Halloween · Family · Belfast Belfast Zoo, Cavehill
Boo at the Zoo
Belfast Zoo's cute-spooky Halloween weekend each late October — a fancy-dress trail, free face painting and friendly costumed characters, all with normal admission.
Every late October, Belfast Zoo turns gently spooky — a pumpkin-lined trail up the hillside, free face painting, friendly costumed characters and sensory stations — and it's all yours with a normal zoo ticket.
What it is — Boo at the Zoo is Belfast Zoo's family Halloween weekend, held over a weekend in late October (near the half-term break). It's cute-spooky, built for little ones: think friendly witches and superheroes, not frights.
What's on — a spooky trail that winds through the zoo, free face painting, roaming costumed characters to meet, sensory wildlife stations run with the Friends of the Zoo, and a colouring corner to sit and craft.
Come in costume — bring your little monsters, witches and superheroes in fancy dress and let them follow the trail past real lions, gorillas and penguins along the way.
Cost — the Halloween activities are included with normal zoo admission. There's no separate ticket to book for Boo at the Zoo — you just pay to get into the zoo as usual, and the trail, face painting and characters come with it.
The car park fills by late morning. Belfast Zoo sits on a steep hillside and it's a popular weekend, so arrive early, wear good shoes and dress the children warmly — much of the day is outdoors and uphill.
When to plan — the exact dates are confirmed each autumn (in 2025 it ran the weekend of 25–26 October). Pencil in the late-October weekend and check the zoo's website closer to Halloween for the 2026 dates.
What's on
A friendly, spooky day among the animals
Boo at the Zoo keeps it cute rather than scary — here's the shape of the day, all wrapped around a normal visit to see the animals.
🎃The spooky trailA pumpkin-dotted trail winding through the zoo, past the real animals — the heart of the day for curious little ones.
🖌️Free face paintingTurn into a tiger, a pumpkin or a spider — free face painting, usually running through the morning and early afternoon.
🦸Costumed charactersFriendly characters appear through the day for photos and hellos — cheerful, gentle and made for younger children.
🐾Sensory wildlife stationsHands-on nature stations run with the Friends of the Zoo — touch, look and learn about the animals up close.
✏️Colouring & sensory playA calm corner to sit, colour and craft — a welcome breather from the hills between animal houses.
🦁The whole zoo, tooLions, gorillas, giraffes, penguins and red pandas — the trail leads you right round the animals your ticket already includes.
Plan your visit
How to do Boo at the Zoo with kids
The best plan is a simple one: arrive early and take the hill at a gentle pace. Belfast Zoo climbs the side of Cavehill, so it's a proper walk uphill and back — good shoes and warm coats matter, and a buggy is fine for the main paths. Dress the little ones in their costumes at home so they're ready to follow the trail from the gate. Because everything is included with normal admission, there's nothing extra to book — just buy your zoo tickets (cheaper online than at the gate) and the trail, face painting and characters are all part of the day. Get to the face painting early before the queue builds, do the trail while everyone's fresh, then use the colouring corner as a rest stop. It's an autumn day out, so pack a snack and be ready for October weather — the views over Belfast Lough from the top are worth the climb.
Dates are confirmed each autumn.
Boo at the Zoo runs a weekend in late October (25–26 October in 2025). The 2026 dates and timings are announced closer to Halloween — check belfastcity.gov.uk/zoo before you set off, and note the zoo's shorter winter hours.
Good to know
Everything before you go
When
A weekend in late October each year, near the half-term break. In 2025 it ran Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October — the 2026 dates are confirmed closer to Halloween.
Where
Belfast Zoo, Antrim Road, on the slopes of Cavehill in north Belfast, BT36 7PN — about 15 minutes from the city centre.
What's included
The spooky trail, free face painting, costumed characters, sensory wildlife stations and a colouring corner — plus the whole zoo and all its animals.
Cost
Included with normal zoo admission — there's no separate ticket for the Halloween activities. Zoo tickets are cheaper booked online than paid at the gate.
Fancy dress
Costumes are very welcome — dress the children as friendly witches, superheroes or little monsters and follow the trail in style.
Opening hours
In October the zoo opens 10am, with last admission around 2.30pm and animal houses closing 3pm. Check exact event times before you go.
Getting there
Free on-site parking (380+ spaces, plus EV charging) — but it fills by late morning on a busy weekend. Buses run along the Antrim Road.
Good to know
It's a hillside site and mostly outdoors, so wear warm layers and sturdy shoes. Buggies are fine on the main paths.
Questions
Boo at the Zoo, answered
When is Boo at the Zoo 2026?
It runs a weekend in late October, near the half-term break — in 2025 it was 25–26 October. The exact 2026 dates and times are confirmed closer to Halloween, so check belfastcity.gov.uk/zoo before you set off.
Is it included in normal admission?
Yes — the trail, face painting, costumed characters and sensory stations are all included with normal zoo admission. There's no separate Boo at the Zoo ticket to book.
Is it too scary for young children?
Not at all — it's cute-spooky rather than frightening, built for little ones. Think friendly pumpkins, gentle characters and a colourful trail, not jump-scares.
Can we come in fancy dress?
Absolutely — costumes are very welcome. Dress the children as friendly witches, superheroes or little monsters and follow the trail past the real animals.
Do we need to book?
You just book normal zoo tickets (cheaper online than at the gate) — the Halloween activities come with your visit. No extra event ticket is needed.
What else is there to see?
The whole zoo — lions, gorillas, giraffes, penguins, red pandas and more. The trail leads you right round the animals, so it's a full day out as well as a Halloween treat.
Getting there
Belfast Zoo sits on the Antrim Road on the slopes of Cavehill, about 15 minutes north of Belfast city centre. There's free on-site parking with over 380 spaces (plus EV charging), though it fills by late morning on a busy Halloween weekend — arrive early. Buses run along the Antrim Road if you'd rather leave the car at home. The site is a hillside, so wear warm layers and good shoes.
Belfast Zoo has climbed the slopes of Cavehill since the 1930s, and it's one of the city's great family days out — more than a thousand animals across a leafy hillside site, with big views over Belfast Lough from the top. Every autumn it puts on Boo at the Zoo, a weekend that folds a little Halloween magic into an ordinary visit: pumpkins along the paths, a friendly trail, face painting and cheerful characters, all sitting alongside the lions, gorillas, giraffes and penguins the children came to see anyway.
For a family, it's an easy and gentle way to celebrate Halloween — cute rather than scary, outdoors in the fresh October air, and included with your ticket so there's no fuss and nothing extra to book. Dress the little ones in their costumes, arrive early to beat the car park, take the hill slowly, and let them follow the trail from one animal house to the next. Watch the zoo's website for the 2026 dates, then go and enjoy a spooky-but-sweet day among the animals.