From club nights to 400-capacity house parties, organisers and influencers say dress-up evenings are pulling in a young crowd tired of the regular club routine. Fake blood, face paint and cobweb decor are taking over the city’s nightlife this weekend as clubs, organisers and private hosts roll out a packed Halloween calendar.

Halloween falls on October 31, the eve of All Hallows’ Day in the Christian calendar. Its roots lie in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people believed the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin as the harvest ended. Communities lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off spirits. The festival travelled to North America with European immigrants and grew into the celebration known for costumes, carved pumpkins, trick-or-treating and spooky decor.…