1. Pick your own pumpkins
It’s that time of the year. Put on your boots, and head to one of these pick-your-own PYO pumpkin patches in Oxfordshire and beyond.
2. Explore science and creative activities for everyone
The IF Oxford science and ideas Festival brings together hundreds of researchers with thousands of people in a festival every year - with science, ideas and creative activities for everyone to explore.
3. Join a spooky halloween trail
As Halloween creeps closer and the days shorten, join with family and friends during the October half-term holiday to explore any one of these fun and spooky Halloween trails in Oxfordshire.
Halloween Children’s Afternoon Tea at Blenheim Palace
Halloween Afternoon Tea at Blenheim Palace
Spooky Afternoon Tea at Waddesdon Manor
5. Visit one of the most haunted places in the UK
Are you brave enough to visit one of the most haunted places in the UK? Discover the stories that are too dark to be included in daytime tours!
Tour the vaulted well chamber, visit the punishment cells and go underground into the dark, damp Crypt.
6. See Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Stick Man live on stage
Stick Man live on stage at Oxford Playhouse is a touching, funny and utterly original, Freckle Productions’ delightful adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Stick Man. This award-winning production is packed full of puppetry, songs, live music and funky moves.
7. Explore the science behind magic
Join Science Oxford for an entertaining and intriguing family show at the Museum of Oxford this half term and explore the science behind some of our favourite magic tricks.
8. Roll up, roll up to the circus
Roll up, roll up! John Lawson’s Circus is back at Millets Farm Centre this October Half Term with a thrilling, fun family show featuring all-new and popular acts especially for you, including the award-winning Popolinos!
9. Meet Little Amal
Amal meets Alice
Little Amal is a young 9-year-old refugee girl - in the form of a 12-foot tall giant puppet representing all displaced children. On Tuesday, 26 October, Little Amal will be travelling through Oxford, where she will be greeted by Alice - The Story Museum’s own giant puppet - in an outdoor procession through the city centre. Join the procession on Broad Street at 1.45pm or the mass participation dance event at 2.30pm in Christ Church Meadow.
10. Conjour some spooky science
Visit the Science Oxford Centre this October half term for a spell of spooky science for all the family. Conjure up chromatography-bats and explore the science of colour, and brave the pumpkin trail in our forbidden forest to figure out the magic word and win a prize.
11. Visit a spooky Victorian station
Young visitors are invited to come along dressed as witches, wizards, ghosts, ghouls, zombies and skeletons for this spellbinding Hallowsteam event on 27, 28, 30 & 31 October.
12. Bones. Bones. Bones.
Make your own skeleton puppet, handle some real Medieval bones and discover some of the amazing objects in the museum’s collection, including a painting of dancing skeletons and a pavement made from sheep bones. The event is free, session but a £1 donation per child for craft materials is suggested.
13. Enjoy an enormous fireworks display
Enjoy an enormous fairground, choreographed flame display, light show, hot air balloons, and a jaw-dropping, quarter-mile-wide ‘low noise’ fireworks display.
14. Take a ride on a miniature train
Cutteslowe Park Miniature Railway
The Cutteslowe Park Miniature Railway reopened for the 2021 season in April and will be running miniature locomotives for passenger carrying rides on various dates in 2021.
