October Half Term 2026 in Stratford-upon-Avon: Things to Do With Kids

October half-term 2026 in Warwickshire runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. Most council schools break up on Friday 23 October and go back on Monday 2 November. Halloween falls on the Saturday at the end of the week, so there’s plenty on in Stratford-upon-Avon. Here’s a day-by-day plan of confirmed activities, from RSC workshops and a Pikachu trail at Charlecote to the Literary Festival’s children’s events, plus tips on getting around while the Runaway Mop is in town.

Academies and independent schools can set their own dates, so double-check with your child’s school.

Half-term week at a glance

• Fri 23 – Sat 24 Oct: Runaway Mop fair in the town centre
• All week: the Pikachu Art Adventure and the Stranger Folk app trail at Charlecote Park, and the free Family Trail at Shakespeare’s family homes. Further afield: Forza Horizon 6 at the British Motor Museum, The Haunted Castle at Warwick Castle, Hatton’s Halloween Spooktacular and Kenilworth Castle’s Great Pumpkin Party (see days out)
• Sat 24 Oct – Sun 1 Nov: Halloween week at Riverside Stratford, and monarch butterflies at Stratford Butterfly Farm
• Sat 24 – Sun 25 Oct: free Halloween LEGO and creature-making drop-ins at Compton Verney
• Tue 27 Oct: Monster Makes crafts at Riverside
• Wed 28 Oct: RSC storytelling (ages 4–8) and pumpkin carving at Riverside. The Magical Owl storytelling show opens at Compton Verney (until Sun 1 Nov), and Stratford Youth Theatre’s The Snow Queen opens at Rother Street Arts House (until Sat 31 Oct)
• Thu 29 Oct: RSC storytelling, RSC family stage combat, and Riverside’s pumpkin finale, trick or treating and campfire stories. The Stratford Literary Festival starts. Halloween forest school for under-5s at Compton Verney.
• Fri 30 Oct: RSC Halloween costume making, RSC Blood, Guts and Gore (8+), and fireworks at Riverside
• Sat 31 Oct: Halloween, with the Literary Festival’s children’s day (stories, comics, theatre and Dungeons & Dragons), a kids’ fancy dress disco at Riverside (3pm–6pm) and the Stratford Ghost Walk (7.30pm)
• Sun 1 Nov: Donut Squad with Neill Cameron and a manga drawing workshop at the Literary Festival

Half-term at the RSC

The Royal Shakespeare Company runs a week of theatre-inspired family activities with a Halloween twist. Several sessions are free, but most need booking in advance:

• Storytelling: Shakespeare’s Magical Mysteries, Wed 28 & Thu 29 Oct at 10.15am and 11.30am. For ages 4–8. Free, but booking is required for children and their grown-ups.
• Family Stage Combat, Thu 29 Oct at 11am and 2pm, in the Clore Learning Centre. For all the family, with no experience needed. £5.50 adults, £4.50 under-18s.
• Halloween Costume Making, Fri 30 Oct at 10.15am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm. Free, with booking.
• Blood, Guts and Gore, Fri 30 Oct at 11am and 2pm. Theatrical stage effects for ages 8+. £5.50 adults, £4.50 under-18s.
• Drop-in all week: a different Halloween craft each day in the Welcome Space, plus a photobooth with props near the Swan Theatre.

Book on the RSC’s half-term page. Free sessions tend to fill up first.

Halloween week at Riverside Stratford

Riverside Stratford has something on almost every day of the holiday. Highlights for families include spooky films (Monday 26), Monster Makes crafts (Tuesday 27), pumpkin carving from 3pm to 6pm (Wednesday 28), and Thursday 29 with the pumpkin carving finale, trick or treating from 5pm to 6.30pm, and a campfire with ghost stories and marshmallows. On Friday 30 there are fireworks, ticketed through Eventbrite. See the Riverside events calendar for details.

Monarch butterflies at Stratford Butterfly Farm

From 24 October to 1 November, Stratford Butterfly Farm is celebrating the monarch butterfly and its link to Mexico’s Day of the Dead. Expect free-flying monarchs, daily lifecycle demonstrations, Meet the Minibeasts sessions at 11.30am, a Monarch Migration Trail in the gardens, and papel picado paper crafts to take home. It’s a good choice for younger children who’d rather skip the scares. Check prices and opening times at butterflyfarm.co.uk.

Halloween for older kids

For tweens and teens, Magic Alley’s Nightmare on Greenhill Street (recommended 10+, no under-8s) and the Saturday-night Stratford Ghost Walk are the best bets. Our full Halloween in Stratford-upon-Avon 2026 guide has times, age rules and booking links.

Stratford Literary Festival: children’s events

The Stratford Literary Festival runs from Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November, and its children’s events are at the Crowne Plaza on Bridgefoot. Book online or on 0333 666 3366. At the workshops, children can be left with the stewards, but parents must stay in the building.

• Warhammer Games Café, Fri 30 Oct, 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Build, paint and play with Warhammer figures. Ages 12+, £10.
• Fairytale Fiasco! with Myles McLeod and Evgenia Golubeva, Sat 31 Oct, 10am. Stories and a draw-along. Ages 5+, £9.
• Saving Snowflake with Nicola Baker of Our Farm on the Dales, Sat 31 Oct, 10am. Ages 8+, £9.
• Playbox theatre workshop, Sat 31 Oct, 11.30am. Spooky drama games, no experience needed. Ages 7 to 11, £10.
• Comic workshop with Phoenix Comic artist Zak Simmonds-Hurn, Sat 31 Oct, 1.30pm. Ages 7+, £9.
• Dungeons & Dragons, Sat 31 Oct, 4pm to 5.30pm. Dice and characters provided. Ages 11 to 17, £10.
• Donut Squad with Neill Cameron, Sun 1 Nov, 11am. Ages 7+, £12.
• Drawing Manga with Sonia Leong, Sun 1 Nov, 12.30pm. Ages 11 to 16, £9.

