We know we might be slightly early with this one but our Kent attractions are already preparing for an exciting and fun October half term (Monday 23rd to Friday 27th October) for you and your little ones to enjoy!
We understand that organising days out can be stressful which is why we have come up with the best half term ideas and fun family days out. There are things for everyone, whether you’re looking for things to do whilst it is raining, looking for the most spooktacular Halloween days out or just half term events to keep the children entertained then you can trust us as that week is going to fly by!
Save the pennies and be sure to make the most of Southeastern's Kids for a Quid tickets. Under 5s go free and tickets cost £1 for children aged 5-15 when travelling with an adult with a valid ticket. What a deal!
The Canterbury Festival
Back again for 2023 is the Canterbury Festival (26th September – 4th November) packed with an extravaganza of music, performances, family events, science and more. Throughout the celebrations different activities will take place so make sure to keep an eye out on their Whats On section for their latest updates and events.
Halloween at Leeds Castle
21st-29th October
The beautiful Leeds Castle has been taken over by ghosts and ghouls this half term! Perfect for a family day out with the children, the Castle is ready to introduce the Guardians of the Grounds, a haunted quest at the castle that takes you through spell binding and interactive journeys, collecting missing pieces to solve the mystery and break the curse on the castle! See if you and the little ones have what it takes to defeat the curse...
UK Electric Bike Centre
Do you live in Ashford, Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells and looking for that day out on your doorstep to keep the teens engaged? From Headcorn Airfield, hire an e-bike and ride some excellent routes from coastal to heritage to countryside to so much more and experience Kent’s beauty.
Howletts Wild Animal Park
No matter the weather, the zoo is always a fun day out for children and adults! Home to over 300 animals, Howletts offers a fun-packed day out for a great price! Walk with the Lemurs, roar with the Tigers and swing like the monkeys this October. Keep an eye out for their special themed events included in the price of the ticket at no extra cost and when visiting look out for the animal talks and feeding, given by the keepers!
Canterbury City Centre Spooky Events
Now that summer is nearly over, spooky season is just creeping around the corner and planning this can be stressful! Fear not as Canterbury is filled with fun and surprising tricks and treats available for you and the children to keep them entertained! From face painting to pumpkin patches and so much more, Canterbury has everything to make Halloween special! Keep an eye on Canterbury BID’s website for updates and dates.
Powell Cotton Museum
This one will get the children soaring! On the weekend of 21st-29th October head over to Powell Cotton Museum and join them for their Nocturnal family experience! Returning for 2023 this event will see Wide-Eyes falconry flying beautiful birds including everyone’s favourite… owls.
Ghost Tales at Deal
Come and join Deal Castle after dark this Halloween. This event is for the older children (16+). Listen to the historic storytellers and travel back in time with tales of ghosts, supernatural sights and horrors that happened in the past. This isn’t for the light-hearted and I can guarantee that you will leave watching your back in fright!
Spooky Wooldand Walk at Walmer
Everyone loves a ghost-hunting story no matter their age! Available for children ages 5-12, wander through the shadows of Walmer Castle’s gardens with tales told by professionals dressed up, getting you and the children in the spooky season spirit. Make sure to put those wellies on as this is an outdoor event.
Halloween at Dover Castle
We all know Dover Castle as a beautiful Castle overlooking the Channel but did you know it can be spooky too? Gather your little monsters and head out to Dover Castle this Halloween! Solve the scary clues and follow the creepy trail round the Castle and find out about the ghoulish stories that makes this place perfect for a Halloween hotspot. Ditch the car this week with Good Journey's top tips for travelling to Dover Castle by public transport, with great value offers.
New Light Show Coming to Rochester Cathedral
Science is the new cool! Here’s one before the half term to get the children excited for the holidays! A new light show is coming to Rochester Cathedral this October (3rd-7th October) contemplating the contributions of science and human understanding about the world. Watch the Cathedral be transformed with stunning son-et-lumiere by Luxmuralis exploring chemistry and biology making science fun and interesting!
