Half term runs 26 to 30 October 2026. West Stow's after-dark trail, Theatre Royal shows, Apex craft classes and a free Haverhill Halloween, with prices.
October half term for Suffolk’s state schools is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Many schools also close on Friday 23 October for a training day. Culford School is off for two weeks, from Friday 16 October to Sunday 1 November. Below is what is actually booked locally that week, each checked against the organiser’s own listing.
The quick answer
- Dates: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, with a likely INSET day on Friday 23 October (Suffolk County Council).
- Biggest ticket: Shadows of the Past at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, after dark on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, £13.31.
- Free: the Mildenhall Treasure exhibition at The Apex (29 to 31 October, booked slots) and Haverhill’s Halloween trail (Saturday 31 October, 2pm to 5pm).
Updated 4 October: Haverhill’s Halloween now includes a £1.50 party at Haverhill Arts Centre at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm. Pumpkin patches, Ickworth’s Halloween trail and the sold-out ghost walks are on our Halloween page.
Full school-by-school dates are on our term dates page.
What’s on, day by day
| Day | What | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 25 Oct | Introducing the Longbow course, 1pm (15 and over) | West Stow | £55 |
| Mon 26 and Tue 27 Oct | Legally Blonde Jr, 2pm and 7pm | Theatre Royal | £12 to £18 |
| Tue 27 Oct | Kids and Canvas: Owl, 10am (5 and over) | The Apex | £22.50 a child |
| Wed 28 Oct | Kids and Clay: Hedgehog, 10am (5 and over) | The Apex | £22.50 a child |
| Wed 28 Oct | Red Robin’s Winter Song, 2pm (ages 3 to 5) | Theatre Royal | £8 to £20 |
| Thu 29 Oct | Kids and Canvas: Halloween, 10am (5 and over) | The Apex | £22.50 a child |
| Thu 29 Oct | Musical theatre masterclass: The Addams Family, 9.30am (ages 10 to 16) | Theatre Royal | See booking page |
| Thu 29 to Sat 31 Oct | The Mildenhall Treasure mixed reality exhibition | The Apex Lounge | Free, booked slots |
| Fri 30 and Sat 31 Oct | Shadows of the Past, 6pm to 8pm slots | West Stow | £13.31 |
| Sat 31 Oct | Haverhill Halloween trail, 2pm to 5pm (ages 3 to 12) | Haverhill High Street | Free |
| Sat 31 Oct | Halloween party, 3pm, 4pm and 5pm (ages 3 to 12) | Haverhill Arts Centre | £1.50 a child, adults free |
The detail
Shadows of the Past, West Stow. A new after-dark trail round the Anglo-Saxon Village on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, with slots every ten minutes from 6pm to 8pm. You follow a route of “Shadows”, each with a task, possibly archery practice or a search, seven minutes a task. The West Stow listing says it is “not a traditional scare event” but will be creepy and possibly scary. £13.31 a head.
Legally Blonde Jr, Theatre Royal. A young cast from The Voice Squad, an amateur company, at 2pm and 7pm on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October. 65 minutes, suitable for all ages, £12 to £18 (Theatre Royal).
Red Robin’s Winter Song, Theatre Royal. A 50-minute play by Manjeet Mann for ages 3 to 5, from Tutti Frutti, at 2pm on Wednesday 28 October. £8 to £20, or £12 for under-21s (Theatre Royal).
Musical theatre masterclass, Theatre Royal. A three-hour morning on the Theatre Royal stage for ages 10 to 16 on Thursday 29 October from 9.30am, learning songs and scenes from The Addams Family. Book on the Theatre Royal website.
Kids and Canvas, and Kids and Clay, The Apex. Ninety-minute sessions for ages 5 and over at £22.50 a child, one adult each with no ticket needed. An owl painting on Tuesday 27 October and a Halloween one on Thursday 29 October, both at 10am (Kids and Canvas), and an air-dry clay hedgehog with a woodland base at 10am on Wednesday 28 October (Kids and Clay). Acrylic paint does not wash out, The Apex warns. Its separate UV Halloween painting session on 29 October is already sold out.
The Mildenhall Treasure, The Apex. A free mixed reality exhibition about the 34 pieces of Roman silver found in a Mildenhall field in 1942, running Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October in The Apex Lounge. Entry is free but in booked slots, and The Apex marks them as selling fast (The Apex).
Haverhill Halloween. Haverhill Town Council’s new town-centre event on Saturday 31 October, 2pm to 5pm: a free scavenger hunt along the High Street with “interactive monsters”, for ages 3 to 12, plus short performances on the Market Square, times to be confirmed. Pick up the map at Haverhill Arts Centre, which also hosts a 45-minute Halloween party with a disco, games and a fancy dress parade at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm, £1.50 a child and free for adults, booked in advance (Haverhill Town Council).
Free and cheap, any day
- The Abbey Gardens, Bury: free, with a play area and treehouse in a willow maze. In October the Abbeygate is open 7.30am to 6pm, Sundays from 9am (West Suffolk Council). Our Abbey Gardens page has the winter hours.
- West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village on an ordinary day: 10am to 5pm, adults £7.50, children £4.50, a family ticket £23 (West Stow). Parking is £2 for two hours or £3 for longer.
Still to be confirmed
- Performance times for the Haverhill Halloween event.
- Anything else Moyse’s Hall, Ickworth or the cathedral adds for the week; we will add it when the organisers publish.
Driving in? Our parking page lists the free and cheap car parks, and the roadworks page the week’s closures.
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