October Half Term 2025 Autumnal Adventures & Days Out

Halloween Pumpkins

Free Half-Term Events

Free and low cost events and days out for families in October half term school holidays, autumnal fun, halloween fun and just great memory making days out.

Whitby Abbet lit up in red with a wolf silhouette

Whitby Abbey Illuminated

24th October to 1st November 2025
An unforgettable evening beneath the soaring illuminated remains of Whitby Abbey. Ghost hunters will also relish the chance to join Time Will Tell for a performance of their thrilling new show The Dead Shall Walk the Earth, featuring shadowy figures, strange powers and perhaps even a visit from Dracula himself.

Halloween image of children and pumpkins

Halloween Events

Looking for some Halloween fun this October half term, try our dedicted Halloween events page. Family fun and scary halloween for teens and adults.

Brightly coloured light projection against ruins in Yorkshire Museum Gardens

Echoes of Yorkshire

24th October to 2nd November 2025
Light, colour and music surround you at the extraordinary light and sound installation by Luxmuralis in the York Museum Gardens this autumn.

logo for moonlight on the lake a light show in Peasholm park in Scarborough

Moonlight On The Lake

24th and 25th October 2025
Moonlight on the Lake is a journey around the beautiful Peasholm Park, celebrating the heritage of Scarborough and the park itself with hundreds of handmade lanterns and illuminations reflecting on the surface of the water.

very hungry caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show at Carriageworks

29th October to 2nd November 2025
The critically acclaimed production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show features a menagerie of 75 lovable puppets. Four stories by author/illustrator Eric Carle: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, The Very Busy Spider and of course, the star of the show – The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Dark sky night trail

Dark Skies Fringe Festival - Yorkshire Dales

24th October to 2nd November 2025
With an array of Festival events hosted by local businesses and Dark Sky Friendly places to stay in the Yorkshire Dales, you’ll find lots of opportunities to linger, look up and marvel at the beauty of our amazing night skies.

man on a hill with a solitary tree, both silhoutted against a starry sky

Dark Skies Festival - North York Moors

24th October to 2nd November 2025
Prepare yourself to welcome in the stargazing season with night navigation walks, astrophotography workshops, dark skies watercolour sessions, dinners surrounded by stars and so much more. Take a look at the programme below and join us to celebrate some of the darkest night skies.

York ghost hunt logo

York Ghost Week

25th October to 2nd November 2025
Celebrate the ghosts of York with events in the city centre, you may even find a York Seed Ghost to keep.

Carved Halloween Pumpkins

Pumpkin Patches and Festivals

Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patches in Yorkshire, what could be more fun than finding your special pumpkin out in the field and bringing it back ready to carve. Halloween Family Fun in Yorkshire.

cartoon style graphic of peasholm park with the workds peasholm park autumn daze in bold letters near the centre.

Autumn Daze at Peasholm Park

29th October 2025
'Autumn Daze' Festival will take place in the oriental themed Peasholm Park on Scarborough's north side and feature a whole range of free, autumn themed activities set against the colourful seasonal backdrop of the park's impressive woodland.

Wizard Walk of York collage, Wizard, ticket

Wizard Walk of York

Available year round, very suitable for a Halloween themed outing. Help find magical creatures on a walking tour wizard fans go Potty for. Unlike a ghost walk, there are no spooky ghosts and no scary stories…just fun and laughter for all the family!

pink jellyfish

Drifters of the Deep

18th October to 2nd November 2024
Explore a hidden world of jellyfish wonder this October half-term at The Deep. A fun-filled event running all half-term long, where the mysterious and mesmerising world of jellyfish comes to life!

spooky halloween image

Halloween Half Term at Brodsworth Hall

25th October to 2nd November 2025
Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Brodsworth Hall this half-term. Follow the quest to solve creepy clues, and gather round to listen to spooky stories.

cusworth hall

The Cusworth Cases - Autumn Trail

17th October to 17th November 2025
Something mysterious is afoot at and we need your help to solve the mystery! Gather your family and friends and follow the clues around the hall and park in this fun, free autumn trail. Perfect for curious minds of all ages.
Free, no booking required.

cartoon image of a tombstone with a skeleton holding a card with details of spooky sewerby event, a witch is flying past above a silhoutte of Sewerby Hall

Spooky Sewerby

25th October to 2nd November 2025
Visitors can enjoy spooky magic shows, autumnal crafting , face painting , and interactive storytelling adventures with Rusticus Theatre, including ghost hunting , wizarding quests and magical trick-or-treat trails.

York Ghosts

Ghosts in the Garden

19th September to 2nd November 2025
This year’s display is set to be bigger and better than ever, with 45 ghosts to discover in some of the city's beautiful public gardens and green spaces. From monks to Victorians, and cats to a famous highwayman, there's plenty to discover while enjoying Ghosts in the Gardens.

Boston Park Farm Halloween Shriek Week poster

Shriek Week at Boston Park

18th to 31st October 2025
Enjoy the Halloween pumpkin hunt around the Maize Maze and pumpkin carving. Make a witches potion and enjoy the Halloween disco.

Thackray museum half term

Replace

26th October to 3rd November 2024
Poisons: the perfect remedy or a recipe for disaster? This October half-term, we’re brewing up a wickedly fun programme all about the perils – and the perks – of poisons!

interactive colosseum exhibition

Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum at Royal Armouries

28th June to 2nd November 2025
Discover original artefacts from the Colosseum, rare helmets discovered in Pompeii, life-scale models of gladiators in action, and interactive elements exploring their training, combat skills, healthcare and daily life.

Out of this world sheffield.

Out Of This World Sheffield

25th October 2025
Now in its 11th year, Sheffield's Out of This World is a free city centre event that celebrates all things otherworldly. Expect a host of street entertainment, demonstrations, comic con characters, fancy dress, family activities, fairground rides, street food stalls and more.

logo for skipton monster trail

Skipton Monster Trail

25th October to 2nd November 2025
Ten monsters are hiding around town, are you brave enough to find them! Find the monsters and find the hidden word to be entered into a prize draw to win a Spooktacular prize!

birch stick leaning against a dry stone wall

Broomstick Making at Brimham Rocks

29th and 30th October 2025
Calling all witches and wizards! Who needs a broom this Halloween? In this hands-on workshop, children can craft their very own broomsticks using the natural materials felled on Brimham Rocks' moor during essential conservation work.

children running towards a den built from sticks in an autumnal wood

October Half Term Family Days Out

Yorkshire is packed full of events in October half term, halloween and autumnal adventure and plenty of options which are not halloween related.

child in yellow wellies and a stripy raincoat splashing in a puddle on a path

Rainy Days Out Guide

Where to go when the rain is pouring down, it's cold or you just feel like being indoors.

aerial view of a carousel outside York Castle Museum

Yorkshire Events Calendar

Calendar of events for 2025 in Yorkshire, festivals,days out, fairs across Yorkshire, plan your time in Yorkshire around a great day out or show.

prints of autumn leaves on a wide paper, with a childs hand making a new print.

Free Days Out in October Half Term

Free and low cost events and days out for families in October half term school holidays, autumnal fun, halloween fun and just great memory making days out.

Whitby Abbey with the sun rising in the background

Yorkshire Attractions

Yorkshire Attractions and days out. Discover a wealth of attractions across the county; historic buildings, animal attractions and the great outdoors - something for everyone.

Hello November in white text on a dark blue background surround by pine cones and autumnal leaves

What's On in November

Mad March Days Out in Yorkshire. Ideas for great days out in March in Yorkshire, discover springtime in Yorkshire, plan a mothers day for everyone to remember and the start of festival season.