52 fantastic activities for the October 2024 half term holidays

Petrifying palace
What: Unearth the hidden secrets of the haunted home of Henry VIII as the ghosts of Hampton Court Palace transform this historic royal residence into their grim and ghoulish domain! Join a team of ghost hunters to explore the palace’s winding corridors and courtyards, transformed with atmospheric projections and spooky sound effects and seek the Palace's spirits, including Boo and the mysterious Grey Lady, but keep your distance – these ghosts are best kept to the past. Afterwards, you can enjoy some spooky storytelling and hear terrifying tales of things that go bump in the night.
Where: Hampton Court Palace, Hampton Court Way, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU
When: 26 October-3 November, 11am-4pm
Need to know: Event free with admission. Adult ticket £27.20, child from £13.60. Under 5s free.

Ship Shape
What: If you’ve got a head for heights, why not follow in the footsteps of an 19th-century sailor and have a go at scaling the rigging of the Cutty Sark, Greenwich’s celebrated Victorian clipper ship. After climbing the ship’s ratlines (rope ladders), you can take in spectacular views of the River Thames from the crow’s nest, before shimmying along the lower topsail to descend. Plus, don’t forget to explore the ship and meet its crew, including the daring Captain Woodget, shipbuilder Jock Willis, and even Nannie, the ship’s figurehead!
Where: Cutty Sark, King William Walk, Greenwich, London SE10 9HT
When: Weekends and 25-31 October, 10am-5pm
Need to know: Adult ticket £55, child £45, includes entry to the ship. Suitable for ages 10+.

A world of words
What: Now in its 17th year, the longest-running celebration of writing in the city, the London Literature Festival is back, with a programme perfect for getting kids hooked on books! You can enjoy a music jungle adventure starring Elmer the Patchwork Elephant before joining in with his 35th birthday bash, complete with a live DJ and colourful crafts, get cooking with workshops and activities exploring the language of food, or celebrate Diwali with storytelling, art and sculpting in the Roof Garden.
Where: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX
When: 23 October-3 November, various dates and times.
Need to know: Prices vary, some events free.

Bard to the future
What: Enjoy the beauty of the Bard at Shakespeare’s historic Globe Theatre with a series of special storytelling sessions and workshops taking place on London’s South Bank. In these interactive sessions, all led by experienced theatre professionals, you’ll be able to explore the magic of Shakespeare’s stories through the language, characters and themes – from the bloody hurly-burly of Macbeth to the romance of Romeo and Juliet – with plenty of fun activities and games along the way. Plus, don’t miss the new Telling Tales series of talks and workshops from renowned authors, including Chris Riddell, Greg Jenner and Michael Rosen!
Where: Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT
When: 21 October-3 November, times and dates vary
Need to know: Storytelling, £15 per person. Workshops and Telling Tales, £10 per person.

Magical mayhem
What: Embark upon a fantastical quest at Leeds Castle this holiday as you seek the help of a motley crew of magical beings to prevent the historic fortress from falling into ruin! Set out on a journey through the castle grounds to find the six magical stones to lift the curse. Guided on your way with the help of a wayward werewolf, solve the riddles of Bramble the Tree Goblin, and discover the secrets of Kit the Castle Keeper before making your way onto the dancefloor at the Halloween Ball!
Where: Leeds Castle, Broomfield, Maidstone ME17 1PL
When: 26 October-3 November, 10am-5pm
Need to know: Event included with admission; family ticket £79.

Nautical nasties
What: Hold your nose and dive headfirst into some truly horrible naval history at the Chatham Historic Dockyard. Discover queasy cures and dire diseases from the past as Widow Wink the apothecary and George Bass the surgeon compete in the ‘Battle of the Bilge’, track down the rats lurking throughout the Docks to discover some grisly facts about food at sea, or create a messy masterpiece with splat-tastic slime in the Gallery of Goo!
Where: Chatham Historic Dockyard, Main Gate Rd, Chatham ME4 4TZ
When: 19 October-3 November, 10am-4pm
Need to know: Events free with admission, family ticket £93.

