Holiday
Halloween
Happening now · next in Starts in 7d 04h 23m 58s
The countdown to 31 October, the night of costumes, carved lanterns and ghost stories.
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Folklore and Horror Countdowns
Live countdowns to festivals of the dead, folk traditions and dates in gothic culture. Each one runs on your own clock: to midnight, or to sunset, where you are.
Folk tradition
Samhain
Happening now · next in Starts in 7d 21h 18m 58s
The Gaelic festival at summer’s end, beginning at sunset on 31 October and running into 1 November.
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Cultural and religious observance
Día de los Muertos
Happening now · next in Starts in 8d 10h 23m 58s
Mexico’s Day of the Dead on 1 and 2 November, when families welcome back and remember the people they have lost.
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Folk tradition
Krampusnacht
Happening now · next in Starts in 42d 19h 39m 58s
Krampus Night on 5 December, the eve of St Nicholas Day, when Alpine towns fill with horned, fur-clad figures.
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Folk tradition
Walpurgis Night
Happening now · next in Starts in 188d 23h 02m 58s
The eve of 1 May, a night of bonfires across northern and central Europe and of witches on the Brocken in German legend.
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Fan and culture day
World Goth Day
Happening now · next in Starts in 210d 03h 23m 58s
Every 22 May, goths around the world celebrate the music, style and art of the subculture.
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Fan and culture day
World Dracula Day
Happening now · next in Starts in 214d 03h 23m 58s
The anniversary of the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in London on 26 May 1897.
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Cultural and religious observance
Obon
Happening now · next in Starts in 292d 19h 23m 58s
Japan’s summer season of welcoming ancestors home, kept in most regions from 13 to 16 August with lanterns, fires and bon odori dances.
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Cultural and religious observance
Ghost Festival
Happening now · next in Starts in 295d 20h 23m 58s
The Zhongyuan or Yulanpen festival, on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, when ancestors and wandering spirits are honoured.
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About these dates
Not every date here is a horror event. Día de los Muertos, the Ghost Festival and Obon are living traditions of remembering the dead, and each page explains the occasion and how to treat it respectfully.
Dates that follow a lunar calendar are taken from published conversion tables, not estimated. Each countdown counts to its date in your own time zone. Sunset is worked out for your time zone’s main city in your browser; your location is never asked for or sent anywhere.