Almost a quarter of London residents have seen a ghost, Halloween survey reveals
It’s almost like it’s Halloween… a new survey has revealed London is one of the most haunted cities in the UK, and that a huge amount of Londoners feel they have seen a ghost.
Almost half of Londoners (46%) believe ghosts exist, and nearly a quarter of adults in London (23%) have had a haunted experience in their own home.
New research by Moon Bingo highlights that London is the fourth top UK city with the most experiences of a haunting. Liverpool had the highest rate of people experiencing hauntings, with 28%, and Cardiff and Sheffield are joint second with 24%.
Out of the Londoners who said they’d experienced ghosts, the most common way they felt the paranormal was by sensing a presence (46%), hearing sounds (35%), seeing a figure (30%) and misplaced items (30%).
Matt Barlow, Paranormal Investigator and Editor of GhostMag.com said: “These subtle yet unnerving experiences can certainly signify a potential haunting, however it is important to note that there are usually natural explanations for this kind of activity such as the house settling, the pipes knocking or even hearing noises from the neighbours, particularly in semi-detached or terraced properties.
“More tangible experiences, like seeing shadow figures or moving objects indicate a more assertive attempt at communication from the entity and could suggest that you have an intelligent spirit in your house.”
Spending Halloween in London
If you need inspiration for this Halloween then here are 10 things to do this week, from drinking ghoulish cocktails to dressing up and visiting creepy crypts, and we’ve put a few ideas below to get inspiration flowing.
For Halloween-themed food
The Bagatell in Mayfair is causing Bagat-HELL this Halloween. The restaurant’s fine dining restaurant is being transformed into a circus where a creepy clown will lurk between tables. Expect surprise performances and the usually plush decor to be turned into something more macabre. A spiced pumpkin Halloween dessert is being prepared for the evening by the head pastry chef too. From 26 October to 1 November.
For the creepiest music
Rake’s Café Bar has a new approach to Halloween: forget trying to make food spooky, how about the playlist! Their Thriller-themed brunch will be soundtracked by all your favourite Halloween hits, so think Michael Jackson’s Thriller, obviously, playing in the background while you sip a special Halloween cocktail called El Diablo with tequila. There’ll be bottomless prosecco and classic brunch food too. There’s also a drinks-only option if you’d rather just dance to the tunes and forget about the food. It sounds like the behaviour of a rakish man: the term was coined in the 18th century to describe someone interested in wine, women and gambling. So hedonism, basically. From 25 – 31 October.
For the best dressing up
M Restaurant in the Square Mile is throwing a Tokyo-themed brunch for Halloween, “a love letter to the world’s largest metropolis.” Food will be Japanese in theme, so expect dim sum sharers of wagyu beef and tofu bao buns, pork belly yakitori and chicken ramen with kimchi fried rice. For dessert there’s matcha tiramisu with lashings of booze, spooky cocktails, and a live DJ to go on top. There’s even a prize for the best-dressed of the evening. The restaurant’s advice: “Dress to kill.” Saturday 28th October.
Read more: Halloween events in London: ghoulish cocktails to Halloween costume parties