Monkey magic
What: Go creature crazy on a wild day out at Howletts Animal Park in Kent this October as children join in the fun for free! After learning more about all your favourite animals, from African elephants to giant anteaters, you can pop into the craft cave to meet some creepy and crawly visitors, including bugs and reptiles – and even get to hold them if you’re feeling brave enough! Plus, why not check out the Animals of the Ice Age exhibition – an outdoor sculpture trail full of life-sized prehistoric beasts and come face to face with a mighty mammoth, sabre toothed Smilodon and hairy, scary giant sloth.
Where: Howletts Wild Animal Park, Bekesbourne Lane, Bekesbourne, Littlebourne, Canterbury CT4 5EL
When: 19 October-3 November, 9.30am-6pm
Need to know: Adults £25, children go free. A child ticket grants entry to one child aged 3-15 years and must be accompanied by a paying adult. 

Gruesome twosome
What: Expect plenty of swizzfingling fun as the Roald Dahl Museum plays host to Twits and tricks galore! Hear some hilarious extracts from Dahl’s gruesome classic, The Twits, and use it as inspiration to create your own creepy clay creature and a pot to hide it in. Afterwards, why not go on a spooky walk around Great Missenden, the place that inspired many scenes from Dahl’s books. You’ll hear scary stories under the railway bridge where Roald told stories to his children, and in the atmospheric woods where he based Danny the Champion of the World. But don’t fall behind, or the Gruncher might get you!
Where: The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, 81-83 High St, Great Missenden HP16 0AL
When: Stories, trail and clay crafting, 27 October-3 November, 10am-4.30pm. Walks, 27 October and 1 November, 11.30am and 2pm (27th), 11.45am and 2.15pm (1st).
Need to know: Admission, £9.95 per person. Under 5s free. Clay workshops and walk, £4 extra per person.

Super freaks!
What: Get your freak on down at Drusillas Park, where you can discover all you ever needed to know about amazing arachnids with some creepy-crawly activities in the Spider’s Den, complete with a chance to get up close to some real eight-legged beasties. You can also enjoy a good fright as you make your way through the cobwebbed corridors of Haunted Heights, the home of wicked witches Hocus and Pocus – watch out for the trapdoor!
Where: Drusillas Park, Alfriston, East Sussex BN26 5QS
When: 26 October-3 November, 10am-6pm
Need to know: Events included with admission, tickets from £29.50 per person.

Safari so good
What: Make tracks on a seasonal safari and celebrate all things autumnal at Longleat. After getting stuck into some pumpkin carving, sliding down the new giant haybale slide and becoming a mini tractor driver for the day, you can head outside to hunt for scarecrows, each one giving a clue to help you solve a riddle and win a sweet treat. Afterwards, discover curious kinkajous, prickly porcupines, and plenty more amazing animals or take a drive through safari, where you can see the new tiger cubs at home amongst the hues of autumn and the wolves testing out their howls for the winter nights.
Where: Longleat, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 7NW
When: 26 October-3 November, 10am-6pm
Need to know: Many activities free with admission, adult from £42.95, child from £32.95.

Boating booty
What: Experience trick-or-treating with a difference as you enjoy some scarily good fun on the Beaulieu River this October. Navigate the high tides as you head out in the stable Canadian canoes on the hunt for devilishly delicious treasure along the riverside. Make sure you come adorned in your spookiest Halloween costumes and see if you can find Red Beard’s hidden treasure somewhere along the way.
Where: New Forest Activities, Hazel Copse Farm, Beaulieu, Hampshire SO42 7WA
When: 26 October-3 November, 10.30am, 11am, 12pm or 1pm
Need to know: Suitable for all ages. Adults £36, children £28. Canoe trip lasts two hours. Wear warm clothing.

Where the wild things are
What: Head on down to the Lost Gardens of Heligan and celebrate the autumn season with outdoor activities inspired by historical Harvest festivals. Find out more about the origins of Halloween through old Celtic myths and legends, have a go at crafting a traditional corn dolly, discover the story of wise women and witches on a special Halloween trail, before having a go at potion and wand making as you watch some magnificent owls in flight. Plus, don’t miss the chance to put on your dancing shoes and join in with a ceilidh in the barn!
Where: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan, St.Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6EN
When: Creepy creatures and other activities, 26 October-3 November. Ceilidh, 20, 27 October. Open 10am-5pm, last entry 3.30pm.
Need to know: Activities free with admission; family ticket £52. 

