Alcohol callouts in London run 36% higher on Halloween than a normal October day, ambulance figures show, as Category 1 calls hit 480 a day this month.
Ambulance crews in London deal with more than a third more alcohol-related incidents on Halloween than on an ordinary October day, and this year the night falls on a Saturday in a month that is already one of the busiest of the year.
London Ambulance Service, which answers 999 calls from across the capital including Richmond upon Thames, published the figures on Thursday 29 October in a release asking Londoners to celebrate responsibly. The figures are London-wide; the service has not given a borough breakdown.
The Halloween figures
Across the five Halloweens from 2021 to 2025, crews attended 614 alcohol-related incidents. The service compared each Halloween with the average for the same day of the week over the four weeks before it, which gives a baseline of 452 for the same five years. That is an increase of 35.8%.
A busy October already
The service says the weekend arrives on top of demand that has been climbing all month:
- October is on course to be the second-busiest month of the year so far, with more than 200,000 calls to 999 expected. Only July, when London had extreme heat, was busier.
- Calls for the sickest patients, known as Category 1, have risen through the month to around 480 a day. On a typically busy day the service would expect around 400.
- Paramedics have treated more than 9,000 patients face to face for respiratory and breathing problems this month, with elderly and vulnerable people among the hardest hit.
- Calls to NHS 111 are up 12.5% on the same period last year.
What the service is asking
Craig Harman, the service’s Chief Operating Officer, said:
“Halloween is an exciting time for many people, with parties, trick-or-treating and firework displays taking place across London.
“If you’re planning to drink, please do so responsibly, plan your journey home and be considerate of others, particularly children, older people and those who may be vulnerable.
“999 is for life-threatening emergencies. For other urgent medical concerns, contact NHS 111. This helps us reach the people who need us most.”
People going to an organised firework display should follow the organisers’ safety advice, the service said, and anyone setting off fireworks at home should take extra care and follow London Fire Brigade’s firework safety advice.
The winter plan
The service has just finalised its operational plan for this winter, drawn up over several months with partners across London. It includes:
- extra ambulances on the road at times of peak demand
- AI tools the service describes as trusted to help crews record patient notes
- more clinicians treating patients over the phone, to keep people away from busy emergency departments
- more cleaning and vehicle repair capacity, so clean, safe vehicles are ready to go
- work with hospitals to hand patients over at A&E more quickly
What it means for you
If you are out in Richmond, Twickenham or Teddington this weekend, for a party, a trick-or-treat round or one of the displays in our Richmond Halloween listings and fireworks guide, plan how you are getting home before you go out.
Call 999 only for a life-threatening emergency. For anything urgent that is not, use NHS 111 online or call 111, which will point you to the right care. GP practices and pharmacies can also help with a range of common health problems.
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