The free Halloween craft drop-in on Saturday morning is already sold out.

Charlecote Park: Pikachu and a digital ghost hunt

Charlecote Park, a few miles east of Stratford, has two free trails all half-term (normal National Trust admission applies, and there’s no need to book):

• The Pikachu Art Adventure: 30 Pikachu trading cards, each drawn by a different illustrator, for the Pokémon Trading Card Game’s 30th anniversary, and a chance to design your own card. 10am to 4pm daily until 1 November (last admission 4pm).
• Stranger Folk: an app-based adventure round the park and gardens, hunting goblins and “Stranger Folk”. Best for ages 7 to 12. Download the app before you go, as the signal can be patchy.

There’s also a community pumpkin display until 1 November. Wellies are a good idea. Details on the National Trust’s Charlecote page.

Compton Verney: LEGO, owls and forest school

• Halloween LEGO and Fantastical Creatures collage, Sat 24 and Sun 25 Oct, 10.30am to 3.30pm. Free drop-ins for ages 7+; adults need a day ticket or membership.
• The Magical Owl, Wed 28 Oct to Sun 1 Nov at 10.30am, 11.30am, 2pm and 3pm. An interactive storytelling show for ages 4 to 10. £14 (£10 early bird), under-2s free.
• Get Mucky Get Making Halloween Special, Thu 29 Oct, 10.30am to 12.30pm. Forest school for ages 0 to 4, in costume if you like. £7.50, plus a day ticket for adults.

Book on Compton Verney’s website.

The Snow Queen at Rother Street Arts House

Stratford Youth Theatre’s family show follows Gerda across a frozen world to rescue her brother from the Snow Queen. Performances are Wednesday 28 to Friday 30 October at 7pm, and Saturday 31 October at 2.30pm and 7pm. Book with Rother Street Arts House.

Shakespeare’s family homes

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s free Family Trail for ages 4+ runs at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespeare’s New Place, 10am to 4pm, and is included in admission. Pick it up when you arrive.

Half-term days out near Stratford

Some of the biggest half-term events are a short drive from Stratford. Drive times are approximate.

• British Motor Museum, Gaydon (about 20 minutes, M40 junction 12): a Forza Horizon 6 half-term, 24 October to 1 November. There are family activities all week, a five-day Future Vehicle Engineers programme with Playground Games and ComputerXplorers (26 to 30 October), and Forza Horizon 6: The Experience, with cars from the game and a racing simulator. It’s all included in normal entry: £18 adults and £9 children aged 5 to 16 if you book ahead (£21 and £10 on the day), under-5s free. Gift Aid your ticket and it becomes a free annual pass. Open daily, 10am to 5pm.
• Warwick Castle (about 20 minutes): The Haunted Castle, 24 October to 1 November, with more than 15 live shows and attractions, mazes and, new for 2026, a silent Scarecrow Disco at the top of the mound. Book online.
• Hatton Adventure World, near Warwick (about 25 minutes): the Halloween Spooktacular, daily from 24 October to 1 November, with witches, a new haunted house, and a free pumpkin for every child to pick and carve, alongside the farm animals and play areas. Tickets £21.95, or £19.95 each when you book for four or more.
• Kenilworth Castle (about 30 minutes): the Great Pumpkin Party, 24 October to 1 November, 10am to 4pm, with storytelling, spooky games, a disco, a themed trail and a daily fancy dress competition. Included in admission (book ahead to save 15%); English Heritage members go free.
• Cotswold Farm Park, near Guiting Power (about 40 minutes): pick-your-own pumpkins every day of half-term, plus the animal barns and indoor play (soft play, bouncy pillows and a zip wire), so it works in the rain. Dogs are welcome.

For more, see our guides to Halloween days out near Stratford and pumpkin picking near Stratford. Charlecote Park and Compton Verney, both within about 20 minutes, are covered above. For year-round ideas, see our guide to things to do with kids in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Free and low-cost ideas

• RSC drop-in crafts: a free Halloween craft every day in the Welcome Space
• RSC storytelling and costume making: free, but book ahead
• Riverside: trick or treating and the campfire evening on Thursday 29 October
• Compton Verney: free LEGO and collage drop-ins on 24 and 25 October (with a day ticket)
• Shakespeare’s family homes: the Family Trail is free with admission
• A riverside walk: see our best walks in Stratford-upon-Avon
• A history hunt: try our 7 hidden doors in Stratford as a family trail

Getting around: Runaway Mop closures

The Runaway Mop fair is on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October. From 00:01 on Friday until 06:30 on Sunday 25 October, Greenhill Street, Rother Street (from the NCP car park entrance), Wood Street, Windsor Street and Meer Street are closed. Plan around it, or use the Stratford parking calculator to pick a car park outside the closure area. Our road closures page lists every closure in town, including Church Lane in Shottery, which is shut throughout half-term.

October half-term in Stratford: quick answers

When is October half-term 2026 in Warwickshire?

Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for Warwickshire County Council schools. Pupils break up on Friday 23 October and return on Monday 2 November.

What’s free for kids in Stratford over half-term?

The RSC’s daily drop-in Halloween crafts, its storytelling and costume-making sessions (free, but book ahead), and Riverside’s trick or treating and campfire evening on Thursday 29 October.

What can we do on a rainy day?

The RSC’s indoor workshops and crafts, the indoor tropical flight area at Stratford Butterfly Farm, the Literary Festival’s children’s events (29 October to 1 November) and The Snow Queen at Rother Street Arts House are the best wet-weather options in town.

Alex Harrington

Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.