Half term is 26 to 30 October. Lord Leycester ghost tours at £15 adult, 500 free pumpkins in Warwick, the Pumpkin Path and both castles' Halloween, with prices.

Warwickshire’s October half term runs Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and Halloween itself is the Saturday at the end of it. That is confirmed by Warwickshire County Council’s published term dates, which also put the end of the autumn term on Friday 18 December. Academies and aided schools set their own dates, so check your own school.

Updated 3 October: the Lord Leycester has published its 2026 ghost tours (eight evenings, adults £15), Castle After Dark now has a 10pm finish, and the twilight market has more than 30 traders listed.

Every one of the district’s main Halloween fixtures now has firm 2026 dates. Here is what is booked, what it costs, and the one listing that is still showing 2024.

Leamington Pumpkin Path: 24 October to 1 November, free

BID Leamington’s town centre treasure hunt runs Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, according to BID Leamington’s own 2026 events diary. It is a free trail: clues appear on small orange pumpkins in shop windows across the town centre, and the completed entry form goes into a posting box for a prize draw.

Ignore the dates on royal-leamington-spa.co.uk. The Pumpkin Path page on the town’s visitor site still carries the 2024 run, 26 October to 3 November, with that year’s 76 shops and that year’s posting box deadline. It has not been rolled forward. The BID’s diary is the one that has been.

The number of shops, the prize pot and the posting box location for 2026 have not been published yet. In past years the entry forms have been downloadable and also handed out from a stand on the Upper Mall in Royal Priors.

Warwick: 500 free pumpkins, Tuesday 27 October

Warwick Town Council gives away 500 pumpkins in Market Place, CV34 4SA, on Tuesday 27 October 2026, noon to 4pm, free, per Warwick District Council’s event listing. The square is dressed for Halloween as a backdrop for photographs and the council says to arrive early. Five hundred pumpkins across four hours is not many for a half term Tuesday.

Trick or Treat Twilight Market, Friday 30 October

The regular Warwick market returns in costume on Friday 30 October, 3pm to 8pm, Market Place, CV34 4SA, free entry. CJ’s Events Warwickshire, which runs it, lists the traders and says they will be in Halloween dress with activities for all ages. More than 30 traders were listed on 3 October, from bakers to jewellers and a pet food stall.

CJ’s names three car parks for it: New Street (CV34 4RX), West Rock (CV34 4DZ) and Cape Road (CV34 4UN).

Kenilworth Castle: 24 October to 1 November, in the entry price

English Heritage runs Halloween half-term at Kenilworth Castle from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, 10am to 4pm daily, at Castle Green, off Castle Road, CV8 1NG.

The important detail is the price: it is included in the standard entry price, and free to English Heritage members. There is no separate Halloween ticket to buy. Booking ahead gets 15 per cent off the gate price.

The programme is a Great Pumpkin Party: interactive storytelling, spooky games, a themed trail and a selfie spot, with a fancy dress competition each day. Children are encouraged to come in costume.

Warwick Castle: two different events, two different age limits

Warwick Castle splits Halloween into a daytime family event and an evening one, and they are not interchangeable.

The Haunted Castle, the daytime event, runs 24 October to 1 November 2026, 10am to 5pm, from £29 per person. It is billed for all ages, with live family shows, three mazes and the Falconer’s Quest birds of prey show, though the castle’s own page says the Halloween attractions are not suitable for babies and under-fives.

Castle After Dark runs on 24 October and then 29, 30 and 31 October, 6pm to 10pm, from £27 per person, and is recommended for ages 10 and over. The FAQs on the castle’s Haunted Castle page say 12 and over instead, so if your child is 10 or 11, ask the castle before booking. It is a festival-format evening: live music, DJs, a silent disco, street food, firebreathers, and three scare mazes called The Haunted Hollows, The Other Side and The Terror. The Castle Dungeon is a separate add-on from £15, £12 for passholders, and under-18s must be with an adult for it.

