We have put together a list of The BEST Halloween and Half Term Events in Essex! Browse our list of over 80 events including Essex pumpkin patches, Halloween events and free October half term events in Essex. More events will be added as the month goes on so make sure to check back regularly.
OUR PICK
The Pumpkin Patch, Foxes Farm Produce, Colchester CO6 3PR, Basildon SS15 3ER
We have been visiting Foxes Farm Produce Pumpkin Patch since 2019! As well as pumpkin picking, we love the focus on family fun. This year we were invited to the new Pumpkin Nights! All the fun of the pumpkin patch, field of fun plus live roaming actors in the corn maze! Our top pick!
30th September -1st October, 7th, 8th, 14th - 29th
Over 30 different pumpkins and squashes to choose from in all shapes and sizes – pick your own, fresh from the field! Also - bale mountain, pedal tractor, slide, sack races, farm obstacles, photo opportunities, sand pit and maze (Colchester only). £12 for up to 4 people
7th, 14th, 21st, 22nd, 24th - 28th October (6.30pm – 9.30pm)
Twilight pumpkin picking is back! Get the full Halloween experience, picking pumpkins and navigating the corn maze as darkness descends. £10
FREE EVENTS
Monster Mysteries Trail - 14th - 31st October - Pick up or download a free Monster Mysteries Trail and take the physical dares along the way for a fun run around this Halloween. Take your booklet home to complete all the activities. FREE
Spooky Forest School - 23rd, 25th, 27th October - Book your children on to the FREE Spooky Forest School sessions. Enjoy amazing activi
ties such as potion and broomstick making, cook ghoulish marshmallows on the camp fire, take part in a scary Scavenger Hunt and so much more. Sessions must be booked online in advance. Activites are perfect for three to ten-year-olds. FREE
Halloween Parade - 28th October - The parade will feature exciting entries for the whole family including dance performances, a lighting spectacular and giant lit up puppets made by local artists. Free
A-Z OF EVENTS
Pumpkin Trail - 21st - 29th October - Come for a walk around Abberton and see if you can spot the wooden pumpkins hidden around. Answer the questions and collect your prize! Drop in, £2
Autumn Adventure - 24th October - Go for a walk to collect Autumnal treasures to make some wonderful creations such as stick men and conker caterpillars then cook a tasty treat on the fire. £7
Fright Fantastic - 23rd - 29th October - Find your favourite Halloween characters at Adventure Island and Sealife Adventure, with themed treasure hunts, face painting, tattoos and themed entertainment. Ride/entry admission applies.
Audley End, CB11 4JF
Halloween Half Term - 21st - 29th October - Gather round and prepare to be enthralled as you listen to stories spun by our spooky storytellers. Take part in witch trials, have a go at flying on a broom and learn the secrets of magic from Audley End's very own witches. Admission applies.
Spooky Woodland Walk - 27th - 29th - With well-told tales full of strange and spooky goings-on, this Halloween walk is sure to get you into the spirit of the season. Admission applies.
Halloween Fest - 21st - 29th October - singing, dancing and a spellbinding story time with Witch and Cat. There will also be pumpkin decorating, a spooky walk through labyrinth, a ghostly trail, as well as all the usual farm favourites.
Spooky Nights - 26th - 28th October - Skittleman disco, toddler fairground rides, spooky walks and treat or treating around the Village. Admission applies.
Wild Night Out - 24th October - Listen for bats foraging for food, spot moths coming out at dusk, keep an ear and eye out for owls and more! £8
Potion Making - 26th October - Come along for Halloween festivities including potion making, pumpkin carving and wand whittling. £7
Pumpkin Trail - 24th - 26th October - Take a walk through the beautiful autumn woods of Belfairs Park with the self-led trail and discover all the pumpkin clues! Drop in £3
Halloween Wood - 25th October - Spooky crafts, trails, mischief and stories. A family session at Twilight exploring the Bewitching Belfairs Woods £8.
Creepy Crawlies & Brilliant Beasties - 25th October - Meet on the hour by the visitor centre, be led into the woodland to try your hand at searching for all our creepy critters! Use equipment like bug pots and trays to explore. Drop in £5
Halloween Crafts - 25th October - No booking required, small charge per craft.
