For years, Halloween in Singapore has been synonymous with one event: the annual pilgrimage to Universal Studios Singapore’s Halloween Horror Nights. It’s the season when horror fans willingly queue to be terrified, while social media fills with videos of friends screaming through haunted houses.

This year, however, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) is expanding Halloween far beyond a single attraction. Running from 1 September to 1 November, the resort’s new Festival of Thrills transforms the entire destination into a celebration of everything spooky, playful and unexpected. Instead of concentrating all the excitement into one nighttime event, nearly every corner of RWS has been reimagined with its own interpretation of Halloween.

The result is a festival that caters to different comfort levels. Hardcore horror fans can spend their evenings confronting supernatural horrors inspired by Singapore’s urban legends, while families can enjoy trick-or-treat adventures with beloved characters during the day. Elsewhere, visitors can wander through glowing underwater art installations, solve a murder mystery at a waterpark, or simply soak up the festive atmosphere over themed food and drinks.

Whether you’re chasing adrenaline or simply looking for a unique seasonal outing, there’s something designed for every kind of Halloween enthusiast.

If there’s one event that defines Halloween at RWS, it’s Universal Studios Singapore’s Halloween Horror Nights. Now in its 14th edition, the annual event has built a loyal following by constantly reinventing itself, and this year’s edition draws heavily from familiar local references that make the horror feel even more unsettling.

Rather than relying solely on ghosts and monsters from Western pop culture, Halloween Horror Nights 14 embraces Singapore’s own folklore, neighbourhood memories and everyday icons, twisting them into something deeply sinister. It’s a reminder that some of the most unsettling stories are those rooted in places and experiences we already recognise.

One of this year’s standout haunted houses, Singapore’s Most Haunted: On Air, transforms an abandoned television studio into the setting for an endless supernatural broadcast. Visitors wander through forgotten production sets where familiar urban legends are continuously re-enacted by trapped spirits. The concept taps into the eerie nostalgia of analogue television, where flickering screens and empty broadcast rooms already possess an unsettling quality before ghosts are even introduced.

Another haunted house takes an unlikely local icon and turns it into nightmare fuel. Karang Guni: The Cursed Collection reimagines the neighbourhood rag-and-bone collector as an unwilling vessel for centuries of accumulated curses. Every discarded possession collected over the years carries traces of tragedy from its previous owner, filling the cluttered shop with restless evil waiting for its next victim.

It’s an especially clever concept because it transforms an everyday figure that many Singaporeans grew up seeing into something genuinely terrifying. The familiar becomes frightening—a hallmark of effective horror.

For fans of science-fiction horror, Made in Hell: Xinling Robotics offers a darker vision of technological progress. Set inside a futuristic Chinese bioengineering facility, the attraction explores humanity’s obsession with artificial immortality through robots powered by harvested human life force. Visitors find themselves caught between rogue rebels, malfunctioning machines and horrifying experiments that blur the line between man and technology.

Meanwhile, returning fan favourite Chatterbox Charlie graduates from scare-zone celebrity to star of his own haunted house. Chatterbox Charlie’s Vaudeville Horrors builds upon one of horror’s oldest fears—the uncanny presence of ventriloquist dummies—creating a theatrical world where Charlie and his puppet Junior have become inseparable in both body and mind.

The scares don’t stop once visitors leave the haunted houses. Throughout the park, immersive zones ensure there’s never a true safe space. The Raveyard transforms an abandoned cemetery into an electrifying neon afterlife where undead partygoers continue celebrating long after death. Equal parts horror installation and surreal dance party, the colourful environment offers a visual contrast to traditional haunted settings while still delivering its share of unexpected scares.

Over in Ancient Egypt, Necropolis: The Serpent’s Crossroads creates a darker atmosphere where visitors enter a supernatural realm ruled by ancient gods, cursed bargains and wandering spirits. Towering figures and eerie creatures roam freely, ensuring that every corner feels alive with danger.

Adding another unpredictable layer are roaming scare actors who can appear almost anywhere in the park. Whether it’s the cursed Karang Guni or the haunting Fatimah Rockers, horror now follows guests beyond designated scare zones, making even the journey between attractions feel suspenseful.

Of course, Halloween doesn’t always have to involve screaming. During the day, Universal Studios Singapore takes on a completely different personality with the return of Trick or Thrills, a family-friendly celebration filled with costumes, candy and beloved characters.

Illumination’s Minion Land becomes one of the centrepieces of the festivities, complete with pumpkin displays, Halloween decorations and the debut of the new Belloween Ball show featuring Bride of Monster Bob. Fans of Despicable Me can also meet Gru, Lucy and the rest of the family alongside plenty of mischievous Minions.

Elsewhere around the park, Halloween-themed meet-and-greets introduce Kuromi in a special seasonal costume alongside returning favourites including Shrek, Fiona, Elmo, Cookie Monster and Count von Count. Candy stations scattered throughout the park recreate the classic trick-or-treat tradition, while exclusive seasonal snacks and limited-edition merchandise complete the festive atmosphere.

The daytime programme ensures younger visitors can enjoy Halloween without the nightmares, offering a lighter counterpart to the evening’s more intense scares.

