The Ibiza Halloween Festival runs from October 29 to 31, featuring a Monster Walk through the town centre, a fancy-dress parade in Vara de Rey, and film and art competitions. The full cinema programme is still to be announced.
Ghosts, vampires, witches, demons and all manner of terrifying creatures have a date with Ibiza at the end of October. This time, however, they will not be confined to cinema screens. They will roam the streets of Vila and even take to a fashion catwalk. All this is part of the Ibiza Halloween Festival, which returns from October 29 to 31 with activities for those who love a good scare — especially when they are the ones doing the frightening.
The festival will combine horror films, creative and audiovisual competitions, and activities inspired by the world of fantasy and the supernatural. One of its biggest highlights will come on Saturday, October 31, when monsters take over the town centre for the Monster Walk, an open invitation for anyone keen to transform themselves into a creature from beyond the grave.
The organisers have also launched competitions for residents of Ibiza and Formentera, ranging from a terrifying portrait contest to a challenge to shoot a horror short film on a mobile phone in just three days.
Monsters Hit the Streets and Take to the Catwalk
Halloween night will bring its own monster invasion. On Saturday, October 31, the Monster Walk will bring together ghosts, vampires, witches, demons and other frightening characters for a procession through central Ibiza. Anyone who wants to join in and show off their best costume is welcome.
The idea is not simply to watch the monsters go by, but to become one of them and take part in a celebration that mixes horror with humour.
And if a parade of supernatural creatures were not enough, the festival has a fashion-inspired finale in store: the Monster Catwalk, set to take place in Vara de Rey. Participants will be able to strut down a distinctive blood-red carpet and show off their autumn-winter creations. It is a chance for even the most fashion-conscious monsters to prove that style survives beyond the grave.
The organisers are also inviting people with special-effects makeup skills, as well as anyone interested in helping prepare the event, to get involved. Those interested can email ibizahalloweenfestival@gmail.com.
A Competition to Create the Most Terrifying Face
The Ibiza Halloween Festival is also encouraging artistic creativity with RICTUS · Faces of Horror and Fantasy, a visual arts competition organised in collaboration with Ibiza Town Hall and the C19 Youth Creative Centre.
The challenge is to create a face or portrait inspired by horror or fantasy. There are no restrictions on artistic technique: painting, photography, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, collage, masks and other creative disciplines are all welcome.
The competition is open to residents of Ibiza and Formentera of all ages, and entries must not exceed 100 centimetres in width.
Artwork must be submitted to the C19 Youth Creative Centre, at 19 Carrer de Castella, on Friday, October 23, between 4 pm and 8.30 pm, or on Monday, October 26, between 9 am and 1 pm. Anyone who needs to arrange a different submission time can contact the organisers by email, attaching a photograph of their work and its dimensions.
An exhibition featuring all submitted entries will open on Tuesday, October 27, and remain on display until November 2.
The competition offers three prizes in art supplies: €200 for the winning adult, another €200 for the winning under-18 entrant, and €100 for the work chosen by the public.
The winners will be announced on the afternoon of Sunday, November 1, during the festival’s closing event at Can Ventosa. All entries, including the winning works, can be collected from the C19 centre from Monday, November 2.
Three Days, One Phone and One Minute to Scare
Those who prefer telling horror stories through a camera will have their own opportunity to get creative. The festival has launched Terror Express, a short-film competition exclusively for residents of Ibiza and Formentera.
The concept is simple: make a horror film lasting no more than one minute, using only a mobile phone. There is no need for expensive equipment or professional filmmaking experience. The organisers will place particular emphasis on creativity and expressive storytelling rather than technical quality.
Participants can choose their own approach, from psychological horror and monsters to ghosts, serial killers, blood and black comedy. Scenes, short sketches, fake trailers, jump scares and unsettling imagery are all eligible. Videos may be edited or left as they are, with or without music and special effects. Filming in landscape format is recommended, but not compulsory.
There is, however, one condition designed to test contestants’ ingenuity: every film must include three keywords drawn at random. These will be announced live at Can Ventosa on the afternoon of Thursday, October 29, helping ensure that the films are created during the competition period.
The clock will start ticking as soon as the words are revealed. Participants will have until 8 am on Sunday, November 1, to email their short films to the festival.
Entry is free, but registration is required. To sign up, email ibizahalloweenfestival@gmail.com, using “TERROR EXPRESS” as the subject line and including your name and contact telephone number.
The films will be screened at Can Ventosa on the evening of Sunday, November 1. After the screening, two prizes of €200 each will be awarded: one selected by the jury and the other by the audience.
Special Effects Makeup Workshop and Horror Cinema
The programme also includes a special effects makeup workshop for anyone interested in discovering how some of the most unsettling transformations in film and live entertainment are created. The practical sessions will explore makeup, special effects, set design and the history of horror.
Alongside the street events and creative competitions, cinema remains one of the central pillars of the Ibiza Halloween Festival.
However, the full film programme has not yet been announced. Details of the films, screenings and other cinema-related activities are still to be confirmed.