This October, why not experience the “darker” side of Malaysia in celebration of the Halloween month? Here’s a compilation of possible things to do and places to visit to get into the mood of the season. While some are fun and entertaining for the whole family, others are strictly for adults who can brave the thrills!
Fun runs: Those who want to get their feet moving can join several fun runs being organised this entire month all over the country. Most have a Halloween theme, so come dressed in your spookiest outfits and put on some fangs for a jolly good time.
- Boo Night Run at Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) on 28 Oct. Enjoy a cool 5 km night run in this huge park with some ghostly (but friendly) characters to motivate you along the way. Website: http://bigshowasia.com/
- Halloween Fun Run in Kota Kinabalu on 28 Oct. Run along the coastal highway of Likas Bay and don’t forget to put on some ghostly make-up to scare your competitors away! Website: https://www.facebook.com/halloweenrunkk/
- Zombie Urban Run at Metropolitan Square, Kepong, on 28 Oct. This morning run over a distance of 4 km will take participants around the picturesque park and lake. Website: https://www.facebook.com/fanatic4event2u/
Theme parks: Malaysia’s theme parks are putting on some serious fangs to frighten the daylights out of visitors.
- Over at Sunway Lagoon, the “Nights of Frights,” now in its 5th year of celebration, is only for the brave (seriously, only those 12 and above are allowed in). Get ready to feel the fear as you explore their eight haunted houses, five scare zones, 11 thrill rides and four stage shows. Website: sunwaylagoon.com/nof5.
- For kid-friendly Halloween celebrations, head on over to Legoland where they’re putting together some new shows this October. Catch the Brick-Most-FearShow, where Mr. Lord Vampire, The Green Witch and Frankenstein will share how they brought Frankenstein back to life! Expect lots of friendly Halloween characters doing a dance routine throughout the park, too, and join in the Brick-Ka-Boo parade. Website: legoland.com.my.
- Another family-friendly Halloween treat is in store over at Perak’s Lost World of Tambun. Dare you enter the Spooky Halloween House of Dolls with its nightly show of “Dolls Alive” where cute and cuddly toys come “alive”? If not, just stick to the usual trick or treating around the park and collect various candies and goodies. Website: https://sunwaylostworldoftambun.com
Night tours: After you’re done exploring Malaysia by day, why not experience Malaysia by night? Night tours of some of Malaysia’s popular tourist attractions will shed new light on your appreciation of what they offer.
- The Penang War Museum has been listed as one of Asia’s top 10 haunted sites by the National Geographic Channel. If it gives you the creeps in the day time, imagine the goosebumps you’ll get in this two-hour guided tour. Explore this old British defence fortress built in the 1930s, which later served as a prisoner of war camp after the Japanese invasion in 1941, and learn the historical facts along the way. Website: facebook.com/PenangWarMuseum/
- For many years Kellie’s Castle, located in Batu Gajah, Perak, was left in ruins before it was turned into a tourist attraction. Today, after some sprucing up, visitors can learn all about the gift that Scottish planter William Kellie Smith gave his wife in the early 1900s. Numerous tragedies and bad luck struck the family and delayed the construction of the mansion, but all these tales will be revealed as visitors explore the corridors, halls and dungeons of Kellie’s Castle after sunset. Website: https://www.facebook.com/kelliescastleofficial/
On a lighter note, get to know your ghosts and ghouls at the Penang Ghost Museum in a fun and interactive way. Horror enthusiasts will love comparing Western and Asian ghosts here such as the Dracula, mummy, Orang Minyak (literally means oily man in Malay), pontianak (female vampire), Tuyul (known as Toyol), Pocong (a living corpse in a burial shroud), Chinese vampires (jiangshi), and Onryo (a Japanese spirit). Website: https://www.facebook.com/ghostmuseumpenang57/