Halloween is a time for dressing up, eating your body weight in sweets and scaring yourself silly. It's a highlight in the clubbing calendar, a chance for bars to create gruesome cocktails and for horror tours to tell tales of a city's darker past. We've picked some of the coolest Halloween events happening across Liverpool, including ones that you can take the wee ones to.

For adults
Invisible Wind Factory hosts one of the city's most popular annual Halloween events, The Voodoo Ball (Sat 28 Oct). Before the ball begins, guests are welcomed to join the Katumba, a 70-strong drum troupe who lead the Wake the Dead Parade from the top of Bold Street and through the city centre. At the ball there's live music, martial arts, theatre performances and drumming from Clap Clap!, Nubiyan Twist, Samson Sounds and more.

Also at the Invisible Wind Factory on Thu 19 Oct is Strangest Things, a touring 80s themed immersive club night influenced by the popular Netflix show Stranger Things. Playing vinyl records that are featured in the show, you can expect tracks by The Clash, Toto, Joy Division, Foreigner, Modern English and more.

Over on Hardman Street, Born Slippy and friends are throwing a 90s Halloween Special at The Buyers Club on Tue 31 Oct, fancy dress encouraged. The Spare Rib Burlesque are in The Magnet on Thu 26 Oct for their Halloween Spooktacular, with performances from Kiki Mellek, Arabella Twist, Titi La Noire and more. There's also a raffle to raise money for Beating Bowel Cancer.

If you're looking for something a little more chilling, check out DBY Interactive Theatre's Wonderland at Camp and Furnace (Sun 29 Oct–Fri 3 Nov). The new terror attraction takes visitors on a journey to save Alice, who's been taken hostage. If your own investigation leads to her safe return, you could win £250. Or head to Farmer Ted's Adventure Farm near Ormskirk for a night of horror at Farmaggedon (running until Tue 31 Oct). Back for its 11th year, the attraction now includes three scare houses plus a zombie paintball experience, so you can pretend you're in The Walking Dead.

For the whole family
Sefton Park's Children's Halloween Party with Jumping Jacks (Tue 31 Oct) offers fun for all the family with spooky games, dances and prize giveaways throughout the party. The Spooky Welly Walk on Sat 21 Oct is also held in Sefton Park, with 20 trick or treat activity stations along a two mile trail. Expect fairground rides, a Halloween train and dig through vampire's blood in the Yucky Dip.

Hangar34 are holding Wonderland's Spooktacular Family Disco (Sat 28 Oct) with activities for children of all ages, and parents too. Adults are given a glass of prosecco on entry while the kids enjoy apple bobbing, a three-legged race, a best dressed competition, magic shows, face painting and more.

Grab a wheelbarrow and pick your own pumpkin at Poplar Farm near Ormskirk, or head to Church Farm and get a tractor ride to their pumpkin patch. Enjoy a range of other events while you're there, including Meerkat feeding, a beasty barrel train and a bird of prey display.

If you're keen to stay in the city, take the kids to the Merseyside Maritime Museum where they can get crafty making their own Halloween lantern to take home (Sat 28 Oct).