Hampshire's half term is 26 to 30 October 2026, but Priestlands and Arnewood take two weeks. Beaulieu, Exbury, Hurst Castle and Moors Valley dates and prices.
Hampshire’s October half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and in the New Forest that is only the start of the answer. Priestlands in Lymington takes that week and the one after, to 6 November. The Arnewood School in New Milton takes that week and the one before, from 19 October. Ballard breaks up on 16 October. So the local holiday is anywhere from one to two and a half weeks long depending on the school, and the attractions know it: Beaulieu, Hurst Castle, Longdown and Paultons all run their Halloween programmes from Saturday 24 October, and Paultons started its on 9 October.
The other thing to plan around is the calendar. The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October (GOV.UK), so the county week is the first dark one, and two of the district’s outdoor attractions close for the winter the day after it ends: Exbury Gardens on 31 October and Hurst Castle on 1 November.
The quick answer
Hampshire schools are off Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 (Hampshire County Council). Priestlands is off 26 October to 6 November, Arnewood 19 to 30 October, Ballard 16 October to 2 November; Brockenhurst College keeps the county week. Beaulieu’s half term programme runs 24 October to 1 November on normal admission; Exbury’s Halloween Ghost Train runs 25 to 31 October at £10 plus gardens entry; Hurst Castle’s Halloween is 24 October to 1 November and included in the £9.50 ticket. Full school-by-school dates are on New Forest school term dates. Pumpkin picking, the scare mazes and Halloween night itself are on Halloween in the New Forest.
Whose half term is it?
| School | Last day before the break | Back in school | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire maintained schools | Friday 23 October | Monday 2 November | One week |
| Priestlands, Lymington | Friday 23 October | Monday 9 November | Two weeks |
| The Arnewood School, New Milton | Friday 16 October | Monday 2 November | Two weeks |
| Ballard School, New Milton | Friday 16 October, 5pm | Monday 2 November, 8.30am | Two weeks and a weekend |
| Brockenhurst College | Friday 23 October | Monday 2 November | One week |
| Lymington Junior School | Friday 23 October | Monday 2 November | One week |
Sources: Priestlands, Arnewood, Ballard, Brockenhurst College, Lymington Junior School. Hounsdown and Ringwood School do not publish their dates as text, so they are not in the table.
What is on, with dates and prices
| Where | When | What | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaulieu | 24 Oct to 1 Nov, 10am to 5pm | Folklore trail, ghost stories in Palace House, Cars 20th anniversary display | Normal admission, adult £28.35 advance |
| Exbury Gardens | 25 to 31 Oct, gardens open to 31 Oct | Halloween Ghost Train, pumpkin carving, haunted circus trail | Ghost Train £10 plus gardens £14.50 adult, £6.50 child |
| Hurst Castle | 24 Oct to 1 Nov | Basement maze, treasure trail, crafts | Included in admission, £9.50 adult, £6.50 child |
| Longdown Activity Farm | 24 Oct to 1 Nov | Haunted barn, performers on 28, 29 and 31 Oct | Included in admission |
| Paultons Park | 9 Oct to 2 Nov | Halloween Spooktacular, late nights 17, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29 Oct | Included in park ticket |
| Moors Valley, Ringwood | 23 Oct to 1 Nov | Illuminated Halloween trail, railway daily, workshops | Trail ticketed; railway from £3.20 |
| St Barbe Museum, Lymington | 26, 28 and 29 Oct | Free craft sessions in Pennington and Sway, face art at the museum | Free or ticketed |
Beaulieu, 24 October to 1 November
Beaulieu’s October half term runs Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 5pm. The programme is a folklore trail across the site collecting “ingredients” for a potion made at the Bothy in the Victorian vegetable garden, ghost stories told inside Palace House, and the return of the Disney and Pixar Cars display for the film’s 20th anniversary, with life-size models. Little Beaulieu and the monorail are open as usual, and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang rides cost extra and stop in wet weather. “Normal admission applies” (Beaulieu): adult £28.35 in advance or £31.50 on the day, child 4 to 16 £16.65 or £18.50, under 4s free, with a free return within six days (Beaulieu). Our Beaulieu in winter page has the rest of the season.
