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Spooky season is nearly here – and the Barbican has you covered for Halloween plans. The brutalist beauty is now the home of London’s newest Ghost Tours.
Running nightly from Wednesday to Sunday from October 1 until December 13, the experience gives Londoners a rare chance to explore the deep, dark history of Barbican rooms usually kept away from the public. The venue’s tours map out nearly 2,000 years of eerie subterranean secrets, stepping off the beaten (concrete) track to explore Roman ruins and plague pits, as well as dissect chilling ghost sightings whispered by the staff who’ve worked the night shift.
So, what can you actually expect from the experience – should you prepare to sleep with the light on? The Barbican says you’ll be listening out for unexplainable sounds, phantom voices and unsettling encounters in corridors that feel very different once the building falls silent. Over 75 minutes, the route journeys through the spooky highwalks and subterranean corridors of the estate.
You’ll get exclusive access to spaces that are usually off limits after hours, taking in the Pit theatre (which is found at the Barbican Centre’s deepest point) and the secretive Library Stack Rooms. These restricted backrooms house hundreds of books dating back to the 18th century, and the space is reputedly so active with supernatural phenomena that some staff members refuse to go down there alone.
But don’t worry, you won’t be on your own. Also on the trail are the Barbican’s expert tour guides, who have spent years navigating the building and might just have a few personal ghostly tales of their own.
Brave enough to book? Standard tickets cost £26.50, with students paying £21.50 and under-16s and unwaged visitors paying £19.50. Tours set off from outside the Barbican Shop on Level G. Visitors with accessibility requirements can contact the Barbican directly and the team will advise on upcoming dates and availability. Get tickets on the Barbican website.
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