Please note, I’ll update this post further once other events/dates/tickets have been released for 2021

With the schools back, the next thing to look forward to are Halloween events, autumn family days out and October Half Term.

We are always huge fans of Halloween events, so thought we’d share some of our favourites in and around the East Midlands, from pumpkin patches to family-friendly days out.

After a bit of a search for some local pumpkin-tastic events, suitable for younger kids who may not appreciate a blood-thirsty scare-fest, I discovered some amazing places to check out for some seasonal fun for all the family this October.

I do know there are probably many more amazing events, so you’re more than welcome to let me know any I need to check out! These are just ones we have visited ourselves, so are more than happy to recommend 🙂

Cattows Farm Pumpkin Picking, Leicestershire

Pumpkin picking at Cattows Farm has become a tradition for us, as it is always one of the first places to open its seasonal fun, and knows how to get us into the autumn vibe! It also seems to be getting bigger and better every year. For 2021, they have launched the Halloween Farm.

It’s open for pumpkin picking from 1st til the 31st October, from 9am, 7 days a week, boasting one of Leicestershire’s largest pumpkin patches with over 100,000 pumpkins.

With stunning countryside views, a beautiful newly-decorated tearoom (with seasonal menus and decorations), as well as a whole host of family-friendly activities at weekends, it really is an amazing place to visit.

I always find the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and visiting outside of Peak times such as weekdays or mornings can often mean you have the place to yourself.

Due to queues the past few years, they’ve now added prebooking for slots, a Halloween Fantasy Land, crazy maze and more… Find out more here.

Keep an eye on their Facebook page for all their latest events this month as well as my full review from our last visit there! My review of Halloween Farm is also now live!

West Lodge Farm Park Spooky Half Term

From October 16th-31st October, West Lodge Farm Park is running a whole host of Halloween fun including special activities over half term.

The farm has some amazing facilities and activities for all ages throughout the year, including barrel rides, an outdoor adventure play area of dreams, and animal petting, as well as plenty of beautiful forests to explore!

However for Halloween, they’re adding in an extra bundle of spooky fun, including a Pumpkin Patch Experience with pumpkin carving, where kids can pick their own pumpkin from the field, and the team will carve out their design on the pumpkin – adding in something different to your pumpkin picking experience!

What’s more, you can also pay a little extra to jump on their family-friendly Spooky Tractor Ride, visit Daisy the Witch’s house, and try your hand at some wand making!

We’re also excited to join in the friendly ghost story in the barn!

I’m sure this will be booked up quickly as always, and pre-booking is essential, so I’d recommend booking your slots well in advance online.

Click here to book or find out more

Check out our review of the 2019 event here.

Bluebell Dairy Pumpkin Festival

We are very excited to hear that the Bluebell Dairy Pumpkin Festival is coming back this year – we had a fantastic time last year, even in the pouring rain!

You can enjoy all kinds of pumpkin fun at Bluebell Dairy including a free pumpkin for every child, Halloween trails, fun with bugs, fancy dress competitions, animal activities, pig apple bobbling, Pumpkin Pursuit and even their very own Halloween ice cream!

Early bird tickets are available through September, so click here to see their latest ticket updates.

Check out our review of Bluebell Dairy here!

Manor Farm Park and Woodlands Ghoul School

From the 16th to 31st October, you can enjoy a fantastic Ghoul School at Manor Farm Park and Woodlands!

Young thrill-seekers will love the Spooky Maize Maze, with frights and sprites around every corner, along with Ghoul School, a new twenty-minute audio extravaganza, teaching kids how to become perfect little monsters! 

Kids can also enjoy having their faces painted with a creepy design and the Halloween family fun doesn’t end there, with a free pumpkin for every paying child to take home and carve – plus you could be in with a chance of winning a free one-day family pass.

We visit each year and always have a fantastic time, so will definitely be heading back again – check out our review here!

To find out more about the Manor Farm Park Halloween event, click here.

Totally Roarsome East Midlands

Totally Roarsome East Midlands is launching the Totally Spooky Trail at Rufford Abbey in Nottinghamshire from October 2nd – an outdoor family-friendly Halloween trail.