Woodland Explorers - 26th October - Activities including slackline walking, bug hunting, woodland crafts, tool use, mud kitchen and more. £7
Spooky Animal Encounter - 25th October - We will be joined by a variety of animals to find out a bit more about them and how they are adapted to their environments, lifestyles and habitats! Book at the Centre or call 01702 477467. £10 per person.
Pumpkin Picking - 30th September - 29 October - Entrance to the Cammas Hall biggest pumpkin patch yet with over 60 varieties of pumpkin and squash to choose from. Character interaction. Wicked walkways and terror tunnel. Maize Maze for an additional cost. SEN sessions on 8th and 23rd October. £4 per person (under 2s free)
Monster Mayhem Show - 30th September - 9th October - With puppetry, songs and a great deal of silliness, this 45 minute show will have your little monsters howling with laughter and raring to go for Halloween festivities. (This show is silly not scary and is suitable for monsters of all ages). Adults £5, Children £8
Craft Workshop - 7th October - You can create some spooky Halloween decorations, such as: Pumpkin and bat tea lights, witches/wizard hats, halloween wind chimes, bird house, bug habitat, welly boot plant pots and bee houses. All crafts start from £5
Resurrected - 14th - 28th October - As night falls on the patch, Halloween fun haunts the farm. Child £7 Adult 9.50
Pumpkin Picking - 14th - Sun 15th Oct & Fri 20th to Tues 31st Oct
Based just outside Maldon in Essex on a working farm. Free entry, free parking, no booking required.
Spooky Shadows and Frightening Familiars - 23rd - 27th October - Learn more about witchcraft with some spooky puppet making! There are activities for all ages in our two-hour craft making workshops. Colouring in paper finger puppets (suitable for ages 2+). Creating shadow puppets and playing with our shadow puppet theatre to test them out! (suitable for ages 4+). Making cardboard tube puppets inspired by witch's familiars (suitable for ages 6+)
Halloween Maze - 27th/28th October - Come and enjoy our SPOOKY Halloween themed six acre maize maze. Suitable for accompanied children under 14. The afternoon session will not be as scary as the evening session. Afternoon from £10pp, evening from £15p
Cursed Fright Night - 12th - 31st October a night filled with horror mazes, surprise characters, twists, turns and trail. Contains live actors, immersive scenery, special effects. From £20pp
Half Term Activities - 25th October - Pond Dipping, Minibeast Hunt and Crafts - Join in some Pond Dipping, Minibeast Hunting, marshmallows over the fire and a craft activity. £8
Day out with Thomas - 28th/29th October - All aboard a train ride with Thomas, say Hello to Sir Topham Hatt and join Rusty & Dusty for a trainload of fun. Adult £18.70, Child 2-17 £14.30
Diesel Day (unlimited train ride) - Visit the Museum and have unlimited rides in our vintage wagons or carriages pulled by one of our fleet of Diesel locomotives, or one of our vintage diesel trains. 25th October - Adults: £10, Children (4-15) £7, Under 4s: Free
Ghost Train - 25th - 28th October - Steam hauled train journey from North Weird - but beware the living dead aren't just lurking outside the windows! Find the ghosts haunting the eerie gruesome graveyard. Meet the manic magician and watch his mysterious show.
