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Halloween 2026 in Brittany: what to do
Haunted castles, spooky museums, children’s parties and Samain in Brocéliande: what to do for Halloween 2026 in Brittany, department by department.
6 min read
Halloween falls on a Saturday in 2026, right in the middle of the All Saints’ holidays. Breton castles, museums, parks and theatres are putting on lots of activities for children, often with booking required. Here are the confirmed events, department by department.
Samain, the Celtic Halloween
Long before Halloween, the Celts celebrated Samain on the night of 31 October to 1 November: the passage into the dark season, when the world of the living and the world of the dead drew closer. In Brittany, people carved beets and turnips into lanterns long before pumpkins. The forest of Brocéliande, with its legends of Merlin and Morgan, is the perfect setting.
The most mysterious places
Natural siteForêt de BrocéliandePaimpont · 1 day minimum, ideally 2 or 3 daysNearly 12,000 hectares around Paimpont, with forests, heathland, lakes and purple schist: the Val sans Retour, the Fontaine de Barenton, Merlin’s Tomb. A mostly private forest, with waymarked trails.
CastleChâteau de TrécessonCampénéac · 20 to 40 minutes to see it from outsideBy the water, in the world of Brocéliande, Trécesson is a private château of red schist surrounded by moats and legends.
Natural siteHuelgoat ForestHuelgoat · 1 hour to half a dayA 1,170-hectare state forest in the heart of Finistère: jumbles of granite boulders, the Rivière d’Argent, the Roche Tremblante, the Grotte du Diable and the Camp d’Artus. Free access from the village.
CastleLargoët Fortress / Towers of ElvenElven · 1 h 30 to 2 hIn a wooded park in Elven, Largoët keeps a huge octagonal keep and a round tower, spectacular remains of a great medieval fortress.
In Ille-et-Vilaine
Rennes and the surrounding area have the fullest programme in Brittany: museums that send shivers down your spine, witches’ castles and a Mexican Day of the Dead.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 17 October to 1 November | Halloween at the witches’ castle, from age 3 | Le Rocher Portail, Maen Roch |
| 17 October to 1 November | Día de los Muertos | Domaine de la Bourbansais, Pleugueneuc |
| 17 to 31 October | “The visit that is (a little) scary”, from age 3 | Musée de Bretagne, Rennes |
| 18 to 30 October | “Mystery at the farm”, for families | Écomusée de la Bintinais, Rennes |
| Saturday 24 October | Halloween at the farm | Ferme de Solidor, Saint-Malo |
| 28 October to 1 November | “The Vampires’ Party”, from age 3 | Café-théâtre Le Bacchus, Rennes |
| Saturday 31 October | “Come to the museum in costume!” | Musée des beaux-arts, Rennes |
| Saturday 31 October | Bal de la Mort | Les Ateliers du Vent, Rennes |
In Loire-Atlantique
Nantes celebrates Halloween in the city centre, and the department’s castles pull out all the stops: a night tour, a horror escape game and Cluedo among the vines.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| All Saints’ holidays | Secret tour of frightening objects, from age 10 | Musée Dobrée, Nantes |
| 17 October to 1 November | Halloween workshops | Terre d’Estuaire, Cordemais |
| Wednesday 28 October | Halloween in the city centre, free with booking, ages 3 to 10 | Nantes city centre |
| 28 October to 1 November | “Danse Macabre”, horror escape game | Château de la Rairie, Pont-Saint-Martin |
| Thursday 29 October | Halloween at the castle, night tour from age 10 | Château de Ranrouët, Herbignac |
| Friday 30 October | Halloween Cluedo, from age 10 | Musée du vignoble nantais, Le Pallet |
In Morbihan
Free entry for children in costume at Branféré, an evening of storytelling in Pont-Scorff and a night trail of lights: Morbihan plays on nature and folk tales.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 15 October to 3 January | “Les Animaux de Lumière”, night trail | Terres de Nataé, Pont-Scorff |
| Wednesday 28 October | Samain concert, two Irish musicians | Église du Temple, Carentoir |
| Wednesday 28 October | Halloween storytelling evening | Pont-Scorff |
| 31 October and 1 November | Halloween, free entry for children in costume | Parc de Branféré, Le Guerno |
| Saturday 31 October | Halloween show | Kernascleden |
In Finistère
Witches take over the stages of Brest, and the museums of Quimper and the Pays Bigouden offer workshops for children.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 19 to 22 October | “Une fête monstrueuse”, a magic comedy for families | Comédie du Finistère, Brest |
| 23 to 26 October | “Secret de sorcière”, from age 3 | Comédie du Finistère, Brest |
| 27 to 29 October | “La Sorcière Têtenlère” | Comédie du Finistère, Brest |
| Wednesdays 21 and 28 October | Halloween modelling, from age 4 | Musée de la Faïence, Quimper |
| 23 to 30 October | A Halloween diorama in a sardine tin, ages 9 to 11 | Loctudy |
| Saturday 31 October | Halloween evening | Plomelin |
In Côtes-d’Armor
The programme is more low key, but the towns organise their own parties for children: ask at the tourist offices.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday 31 October, 1:30pm to 4:30pm | Halloween activities | Salle d’Armor, Saint-Cast-le-Guildo |
Castles for a good scare
CastleLe Rocher PortailMaen Roch · 4 hours to a full day depending on the formulaIn Maen Roch, Le Rocher Portail is a remarkably well-preserved Renaissance château that has become a large immersive family site built around a world of witchcraft.
CastleChâteau de RanrouëtHerbignac · 45 minutes to 1 hour 30In Herbignac, Ranrouët is a ruined fortress surrounded by greenery and moats, ideal for reading how military architecture evolved from the Middle Ages to the early modern period.
CastleSuscinio CastleSarzeau · 2 to 3 hoursBetween marshes and ocean, Suscinio was one of the great residences of the Dukes of Brittany; restored, it now combines a medieval castle, immersive displays and a natural estate.
CastleChâteau de JosselinJosselin · 2 to 3 hoursAbove the Oust, Josselin combines powerful feudal towers, a finely carved Renaissance facade, furnished interiors and ten centuries of Rohan family history.
CastleFort La LattePlévenon · 1 h 30 to 2 hoursOn a rocky headland facing the sea, Fort La Latte is one of the most spectacular fortresses in Brittany, with a medieval keep, a drawbridge and panoramas over the Emerald Coast.
Going further
The Brittany calendar
- Route du Rhum 2026 in Saint-Malo: the guide
- What to do in Brittany in November 2026
- What to do in Brittany in December 2026
- What to do in Brittany in January 2027
- Spring tides 2027 in Brittany: the dates
- Festivals in Brittany 2027: the calendar
- What to do in Brittany during the February 2027 holidays
- May bank holidays 2027 in Brittany: what to do
- Spring and Easter holidays 2027 in Brittany