On 2 October, Tivoli Gardens opens the gates to one of the year's most atmospheric seasons. The Gardens are transformed into an enchanting autumn wonderland with more than 20,000 pumpkins, the Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship, two spine-chilling scary houses, and a 3-Michelin-star restaurant moving into the amusement park.

alloween at Tivoli Gardens runs from 2 October to 1 November.

Halloween has long since earned its place as a firm favourite in the Danish autumn calendar. As Tivoli Gardens opens for the season on 2 October, guests are welcomed into a magical setting where international Halloween traditions blend with Nordic harvest customs. Hay bales, autumn flowers and foliage, and thousands of glowing pumpkins create an immersive seasonal landscape that can be seen, smelled, tasted and experienced throughout the Gardens.

The traditions behind Halloween stretch back centuries. The celebration has its roots in European cultural heritage and is closely associated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain as well as All Saints' Day.

Across nearly 40 Halloween market stalls, visitors of all ages can browse everything from gruesome treats and quirky monsters to handcrafted gifts and gourmet specialities from across Denmark. It's the perfect place to find inspiration for this year's costume or bring a little Halloween magic home.

All rides remain open throughout the Halloween season. Younger visitors can enjoy Tivoli's family-friendly Halloween attractions, The Little Ghost Train and The Witch's Carousel, while mischievous witches roam the Gardens, delighting children with playful encounters, laughter and a touch of magic.

Ton-Heavy Giant Pumpkins Take Centre Stage

On 3 October, Tivoli Gardens hosts the 19th Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship.

Last year, Peter Holst Olsen from the town Næstved claimed victory with an impressive pumpkin weighing 903.5 kilograms (1991,97 pounds), despite it being only his second time competing. In 2024, he entered the record books with a colossal pumpkin weighing 1,115.8 kilograms (2.460 pounds) setting a new Nordic record.

Later in the season, a pumpkin artist transforms the enormous pumpkins into spectacular monsters, fantasy figures and giant jack-o'-lanterns using nothing more than a chainsaw. Throughout the Gardens, guests can also admire more than 20,000 illuminated pumpkins and countless glowing jack-o'-lanterns.

The Halloween tradition of using jack-o’-lanterns likely stems from European customs of the 19th century, when people would hollow out turnips and place candles inside to ward off evil spirits. In Denmark too, such turnip lanterns were once a familiar sight outside homes, but over time they were replaced by pumpkin versions with their distinctive orange glow — now displayed by the thousands in Tivoli Gardens.

Double the Chills

Thrill-seekers can look forward to intense experiences in Tivoli Gardens' two scary houses.

The award-winning Villa Vendetta – Tivoli Gardens' permanent scary house – receives a special Halloween makeover each year. Guests aged 12 and above can brave 150 metres (492 feet) of dark corridors winding through 12 haunting rooms across 800 square metres (8,611 square feet), where terrifying characters and unexpected special effects keep pulses racing.

Beneath the historic Rutschebanen wooden roller coaster, which has thrilled guests since 1914, lies the season's second scary house The Haunted House. Here, sinister figures lurk in the shadows, drawing disturbingly close as visitors make their way through the unsettling experience.

Pop Up Restaurants in The Pagoda

Resident star chefs infuse the air with the aroma of top-tier ingredients at The Pagoda in Tivoli Gardens, as they temporarily relocate their acclaimed restaurants to this splendid venue. As Halloween arrives, the 3-Michelin-star restaurant Zilte from Belgium enters The Pagoda. Here, a self-taught head chef and his wife have built a gastronomic landmark in Antwerp. The restaurant is regarded as one of Europe’s most distinctive fine dining destinations. Guests can Visit Zilte in The Pagoda from 2 October - 1 November.

Celebrating 21 Seasons of Halloween

Tivoli Gardens has always sought to evolve. This was also the case in 2006, when the park opened its gates for its first Halloween season, which lasted ten days. The inaugural season attracted 250,000 guests. Today, Halloween in Tivoli is visited by around half a million guests. Halloween in Tivoli also coincides with Sweden’s Höstfest, meaning it caters to both Danish and Swedish autumn school holidays.

• Halloween at Tivoli Gardens was extended to four weeks in 2025.
• In 2024, Peter Holst Olsen from Næstved set a new Nordic giant pumpkin record at the Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship in Tivoli Gardens with a pumpkin weighing 1,115.8 kilograms (2.460 pounds).
• More than 20,000 pumpkins are placed throughout the Gardens.
• Around 10,000 ornamental grasses, perennials, herbs, fruit trees and shrubs are used to create the autumn scenery.
• 225 square metres of rooftops are decorated with seasonal flowers in rich autumn colours.

Learn more about Halloween at Tivoli Gardens: https://www.tivoli.dk/en/opening-hours-and-seasons/halloween-in-tivoli

About Tivoli Gardens – Always Like Never Before

Copenhagen was for the second time recently hailed as the world’s best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and in the heart of Copenhagen next to the town hall lies Tivoli Gardens, the city’s historic amusement park and pleasure garden. Tivoli Gardens was founded in 1843 by Georg Carstensen and is among the world's oldest amusement parks.

Today, Tivoli Gardens is home to more than 30 attractions, including the historic Roller Coaster, which has delighted guests since 1914. Yet Tivoli Gardens is far more than an amusement park. First and foremost, it is a parkland and cultural destination renowned for its concerts, ballet performances, restaurants, illuminations and seasonal floral displays.

Music is woven into the fabric of Tivoli Gardens. Throughout the summer season, the Gardens host a rich programme of classical music, jazz and concerts featuring leading Danish and international artists. Tivoli Gardens is also home to its own ballet company, which performs around 300 open-air ballet performances and pantomimes each summer at the historic Pantomime Theatre, a venue that has entertained audiences for more than 150 years.

Food lovers can explore everything from traditional Danish cuisine to international gastronomy. Guests can enjoy classic Danish open-faced sandwiches and local beers at many of the Gardens' historic restaurants or experience Michelin-starred dining concepts from around the world at guest chef residencies in the historic Pagoda.

Among Tivoli Gardens' many notable visitors was fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen, whose works include The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen. Several of his stories have been adapted into ballets performed at Tivoli Gardens, featuring costume and set design by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark. It was during a visit to Tivoli that Andersen found inspiration to complete his famous fairytale The Nightingale.

Tivoli Gardens also famously inspired Walt Disney, whose visits in the 1950s helped shape his vision for Disneyland in California.

For more than 180 years, Tivoli Gardens has served as a gathering place for both Copenhageners and international visitors and remains one of Denmark's most iconic cultural landmarks. Today, Tivoli Gardens is the most visited attraction in Denmark and the Nordic region.

Throughout the year, the Gardens host a wide range of seasonal events and festivals. During the summer season, guests can experience Tivoli Food Festival and the Tivoli Garden and Flower Festival. In autumn, Halloween transforms the Gardens with more than 20,000 pumpkins and spectacular seasonal decorations.

During Christmas, visitors can experience what several international publications have described as one of the world’s finest Christmas markets. Under thousands of sparkling lights, Christmas in Tivoli Gardens offers international guests an introduction to the Danish tradition of hygge, while generations of Danes return year after year to celebrate the festive season.