Canterbury City of Ghost Festival 2026

At the weekend I went to the inaugural City of Ghosts festival in Canterbury which had been curated by the writer T.W. Burgess (co-screenwriter of the 2026 horror film 'Passenger'). In celebrating the anniversary and reprinting of the Canterbury based early printed ghost story 'Mrs Veal,' a full day of lectures, a panel, and performances had been put on and I hope this festival has gathered enough interest for it to become an annual event. As well as having the chance to view the original manuscript of M.R. James' 'O Whistle...' of particular interest was the talk about the new series of books showcasing the original manuscripts of M.R. James' stories by Mark Jones; Brian Corrigan delivered an excellent talk on both Dickens and James, and displayed his collection of various first editions of James' book, and I will look forward to reading his forthcoming biography on James; and the event culminated with Robert Lloyd Parry's reading of two M.R. James stories. There was also a talk and display on unquiet or cursed objects by Dan Baines (a prop maker who has worked with Guillermo del Toro), with a few items also on display. This talk somehow provided too much for one gentleman and when the topic veered onto Ouija boards, the gentleman left, loudly proclaiming that the subject was dangerous and we all should be ashamed of ourselves. I wonder if all the attendees now count as a cursed audience?!

Wednesday 7th October 2026

Morrisons 2026

I popped into my local Morrisons yesterday evening, not expecting much, other than the usual inexpensive party decorations, confectionery and costumes. In the very small homeware section there were some candles and felt pumpkin decorations.

The wine aisle pleasingly is stocking the Universal Monsters design of the 18 Crimes brand of wines - although I only saw the Frankenstein design.

As for the main display, I'm not keen on any of the cute-sy designs, but the store did have a variety of  LED lights which seemed a better selection that the other main supermarkets.

Wednesday 7th October 2026

Siesta in Canterbury

I remember going into Siesta's shop in Canterbury in the early 1990s, but over recent years I've struggled to find anything that I'd want in my collection. However, when in Canterbury at the weekend, I saw some great vintage-style Halloween mobiles and Day of the Dead themed items. Not sure about the ducks though! But the clothing department did have some pumpkin design trousers.

Tuesday 6th October 2026

Tesco Halloween 2026

In my local Tesco, which to be fair is not the largest supermarket, there was nothing out of the ordinary worth photographing in their seasonal Halloween aisle. However this year's Bacardi bottle designs were worth a picture.

Tuesday 6th October 2026

Halloween Hirono

In Barcelona I came across these collectables in a Pop Mart store. The Chucky had sold out, but the smaller Hironi figures were available. In sets of about 6, the figures are sold in 'blind' boxes, so you don't know what figure you are getting until you make your purchase and open your box. There were 2 designs of the 6 that I would have bought, but at about 18 euros each and then you also needed to buy a stand separately, I passed and was just content with the photos taken.

Tuesday 6th October 2026

Fnac in Spain

Also whilst in San Sebastian, I happened across these Halloween gifts, a mummified cat I understand, but vampire pandas? Why?

Tuesday 6th October 2026

Halloween Beer Part 18

Whilst in San Sebastian, I bought these two beers from a local craft beer shop, and both have made it back to the UK in my luggage and have joined the display on the top of the kitchen cabinets. And although, non-alcoholic, the design on the cans of Fanta were also Halloween themed. The Lemon Fanta had the Jack-o-Lantern face and the Orange Fanta has a Scream face design.

Tuesday 6th October 2026