Gravesham
We love a miniature steam train ride on a family day out, so head to the grounds of Cascade Leisure Centre and hop aboard the miniature locos. For the creative kids, Arts and Crafts Workshops are the perfect way to get hands on with crafting, while Cyclopark's Not So Scary Halloween Adventure offers unexpected twists, a ghost hunt and spine-tingling excitement. Future Survival is the ultimate spot to take mini thrill seekers, with laser tag, airsoft, retro gaming and escape rooms all on offer.
Halloween in Gravesend
And for even more Halloween hoots while you're in the area, you and the little ones' will have an itinerary of a lifetime with all of the fun goings on in Gravesend. Make Spooky Potions at Shorne Wood Country Park, join in on Broom Making in Trosley Park, get stuck into Crafts Making at St George's Arts Centre, and much much more! Explore all there is to do during the week off and that spooky weekend in Gravesend.
Electric Medway
The Electric Medway festival is back from 27th-29th October with various displays and attractions and is a platform for pioneering art that blurs the worlds of technology, performance and place. Jumping from virtual reality and projected light, to electronic music and more this is definitely a fun filled day to experience a range of new innovative work.
Ramsgate Tunnels
Here’s one for those who love history! Open from 1st – 31st October is Ramsgate Tunnels an explorer’s dream! Start off with a short film about the old Victorian Railway Tunnel before heading to see the Air Raid Precaution tunnels where thousands took shelter and lived under the town of Ramsgate. Listen to the stories about those who lived in the tunnels making you really feel like you were there.
Margate Caves
From the Iron Age settlement to the Caves development, travel back in time and experience the history of mining at The Margate Caves. Explore the community building, delve into their delicious treats at the café and discover the shop and exhibition. Hear stories about the caves and find out about the history behind them.
RAF Manston History Museum
Looking for somewhere to take the children that is filled with fun activities but still learning about history? Stop off at RAF Manston History Museum where they tell the history of the airfield from 1916 to this present day. Find out about the aircrafts and explore the artifacts from World War I to modern search and rescue operations.
Crab Museum
We cannot guarantee what the weather will be like in the half term and we know children love discovering the beach so if the weather is bad what better place to be than at the crab museum? Crabs are magnificent creatures they can be tiny, huge, cute, scary, vulnerable and so much more but did you know they affect our lives in many different ways? Head over to the Crab Museum in Margate and find out interesting facts which will make your children engaged for ages!
Coastal Explorer Packs
Everyone knows about our beautiful coastal beaches in Kent are available all year round but did you know Thanet beaches are packs available for £5 filled with equipment to help discover our rich heritage stories and natural coastal designations. Become an explorer and learn how to make a sundial, learn to use a compass, or discover the marine identification gear and become a rockpool researcher.
Halloween Spooktacular at Kent Life
Ready for the spooky season? Come along to Kent Life this October half term and carve a pumpkin, experience the creepy corner, whizz round on the fun farm rides and take part in the daily fancy dress competitions! Are you feeling brave? Head over to the historic houses and trick or treat but be careful as you never know who could be hiding around the corners or behind the doors.
Little Pumpkins Halloween Party
Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel are hosting on Friday 27th October their very own Halloween party which is filled with tricks and treats for your children to enjoy. The event has spooktacular entertainment, activities and crafts, a Halloween themed disco and food.
Spooky Children's Crafts at Guildhall Museum
Guildhall Museum has fun-filled activities during the October half-term which are free for children to take part in from 24th to 27th of October. Come down and design a hanging ghost or create your very own pumpkin mask ready for you to wear when going trick of treating.
Come and Meet a Pirate! At Upnor Castle
On Wednesday 25th October come and join Upnor Castle and meet their pirate! Take part in their fun adventures and find out about life on and off the ships with the rats, Bling and Bilge whilst experiencing their fun, exciting and interactive activities.
WW2 Bomb Squad at Upnor Castle
Become a WW2 bomb squad! Become a member of the Royal Engineers’ bomb squad and find out about Lt. Palmer and bomb disposals and take part in their air raid training plus much more fun activities for everyone to get involved in. Available on the 26th of October, this really will be a different adventure to take the children on.
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral will be every child’s dream this October half term as professional LEGO® Brick Artists and Designers, Kevin Hall and Emily Corl, as seen on TV’s Celebrity Lego Masters at Christmas, will be running three days of LEGO-brick building workshops inspired by Canterbury’s medieval knights! Children will get hands-on, learning how to make their very own knight out of LEGO®, customizing their armour, swords, shields… you name it. What’s more, the favourite builds will stay on display throughout the workshops.