Imagination Events - Spook Fest - 29th October - ‘Enter if you dare’ bouncy castle assault course, haunted disco, spine tingling entertainment, face painting & glittery tattoos, gruesome slime making, biscuit decorating, creepy crawly handling (if your brave enough!!) & loads more SPOOK-tacular fun! Children 2-3 £20, Children 3+ £30
Spooktacular Fun - 23rd October - Carve your own pumpkin, try a tasty treat cooked on the fire, mix a magic potion and complete the trail! £10
Wicked Woodland Fun - 26th October - Explore our mystical woods where the witches and wizards cast their spells. Concoct mystical potions, search for the creepy creatures, gather materials from the woods and use tools to create your own magic wands and flying broomsticks! £7
Forest Explorers - 24th October - Fire and hot chocolate challenge £5
Forest Explorers Halloween - 26th October - What are the old English traditions and how were they celebrated? Enjoy the campfire, cook some snacks over it, make a mask or a head dress and have a good dance around! £5
Halloween Bushcraft - 28th October - Adult bushcraft session £25
Spooky Spells and Pongy Potion - 25th October - A walk through the woods searching for spooky spell and pongy potion ingredients and the perfect wand! Look out for weird and wonderful wildlife, then make your wand and cast your spell. £7
Spooky Evening - 26th October Explore our reserve in the twilight hours - can you spot 'Duck'racula' on the reservoir? £8
Autumn Nature Tots Special - 27th October - Discover and learn through a range of fun wildlife themed activities from bug hunting and mud play to natural painting and stick creatures.£7
Pumpkin Patch - 1st - 29th October - As well as pumpkin picking, we have plenty of other activities from the Pumpkin Cannons to our Maize Maze. £4
Pumpkin Nights - 21st - 24th and 26th - 29th October - For those feeling a little braver, you can head into the Maize Maze, but beware, you never know what may be lurking round the next corner. £5
Harlow Town Park, CM20 2QQ
Pets Corner Halloween Events - 24th - 28th October - Visit Harlow Pets' Corner and join the spooky celebrations. Whether you are taking part in the Ghost hunt, entering the scarecrow competition, watching the creepy freaky animal interactions or decorating pumpkins there is something for all the family. Entry to all activities is held at a small fee.
Highwoods Country Park, CO4 5JR
Bewitching Brooms Children's Event - 25th October - Come for an Autumnal walk in the woods then make your own Witches or Wizards Broom from natural materials. Booking required. £5.50
Halloween Family Self Guided Trail - 23rd - 29th October - Follow the different maps around the park and try to solve our Halloween themed puzzles. Drop in £1
Fantastic Fungi - 28th October - Join fungi expert Sarah Manning on this stroll around the woods discovering the fascinating mushrooms and toadstools that grow here. £2 per child, £5.50 per adult.
There is plenty going on at Hyde Hall! Garden admission applies, extra charges for other activities.
Autumn Trail - 21st - 29th October - Follow the Autumn trail around the garden.
Animal Encounter - 23rd October - Get crafty with a creepy, creative Halloween workshop £6
Spooky Storytelling - 24th October - Enjoy an interactive, spine-tingling storytelling walk around the garden with Mike Dodsworth.
Creepy Crafts - 25th October - Get crafty with a creepy, creative Halloween workshop £2.50 per child
Face Painting - 25th October - Choose from a range of crazy characters and dainty designs. £6
Halloween Spooktactular - 23rd October - 30 Days Wild Drop In - Halloween-themed activities; visit the potion and wand making station! Marshmallow magic at the campfire and catapulting ghosts. Pick up your trail guide and take part in the self-led trail around Langdon. £10
Wild Evening Out - 23rd October - Follow the journey to the shadowy woodland for eerie exploration and spine-tingling activities; decorate your own spooky lantern to guide the way whilst you explore the site after hours. £10
Nature Tots - 25th October - Discover and learn through a range of fun wildlife themed activities from bug hunting and mud play to natural painting and stick creatures. £7
Family Forest Fun - 25th October - Build a den, climb a tree, hunt for minibeasts, create in the mud kitchen, woodland crafts, camp fire and much more. £7
Spooky Storytime - 27th October - Join us on a walk through the woods, listen to the story, brew your own potions and make mud monsters in the mud kitchen £7
Halloween Festival - 14th-15th, 21st-29th October- Look out - there's creepy characters about! Come in fancy dress and slither around our devilishly decorated farm; enjoy funfair rides, a Halloween disco, Spooky Shows, the Pumpkin Patch, Trick or Treat Hunt, adventure play and much more. FREE pumpkin for every child. Adults and Children £19.99.
