Halloween Finds Its Edge at JOIA

Halloween in London rarely does subtle. From themed clubs to late-night costume parades, the city throws itself into the season of the eerie with a kind of theatrical gusto. Yet this year, JOIA, the Portuguese jewel crowning art’otel London Battersea, is rewriting the script. Set high above the city, where the glowing chimneys of the Power Station rise into the night sky, JOIA is preparing a Halloween that blends glamour, food, and a touch of gothic cinema.

Across three nights, the rooftop will turn into an open-air cinema, screening cult favourites that defined a generation’s obsession with Halloween. The Lost Boys, Ghostbusters and Hocus Pocus will flicker across the screen with London’s skyline as their backdrop. It is a seductive mix, nostalgia and urban drama colliding in the October chill. This is not your standard popcorn-and-soft-drink experience. Before guests even step onto the rooftop, the evening begins with a three-course Iberian-inspired dinner crafted by Two Michelin-Starred chef Henrique Sá Pessoa.

The menu leans into the kind of rustic decadence that lingers on the palate. Tapas arrives first, think beef pica pau with mushrooms and pickles or glazed aubergine paired with black olive tapenade and walnuts. Mains are designed for indulgence, from arroz de marisco rich with prawns, mussels and clams to roasted cauliflower elevated with beurre noisette and chickpea vinaigrette. Plates of patatas bravas and green salad dressed with apple and moscatel make their way across tables, while the finale comes in the form of a torrija, a caramelised brioche crowned with raspberries and Madeira ice cream. Drinks play their part too, with cocktails that tease at danger. Poison Apple and Crimson Spell arrive dressed for the season, deep reds and silken textures inviting a second round.

By the time blankets and hot water bottles are offered and the city lights start to blur beneath the night sky, it is easy to see why JOIA’s Halloween screenings have the pull of a secret ritual. Tickets are set at £80 per person for chair seating and £90 for the coveted sofas, which make for the ultimate date-night setting. Dinner begins at half past five with films rolling from half past seven.

But the real crescendo comes on Halloween night itself. On Friday the 31st of October, JOIA will discard its refined hush and dive headfirst into spectacle. The Hollywood Horror Party transforms the space into a world dripping with glamour and menace. Dinner guests will sit down to the Fright Feast, a decadent spread that includes Txangurro spider crab and arroz negro with grilled octopus. After the plates are cleared, the evening descends into a different kind of theatre.

The Pérola bar on the 14th floor morphs into a haunted cabaret. Guests are invited to channel old Hollywood icons while sipping cocktails crafted with mischief in mind. Poisoned Apple, laced with Plymouth Dry Gin, Lillet Blanc, apple liqueur and red wine, and Crimson Spell, built on Diplomatico Mantuano rum and vermouth, serve as liquid signatures for a night that promises drama. Live entertainment runs late, featuring DJ Pao Pestana, vocalist Jojo Desmond, ballerinas, eerie showgirls and even a Marilyn Monroe burlesque band. Fire-breathing performances erupt on the rooftop, adding to a night where glamour and grotesque meet under one roof.

Dinner sittings are offered at six and eight o’clock, priced at £120 per person and granting exclusive access to JOIA’s bar and rooftop. For those who prefer to skip the feast and head straight into the revelry, Pérola and rooftop access begins from £64.80.

Halloween has always been about transformation, but JOIA’s approach is one of refinement rather than excess. It is about slipping into another world for a few hours, a place where the food is seductive, the cocktails dangerous, and the city skyline becomes a stage set for your own performance.