October half term in Dacorum runs 26 to 30 October. Free Old Town Halloween fireworks on the 25th, a free animal drop-in at The Marlowes on the 26th, and more.

October half term for schools on Hertfordshire’s calendar runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Pupils break up on Friday 23 October and go back on Monday 2 November (Hertfordshire County Council). Some academies and independent schools set their own dates, so check our term dates page for Longdean, Ashlyns, Tring School and Berkhamsted School.

The quick answer

  • Half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026.
  • Free Old Town Halloween, Sunday 25 October, 3pm to 7.30pm, with fireworks at 7.30pm.
  • Free Eerie Animal Encounter at The Marlowes, Monday 26 October, 10am to 3pm, no booking.
  • Free bats and spiders sessions at the Natural History Museum at Tring, 27 to 29 October, and a free Museum by Torchlight evening on Friday 30 October.

Updated 1 October: The Marlowes has added a free animal drop-in on Monday 26 October, and Tring museum’s Torchlight booking page now shows no times available.

What’s on, day by day

Every entry below comes from the organiser’s own listing, checked on 25 September and again on 1 October. Anything not yet announced is left out rather than guessed.

Date What Where Cost
Fri 23 Oct, 8pm The Haunted Bride, a ghost play after Dickens (adults) Old Town Hall, Hemel Ticketed
Sun 25 Oct, 3pm to 7.30pm Old Town Halloween Event, fancy dress for all ages, fireworks at 7.30pm High Street, Hemel Old Town Free
Mon 26 Oct, 10am to 3pm Eerie Animal Encounter: snakes, tarantulas, rats, an owl The Marlowes, opposite Code Ninjas Free, owl handling £3
Tue 27 Oct, from 2pm Toy Story 5 (PG) Old Town Hall, Hemel £5, £3.50 with Dacorum Card
Tue 27 to Thu 29 Oct Brilliant Bats and Super Spiders, 10.30am to noon and 2pm to 3.30pm Natural History Museum, Tring Free, drop in
Fri 30 Oct, 5pm to 7.30pm Museum by Torchlight Natural History Museum, Tring Free, booking required
Daily Berkhamsted Castle ruins Brownlow Road, Berkhamsted Open 10am to 6pm

Old Town Halloween, Sunday 25 October

The day before half term starts, Hemel’s Old Town High Street holds its Halloween event from 3pm to 7.30pm. Dacorum Borough Council’s listing describes “a spooktacular afternoon” run with local businesses, St Mary’s Church, Community Action Dacorum and the Old Town Hall: entertainment along the street, a fancy dress competition for all ages and a fireworks display at 7.30pm. It is free, and the council says more detail is to follow (Dacorum events calendar). The listed postcode is HP1 3AQ. Old Town car parks charge until 6pm on Sundays too; see parking in Hemel Hempstead.

Eerie Animal Encounter at The Marlowes, Monday 26 October

The first day of half term is the one day Tring museum is shut, and The Marlowes has filled it. Its Eerie Animal Encounter runs on Monday 26 October from 10am to 3pm, opposite Code Ninjas inside the shopping centre: snakes, lizards, tarantulas, giant snails, beetles, rats and an owl, with handlers on hand. It is free and drop-in, no booking; holding the owl costs £3 a go or two for £5. Children must be with an adult (The Marlowes). The centre lists its car park as open 24 hours a day, seven days a week; see parking in Hemel Hempstead for the town centre options.

Natural History Museum at Tring

The museum on Akeman Street is free, but it is closed on Mondays, so it is shut on Monday 26 October. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm, and asks visitors to book a free entry ticket because walk-up space is limited (Natural History Museum).

  • Brilliant Bats and Super Spiders, Tuesday 27 to Thursday 29 October, 10.30am to noon and 2pm to 3.30pm. A drop-in table of specimens to handle, about how bats and spiders suit their habitats and the myths about them. Free, recommended for ages 5 and up (Natural History Museum).
  • Museum by Torchlight, Friday 30 October, 5pm to 7.30pm. The galleries go dark and children search for hidden animals by torch, with a spooky craft to take home and specimen handling, plus an optional trail challenge for £1. Free, ages 5 and up, booking required. On 1 October the booking calendar said “There are currently no dates and times available”, so keep checking the page (Natural History Museum).

The Old Town Hall

Dacorum’s theatre on the High Street has a Halloween strand this autumn (The Old Town Hall). In half term week itself the family option is Toy Story 5 (PG) on Tuesday 27 October, with screenings from 2pm at £5, or £3.50 with a Dacorum Card (Dacorum events calendar). For adults there is The Haunted Bride on Friday 23 October at 8pm, the Screaming Blue Murder comedy club on Monday 26 October at 8pm, and a screening of Weapons (18) on Wednesday 28 October. Box office: 01442 228091.

Berkhamsted Castle

The castle ruins are open daily from 10am to 6pm, according to the Friends of Berkhamsted Castle (Berkhamsted Castle). No half term event is listed there yet.

The week after

Bonfire Night follows straight on: the Family Firework Spectacular at Hobbs Hill Wood on Thursday 5 November, Camelot RUFC’s fireworks on Friday 6 November, and Berkhamsted’s and Tring’s displays on Saturday 7 November. Dates, times and tickets are on our fireworks page.

Still to be confirmed

  • The Old Town Halloween programme beyond the fireworks time. The council says more information will follow.
  • Booking for Museum by Torchlight, which showed no available times on 1 October.
  • National Trust half term activities on the Ashridge Estate: the Trust’s pages could not be read when we checked. This page will add them once they can be verified.

Sources