Perhaps the biggest surprise within Festival of Thrills isn’t designed to frighten at all. At Singapore Oceanarium, Halloween takes on an entirely different identity through Into the Glowcean, a luminous celebration inspired by the natural phenomenon of bioluminescence.

Instead of haunted corridors and lurking monsters, visitors are immersed in glowing underwater landscapes where marine life, light and art converge to create something both dreamlike and educational. Central to the experience is Oceanic Glow, the first solo exhibition by Singapore glass neon artist Megan Foo. Known as Singapore’s only artist specialising in traditional handcrafted glass neon, Foo transforms the oceanarium into a series of illuminated installations inspired by how marine creatures communicate beneath the waves.

Many deep-sea species use light to survive—whether to attract mates, camouflage themselves from predators, issue warnings or signal territory. Her installations reinterpret these biological behaviours into glowing sculptures that encourage visitors to appreciate marine ecosystems through both science and art.

The exhibition also highlights a traditional craft that has become increasingly rare in Singapore. Once synonymous with colourful shopfronts across the city, handcrafted neon has largely disappeared, making Foo’s work as much a celebration of artistic heritage as it is marine conservation.

Beyond the installations, the experience encourages visitors to participate rather than simply observe. Families can create their own neon-inspired artworks, customise deep-sea creature keychains or experiment with interactive light-painting experiences. Face-painting stations featuring fluorescent marine motifs add another playful touch, while younger visitors can enjoy Halloween-themed trick-or-treat activities throughout the venue.

Seasonal programming continues across the oceanarium. Skeleton-clad divers descend into the Open Ocean habitat during feeding sessions, creating surreal encounters between marine life and Halloween spectacle. Selected weekends also feature live light-painting performances alongside illuminated violin performances that transform the aquarium into an atmospheric evening venue.

For visitors hoping to learn more about the ocean itself, the Animal Spotlight programme focuses on manta rays in conjunction with World Manta Day. The guided experience introduces guests to the care, behaviour and conservation challenges surrounding these graceful giants, while special lantern-making workshops inspired by the Mid-Autumn Festival add a uniquely local dimension to the celebrations.

Few people would expect a waterpark to become the setting for a murder mystery, but that’s exactly what Adventure Cove Waterpark has planned this Halloween. Every Saturday evening, Pool Party Panic begins as what appears to be an ordinary neon-lit pool party. Music pumps through the venue, guests dance beneath colourful lights, and the atmosphere feels more like a beach festival than a Halloween event.

Then everything suddenly changes. The lights cut out. A scream pierces the darkness. When the floodlights return, a crime has been committed. From there, the experience transforms into an interactive murder mystery where participants investigate crime scenes, solve puzzles, collect evidence and interrogate suspects in search of the killer. Blending elements of immersive theatre, escape rooms and live-action gaming, the experience places guests at the centre of the story rather than asking them to simply watch events unfold.

Families visiting during the day can instead embark on Legend Keepers: The Ocean Spirit Awakens, a story-driven adventure inspired by Singapore’s folklore and island heritage.

Guided by Merli the Tide Guardian, participants journey through locations inspired by Kusu Island, Sisters’ Islands and Bukit Merah, solving puzzles that gradually restore the Ocean Spirit. Rather than focusing on horror, the experience celebrates teamwork, kindness and curiosity while introducing younger audiences to stories rooted in local culture.

Together, the two programmes demonstrate how Adventure Cove has successfully reinvented itself for Halloween without losing the playful identity that makes it popular year-round.

Not every Halloween outing needs haunted houses or elaborate attractions.

At WEAVE, the festivities revolve around food, drinks and social gatherings, creating a vibrant meeting point for visitors before or after exploring the rest of Festival of Thrills.

Families visiting during the day can collect trick-or-treat buckets before exploring participating stores decorated with Halloween displays and seasonal merchandise. Interactive photo booths allow visitors to capture themed portraits, while live music accompanies leisurely brunches at participating restaurants.

As evening arrives, the atmosphere shifts noticeably. The Heineken Adrenaline Bar becomes the focal point, serving drinks alongside classic games including beer pong, air hockey and foosball. Live bands add to the lively atmosphere, transforming the lifestyle destination into a casual nightlife venue where costumes are welcomed but not essential.

It’s a reminder that Halloween isn’t only about scares. Sometimes it’s simply about gathering with friends, enjoying themed food and soaking up the festive atmosphere.

Festival of Thrills represents a noticeable evolution for Resorts World Sentosa. Rather than positioning Halloween as a single ticketed attraction, the resort has transformed the season into a destination-wide celebration that unfolds across nearly every major experience.

Horror enthusiasts can lose themselves inside haunted houses inspired by local legends. Families can spend the day collecting candy alongside favourite characters. Art lovers can explore glowing installations beneath the sea, while groups of friends can investigate mysterious murders inside a waterpark before ending the evening with drinks and live music.

Instead of asking visitors to choose one Halloween activity, Resorts World Sentosa is encouraging them to build an entire day—or even an entire weekend—around the season. The result is a festival that feels bigger than any single attraction, offering multiple ways to celebrate Halloween regardless of whether you’re looking for genuine terror, playful fun or something unexpectedly beautiful.

The Festival of Thrills runs from 1st September to 1st November 2026 at Resorts World Sentosa. More information available here