Topical costumes are a special interest of mine, and the presidential election has provided a rich seam of ideas – but I have others

This is the National Ploughing Championship for hipsters

Television: This is less aspirational programming and more like a foray into a fantasy of unaffordable upgrades

Call me a killjoy but I am disturbed by the sight of plastic bones in plastic chains

Some houses had the front garden displays turned on weeks ago; some appear to have even dug up parts of their gardens

Take away the tourists in Transylvania and you could be back in the Middle Ages with historic castles, enchanting forests and soaring mountains

Our pick of the most arresting horror films on Netflix, Prime Video and Paramount+

Thirst by Darren Simpson; Empty Heaven by Freddie Kölsch; Where the Shadows Hide by Amy Clarkin; Dangerous Girls by Lisa M Sylvan; and Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews

The orange Jack-o’-lantern pumpkin, and ghostly alternatives such as ‘Casperita’, have carved a place in Irish Samhain

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service has launched a somewhat spooky seasonal campaign

Food has been blended with Halloween since its origins in Celtic Ireland

When the kids hear there are Oreo biscuit crumbs involved, they’ll instantly become master bakers

Remember to leave the dough to rest in the fridge for an hour

October 25th-31st, 2025: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week

Pumpkins After Dark event displays more than 10,000 pumpkins, each hand-carved by a team of artists

Halloween can be an environmental shocker, but there are more nature-friendly ways to celebrate

Louise Lowe and Owen Boss of Anu are swapping intimate immersive theatre for this year’s Macnas parade, An Truen: The Summoning of the Lost

October 18th-24th, 2025: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week

From piseógs in Carlow to spectres in Offaly, experience some ghoulish glee in these unearthly places

Garda’s Operation Tombola has carried out 1,218 seizures of fireworks over last decade