Terrifying Tales: 10 Haunted Pubs to Visit for a Spooky Night Out

April Fool’s Day has come and gone, leaving behind a trail of pranks and practical jokes. The tradition of playing pranks on unsuspecting individuals has become a well-versed custom in British culture. Not only do family and friends participate in the trend, but businesses, celebrities, and television shows also try to deliver harmless pranks on unsuspecting audiences.

This year, some of the best pranks included ghostly going-ons at a pub, a prank on Alison Hammond during This Morning, and Rick Astley finally jumping on board with his own viral moment. One of the pranks that caught people’s attention was the announcement by Salford Pride bosses that Beyoncé would be performing at Salford Pride’s The Pink Picnic later this year. Although some people appeared to believe it, most people were not convinced, considering the fact that Beyoncé skipped out Manchester altogether during her Renaissance tour last year.

Another prank that caught people’s attention was a clip of music superstar Rick Astley turning the tables on the legion of fans who have used his track “Never Gonna Give You Up” for their own pesky deeds. Astley’s fans praised him for the prank, and it received high praise from them.

This Morning also played a prank on its avid viewers when presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary welcomed a guest into the studio to discuss her £1.50 vase, which she took on to Antiques Roadshow to find out it was worth £30,000. Dermot knocked the vase off its stand, causing it to fall and smash into pieces. Eventually, Dermot revealed that it was an April Fool’s prank as Alison declared she would get her revenge on him.

Yorkshire bakery Three Little Birds went viral last year after they shared screenshots from a PR company asking them to provide free cakes for a celebrity’s birthday party in exchange for social media exposure. Using the moment to its advantage, the bakery posted this morning that it would be offering free cakes in exchange for social media followers from influencers.

The mysterious creature that was The Unknown made viral headlines as part of the ill-fated Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow last month, which caused fury from families who booked tickets expecting something a lot different to what they received. Escapologic Escape Rooms, based in Nottingham, shared a picture on Facebook of a new attraction replacing their character The Butcher with The Unknown.

The Hollies Farm Shop in Cheshire, dubbed the ‘poshest’ and oldest in the area, announced earlier today that Channel 4 would be filming a documentary on the shop – featuring the one and only Molly-Mae Hague, who is known to visit the shop regularly. Whilst many were keen to watch an actual documentary, the elaborate trick was unearthed shortly after 12pm.

One of London’s most haunted pubs, The Viaduct Tavern, was the location for a big prank by crispmakers Walkers to coincide with the release of the recent Ghostbusters film. Posting footage on social media of a ‘ghost’ throwing snacks around the pub on its social channels, Walkers thanked the pub for ‘sending this one in’ and received comments from followers spooked by the eerie footage.

FC United of Manchester, England’s largest fully fan-owned football club, announced earlier this morning that to coincide with their 20th season celebrations, they would be unveiling their first-ever club mascot – and asked for people to volunteer to wear the suit. The choice of a spring chicken as a mascot was seemingly chosen to represent the club’s roots in Moston.

All in all, this year’s April Fool’s Day was filled with harmless pranks and practical jokes. Although some people fell for the pranks, most people were not convinced, and the pranks were revealed to be hoaxes.