There’s no shortage of party options this Halloween.

10 of the best Halloween parties in Hong Kong this year – Zombie Trump, haunted hotels and more

Haunted jail cells, a gender-bending masquerade ball, bloody waltzes … and most terrifying of all: US President Donald Trump. Hong Kong’s got it all this Halloween

Adam White

Published: 8:00am, 19 Oct 2016

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Halloween is that time in Hong Kong when the city’s nightspots bubble and churn with horrors and abominations that are, for once, intentional. If you don’t mind the high prices, huge crowds and drunken antics, here are the best Halloween parties in town …

Dead Not Alive

The ninth instalment of the party well-known among English-speaking Hongkongers has moved to a new venue: Hullett House. There will be a headline DJ set by Japanese hip-hop group M-Flo and beats all through the night. The event takes over multiple rooms of the 135-year-old building, including the cells in the basement which were once used by the city’s marine police to detain captured pirates. There’s a dinner-and-party deal (from HK$1,000), or you can just show up ready to do the monster mash.

The costume: sexy pirate sounds about right.

Oct 29, 10pm, Hullett House, 1881 Heritage, 2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, HK$400 (early bird), HK$600 (advance from alivenotdead.com/events/halloween), HK$800 (door), all include two drinks. HK$400 after 1am, includes one drink

Duddell’s Society of Eccentric Androgynists Annual Masked Ball

This masquerade ball encourages Halloweeners to embrace the fluidity of gender identity. Staid and worried about being seen cross-dressing? Worry not, you’ll be wearing a mask – no one’s going to know. Music and sound artist Shane Aspegren delivers fittingly ambiguous tunes and beats.

The costume: Marlene Dietrich-style tuxes for women, eyeliner and thigh-highs for men.

Oct 29, 9pm, Duddell’s, 3/F, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell Street, Central.

HK$250 (from ticketflap.com/duddellshalloween2016), include one drink

Dress up as the would-be US President at Volar’s Trump America vs Zombies party. Photo: Shutterstock

Volar Presents Trump America vs Zombies

What’s more terrifying than a room packed full of traditional Chinese zombies – you know, those hopping ones popularised in ’80s Hong Kong movies? Donald Trump being elected US President, obviously. Volar’s mashing the two up for the most genuinely terrifying proposition in town.

The costume: Zombie Trump: Making America Dead Again.

Oct 29, 10pm, Volar, B/F, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street, Central, HK$350 (advance from ticketflap.com/volarhalloween), HK$400 (door), both with open bar 10pm-1am; HK$400 at door after 1am with two drinks

The Haunted Room Halloween Party 2016

The Mira has always done a great job at hosting Halloween parties, and this year it’s teamed up with the DJs from Cliché Records to deliver beats and booze all night. There’s a five-hour open bar, face painting and four prizes each valued at HK$1,888 up for grabs, for the best attired and best moves on the dance floor.

The costume: Michael Jackson in Thriller. If you don’t win best costume, you’re guaranteed to win best dancer.

Oct 29, 9pm, Room One, Lobby, The Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, HK$368 (early bird from themirahotel.com/the-haunted-room-halloween-party-2016), HK$398 (door), both with open bar

Dead and Famous II

Walking down the dark and narrow alley to Brickhouse is terrifying at the best of times, so it’s no surprise the venue is embracing Halloween. The taco joint’s second annual party is asking you to dress as your favourite dead celebrity and go wild on free-flow beer, house mixers, Halloween cocktails and even the occasional free taco. The best dead star gets HK$5,000 of bar credit.

The costume: is it too soon for a David Bowie/Prince zombie hybrid? Nope.

Oct 29, 7pm, Brickhouse, 20A D’Aguilar Street, Central, HK$580 (advance from ticketflap.com/deadandfamous2016) includes free-flow package and tacos.

Hallowien

Kee Club’s skipped over its own venue in favour of organising a pop-up Viennese ball at Watermark, set against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour (“Wien” is the German name for Vienna). The dress code is “overdressed in red, black or white” – whatever that means – and there’s a prize for the best costume, so you’ll want to brush up on your sewing and waltzing.

The costume: 17th-century dandy vampire, of course.

Oct 29, 9pm, Watermark, Shop L, Central Pier 7, Central, HK$200 (early bird), HK$250 (advance), both include one glass of champagne, HK$600 (advance) includes two hours of champagne open bar, all available at ticketflap.com/hallowien

Freak Show of O

Ophelia isn’t content with being the city’s most opulent venue. For Halloween week, the bar is hosting nightly performances, featuring tales taken from TV show American Horror Story. Grab a glass, cosy up to the lady in the fetching cheongsam next to you … and hope that she’s not a cast member about to get possessed.

The costume: stick to the American Horror Story theme with some red, white and blue … and red, and red, and red …

Oct 24-26, 31 (6pm), Oct 27 (11pm), HK$200 (advance), $250 (door), all include one glass of champagne; Oct 28 (6pm), Oct 29 (9pm), HK$500 (advance), HK$550 (door), all include two glasses of champagne. Shop 41A, 1/F, The Avenue, 200 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, ophelia.com.hk

Méchant Méchant Halloween Party with La Dame Noir

Deep dark disco descends on the world’s highest bar for Halloween. Ozone is hosting DJs from La Dame Noir Records, the doyens of the French nu-disco scene. Expect menacing beats, creepy tunes and blow-your-mind views.

The costume: creepy disco superstar.

Oct 29, 10pm, Ozone, 118/F, Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, ICC, 1 Austin Road West, West Kowloon, HK$250 (door), includes one glass of champagne.

Play nightclub is turning its space into a haunted hotel for a night.

Play Hotel Afterlife

Everyone’s had an awful hotel stay, but nightclub Play’s looking to top your horror story this year by transforming the entire club into a haunted hotel of terror – complete with a photo booth, of course. The best-dressed gets a mighty $5,000 credit to spend at Play.

The costume: The evil twins from The Shining.

Oct 29, 10pm, 1/F, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central, HK$300 (door). For reservations, email [email protected]

Street partiers in Lan Kwai Fong last Halloween. Photo: Sam Tsang

LKF Street Party

Resent the idea of shelling out big bucks for Halloween fun? Head to Lan Kwai Fong, grab a cold one from 7-Eleven and watch the inevitable hordes of costumed drunks amble past. This year LKF has launched a Pokemon Go-style “LKF Play” app (free on Android and iOS): capture virtual monsters in LKF to score drink discounts or even round-trip flights to the US. As ever on big party days, the police will be out in force – so learn early to tell the real cops from their fancy-dress counterparts, or you’ll find yourself in a real-life convict costume.

The costume: The Spirit of LKF (a grubby T-shirt and a beer in each hand should cover you here).

Oct 31, from 6pm, Lan Kwai Fong, free.

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