Dem bones
What: Get ready to rattle some bones at Butser Ancient Farm and discover how skeletons can help archaeologists uncover secrets from the past. Explore 10,000 years of history as you make your way through the skeleton quest – you’ll also be able to go digging for yourself, and who knows what you might find? Plus, you can also watch bronze-smithing demonstrations, get hands-on and craft an ancestor figurine or sun disc, and listen to spooky stories beside the fire pit.
Where: Butser Ancient Farm, Chalton Lane, Chalton, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO8 0BG
When: 26 October-3 November, 10am-5pm
Need to know: Events free with admission, family ticket, 32.80.

Super sleuthing
What: Discover the stories of Britain’s best kept secrets with these analytical activities at Bletchley Park, where Alan Turing and his team of codebreakers famously cracked the Enigma machine. Find out how you would have celebrated Halloween with limited resources during World War Two, make your own Halloween decorations from recycled materials, program a robot to go trick-or-treating for you, build your spookiest Halloween houses out of Lego and of course, try your hand at some codebreaking!
Where: The Mansion, Bletchley Park, Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK3 6EB
When: 28 October-1 November, 9.30am-5pm
Need to know: Activities free with admission, family ticket £63.

Going loco
What: Hop onboard the fangtastic Halloween Express at the Audley End Miniature Railway and enjoy a spook-tacular train ride into the deep, dark woodlands. Meet a coven of friendly witches and their monster friends, before using your magic skills to make your own potion pouch. Then explore a mysterious forest, home to elves and fairies, before meeting William the Wizard, who needs your help keeping the woodland creatures warm this winter. Book an afternoon or evening slot, you’ll be able to see the forest festooned in glittering lights!
Where: Audley End Miniature Railway, Audley End Road, Audley End, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4JB
When: 26 October-3 November, 9.40am-5.40pm
Need to know: Tickets from £9.75 (children under 92cm tall), £19.50 (children above this height and adults).

Hoppy holidays!
What: The rambunctious Mr. Toad has a passion for speed, driving, and mischief – and his slower-paced friends Mole, Rat and Badger are always trying to keep him out of trouble. But one day, after Mr. Toad steals a car, he ends up in jail, letting the evil weasels take over Toad Hall! Will Toad and his friends be able to save the day? Find out in this colourful new musical adaptation of the much-loved tale of The Wind in the Willows.
Where: Palace Theatre, 430 London Rd, Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, SS0 9LA.
When: 17-19 October, 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
Need to know: Family ticket £62 plus £3.95 transaction fee.

Fearsome farm
What: Enjoy some frightful fun as Marsh Farm gets kitted out for its annual Halloween spooktacular! Shake off the cobwebs and show off your best Monster Mash at the devilish disco, pop over to Pumpkin Picking Village and choose the best veggie for your Jack-o-Lantern, go for a whirl on the fairground rides, or let off some steam on the adventure playground and bouncy pillows. Keep an eye out for creepy clues lurking around the farm as you go and see if you can solve the puzzle and earn the coveted title of Halloween Haunter.
Where: Marsh Farm, Marsh Farm Road, South Woodham Ferrers, CM3 5WP
When: 12-13, 19-20 October, and 26 October-1 November 10am-5pm
Need to know: Tickets £16.49 per person

Scary science
What: Get set for a bewitching half term as Eureka! gets its spook on this Halloween. You’ll be able to set off on a magical adventure as you become an apprentice witch or wizard, attending dragon tamer school and figuring out how to take care of these fantastical creatures, or join in with an interactive storytelling show bringing Julia Donaldson’s classic Room on the Broom to life. You’ll also be able to get crafty and use recycled materials to create your own monster mask and use Simbrix beads to design some creepy pixel art.
Where: Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Discovery Road, Halifax HX1 2N
When: 19 October-3 November, 10am-5pm
Need to know: Events free with admission, ticket £16.95 per person.

