Are you travelling to Slovakia at the end of October, and wondering how you can celebrate Halloween there?
Do people even celebrate Halloween in Slovakia?
What do you do during All Saints’ Day?
And why are there towers of strange candles everywhere in the shops?
As Slovak locals, we can answer all those questions, and share insider tips with you.
The short answer
Western Halloween celebrations, from decorating houses to costume parties, are becoming more of a thing in Slovakia. You’ll be able to find Halloween events in bigger cities, like Bratislava. Traditionally, Slovakia celebrates All Saints’ Day, which you can take part in even as a tourist, by going to the local cemeteries. If you’re looking for more unusual Halloween activities, check out the spooky events at castles around Slovakia.
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Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.
After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆
During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅
And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!
Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!
Do people celebrate Halloween in Slovakia?
Kinda.
In recent years, the Western Halloween celebrations have become more and more common around Slovakia.
You’ll be able to:
- See some houses decorated for Halloween, though mostly with carved pumpkins, don’t expect elaborate decorations like you might see in the USA.
- Find Halloween decor in shops. Check out budget stores like TEDi, Pepco, Sinsay or Action.
- Attend costume parties in bigger cities, like Bratislava or Košice.
- Take your kids to family-friendly Halloween events, from carving pumpkins to mad scientist labs.
But don’t expect to see streets full of kids in costumes trick-or-treating. That’s not really a thing, unless local communities with younger families decide to take part in this tradition.
Traditionally, instead of Halloween, Slovakia celebrates All Saints’ Day.
That’s a holiday worth visiting for – let us tell you more about it.
How do Slovak people celebrate All Saints’ Day?
First, some important info for you, that will affect your trip:
- All Saints’ Day is on the 1st of November, but the holiday stretches to the days around it. We’ll get to why this matters to you shortly.
- The 1st of November is a public holiday. That means some shops, especially smaller ones, might be closed, and transport runs on a public holiday schedule.
- Autumn school holidays coincide with these dates too, so there will be a lot more families travelling around and visiting the sights around the country.
Before the adventure starts — make sure you’ve got travel insurance sorted
What is All Saints’ Day?
It’s a holiday when Slovaks celebrate the people they’ve lost.
How is All Saints’ Day celebrated in Slovakia?
People go to cemeteries, tidy up the graves of their relatives and visit graves of people they care about.
What do people in Slovakia bring to the graves?
You won’t see food offerings on graves in Slovakia.
Traditionally, people bring candles, flowers, and religious people sometimes bring crosses, angel statues etc.
What do you need to know about All Saints’ Day as a tourist?
Whether you choose to take part in All Saints’ Day celebrations or not, the holiday will still affect your trip:
- Many people travel to the graves of their relatives, so roads and public transport tend to be busy. If you need to book a bus or a train for the dates around All Saints’ Day, make sure you do it in advance.
- As we mentioned, All Saints’ Day gets celebrated on the days around the 1st of November too. This is because many people cannot cover all the graves they want to visit in one day. People also usually visit their families (the living ones!), plus kids are off school, so All Saints’ Day/Halloween is usually more of a 29th October to 2nd November celebration – depending on which day of the week the 1st of November falls on.
- While Halloween is all about scaring the living daylights out of people, All Saints’ Day has the opposite vibe. It’s a solemn celebration, a time that can be difficult for many people.
- Having said that, Slovak people are big on judging, and All Saints’ Day is the peak time for that.
Why?
1. People judge other graves. How well they are taken care of. How decorated they are. Etc. (Yes, it sounds horrible, but if you grew up here, it’s really seen as normal.)
2. People judge others, because many times they only get to see their old neighbours or people who moved out of their village/town when they come back to the graves during All Saints’ Day.
If you have any questions about All Saints’ Day celebrations, or judgy Slovak people, give us a shout on our Instagram.
Or, the more fun option, book a call with us, and we can help you prepare for your Halloween trip to Slovakia, so you can be a pro at judging when you get there!
How can you celebrate All Saints’ Day and Halloween in Slovakia as a tourist?
There are cool ways to celebrate the spookiest holiday in Slovakia:
- Celebrate All Saints’ Day as a tourist
Visit a local cemetery around All Saints’ Day.
We highly recommend this, because we’d bet you’ve never seen cemeteries so beautifully lit up, as they are during All Saints’ Day.
Imagine thousands of candles illuminating the place – it looks so magical, adding to the feeling that this is a truly special occasion. (This is probably why we enjoyed the secret candlelit evensong in Oxford so much.)
Insider tip: While people head to the cemeteries even on the days before All Saints’ Day, it’s the 1st November when the amount of candles peaks. We usually visit cemeteries on the 2nd Nov – the candles are still burning (weather dependent, of course), but most people have already been, so it’s a lot less crowded.
“But I don’t have friends and family buried in Slovakia.”
