fortunes through playful, and sometimes unsettling, traditions.

These customs appeared in both party games and food. For example, The Ingalls Home and Art Magazine (1891) offered advice on “How to Throw a Successful Hallows’ Eve Party.” It described a game where guests floated tiny boats made from hollowed walnut shells, each representing a hopeful couple. Watching whose boats drifted together — or apart — was believed to predict future relationships.

Meanwhile, romance and fate also found their way into the food. The traditional Halloween cake hid a ring, a coin, and a button for unmarried guests to uncover. Finding the ring meant marriage was close, the coin promised future wealth, and the unlucky finder of the button was doomed to remain single.

Photo credit, Ingalls Victorian magazine

Opulent Party Food

Alongside matchmaking and fortune-telling, Victorian Halloween parties were all about indulgence. Guests expected abundance, and hosts delivered feasts as lavish as the celebrations themselves. In fact, the food reflected the same opulence found in the first-class dining experience aboard the SS Great Britain.

Meanwhile, The Ingalls Home and Art Magazine (1891) offered inspiration for ambitious hosts. It suggested a complete Halloween menu, and of course, no feast was complete without the traditional Halloween cake, hiding its charms of love, luck, and fate.

Hallow’s Eve Aboard The SS Great Britain

The Victorians shaped many of the Halloween traditions we still enjoy today, from elaborate costumes and theatrical parties to indulgent feasts. Although they’re often remembered for their sombreness, the Victorians truly knew how to celebrate in ghostly style. In fact, their records reveal a society that embraced the spooky season with creativity and flair.

This October Half-Term, step aboard the SS Great Britain and discover how the Victorians celebrated Halloween on our Terrifying Turnip Trail. Much like the party hosts of the past, we’ve transformed the ship with eerie décor and Victorian-inspired grandeur. Join us for a hauntingly good time, if you dare…

 25 October – 2 November 2025

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