Fang-tastic fun!
What: Journey to Whitby Abbey after dark this Halloween and you’ll be able to enjoy a tale of terror against the backdrop of the imposing Gothic ruins transformed by eerie illuminations. Keep an eye out for figures lurking in the shadows as you explore the very place where Bram Stoker was inspired to write Dracula and meet the mysterious Dr Luca, who claims his new miracle cure can transform your health… forever. You can also visit safely when the sun is up to enjoy some fabulous frights and solve creepy clues as you follow the Halloween trail!
Where: Whitby Abbey, Abbey Lane, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO22 4JT
When: Daytime activities, 26 October-3 November, 10am-4pm. Evening illuminations and show, 24 October-2 November, 6pm-9pm
Need to know: Family day ticket from £29.40. Family evening ticket, £41.50.

Of Norse you can
What: Huddle round the campfire in the graveyard of an 11th century church and enjoy some horribly historical ghost stories with this special evening event at DIG! In York. Before learning more about the grisly history of the city, from Vikings to Victorians, you can explore the DIG! museum and try your hand at unearthing some artifacts in the indoor excavation pits or discover more about the long history of St. Saviour’s Church.
Where: DIG at St Saviour Church, St Saviourgate, York YO1 8NN
When: 26 October-3 November, 5.30-8pm
Need to know: Family ticket, £30. Includes entry to Dig!, hot drink and snacks. Not suitable for under 5s.

Perfect pumpkins
What: Meet the mysterious and magical Skelves of Skelf Island for a brand-new live show at Castle Howard. Join siblings Buddleia and Wren as they set off on an adventure to follow in the footsteps of their grandpa and carry out the Great Pumpkin Harvest. You’ll then be able to visit the pumpkin patch for yourself, making sure you keep an eye out for the pumpkins hidden around the house and gardens. Plus, you also can join Bake Off star Helena Garcia for spooky storytelling and a bath-bomb making workshop.
Where: Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA
When: Pumpkin Patch, 1-31 October; Pumpkin Trail, 8-31 October, 10am-5pm. Skelves, 30 October-3 November, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm. Helena Garcia workshop, 12 October, 11am.
Need to know: Most activities free with admission, tickets from £22 adult, £9.50 child. Helena Garcia workshop, £10 per adult, £20 per child.

Night at the museum
What: Grab your goody bag to go trick-or-treating with a difference inside Birmingham’s ThinkTank museum! Follow the Halloween trail and explore the galleries after dark to take part in five different ghoulish games. Try your hand at a life-sized version of Operation, enjoy a boogie at the silent disco or explore the weird, wonderful and occasionally disgusting secrets of the human body in a new live science show before strutting your stuff in the costume parade. Plus, you’ll be able to catch a special planetarium screening of ET, Ghostbusters or The Never Ending Story too!
Where: ThinkTank, Birmingham B6 6JD
When: Spooky science night, 1 November, 5pm-8pm. Film screenings, 31 October, 1 and 2 November, 5.30pm.
Need to know: Family ticket for Spooky Science Night, £45. Films, £15.50 per person (includes drink, snack and museum admission).

Weird Weston
What: Get set for a day of frightful fun as Weston Park’s four-acre walled garden is transformed into an eerie haunted hollow! Get stuck into some suitably spooky arts and crafts as you design your own magic wand, brew a potion to turn your friends into frogs or select and carve your perfect pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. You can also expect tales of haunted history in the stately House, creepy critter shows from Zoolab, and a chance to navigate the ghoulish maze!
Where: Weston Park, Weston-under-Lizard, Shifnal, TF11 8LE
When: 29-31 October, 10.30am- 6pm
Need to know: Family ticket £24.80, plus £10 extra per child for activities. Spooky House, £7.50 per adult, under 14s go free.

Chocs away!
What: Expect top tricks and tasty treats, as everybody’s favourite frog Freddo takes to the stage for an amazing new live show at Cadbury World – complete with seriously spooky magic, audience participation, pumpkin balancing act – and even a big green monster too! You can also have a go at spinning the Wheel of Fortune to win a tasty prize, or put on your best scary costume for Freddo’s annual Spooky Party Dance.
Where: Cadbury World, 69 Linden Rd, Birmingham B30 1JR
When: 19 October-3 November, 12pm-4pm
Need to know: Activities free with admission, tickets from £25 adult, £20 child.