Exbury Gardens, 25 to 31 October, then closed
Exbury’s Halloween week is the last week of its season. The gardens are open daily until 31 October, 10am to 5.30pm with last admission at 4.30pm, at £14.50 for adults and £6.50 for children aged 3 to 15 when booked online, and the steam train is £7.50 a person (Exbury Gardens). The Halloween Ghost Train: The Curse of the Haunted Circus runs 25 to 31 October, a 30-minute live-action ride at £10 a person, £9 for Friends, free under 3, and needs a gardens ticket as well. Exbury’s own warning: it “may not be suitable for very young or sensitive children” and “may contain clowns” (Exbury Gardens). The same week has drop-in pumpkin carving from 10am to 4.30pm, creepy craft workshops, face painting and a haunted circus trail in the Rock Garden (Exbury Gardens). The Nerine exhibition in the Five Arrows Gallery runs all month.
Hurst Castle, 24 October to 1 November, then closed
Hurst Castle’s Halloween runs daily from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, with a maze in the basement, a treasure trail through the castle and arts and crafts, all included in admission (Hurst Castle). Admission is £9.50 for adults, £6.50 for children 5 to 17, £30 for a family of two adults and three children, and free for English Heritage members and under 5s. The castle’s season table lists 24 October to 1 November as 10am to 4pm, and then “Closed” from 2 November to 25 March 2027 (Hurst Castle).
Longdown Activity Farm, 24 October to 1 November
Longdown opens its haunted barn from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, with a princess character on Wednesday 28 October, a comedy magician on Thursday 29 and The Creature Teachers with live animals on Saturday 31. The farm says there is no extra charge beyond admission and season ticket holders get in as normal, with the usual daily hands-on activities running alongside (Longdown Activity Farm). The farm is open daily 10am to 5pm.
Paultons Park, 9 October to 2 November
Paultons’ Halloween Spooktacular runs from 9 October to 2 November 2026, with late-night openings on 17, 23, 24, 27, 28 and 29 October, when Peppa Pig World closes at 6pm. Shows include the Little Monsters Ball, and between 17 October and 2 November the Great Halloween Mystery and Spirit Squad Ghoul School; the Ghostly Manor dark ride is open throughout, and everything is included in the park ticket (Paultons Park). Paultons is at Ower, near Romsey.
Moors Valley, Ashley Heath, 23 October to 1 November
Moors Valley Country Park is at Ashley Heath, Ringwood BH24 2ET. Its ticketed Halloween Experience, an illuminated woodland trail, runs 23 October to 1 November with sessions from 4pm to 9pm. The park railway runs daily from 24 October to 1 November, 10.45am to 4.30pm, from £3.20 a person. There is a wall clock workshop on 27 or 29 October at £7, suncatcher making on 28 October at £4, a self-led Great Halloween Mystery at £3.50 a pack all month, and a Halloween laser tag special for over 8s from £23 (Moors Valley).
St Barbe Museum, Lymington, free sessions
St Barbe takes its family crafts out of the museum in half term: free “Out and About” sessions at Pennington on Monday 26 October and Sway on Wednesday 28 October, both 11am to 12.30pm, and a face art day at the museum on Thursday 29 October, 10.30am to 3.30pm (St Barbe Museum).
New Milton: the Lions’ Halloween market
The Lions Club of New Milton and District holds its Halloween and Christmas Market at the New Milton Hub, the former Memorial Centre, on Saturday 31 October from 10.30am to 4pm (Lions Club of New Milton and District).
The free option
The Forest itself does not close, and after the clocks go back dusk comes before 5pm, so the walks are a morning job. Our things to do in the New Forest page has the walks, and parking in the New Forest explains the Forestry England car park charges and the local membership.
Still to be confirmed
- Hounsdown and Ringwood School dates, which are not published as text.
- Forest Arts Centre, New Milton, and the New Forest Heritage Centre, Lyndhurst: neither had a half term listing online on 24 September.
- New Forest Wildlife Park: its calendar showed no October events when checked.
This page will be refreshed in mid October. The following week’s plans are on Bonfire Night fireworks.
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