Ghost Stories by Candlelight - 18th October - Gather close for a candlelit evening of chilling, contemporary tales and haunting new folk music from the 'Witch Counties' of East Anglia. £15
Messy Magic - 24th October - Whittle your own wand, create some smelly potions and explore the great outdoors on our self-guided wizard trail £7
Family Fossil Discovery - 26th October - Come and find out what fossils can be found at The Naze and join us for a fossil hunt along the beach. This is event is most suitable for ages 5 and over, all attendees, including adults, need to have a ticket for this event. £3
Pumpkin Carving - 27th October - Use carving tools to create your own Halloween pumpkin creation. £7
Creepy Creatures Trail - 27th October - Follow the map around the Naze and see if you can find all of hidden trail creatures, once you have found them all head back to the centre for your prize. This is a self led trail. £3
Pumpkin Pick and Play - 23rd - 29th October - 90 minutes of spooktacular obstacle loaded fun, muddy feet guaranteed. FREE pumpkin to pick yourself, grown on the Nuclear Farm. £23pp
Halloween Festival - 21st - 31st October - Plenty to see and do - haunted house, scary stories, ghost trail and halloween tattos free pumpkin for every child. Admission applies.
Otto's Pumpkin Patch, CM77 8DL
Pumpkin Patch - 30th September - 29th October - Lots of different varieties of all sizes and prices, My Little Drinks Van refreshments. Children's activities. Celebration of autumn, non spooky. Adults £4, Children £2
Halloween at Parndon Woods - 28th October - Activities include spooky trail, halloween games station, halloween themed crafts with Twinkle & Snug (small additional cost) and visit the fortune teller.
Kids Fright at the Museum - 25th October - Halloween themed craft activities, Halloween trail and spooky shorts. £5 per child
VicTOURian Spooktacular! – 26th - 27th October - You are invited to a Victorian funeral. Sit with us in our Victorian parlour and learn about the sometimes strange and macabre practices and traditions surrounding death and dying in the Victorian period. Get up close with genuine artefacts that are normally kept locked away. Age 11+ £5
Fright at the Museum Bettlejuice Screening - 27th October - A film screening of Beetlejuice in the Victorian Parlour of the Prittlewell Priory. £5
Storytime - 29th October -A story surrounded by nature, followed by some worm themed adventures. Look for real life minibeasts featured in the story, explore the woodland, and get creative with some themed crafts! £5
Monster Hunt - 21st - 29th October - collect your activity sheet and return your activity sheet to collect your prize. £2 per child (plus usual pier admission prices)
Halloween Party - 24th October - join Little Legs for a Halloween Fancy Dress Party filled with party games, disco, mischief, mayhem and everything in between. £12, price includes lunchbox
Sweetie Coffin Decorating - 25th October - Dracula has dropped off some mini coffins for you to decorate and keep your sweet treats in £6
Spooky Walk- 28th October - Are you brave enough to undertake a spine chilling quest to save the forest from always being in the dark? £8
Pumpkin Decorating - Come down to our spooky secret garden and decorate your own pumpkin, we will provide all paints, brushes, decorations and the pumpkin! £10, includes a child's hot chocolate or a fruit shoot.
Woodland Magic - 26th October - Calling all witches and wizards! Come along and join us at Thorndon where you can make your own magic wand, create bubbling potions, and search for signs of magical creatures living in the woodland! £7
Art Attack - 24th October - You will get to paint and take home a standing wooden model of one of our wonderful UK wild animals, and more! £7
Family Survival in the Woods - 25th October - Work together to build a den, start a fire and whittle your own stick to roast a marshmallow, and more! £7
Spooky Science - 25th October - Mad experiments, learn more about the fun of science and make some slime to take home. £7
Woodlad Magic - 27th October - Come and search the woods for signs of fairies, elves, witches and wizards. Create some of your own magic by making a wand, a smelly potion, and your own magical creature dwelling!£7
Halloween Workshop - 23rd - 25th October - Games, confidence building exercises and even a little show to parents/guardians on the Wednesday, this is ideal for any budding star who loves a little bit of Spooktacular fun, ages 6-12. Three days full cost £55 or £21 per day.
Don't forget to check the Park Directory for more park inspiration -
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