Victorian values
What: Did you know that the Victorians were among the first people to celebrate Halloween? Find out more with these historical games and activities taking place at Blists Hill in Ironbridge. Have a go at the popular sweep-the-rat competition, use traditional techniques to create a spooky artwork to take home in the printing shop, or learn more about the origins of the horror story as you follow the Gothic Literature Trail around the site.
Where: Blists Hill Victorian Town, Legges Way, Telford TF7 5UD
When: 26 October-3 November, 10am-4pm
Need to know: Admission, £26.50 adult, £15.50 child. Trails and hands-on activities, £3 per participant.

Best of the Fest
What: Manchester Science Festival is back with a bang for 2024, boasting 10 days of performances, workshops, exhibitions and activities for the whole family. You can sit, stand or walk inside the human brain in a new large-scale illuminated installation exploring the impact the digital world, be terrified and amazed by Arachnobot, a giant-sized robotic spider puppet, compete against your friends and family in fun games to figure out how playing affects our brainwaves, or settle down to watch a special CBeebies Bedtime Story!
Where: Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Road, Manchester M3 4FP and venues across Manchester.
When: 18-27 October, dates and times vary
Need to know: Admission and most events free. Pre-booking essential.

Proper chuffed
What: It’s the Year of the Pumpkin, and to celebrate the evil Pumpkin King along with his spooky scarecrow minions, has taken over The East Lancashire Railway! Join forces with friendly fiends Zombie Bob, Brian the Vampire and Veronica the Witch to squash the ghoulish gourds in an interactive Halloween adventure featuring a haunted house, jump scares, music and dance performances, and a 60-minute steam train trip from Bury to Irwell Vale and back, complete with lots of freaky fun and games along the way.
Where: The East Lancashire Railway, Bolton Street Station, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0EY
When: 24-26 and 31 October, 5.30pm, 6pm, 7pm or 8.30pm
Need to know: Tickets from £18 adult, £12 child (includes goody bag).

Block party
What: It’s all coming together at Manchester’s Legoland Discovery Centre, so get set to enjoy lots of creepy construction-based fun. Help a team of master builders put the finishing touches to a giant monster garden and craft your own Lego pumpkin to go in it, brew your own Lego potion in the special potion kitchen, spin the spooky wheel of fortune and see if you get a trick or a treat or join Scarecrow and Lord Vampyre at the Brick-or-Treat Monster dance party.  Don’t miss the 4D animated movie The Great Monster Chase and keep your eyes peeled for spooky surprises hidden around the building in the special Scarevenger hunt – what can you find hiding in haunted Miniland?
Where: Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester, Phoenix Way, Greater Manchester M17 8AS
When: Until 3 November, 10am-6pm (weekends and 21 October-1 November), 10.30am-3pm (Monday and Friday), 10.30am-2pm (Tuesday-Thursday)
Need to know: Activities free with admission, tickets from £15.50 adult, £13 child

Out of this world!
What: Get ready to blast off with Jodrell Bank as they play host to an extravaganza of extraterrestrial activities. Explore the beautiful green spaces on an intergalactic outdoor trail and keep an eye out for little green men hiding in the trees! Find them all as you journey across the galaxy and reveal a secret code, learning lots of fascinating space facts along the way before watching some hair-raising experiments in a new live science show, focussing on the search for life on other planets. You can also join Ted the Bear in the planetarium for a whistle-stop sing-along tour of the solar system before trying your hand at computer coding with an Astro Pi and enjoying a special one-off screening of family favourite Hotel Transylvania in the Space Dome.
Where: Jodrell Bank, Bomish Lane, Cheshire, Macclesfield SK11 9DW
When: 21 October-3 November, 10am-5pm. Ted’s Space Adventure, 30 October. Movie screenings, 31 October.
Need to know: Activities free with admission, £14 per adult, £10 per child, under 4s free. Movie, £5 per person extra.

