Looking for some ideas for things to do with kids over the forthcoming October half term and for Halloween? There are lots of activities and events in the area and we’ve selected some of the highlights for you, outdoors and in.
Outdoor Events and Activities
1. Pumpkin Picking
Choosing a pumpkin from a PYO is great fun for little ones, and they often have craft activities on too. We like Sopley Farm near Christchurch and the Pumpkin Patch near Ringwood.
2. Good Old Fashioned Fun at Heavy Horse Farm Park, Verwood
Have all the fun of the fair in this last week before the centre closes for the winter. There are pumpkins to carve, horseshoe painting, all the vintage fairground rides to enjoy and of course lots of lovely stout horses to meet.
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3. Spooky Fun at Lulworth Castle, Lulworth
Be prepared to frightened with the very realistic scenes in the spooky basement and trails at Lulworth Castle! A lot of effort has gone into the activities across this sprawling country estate with a bouncy castle, soft play for smaller children, craft tables, Merlin the wizard, pitch and put and lawn games.
4. Hengistbury Head Halloween Trail, Bournemouth
Pushchair-friendly and suitable for three-year-olds upwards, this walking trail around Hengistbury Head is great fun for all the family and it is good exercise too. Prizes are given to those who can work out what the word is at the end of the trail.
5. Upton Country Park, Poole
This is a very exciting Halloween at Upton as they are in the midst of building an extensive new play area which is due to be finished just in time for half term. This year you can pick a pumpkin and carve it on site in the education centre too.
6. Poole Zombie Fest, Poole Town Centre
Organised by the new Poole BID of local businesses, this event is a free day of spook-tacular activities spanning from Poole High Street down to Poole Quay. You are encouraged to wear fancy dress for a Zombie Parade at the end of the day and there will be face painting and special effects stands so you can look as realistic as possible.
7. Farmer Palmers and Monkey World, Wareham
These popular venues both have lots of halloween activities organised to run throughout half term. The children can get involved in face-painting, spook hunts and trails, arts and crafts whilst learning all about the animals that live there.
Indoor Events and Activities
It is always useful to have some wet weather plans up your sleeve in case it rains. Here are a few options…
8. Bouncy Castle World, Various Leisure Centres
In the school holidays this bouncy castle hire company run some really wonderful bouncy castle events which children love. This time of year they have a Halloween theme with a disco or magic show too.
9. The Russell-Cotes School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Bournemouth Town Centre
Enjoy a wizardy craft session and treasure trails in the architectural delights of the nearby Russell-Cotes Musuem, something for everyone.
10. Tank Museum, Wareham
As well as being an enormous indoor space with lots of tanks to explore and soft play, the Tank Museum also has dressing up activities and free family trails to explore this half term.
11. Poole Museum, Poole Town Centre
Poole Museum has lots of events planned for the half term too, with a family trail, Halloween children’s crafts and Where’s Wally? The Big Museum Hunt! On the 31st they are running spine-chilling Victorian crafts and scary stories, and you even get to meet the resident ghost.
12. Oceanarium, Bournemouth Pier
Meet the creepiest creatures this Halloween week at the Oceanarium including Monty the python, Rosie the tarantula, fearsome piranhas, a creepy croc and eerie eels. There are many events planned including otter pumpkin playtime and scary skeletons.
Many other indoor activities can be found in our fun things to do indoors and great soft plays articles.
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Evening Events and Activities
If you’d rather not stay in or trick or treat with the kids on Halloween, there are some fun evening events being organised too:
13. Family Fright Night, The Ark, Poole Park
This promises to be a great evening for all the family with trick or treating, a disco, soft play, hot buffet for all, fancy dress competition, a tricky treasure hunt and even pottery painting in their new craft studio.
14. Let’s Glow – Night of Light, St. Mary’s Church, Longfleet, Poole
An excellent Halloween alternative, at this light party the children are encouraged to dress up in neon or white and bring their scooters, heelys or rollerblades to skate around on.
That’s the end of our list, thank you for reading. Do you know of any October half term or Halloween events we have missed or information we could add? Feel free to get in touch and let us know.
