Every autumn, the nights grow longer, the air turns colder, and the line between worlds begins to blur. Halloween has always been more than costumes and sweets, it’s a time to honour our ancestors, to gather in ceremony, to transform fear into celebration.

This year, Katumba Halloween Carnival reclaims those deeper roots. Our theme “Ancestral Spirits, Ritual Fire” weaves together the diasporic origins of carnival with the ancient pagan traditions of Samhain.

Born from rituals of remembrance, resistance, and renewal, carnival has always been a living space where communities gather to drum, dance, and light the darkness with rhythm and spirit.

By fusing Afro-diasporic beats with the fire and folklore of Halloween, our procession becomes both a homage and a reinvention. A living ritual that connects past to present, ancestry to community, darkness to light.

This year’s Halloween Carnival also marks the grand finale of our Black History Month celebrations, as participants from our Routes & Roots beginner sessions join the parade.

Starting at Bold St and culminating in an unmissable finale at Liverpool ONE, the carnival will also mark 10 years of Katumba – join us in celebrating an incredible decade of drumming, movement, and community.

Even more ways to get involved:
Every costume, every rhythm, every flicker of flame in the Katumba Halloween Carnival is created and carried by people from the local area. This year, we’re inviting YOU to take part in a host of Katumba workshops with a Halloween twist.

Learn to…
🎃 Craft everything you need for a real carnival, inspired by ancestral spirits
🥁 Beat out rhythms that shake the streets alive
🕺 Move, dance, and embody the energy of carnival

Then step into the procession itself!

Join us at the following FREE workshops:

Saturday 25th of October – Lantern Making
Make your very own lantern (no fire involved!) to light up Katumba Halloween Carnival – ages 5+
Location: Katumba Culture Hub
#1 John Archer Hall 68 Upper Hill St. Liverpool L81YR

BOOK LANTERN MAKING

Saturday 25th of October – Circus Workshops
A chance to discover the magic of circus with silk ribbons, poi, juggling balls, devil sticks, hula hoop and spinning plate with Bring the Fire Project – ages 7+
Location: Katumba Culture Hub
#1 John Archer Hall 68 Upper Hill St. Liverpool L81YR

BOOK CIRCUS WORKSHOP

Sunday 26th of October – Katumba Drumming
Come along to Liverpool One’s Halloween Party from 12pm and take part in a Katumba Drumming workshop  – under 18’s
Location: Liverpool ONE, L1 8JQ

NO BOOKING NEEDED, JUST DROP BY!

PLUS: Sunday 2nd of November – Sounds & Sauna, An Evening of Wellbeing
Music, movement and mindfulness, the best way to wind down and relax after our Halloween carnival with sound bath, mindful movement and a gorgeous wooden sauna to top it all off on the – 18+
Limited spaces. Booking coming soon – join our mailing list to be the first to know.

KATUMBA HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL 2025

Date & time: Friday 31st October, starting at 7pm
Theme: Ancestral Spirits, Ritual Fire
Celebration: 10 years of Katumba

Join us. Feel the drums. Honour the ancestors. Celebrate the spirits.

With huge thanks to our funders and partners:

Liverpool BID | National Lottery Community Fund | Arts Council England | Liverpool Black History Month