Pottering around
What: Follow in the footsteps of your favourite boy wizard as you enjoy a magical day out at Alnwick Castle. Learn the basics of broomsticks in the very spot where Harry had his first flying lesson with the help of an expert Wizarding Professor, and soon enough you’ll be levitating across the lawn too! Afterwards, you’ll be able to find out more about how the castle was transformed into Hogwarts or brave the wrath of a dangerous dragon as you embark on an interactive quest.
Where: Alnwick Castle, Alnwick NE66 1NQ
When: Open daily, 10am-5.30pm. Broomstick training sessions last 25 minutes.
Need to know: Free with admission, family ticket, £55.65 online.

Take art
What: Get ready to shape, rattle and roll at Newcastle’s Baltic with five days of artistic activities focused on ideas of form and structure this half-term. You can investigate the new exhibition Play, Interact, Explore, filled with super-sized interactive exhibits for all ages to have fun with, then have a go at constructing your own sculpture, sewing a shape cushion, sculpt squishy shapes with playdough or even throw some shapes of your own at the family disco!
Where: Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road, Gateshead NE8 3BA
When: 30 October-3 November, times vary
Need to know: All events are free. Book in advance.

Do the dinosaur
What: Come face to face with prehistoric beasts at Newcastle’s Life Science Centre in a new interactive dinosaur show. Meet the roar-some animatronic prehistoric monsters and question what we really know about these ancient creatures while exploring how our understanding of dinosaurs has changed throughout history, and how we can piece their long-extinct lives together. Afterwards, you can examine minibeasts and fool your senses in the Experiment Zone or build a wind-powered creepy contraption in the Making Studio.
Where: Life Science Centre, Times Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4EP.
When: 26 October-1 November, 10am-5pm
Need to know: Activities included with admission, adult, £12.95, child, £9.50.

Fearsome fairies
What: Journey into a mythical kingdom at Lilidorei, one of the world’s largest adventure playgrounds, for some ghoulishly good times this Halloween as Spookydorei makes its spine-chilling return! Set off on a magical quest to solve riddles and find hidden objects as you explore the village, home to nine different fairy clans, which allows you to choose the right balance of tricks and treats for everyone – the Spooky Path, the Not So Spooky Path, or the extra-eerie Spookydorei Nights.
Where: Lilidorei, The Alnwick Garden, The Gardeners Cottage, Greenwell Road, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1HB (follow NE66 1FJ for sat-nav).
When: Spookydorei, 2 October-3 November, 10am-4pm, except 7-8 and 14-15 October. Nights, 18-19 October and 25-31 October, 5pm-9pm
Need to know: Daytime admission, £19.70 adult, £10.90 child. Nighttime admission, £16.50 per person.

Mighty museums
What: The Welsh Museums Festival returns for 2024 with an exciting lineup of events across the country, celebrating the rich history of Wales and the magic and mystery of Halloween including turnip lanterns, the fearsome Cropped Black Sow, dirty blackberries, a lucky stone, and the intriguing Magic Mash. Covering games, crafts and activities for all ages, you can watch a Wicker Man burning, have your fortune told by Mystic Marge, have a go at lantern-making and potion-brewing workshops, join in with a special drama workshop and learn about the Celtic origins of Halloween or go behind the scenes on special museum tours where you can get up close and even handle original historical artefacts.
When: 26 October-3 November, times and dates vary
Need to know: Many events free. Book in advance.

Here be dragons
What: As part of its 25^th anniversary celebrations, the National Botanic Garden of Wales will be hosting a festival of fire, folklore, fantasy and Welsh culture as it tells the story of The Dragon’s Breath. Through Celtic-inspired poetry, music and songs, you’ll discover the tale of a dying dragon and the young apothecaries tasked with bringing it back to life as you explore the amazingly illuminated Garden, lake and Glasshouse, following the sensory fire-trail to experience a story of magic and hope.
Where: The National Botanic Garden of Wales, Middleton Hall, Llanarthne SA32 8HN
When: 24-27 October, 6pm-10pm
Need to know: Family ticket £69.50

