October Half Term and Halloween

Discover a wealth of outdoor events, indoor activities, and spooktacular Halloween fun across South East England this October half-term. Watch out, you'll find some spooky adventures with a few jump scares, wizarding magic, and friendly ghosts along the way, along with the chance to enjoy the autumn colours and award-winning all-weather attractions.

Fiendishly Good October Half-Term Events  

Explore our spooktacular list for ideas and inspiration for things to do and places to visit over the October half-term and Halloween, or keep heading down to the bottom of the page to find hundreds of ghoulishly fun events to keep the whole family entertained.  

• Venture into the Forest of Light this Halloween with a stay at Sandy Balls Holiday Park, Hampshire, and keep a lookout for things that go bump in the night.
• There’s a chill in the air at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire where ghosts, and ghouls get ready to deliver a whole host of tricks and treats along a spooktacular trail.
• Crafty fun with All Hallows' Creations at the Mary Rose Museum inside Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth.
• Embark on a SeaTrain Adventure with City Cruises, Poole, cruise the tip of Jurassic Coast, and enjoy a steam train ride to the beautiful village of Corfe with the iconic Corfe Castle at its centre.
• Don't miss the new exhibition by Laurence Edwards at Winchester Cathedral, Winchester from his leaf series, including new pieces which have been created especially for this event.
• It's pumpkin picking galore during October weekends at Tapnell Farm, Isle of Wight, with the chance to carve onsite in the all-weather activity barn.
• On the edge of your seat, deliciously terrifying and terrifyingly funny tale The Cat and the Canary comes to Chichester Festival Theatre, West Sussex
• Glide your way to Bluebell Railway's SteamWorks at Sheffield Park, East Sussex for some roller skating fun, East Sussex
• Climb, swing, and zip your way through the night with Go Ape Sundown Adventures across the region, including Itchen Valley Park, Southampton, Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire, and Alice Holt Forest, Surrey.

• Join in some wizardly adventures at Marwell Zoo, near Winchester including broomstick flying, and save with the five for £85.00 special offer available over the whole half-term period.
• Can you find all the spooky creatures as you explore the autumnal Painshill, Surrey on the ZooLab Trail, included in your admission ticket.
• Get ready for a bewitchingly brilliant day out at Battle Abbey, East Sussex, with spooky tales and creepy clues to solve in the Halloween Quest.
• Discover the key role chocolate played in the revival of Greenwich at the Old Royal Naval College, included in Painted Hall admission.
• Follow in the footsteps of Rudyard Kipling at Batemans, East Sussex, and discover what his Scottie dog Malarkey has been getting up to on an adventure trail.
• Effel Fartwaffer has a few tricks up her sleeve and potions in her pockets and is brewing up something magical at the Rare Breed Centre, Kent.
• This October Half Term, embark on a Myths and Legends adventure at the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, Isle of Wight, with their new Escape Room and Adventure Trail!
• A great way to see the city of Oxford is with a hop-on and hop-off bus tour with City Sightseeing, full of fascinating stories, you can also include entry to the famous Carfax Tower.

What's on near me this October Half Term and Halloween?

Use the search bar at the top of the page to filter events by specific dates or counties. You can find fiendish things to do in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Dorset, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire.  If you're looking for something near you, or if you are travelling to a part of South East England for a short break or day trip, use the 'map view' button to find something local to you, or head on over to specific county what's on pages in the navigation to find something right for you. Don't forget you can sign up below to receive October half-term events straight to your inbox.

When is the October Half Term 2024?

Most schools in South East England break up for the October half term on Friday 25th October 2024, returning to school on Monday 4th November 2024. Schools in the Isle of Wight however get an extra week off with students breaking up a week earlier on Friday 18th October returning to school on Monday 4th November 2024. Halloween falls on a Thursday this year and as always is celebrated on the 31st October.

Don't forget our rainy day guide is also here to help whatever the October half-term holiday weather brings, ensuring you have a great day out.