Surrey schools break 19 to 30 October, academies 26 to 30 October. The Gruffalo at Alice Holt, Birdworld's show and 20 Maltings workshops, with prices.
October half term in Farnham is two different weeks this year, depending on the school. Surrey’s council-run schools break for two weeks, Monday 19 to Friday 30 October 2026. Weydon, Farnham Heath End, All Hallows and Rodborough take one week, 26 to 30 October. Most of what is on locally falls in that second week, and most of it is either free or included with normal admission.
Updated 20 October: the Maltings has added a Trick or Treat silent disco on Friday 30 October, £6.50 a headphone set, and Demon Dancers has gone from its listings. The afternoon space cupcake session on 23 October is sold out. Start times are now in the table for every session.
The quick answer
- Surrey council-run schools: 19 to 30 October. The big academies: 26 to 30 October only. Every school’s dates are on our Farnham school term dates page.
- Free and no booking: Gruffalo Granny storytime at Alice Holt Forest, Monday 26 October, 10.30am to 3.30pm, with the Gruffalo himself.
- Included with admission: Birdworld’s autumn science show, 24 October to 1 November, five times a day. Book online a day ahead to save £2 a ticket.
- Indoors: 20 Farnham Maltings workshops and shows across both weeks, from £5 Crafty Kids at the Museum of Farnham to £66 day-long art workshops.
Which week is half term?
| School | October half term 2026 |
|---|---|
| Surrey council-run primary and secondary schools | Monday 19 to Friday 30 October |
| Weydon, Farnham Heath End, All Hallows, Rodborough | Monday 26 to Friday 30 October |
| Hampshire schools (Birdworld plans around these) | Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November |
Surrey’s own dates are on the county’s term dates page for 2026 to 2027. Academies set their own, so check your child’s school letter. Birdworld tells visitors its half term runs from 24 October to 1 November, which is the Hampshire week. The Rural Life Living Museum lands in the week of 26 October. The Maltings has workshops in both weeks, so children on the two-week Surrey break have something from 20 October.
Outdoors and animals
1. Gruffalo Granny storytime, Alice Holt Forest, Monday 26 October. Forestry England is marking the new Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler story with storytelling sessions, a meet-and-greet with the Gruffalo and colouring, from 10.30am to 3.30pm. It is free and you do not book: sessions are first come, first served, and Forestry England says to arrive early (Forestry England, Alice Holt events).
2. Awesome Autumn at Birdworld, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Professor Featherstone’s 25-minute science show runs at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm each day, with a photo afterwards. You choose a session when you arrive, and it is included with your ticket (Birdworld what’s on).
| Birdworld ticket (booked at least a day ahead) | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, 16 and over | £22.95 |
| Child, 2 to 15 | £22.95 |
| Over 60s and students | £20.95 |
| Under 2 | Free |
Tickets bought on the day cost £2 more. Parking is free. In winter the bird park closes at 4.30pm and last entry is 4pm (Birdworld FAQs and plan your day). Keep your Stagecoach bus ticket from Farnham or Aldershot station and Birdworld takes 10% off entry.
3. Stranger Folk at Winkworth Arboretum, 10 October to 8 November. A free app-led folklore trail for 7 to 12 year olds and adults, with normal admission. Winkworth opens at 9am through the autumn, but the National Trust names half term (19 October to 1 November) as its busiest time and advises going mid-week. Prices and the Sunday shuttle bus are on our Winkworth Arboretum page.
4. Scarecrow Trail, Rural Life Living Museum, Tilford, 26 to 30 October. Local families make the scarecrows, on the theme “Once Upon a Time”, and they are judged on 29 October (Rural Life Living Museum, Scarecrow Trail). The museum’s own opening page says that from September it is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, and closed Mondays and Tuesdays (opening times), so the trail is realistically a Wednesday to Friday visit.
5. Activity Thursday, Rural Life Living Museum. On school holiday Thursdays the volunteers run crafts, woodturning, spinning and tractors. The listing starts on 22 October, the first Thursday of Surrey’s half term (Activity Thursday).