Festival of frights
What: Back, better and bigger than ever, the Cardiff Halloween Festival returns with spookier attractions to terrify and tantalise all ages. Roam the pumpkin patch, bust a move at the Monster Bash disco complete with petrifying party games, or become a sorcerer’s apprentice as you learn the secrets of wand crafting and potion brewing, before taking a seat to listen to some tales of terror. And if you’re feeling brave, you can even explore the twists and turns of the glow-in-the-dark spider maze…
Where: Cardiff Halloween Festival, Coedarhydyglyn, Coedarhydyglyn Park, St Nicholas, Cardiff CF5 6SG
When: Weekends from 12-27 October plus 28-31 October, 9.30am-5pm and 5.30pm-10pm
Find out more: Family ticket £22 for daytime festival or £32 for twilight festival. Additional charges apply for some activities.

Peculiar parade
What: Get set for creepy creatures and macabre mysteries as the Paisley Halloween Festival, one of the biggest and best in the UK, returns for its 10th spook-tacular year! Expect plenty of ghost stories, live music, mysterious bat caves and a fabulous funfair. Plus, for the first time since 2019, the grand parade will return, where you can expect to see fire-breathers, ghost ships, cowboy zombies, stilt-walking trees and much more making their way around the town centre.
Where: Multiple locations in and around Paisley
When: 25 October 4pm-9pm, and 26 October, 2pm-9pm
Need to know: Some activities free, prices vary. Covered seating tickets for the parade are available and include a goody bag, £55 for a group of four. Warm clothes recommended.

Going underground
What: Discover what life was like for a Victorian coal miner as you descend into the pits of the National Mining Museum Scotland. Find out how local people relied on this dirty and dangerous work to make a living throughout history, before resurfacing to investigate the new exhibition showcasing green energy and engineering. You can also meet a trio of well-behaved baby dinosaurs in a totally roar-some stage show, or use natural materials to craft some spooky spiderwebs, ghosts and bats to decorate your home for Halloween.
Where: National Mining Museum Scotland, Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, Midlothian, EH22 4QN
When: Open daily, 10am-5pm (before October 31), 10am-4pm (1 November onwards)
Need to know: Family ticket including pit tour from £18.90, gallery only ticket, £4 adult, children free. Dinosaurs, £12.50 per child, crafts, £4 per child.

Pure imagination 
What: The Scottish International Storytelling Festival, an annual celebration of tales, fables, and yarns of all kinds, is back for its 35th anniversary and packed with events for families to enjoy. Learn some Scottish children’s folk songs with Sam the Skull, the gallus (cheeky) Glasgow cat, develop the skills of live storytelling in a special thee-day workshop, go on an historical interactive tour to discover the secrets of Edinburgh’s closes and crannies, or listen to ghost stories beside the fire against the atmospheric backdrop of Balintore Castle.
Where: The Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1SR, and locations across Scotland. 
When: 18-31 October, times and dates vary 
Need to know: Some family events free, others £5 per child, workshops £15 per child. Booking fee of £1.50 per transaction.

Going conkers
What: Head over to Hillsborough Castle and enjoy a spellbinding day out amidst 100 acres of beautiful gardens, suitably spooked-up for the Halloween season. Hunt for a selection of special scarecrows decorated by local artists and communities, get stuck into some nature-themed workshops as you learn basic bushcraft or have a go at leaf printing, navigate the twisty turns of the maze, or challenge your family to traditional autumn games including conkers and apple bobbing.
Where: Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, The Square, Hillsborough BT26 6GT
When: 26 October-3 November, 10am-5pm
Need to know: Included with admission, adults £20.20, children £10.10

Samhain stories
What: Journey back in time with Ulster American Folk Park and find out how the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain was carried across to America, where it helped to shape the Halloween we know and love today. Listen to tales of traditional lore and spooky superstitions, taste-test historic Halloween fare including barmbrack and apple tart, and have a go at family games, crafts and face painting, just don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled – you never know what you might bump into along the way…
Where: Ulster American Folk Park, 2 Mellon Rd, Omagh BT78 5QU
When: 28-31 October, 10am-4pm
Need to know: Activities included with admission, family ticket £34.75.