Totally Spooky is suitable for all ages – it’s fun and spooky, but not scary. Enjoy a 1km trail through the woods, find the answer to the puzzles as you go…It’s super fun without having anyone jumping out at you! Choose between daytime or illuminated night-time trails.

Find out more here

Sundown Adventureland

From 16th to 31st October, the fantastic theme park for under 10s, Sundown Adventureland, has a Halloween Event for all the family.

The fun starts with a brand new step by step Lucky Black Cat Puzzle Trail  to complete.

Enjoy the park (Exploring all of the rides and attractions on the way) and find the eight hidden Black Cats and tick them off your Missing Witch’s Black Cat Puzzle List. They are fiendishly hidden throughout the park, so you’ll need your best exploring shoes, a keen eye and your big brave pants on to complete it.

We PROMISE you don’t need to worry about the little ones as it’s only ever spooky and NEVER scary. (Tbh we’re not that brave either )

The park will be decorated with lots of spooky loveliness throughout and there’ll be loads for the kids to see and do.

When you have found them all and completed the puzzle, head over to the Pumpkin Patch Cafe to trick or treat a member of the Sundown Team and get yourself a sweet treat as a reward.

It’ll be a fun family Spooktacular Sundown day out with adventure and fun for all ages, throughout the day.

Find out more and book your tickets here

Gulliver’s Theme Park, Gulliver’s Valley Resort, Rotherham

Join the Fright Fiesta at the new Gulliver’s Valley theme park this October half term in South Yorkshire.

From 23rd to 31st October 2020, you can enjoy all the frights and fun at the new Gulliver’s Valley theme park.

According to the website, use special offer code GVFIESTA for £13 Halloween tickets. Offer ends midnight 10th October 2021

Fright Fiesta is nine days of fabulous family activities, frights and theme park fun. Come together and celebrate the spookiest season of the year at Gulliver’s.

Showcase your fancy dress costume in the spine-tingling street parade or delve deep into the theme park and discover the spooktacular rides. Experience a Gulliver’s Halloween event that’s all about families, joy and celebration.

Check out the review here from when we visited Gulliver’s Valley.

Find out more and book your tickets here.

Twycross Zoo

Twycross Zoo is hosting Boo at the Zoo from the 23rd October until 31st October.

Enjoy witches shows, finders keepers toys, as well as Ghosts of Madagascar and a Trick or Treat Trai, plus morel!

For more information or to book tickets, click here

For our full review of Twycross Zoo, click here

Warwick Castle Haunted Castle

Warwick Castle has a whole host of activities this October half term in their Haunted Castle event, with spooky tales, scary fun and daytime-themed attractions for all the family.

Between 23rd – 31st October, you can meet the famous Witches of Warwick and find out which secret spells they are concocting in their cauldron as well as explore the gruesome truths of history in the Horrible Histories maze.

Search the spooky mansion, navigate the Haunted Hollows and discover even more quirky characters in their spellbinding shows live!

For more information and to book tickets, click here.

National Forest Adventure Farm Halloween Spooktacular

The awesome National Forest Adventure Farm has announced it will be returning this half term with the Halloween Spooktacular.

I’ll update you as soon as we have more information, but we had a great time last year with free pumpkin picking, cauldron chaos, broomstick training and more.

Check out our full review of the 2020 event here

For tickets and further information keep an eye on their website here or check out our review here.

Hatton Adventure World Pumpkin Spooktacular

From the 23th October – 1st November you can enjoy the Pumpkin Spooktacular at Hatton Adventure World, with free pumpkins to pick, a Halloween Marquee and full activities schedule on the lineup.

With last year’s event involving pumpkin picking, carving, a Halloween show, fancy dress and more, as well as a funfair and bouncy castles, this looks like one that’s not to be missed!

To book and for more information, click here to keep an eye on their website.

To find out more about Hatton Adventure World, click here.

Wicksteed Park

Come and enjoy a fantastic family day out during October Half Term from 23rd – 31st October!

