Halloween is coming, and if you've already got one child asking what they're going to be and another staging a full protest about their costume from last year, we feel you. What you probably need right now — alongside a strong cup of tea — is a plan. And Emerald Park might have just handed you a very good one.
This October, the theme park and zoo in Ashbourne, Co. Meath is launching a brand-new Halloween extravaganza called Mega Monster Halloween, running across selected dates from Saturday 10th October to Sunday 1st November 2026. It's being billed as the ultimate Halloween adventure for families, and honestly the line-up looks like it could keep kids entertained long enough for you to actually finish a sentence.
A Spooky Trail, a Live Panto and Characters Galore
At the heart of the whole thing is the brand-new Pumpkin Quest — a Halloween treasure hunt where kids help a character called Patch find his lost pumpkins along a themed trail. Along the way they'll pass through locations including Eldamir's Wizard Academy, the Pumpkin Patch, a Ghostly Tunnel and a Ghoulish Graveyard, with spooky surprises at every turn. And yes, there's a sweet treat waiting at the end. That alone will have them walking twice as fast.
There's also a brand-new live panto, Goldilocks and the Three Scares, which runs for 25 minutes and features a cast of characters including Ziggy the Zombie, Horribella the Witch and Vasya the Vampire. When the Scare-Crown sends his monsters to capture Goldilocks, it turns out they're not quite as fearsome as expected. It's packed with humour, friendship and enough Halloween fun to genuinely hold the attention of the under-12s — which, as any parent knows, is no small feat.
Kids get into the Halloween spirit at Emerald Park.
Over in the Junior Zone, the four-piece Boo Crew will bring music, dancing and Halloween chaos to the park, while families can also enjoy meet and greet moments with frightfully fun characters including Frankenstein and the Mummy. It's the kind of stuff that makes for great photos and very wide eyes.
A Sensory-Friendly Morning Too
This is one detail worth highlighting. On Sunday 18th October, Emerald Park will host Mega Monster Halloween: Spooky and Sensory — a specially adapted morning designed to give families who need a more relaxed, sensory-friendly environment the chance to experience everything Mega Monster Halloween has to offer.
The morning will include an adapted performance of the Halloween panto and a sensory-friendly version of the Pumpkin Quest trail. Families will be able to arrive from 9:30am, ahead of the park's general opening at 10am, giving everyone a quieter start to the day. Full details are available at emeraldpark.ie.
What's Included — and the Early Bird Saving Worth Knowing About
Here's the part that'll make you feel slightly smug when you tell other parents: Mega Monster Halloween is included with all standard Emerald Park admission tickets on event dates. No extra charge for the panto, the Pumpkin Quest, the characters — all of it is rolled in. On top of that, you've got 45 rides and attractions to enjoy, a Junior Zone with over 10 attractions, multiple playgrounds and the Emerald Park Zoo, home to more than 250 animals.
Event dates run on: 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st October plus 1st November. The Halloween programme runs from 11:00am to 4:00pm on each event date.
If you book online in advance, you can also unlock up to 20% off with Early Bird tickets — just make sure to book before midnight the night before your visit. Emerald Park is located in Ashbourne, Co. Meath, about 20 minutes outside Dublin, and is also accessible via Bus Éireann Route 105 running between Blanchardstown and Drogheda via Ashbourne.
Halloween fun at Emerald Park Mega Monster Halloween.
So if you're the kind of parent who likes to get the mid-term sorted before October even arrives, this one is worth putting in the diary now. A full day out that covers the zoo, the rides and a proper Halloween event, all in one ticket? That's the kind of plan that actually comes together.