Don’t worry, there is a tradition you can take part in too, even as a tourist visiting Slovakia during All Saints’ Day.
Aside from walking around the cemetery, you can go light up a candle for your loved ones in the central point. This is usually a chapel, or a big cross, where people light up candles for the ones who:
- Are buried far away and they cannot visit personally
- Are lost and don’t have actual graves
- Were never born
Insider tip: We recommend visiting a supermarket or two, to buy some of the best Slovak souvenirs. Before All Saints’ Day, you’ll also see towers of cemetery candles everywhere. Pick some up and take them to your nearest cemetery to honour the ones you’ve lost.
- Attend Halloween events in Slovakia
Slovakia’s history is full of spooky legends, from a forest where people go missing, never to be seen again, to underground passages under its coolest city, to the Black Lady haunting the capital city of Bratislava.
Many sights lean into the spooky, scary history and legends during Halloween, and host cool events.
For example, in Trnava, which is our homebase and Slovakia’s coolest town, a place you can easily visit from Bratislava on a day trip, crypts under churches are often opened during this time of the year.
The great thing about Slovakia?
You can visit many of these unusual, spooky places free, and without a guide!
From caves, to castle ruins, to underground crypts. Just don’t freak out if you find yourself completely alone in a scary place. That’s the advantage of visiting an undiscovered destination like Slovakia. It’s still possible to visit awesome places without crowds.
If you’re heading to Slovakia during Halloween, book a call with us and we can help you find unusual spooky events you can add to your itinerary – if you dare!
(Pictured: a church in Trnava)
- Celebrate Halloween at Slovak castles
Did you know that Slovakia has over 600 castles, castle ruins, chateaus and manor houses?
Given the country’s size, it’s absolutely mindblowing!
You can see an interactive map of them here.
Visiting a castle or two (or ruins. Or a manor house) is a must during your trip to Slovakia.
But visiting a castle during Halloween? That’s next level.
Here are some ideas for you:
- The Červený Kameň Castle (“Red Stone Castle”) near Bratislava hosts cool events from themed guided tours to knight tournaments throughout the whole year. Check what’s on during Halloween on the official website.
- Want to sleep in a castle and see if you spot any ghosts haunting its gardens during the night? Possible in Slovakia – and on a budget! Smolenice Castle is the best castle for a budget hotel stay.
- If you dare, you can visit Čachtice Castle where the infamous Bloody Countess Elizabeth Báthory allegedly bathed in the blood of local virgins to stay young (pre-Korean cosmetics times!).
- Slovakia’s most beautiful castle, Bojnice Castle, that looks straight out of Disney also hosts amazing events throughout the year. We visited it after dark, during a special event, and it was one of our favourite unusual things we’ve ever done in Slovakia!
- Head up north to one of Slovakia’s most striking castles, Orava Castle. But beware. This is where the original Nosferatu movie was shot, as well as the more recent Van Helsing TV series, so vampire vibes are strong here. In fact, the castle often runs vampire-themed nighttime guided tours – even at midnight!
- Keep in mind that there are many castle ruins dotted around Slovakia too, that you can visit for free and without a guide. These are perfect for DIY spooky trips without crowds. Just mind the enter-at-your-own-risk signs (and get good travel insurance).
Is it worth visiting Slovakia during Halloween?
Definitely!
Daniel, was blown away the first time he visited a cemetery in Slovakia during the All Saints’ Day celebrations – it’s a very different vibe from cemeteries in Scotland!
It doesn’t feel right to say a trip to a cemetery will be enjoyable, but we are sure that the ethereal atmosphere will stay with you forever.
Especially if you combine it with a spooky event at one of Slovakia’s castles, or a fun Halloween-themed activity in a city.
Remember that if you need help planning your Halloween trip to Slovakia, you can reach out to us on our Instagram, or book a call with us.
Don’t forget this when celebrating Halloween in Slovakia
Cemeteries have uneven paths and vampire bites can get infected. You never know when you might need travel insurance, so it’s best to buy one that is reliable and doesn’t cost a fortune.
Our go-to travel insurance on a budget is True Traveller.
We used them for our full-time travels and had such a mindblowing experience when we made a claim, we had to write a whole post about it.
You can get the quote for your Slovakia trip within seconds on the True Traveller website – without having to give up your phone number or email, which is a major plus in this data-collection obsessed world.
We hope this post convinced you to celebrate Halloween in Slovakia, especially by taking part in the All Saints’ Day traditions.
If you have any questions, remember to drop us a message on our Instagram.
And don’t forget to get good travel insurance and pack some garlic, just in case.
Hi!
We’re Mirka & Daniel — full-time travellers, professional overthinkers & bad luck magnets. We research EVERYTHING and then share all the weird travel tips with you here. Follow along to make your adventures easier! 🌴