Two practical points from the castle’s own pages. The castle closes at 5pm and you re-enter for Castle After Dark, so a daytime ticket does not roll into the evening. And both events are pre-booked only, with no walk-ups.

Lord Leycester ghost tours: eight evenings, from £10

The Lord Leycester, 60 High Street, Warwick, has published Spooky Tours: The Lord Leycester After Dark for 2026. They are candlelit, guided tours of the medieval buildings telling the site’s ghost stories and darker history, with no scare actors and no planned jump scares.

  • When: 6.30pm to 7.15pm on Friday 16, Saturday 17, Friday 23, Saturday 24, Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October.
  • Price: adults £15, children £10.
  • Age: not suitable for under-10s, though younger children may go at their parent’s discretion.
  • Access: some areas on the route are not accessible to wheelchair users or people with limited mobility; the Lord Leycester asks you to contact it first.
  • The café stays open from 5pm with a Halloween menu, and the guide collects you from there. Bring a small torch and dress warmly.

Four of the eight evenings fall on the two Mop weekends, when Warwick town centre is closed to traffic; see below.

The rest of the fortnight

Half term sits directly after the Mop, so the two run back to back. Warwick Mop is 16 and 17 October and the Runaway Mop is 23 and 24 October, with heavy town centre closures and Hampton Road car park shut to all vehicles from 11 to 25 October. The detail is on our Warwick Mop Fair page, and it matters here because it eats the Warwick car parks for the whole run-up.

Markets in the week itself, from CJ’s published listings: Leamington’s autumn market on the Parade on Sunday 25 October, Kenilworth market on Thursday 29 October, and Warwick market on Saturday 31 October, Halloween itself.

Then it stops. The Leamington Christmas markets start on 1 November and the Diwali lights switch-on is that same evening. Our Christmas lights page picks the season up from there.

Parking

Warwick’s two free events are both in Market Place, which is inside the town centre core. Use our parking page for charges and closing times, and check the roadworks and travel page before driving into Warwick during the Mop fortnight.

Every date, time and price above was taken from the organiser’s or council’s own published page on 3 October 2026. Castle prices are “from” prices, meaning the cheapest slot rather than a flat rate, and both castles change them by date.

Frequently asked questions

When is October half term 2026 in Warwickshire?

Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, on Warwickshire County Council’s published term dates. Halloween falls on the Saturday immediately after it, and the autumn term then runs to Friday 18 December. Academies and aided schools set their own dates.

When is the Leamington Pumpkin Path 2026?

Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, free, around the town centre. That is from BID Leamington’s own 2026 events diary. The Pumpkin Path page on royal-leamington-spa.co.uk still shows the 2024 dates and should be ignored.

Where can I get a free pumpkin in Warwick?

Warwick Town Council is giving away 500 pumpkins in Market Place, CV34 4SA, on Tuesday 27 October 2026 between noon and 4pm. It is free and first come, first served, and the council advises arriving early.

Is Halloween included in Kenilworth Castle admission?

Yes. English Heritage runs Halloween half-term at Kenilworth Castle from 24 October to 1 November 2026, 10am to 4pm daily, and says it is included in the standard entry price. English Heritage members go free, and booking ahead saves 15 per cent.

What is the age limit for Castle After Dark at Warwick Castle?

The Castle After Dark page recommends it for ages 10 and over, though the castle’s Halloween FAQs say 12 and over. It runs on 24 October and 29, 30 and 31 October 2026, 6pm to 10pm, from £27, pre-booked only. The Castle Dungeon add-on is also 10 plus, and under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Are there Halloween ghost tours in Warwick?

Yes. The Lord Leycester on Warwick High Street runs candlelit ghost-story tours from 6.30pm to 7.15pm on 16, 17, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29 and 30 October 2026. Adults are £15 and children £10, and the tours are not recommended for under-10s.

Can I stay at Warwick Castle after the daytime Halloween event?

No. The castle closes at 5pm and you have to re-enter for Castle After Dark, so a daytime Haunted Castle ticket does not carry over into the evening.