Shropshire's half term is 26 to 30 October 2026, a week earlier at some schools. Fireworks at Craven Arms, steam trains, pumpkins and trails, with prices.
October half term in Shropshire is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 on the council calendar. Some schools, including The Priory in Shrewsbury and The Marches in Oswestry, break up a week earlier and take a fortnight from 19 October.
Here are the dates, and eleven things that organisers have confirmed for the break, with their own prices and booking rules.
The quick answer
- Half term: 26 to 30 October 2026. Back to school on Monday 2 November.
- Two-week schools: 19 to 30 October. Check your own school.
- The opening night is Saturday 24 October: bonfire and fireworks at Craven Arms, £7 an adult on the gate.
The dates are from Shropshire Council. School-by-school differences are on our Shropshire school term dates page.
What is on, in date order
| When | What | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct to 1 Nov | Garden of Curious Creatures trail | Attingham Park | £3.50 plus admission |
| 23 Oct to 1 Nov, daily | Pumpkinfest | Park Hall Farm, Oswestry | £14.95 online |
| 23 to 31 Oct | Halloween Trail | Hawkstone Park Follies | Included in admission |
| Sat 24 Oct | Bonfire and fireworks | Discovery Centre, Craven Arms | £7 adult, £5 child |
| 24 and 25 Oct | Christmas Gift Fayre | The Engine House, Highley | Rail ticket |
| 24 Oct to 1 Nov, daily | Half term steam trains | Severn Valley Railway | Adult from £26 |
| 26 to 28 Oct | Giant train set | The Engine House, Highley | Free entry |
| 26 to 30 Oct | Bones! workshops | Discovery Centre, Craven Arms | £5 a child |
| 27 to 31 Oct | Youth theatre shows | Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury | See venue |
| Wed 28 Oct | Halloween Trail | Walcot Hall | £6 a child |
| 29 to 31 Oct | Ghost Trains | Severn Valley Railway | See operator |
1. Bonfire and fireworks, Craven Arms
The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre holds its display on Saturday 24 October, and bills it as “the perfect night out to kick off the October Half Term”. Gates open at 5pm, the bonfire is lit at 7pm and the fireworks start at 7.30pm.
The gates close at 7.15pm and nobody is let in after that. On the gate it is £7 an adult and £5 a child, with under-fives free; advance tickets are listed at £6.30 and £4.50. No dogs and no sparklers. Parking is in the town’s car parks, not on site (Discovery Centre).
The county’s other displays are on our Shropshire fireworks page.
2. The Garden of Curious Creatures, Attingham Park
The National Trust’s half-term trail at Attingham runs from 17 October to 1 November, so it covers both half-term weeks. Families collect a trail sheet from Visitor Reception and follow it round the Walled Garden. It costs £3.50 and includes a painting set prize (National Trust).
Normal admission applies for non-members: £12.50 an adult and £6.25 a child for the grounds. More on our Attingham Park in winter page.
3. Pumpkinfest, Park Hall Farm
Park Hall Farm near Oswestry runs Pumpkinfest on October weekends and then daily from 23 October to 1 November, 10am to 5pm. Every paying child gets a pumpkin to carve in the pumpkin shed and take home.
Tickets are £14.95 online or £16.95 at the farm, for adults and for children aged 2 to 16. Under-twos are free. The price includes the rest of the farm park (Park Hall Farm).
4. Halloween Trail, Hawkstone Park Follies
The Follies’ trail runs from 23 to 31 October, 10am to 5pm. It is included in standard admission and does not need a separate ticket (Hawkstone Park Follies).
5. Steam trains every day, Severn Valley Railway
The railway between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster runs daily from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Families get a free Eye Spy booklet (Severn Valley Railway).
All-day Freedom of the Line tickets are listed from £26 an adult and £17.50 a child aged 4 to 17. A small family ticket, one adult and up to two children, is £43.50. A large family ticket, two adults and up to four children, is £69.50. The railway says booking ahead saves up to 20%.
6. Christmas Gift Fayre, Highley
On 24 and 25 October The Engine House at Highley holds the railway’s Christmas Gift Fayre, open 10.45am to 4.30pm with last entry at 4pm (Severn Valley Railway). The railway says parking at The Engine House is very limited and the best way to arrive is by its trains.
7. A giant train set, Highley
Train Time UK brings a giant train set to The Engine House from Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October, 11am to 3pm. Entry to The Engine House is free.
8. Bones! at the Discovery Centre
A workshop for children aged 4 to 11, picking apart owl pellets and looking at mammoth bones. It runs every weekday of half term, 26 to 30 October, from 2pm to 3.30pm. Tickets are £5 a child, booking is essential and children must come with an adult (Discovery Centre).
9. Youth theatre at Theatre Severn
Two young companies are in the Walker Theatre in Shrewsbury during the week: Cinderella Youth Edition on 27 and 28 October, and The Addams Family Young@Part on 30 and 31 October (Theatre Severn).
10. Halloween Trail, Walcot Hall
One day only: Wednesday 28 October, 10am to 3pm, through the arboretum. It is £6 a child and must be booked. Details are in our Walcot Hall Halloween Trail story.
11. Ghost Trains, Severn Valley Railway
Ghost Trains run on 29, 30 and 31 October, a round trip of about 75 minutes. These leave from Kidderminster, not Bridgnorth. The railway warns parents to expect jump scares, loud noise and periods with the carriage lights off (Severn Valley Railway).
Getting about
Roadworks that week are on our Shropshire roadworks and travel page, and car park charges are on parking in Shropshire.
Still to be confirmed
Shropshire’s libraries ran free drop-in craft and story sessions in the February and May half terms this year. The council’s library pages listed nothing for October when we checked on 28 September. We will add sessions when they appear.
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