By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
This weekend, the Woollahra Hotel Festival of Frights is trading cobwebs for cocktails and skeletons for street-side tacos. It’s shaping up to be the kind of Halloween hurrah that will have you howling louder than a werewolf on a full moon.
From October 31 through November 2, the hotel is set to transform into a Casamigos-fuelled playground where spooky meets spectacular and casual Caspers and devoted ghouls alike can get their scare and sip fix in equal measure.
Entry is free, which means you can spend your cash on what really matters - tequila and tacos! If you’re too grown up for trick or treating, then holding a Margarita in one hand and a fiery Mexican bite in the other may just be the next best thing.
The tequila line-up alone is enough to raise the dead. Frozen Souls is crisp, chilli and dangerously smooth, perfect for pretending you’re sophisticated while doing the monster mash, while Smoke and Bones delivers a smoky, seductive punch that will spook the ghosts and steal the hearts of the living.
The Witch’s Kiss is a love potion in a glass, one sip and you’ll be spellbound without the need for a broomstick. Le Holy Hand Grenade makes you feel like a hero in a dark fantasy, ready to lob flavour straight to your taste buds, while Dark and Stormy broods mysteriously but packs a punch that would make even Dracula rethink his nocturnal habits.
Sip, swirl and maybe summon a little mischief, because these cocktails are as insta-worthy as they are dangerously drinkable. No bones about it, you’ll love them.
Then there are the tacos. Nothing screams Halloween more than devouring hibachi-grilled street tacos by flickering lights while trying not to spill your drink on a nearby ghost. El Pollo Diablo brings the heat with sambal chicken, jalapeño pico de gallo and tajin aioli, hot enough to wake the undead.
La Vaca Loca is a little crazy, a lot delicious, with soy beef fillet, pickled red onion and salsa roja, while El Camaron Funky, with Tiger prawn, guacamole, mango and Thai basil salsa, is funky, fresh and completely shrimp-ly irresistible. Pair these with a cocktail - or three - and you are officially living your best spooky life. Don’t taco-bout missing it.
Of course, the Festival of Frights isn’t just about sipping and supping. The hotel will be awash in Dia de los Muertos vibes, with a live mariachi band serenading guests on Friday night, creating a soundtrack so lively that skeletons, spirits and humans alike will be shaking their bones.
Face painting, fairy floss and giveaways ensure even the tiniest monsters have a frightfully good time, while grown-ups can revel in immersive Halloween styling that makes it feel like you’ve stepped straight into a tequila-fuelled haunted fiesta. It’s more colourful than a zombie rainbow and more festive than a vampire at a masquerade ball.
When night falls the party doesn’t stop. DJs take over the terrace on Saturday, spinning tunes that raise the dead and keep the fiesta alive until late. Grab a Dark and Stormy, channel your inner ghoul and dance like nobody’s watching, except maybe the zombies lurking in the corners. Warning: some moves may summon spirits, but the memories are worth it.
Free entry, tequila, tacos, DJs and a mariachi band…the only thing scarier than the festivities surrounding you is the fear of missing this festival and being stuck at home eating pumpkin-flavoured snacks alone.
So, gather your coven, dust off your costume - or distress yourself in chic zombie couture - and head to Woollahra Hotel for a three-day weekend of frightful fun, fresh tequila and festive vibes that will haunt your social feed forever. Don’t ghost this one!
