Halloween monsters lurk in Budapest’s forests for frightening night of fun

Monsters, ghosts and clowns took over Budapest's Small Forest this Halloween, daring Budapesters to brave the woods. 

Thousands of visitors shrieked and shuddered as night fell in the forest, a sign of the growing popularity of Halloween traditions in Central Europe. 

Organisers say the event is one of Hungary's largest Halloween festivals, which started off in 2019 with just over 2,000 people but today grew to 10,000.

Halloween has its roots in Ireland and the British Isles, but has grown rapidly in popularity across Central European countries in recent years. 

The focus of the event is a pathway that leads through the forest transformed into a Halloween-themed attraction with illuminations, themed locations, sudden scares.

The festival has become a popular fixture on Budapest's autumn events calendar, drawing local residents and families looking to celebrate Halloween in a community setting.

Camera and editing: Kriszta Fenyo. Production and writing: Kriszta Fenyo, Thomas Holdstock/Reuters