Halloween is just around the corner and if you haven’t made plans yet, it’s about time! Carve a spooky Jack-o'-lantern out of a pumpkin, get into your scariest fancy dress outfit and have some ghoulish fun. To help you plan your Halloween activities, we’ve put together a list of events taking place around the country.

Johannesburg

• The Fresh Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza, The Rosebank (corner of Tyrwhitt and Sturdee Avenues, Rosebank) will be hosting a Hot Halloween Evening of dressing up, dinner and dancing on 28 October at 7pm for 7.30pm. Call Thembi for reservations: 011 280 3381.

• The Little Cooks Club in Rivonia (5th Avenue, Rivonia) is offering special Halloween cake decorating courses for 7 to 15 year olds. Call Christine Phillips for more info: 083 556 3434.

• Jet, the night club in North Riding (corner of Olievenhout and Northumberland Roads) is having a Halloween party on 30 October, starting from 8pm. For more info, email Adrian: Adrian@myjet.co.za.

• For a Halloween party on the banks of the Vaal River, join the folks at Stonehaven on Vaal, South Africa’s largest alfresco garden restaurant (next to the Baddrift Bridge, Vaal Triangle/Sedibeng) from 7pm on 30 October. On 31 October there will be a special Halloween buffet and loads of fun activities for the kids from 11am to 8pm. For more info, call Magda: 016 982 2951/2.

• Come to the Brightwater Commons (Republic Road, Randburg) on 31 October from 4pm to 9pm for trick or treating, dressing up, a ghost house, magic and puppet shows, Andre the Hilarious Hypnotist and Aiden Powers’ The Twilight Zone.

• Take the kids to Halloween at the Johannesburg Zoo (Upper Park Drive, Parkview) for lots of spooky dressing up and trick or treating fun from 5pm to 8pm on October 31.

• The Red Room club (corner of Beyers Naude Drive and Juice Street, Honeydew) presents Fangtasia: A True Blood Halloween Party, billed as a “bloody tribute to all things Vampire”, on 31 October.

• From 9pm on 31 October you can dance your socks off at the Halloween edition of Girls Gone Wild at Café Vacca Matta (Shop 66 Montecasino, corner of William Nicol Drive and Witkoppen Road, Fourways).

• Entrance is free to anyone in costume at the Halloween party at Simply Blue (Orchidea Hotel, 90 DeKorte Street, Braamfontein) on 31 October. Call 082 876 8976 for details.

Bloemfontein

• Join Brothers Unborn and Semyazah for a Halloween Fest at Cool Runnings Bloemfontein (163 Nelson Mandela Avenue, city centre). Call 051 430 7364 for more info.

Cape Town

• The Labia Theatre (Orange Street, Gardens) will be hosting the fifth annual Horrorfest from 29 October to 6 November, presenting horror movies, a live sound track performance and short films to get you into the spirit of Halloween.

Films include An American Werewolf in London, Beware the Moon, Blood Night and more.

• Seventies and Eighties alternative rock will feature at the decoDance Underground Halloween Party at the Old Biscuit Mill (375 Albert Road, Salt River) on 31 October from 8.30pm.

• Bronx and Navigaytion (22 Somerset Road, Green Point) invite you to dress up and dance at their Halloqueen Party on 31 October.

• Enjoy a live music Halloween party with the Sleepers at Mercury (43 De Villiers Street, District Six) on 31 October. Dressing up is optional, but highly recommended.

Port Elizabeth

• Aqua night club (corner of York Road and Prince Alfred Street) is organising an exciting Halloween Weekend on 30 and 31 October.

Durban

• The Durban Country Club (101 Walter Gilbert Road) is having a Kids Halloween Party at 4pm on 31 October for children between 4 and 12 years of age. Call Joey on 031 313 1777 by 23 October.

• Bring the kids to uShaka Marine World on 30 and 31 October from 4pm to 8pm for trick or treating fun, an hour-long Halloween and dolphin show and more. For more info, call 031 328 800.

• The Jägermeister Halloween Dress-up Party on 31 October at Harvey Wallbangerz in Durban North (corner of Kensington Drive and Broadway) is guaranteed to be great fun with DJs, bars, prizes, promotions, ice sculptures and much more. For more info, call 031 563 4887.

Pretoria

• The Halloween party at Legends night club (531 Fehrsen Street, Brooklyn Circle) on 31 October promises to be the “hottest dress-up party of the year”.

• Get Your Freak On The Steam Train for the ultimate pink Halloween party on 31 October and enjoy a night of fun as the ghostly steam train takes you on a two and a half hour booze cruise around Pretoria, followed by a party at Bedrock Valley. Call 073 675 6584 and book by 26 October.