Their favourite, The Train will be running along with all rides and attractions in The Adventure Zone!

Ride Wristbands £12, Tickets £2.50 per ride.

Find out more here

Magic Alley, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Welcome to Nightmare – for children over 6+

This Halloween embark upon a spinetingling adventure that will take you on a spooktacular journey around The Enchanted (or should that be Haunted) Manor. Complete the quest and solve the puzzles and win your freedom! (Oh and a prize and certificate in paranormal investigation!)

Sound and lighting effects are used but this is not a scare attraction so no one will jump out at you! May not be suitable for photo sensitive epilepsy sufferers or those sensitive to coloured lights and surprise sound effects

Recommended for children aged 6 and above. There are no actors in this session during weekdays but at weekends there will be a magician performing age appropriate magic.

Nightmare recommended age 8+ will have an actor present in the attraction – no admittance to anyone under 6 under any circumstances – it is too scary!

The experience lasts approximately 45 minutes

Social Distancing in operation only one group per session

All Covid safety measures will be in place in line with the government guidance at the time of the event

Find out more here about Nightmare and the other events happening at Magic Alley this Halloween.

Drayton Manor / Thomas Land

This year, Drayton Manor is bringing back the More Treat Than Trick event for Halloween, where they promise a ‘spook-tacular’ event filled with activities and entertainment.

We’ve always enjoyed our visits to Thomas Land, taking advantage of their Parent & Toddler tickets, however now Lily is at school, I think this is the excuse we need to head there during half term!

For the latest updates, you can register here

Check out our review of Drayton Manor Thomas Land here

Alton Towers

Alton Towers is famed for its annual Scarefest, and this year they promise another year of family Halloween fun from 8-10th October and 15th – 31st October.

With Halloween shows, a scare maze and late night opening for the rides, there really is something for all the family. New for 2021, you can also visit the Trick ‘o Treat Town, an interactive walkthrough suitable for everyone – additional charge applies.

For more information and tickets click here.

For our full review of CBeebies Land, click here

National Trust Midlands

We’re huge fans of visiting National Trust properties and enjoyed the Stoneywell October Half Term nature trails in autumn 2019, so look forward to checking out some of the other properties this year.

National Trust properties are a great way to enjoy autumn and explore nature, and across the East Midlands you can find everything from pumpkin crafts through to autumn discovery walks.

Find out more about autumn events with National Trust in the Midlands here

Check out our review of Calke Abbey since reopening here.

Mini Meadows Farm

Mini Meadows are hosting a Halloween event from the 17th-31st October 2021.

After carving your fangtastic pumpkin, explore the “House of Spooks”, new for 2021. Enter through the tunnel of cobwebs to make your way to the midnight forest. Watch out for the bats and owls and keep an eye out for the skeleton showing the way.

If you dare, take part in the trick or treat in the ghost village and then move along to the house dungeon where something spooky is occurring. Creep past the skeletons (be careful they don’t see you) and then join our witch to make a spell at the cauldron.

This event is designed with little ones in mind, so lots of spooky fun without any scary.

Tickets are required for every person (adults and children) to enter the farm park and the House of Spooks. For the pumpkin patch, tickets are required for the number of pumpkins you are wanting to pick.

Normal farm entry (£7) plus £5 each for entry to House of Spooks and £3 per pumpkin. Under 12 months free, reduced prices for toddlers. Pre-booking online essential.

Find out more or book tickets here

Check out our review of Mini Meadows farm here

Twin Lakes Theme Park

Twin Lakes always run a fantastic Family Scream Park event for all the family – and it is back starting from October 2nd!

They are always great at organising Halloween and in the past we’ve enjoyed pumpkin picking, carving, meeting Marty the Witch, a Halloween hunt with prizes, wand making, story time and more.

For full details, check out the website here, or check out our review from 2019 here.

Looking for ideas at home this winter? Check out this blog post we collaborated with Age UK on Autumn and Winter hobbies to enjoy at home!

We also collaborated on an article about Fun Activities to entertain your grandchildren for Halloween – find out more here.