What does Halloween event staff cost in London?
It depends on which of three kinds of person you need. Each has its own hourly rate, and the rest of the arithmetic follows from our standard terms. These are our published rates, per person, and there are no booking fees or uniform charges on top.
| Role | Per hour | 4 hours | Extra 30 min | After midnight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Themed staff | £21 | £84 | £10.50 | £26.25 |
| Performers | £26 | £104 | £13 | £32.50 |
| Makeup artists | £35 | £140 | £17.50 | £43.75 |
Themed staff are bartenders, waiting staff, runners and hosts. Performers are scare actors and character performers. The 4-hour column is the minimum charge for one person, and the last column is one hour worked after midnight.
Specialist performers, decor and full experiences are quoted on the brief. That covers fire performers, stilt walkers and contortionists, decorators and set dressing, and the version where we build the whole event around a concept. We quote those individually because the price depends on the act, the venue and how long it runs. A single hourly figure would be wrong more often than it was right.
The minimum is per person, per booking. Two themed hosts on a two-hour drinks reception are charged as two people for four hours each, which is £84 each. If your event is short, ask whether the same people can cover setup or stay for a longer window. You are paying for those hours either way.
Our standard staffing rates for events that aren't themed are on the hire page, if part of your team only needs to serve and doesn't need to be in costume.
What is the difference between themed staff and scare actors?
Themed staff wear the look. They are waiting staff, bartenders, runners and hosts doing the ordinary job, dressed and made up to your theme. Performers are cast to act. Scare actors, roaming characters, vampires, zombies and creepy clowns are there to be part of the entertainment, not to run the bar.
The mistake worth avoiding is asking one to do the other's job. A bartender in a vampire cape will pour drinks properly and give the room its look. They won't hold a character for four hours while guests try to break it. A scare actor will, but they are not there to clear glasses, and the difference in rate reflects what each is booked for.
We set it out as three levels. Start at the first and add from there.
| Level | Who you book | What your guests get |
|---|---|---|
| Dress the team | Themed bartenders, waiting staff, character hosts, costume and makeup | Normal service, in character dress |
| Bring the characters | Themed staff, plus scare actors and roaming characters | People in the room who are there to be seen and to interact |
| Build the experience | Staff, performers, makeup, costumes and immersive elements | A themed event with one concept running through all of it |
If you want a starting point for the third level, we work to five concepts: The Haunted Hotel, The Outbreak, The Vampire Ball, The Twisted Circus and The Séance. Each one comes with a cast. The Haunted Hotel, for example, is a concierge, a bellboy, housekeeping, ghost guests and a haunted bartender. That mixes themed staff and performers inside one idea, so some of the cast serve and some of them only act. The same split decides the cost, because the cast members who serve are on the themed rate and the ones who only act are on the performer rate.
What adds to the bill on a Halloween night?
Three things, and all of them are in our terms of business.
Running past midnight. Hours worked after midnight are charged at 25% more. A party that runs from 8pm to 1am has one hour in that band for every person still working. For a themed bartender that hour costs £26.25 instead of £21. For a scare actor it costs £32.50 instead of £26. If yours will go past midnight, put the real finish time in the enquiry and the quote will carry it.
Running over. Time beyond the confirmed end is billed in 30-minute blocks. If the last guests leave twenty minutes late, that is one block: £10.50 for each themed staff member and £13 for each performer. If you only want performers for the first part of the night, book them for those hours. They don't have to match the bar staff's shift.
Costumes. We don't hold a costume store. Either you supply costumes and we style them, or we source and hire them for the booking. If the look matters to you, raise it at the enquiry stage, because sourcing a costume that matches a concept takes time and can't be fixed on the afternoon of the event.
What doesn't add to the bill: booking fees and uniform charges. We don't charge either.
What should a Halloween staffing brief include?
A Halloween booking needs more in the brief than an ordinary one, because you are deciding how the staff behave as well as where they stand. All of this is agreed before the event, not on the night.
| Decide this | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Scare level: fun, atmospheric, eerie, scary or full horror | Sets what performers actually do. A members' club and a late bar want different things. |
| Interaction: look the part, talk to guests, or fully immersive | Decides whether you need themed staff, performers or both. |
| Contact | Whether performers may touch guests at all. Agree it up front. |
| Age range | Children in the room change what a scare actor can do. |
| Venue limits | Smoke, fake blood, candles and fire all depend on what the venue allows. Tell us the risks and the rules before the booking. |
| Theme and decor | One of our concepts, a decor theme, or your own idea. Only brief decor if you want the venue dressed. |
| Date, hours, guests, location | The basics for the quote. Include the real finish time. |
The venue line is the one to take seriously. Our terms already ask you to tell us about health and safety risks at the venue before the booking. At Halloween that list is longer, because fake blood on a hired sofa or haze near a smoke detector is a problem for your venue, not just for the performer.
When should you book Halloween staff?
As early as you can. The last week of October books up first. In 2026 Halloween falls on a Saturday, so Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October sit right in that week.
If you're reading this late, ask anyway. We'll tell you what's still possible rather than a polite no. Enquire by 6pm, get confirmed names the same day. After 6pm, by 10am.
Are Halloween performers employed the same way as bar staff?
Not always, and you should know which before you book.
Our hospitality staff are employed by us on PAYE, with payslips, holiday pay and a pension where it applies. Some specialist roles (chefs, cooks, performers and makeup artists) may be self-employed, and we confirm this in writing when you book.
For themed hospitality staff, that means payroll, holiday pay and right-to-work checks sit with us. For performers and makeup artists, ask us which applies to the people on your booking. We've written about what changes for you when staff are on PAYE or self-employed, if you want the detail.
What this means if you're booking a Halloween event
Work out the level first: dressed staff, characters, or a full experience. Then count the people who need to serve separately from the people who need to act, because they're on different rates. Put the real finish time in the enquiry so any hours after midnight are in the quote rather than a surprise on the invoice.
Our Halloween page has the concepts, decor themes and makeup options in full. When you have a date, send us the date, venue and roles and we'll put a team together. Nothing in the enquiry is binding.