Ghouls at Ightham Mote
You can always count on our historic houses to lay on a ghoulish treat for the little ones in half term, and this year Ightham Mote will be enlisting their help to track down the resident ghosts that have hidden in the garden. After busting spooks, your mini ghost hunter can round off their day with half term crafts to keep that imagination thriving. On 3rd November Ightham Mote will be hosting a family-friendly murder mystery night, Gunpowder, Treason & Plot. You and your crime fighter will be tasked with solving the mystery, touring the house after dark and questioning curious characters to solve the crime.
Family fun with the National Trust
From a Fungi Festival packed with entertainment and live music at Emmetts Garden, to Framing Knole, The Big Draw Festival at Knole, there are plenty of family friendly days out and events going on with the National Trust this week. While at Chartwell the Pumpkin Trail will be on display in the Walled Garden, with the chance to win a prize for guessing the weight of the biggest pumpkin, and plenty of woodland adventures through the grounds.
Penshurst Place
Enjoy Penshurst Place for the final time this year in their spooky Halloween spectacular! This year the family home will be bringing you storytelling and trails based on our favourite fairytales. From the 21st until 25th October hear the tale of The Prince and The Maid, said to be the basis of the story of Shrek, and learn how one Prince discovered that true beauty lies on the inside. In the formal gardens, try to find the creatures that have escaped from the witch’s clutches as you enjoy The Great Potion Commotion garden trail from 21st until 29th October. The Craft Barn will also be open from 21st until 29th October for a spooktacular array of creepy crafts to make and take home, including ghoulish ghosts and brilliant bats!
Kent Cookery School
Bring along your budding little chef to Kent Cookery School's kitchen this October half term to enjoy either a doughnut workshop, Mexican Street Food or Pasta Making. Perfect for those little ones looking to expand their culinary skills and taste some yummy food.
Betteshanger
Betteshanger Park is going to town with their spook-tacular events this half term. Grab a wheelbarrow and hit Pumpkin Town, their pumpkin patch, take on the thrilling adventure of the Terror Trail, and discover characters lurking in the woods, and find your way through the Woodland Trail with spooky surprises and misty magic around every corner.
White Cliffs Country
Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory will be hosting Harvest Mouse Nest Fest, the chance for little ones to learn more about these intriguing creatures. For more lessons in nature awareness, Goodnestone Park's Skulls, Scats and Tracks Day is a great opportunity to learn about local wildlife. Kearney Abbey's Halloween Day fun will include a trail of trick or treating and a fun-filled family day that can even include fancy dress!
Ashford Designer Outlet Late Night Shopping
Teens, get ready as on 27th October Ashford Designer Outlet is opening til 11pm. What's more, on top of the regular up to 60% reduction in prices, there will be a further 20% reduction on outlet prices for one night only! With heaps of big name stores from Nike to Sandro and Molton Brown to Body Shop, plus brand new stores including Hackett and Columbia, it's time to get shopping.
Pumpkins galore
It's only right we share some of the spots for pumpkin fun this half term. Castle Farm have been busy growing their Insta-wonderful crop of pumpkins and they're ready to be picked! Choose your perfect pumpkin, whether for carving or eating from their shop and rest assured that these pumpkins have been grown right on the farm. While at Wonky Parsnip at Brogdale, the Pick your own Pumkin day kicks off on 21st October. Expect the perfect pumpkin, a mini farmers market and plenty of locally sourced food and drink.
Wonderfully wild
On 24th October at Tyland Barn and 26th October at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, there will be plenty of hands-on crafts and autumn activities from Kent Wildlife Trust's Forest School team. See the trees change colour, crunch through the fallen leaves, explore the grounds and enjoy wild crafting and, most excitingly, a campfire session with toasted marshmallows!
Dr Frankenslime's Trick or Treat Express
All aboard at the Spa Valley Railway! On 28th and 29th October, the Frankenslime Express will be setting off from Tunbridge Wells Station with a carriage full of mayhem. Expect slapstick comedy and magic in a performance to keep little gruesome fans entertained, paired with activity packs, stories and even slime to thrill your little ghouls!