6. Military and Commercial Vehicle Day, Rural Life Living Museum, Sunday 25 October. Buses, lorries, fire engines and military trucks, with Dennis of Guildford as the theme. The event ticket includes museum entry (event page).
Farnham Maltings and the Museum of Farnham
The Maltings has the biggest indoor programme. Prices include the £1 booking fee, and the box office is on 01252 745444 (Farnham Maltings family listings).
| Date | Event | Ages | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 20 Oct, 10am to 2pm | 3D Design and Make: Autumn | 8 to 16 | £66 |
| Wed 21 Oct, 11.30am and 1.30pm | Ghost Stories drama workshop | 5 to 7, 7 to 11 | £14 |
| Wed 21 Oct, 2pm to 3.30pm | Beaded Halloween Jewellery | 6+ | £21 |
| Thu 22 Oct, 10am to 2pm | Rustic Autumn Paint and Draw Workshop | 6 to 16 | £66 |
| Fri 23 Oct, 10.30am (1.30pm sold out) | Cupcake Decorating: Out of this World | 5 to 12 | £18 |
| Fri 23 Oct, 10.30am to 12pm | Mythical Creatures in Watercolour | 12+ | £43 |
| Fri 23 Oct, 1.30pm to 3.30pm | Whimsical Watercolour Cat | 8+ | £39 |
| Mon 26 Oct, 10.30am | Print your own Halloween T-shirt | 6+ | £42 |
| Mon 26 Oct, 1.30pm to 3.30pm | Screen Print your own Halloween Trick or Treat Bag | 6+ | £39 |
| Mon 26 Oct, 2.30pm | Holmes and Watson and The Curious Case of the Masked Magician | 7+ | £17 (£64 for four) |
| Tue 27 Oct, 10am to 1pm | Family Watercolours: Autumn Leaves | 7+ | £36 one adult and child, £42 one adult and two children |
| Tue 27 Oct, 10.30am | Special effects stage make-up (fake blood, not for the squeamish) | 7 to 11 | £34 |
| Tue 27 Oct, 1.15pm to 3.15pm | Special effects stage make-up | 11 to 16 | £34 |
| Wed 28 Oct, 2pm to 3.30pm | Crystal Stars | 8+ | £26 |
| Wed 28 and Thu 29 Oct, 10.30am to 12.30pm | Crafty Kids, Museum of Farnham | 3 to 7 | £5 on the door |
| Thu 29 Oct, 10.30am or 1.30pm | Cupcake Decorating: Halloween | 5 to 12 | £18 |
| Fri 30 Oct, 10am or 1pm | No Tricks, Just Treats: Halloween Soap Making | 5+ | £26 |
| Fri 30 Oct, 10.30am, 12.30pm or 2.30pm | Silent Disco: Trick or Treat?, Cellar Bar | Families, 18 months+ | £6.50 a headphone set |
| Fri 30 Oct, 10.30am and 12.30pm | Silent Disco: Trick or Treat? | 18 months+ | £6.50 per headphone set |
| Sun 1 Nov, 12pm | The Mystery of Farnham Maltings | 7+ | £12 (£44 for four) |
Sources: each event’s own Maltings page, linked in the table. The Ghost Stories workshop runs as two sessions, 5 to 7 at 11.30am and 7 to 11 at 1.30pm. Demon Dancers, listed for 23 October when we first checked, has since gone from the Maltings listings and its page no longer loads, so we have taken it out.
Crafty Kids is a drop-in, so you may have to wait for a place, and children must have an adult with them. For the T-shirt workshop, under 10s need an adult too.
Getting about in half term
Park in the town centre for the Maltings; tariffs for every Waverley car park are on our Farnham parking page. The town centre works are still running, so check our Farnham roadworks page before you set off. For more ideas that work in any week, see things to do in Farnham.
Still to be confirmed
- Alice Holt’s other half term activities. Forestry England lists only the Gruffalo Granny day so far; Wild Learning’s paid holiday camps are listed without dates.
- More Maltings events. The family listing ran to 20 half term events on 13 October. We will check it again before half term starts.
Pumpkin picking, the Lantern Festival and the Halloween workshops are on our Farnham Halloween page. Bonfire Night follows straight after half term: see Farnham fireworks 2026.
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