October Half Term Guide 2019
It seems only yesterday we were slapping on the SPF and heading out to enjoy the summer sun, yet here we are - October already! A happy half term break brings a welcome week of super-excitement, with a calendar packed full of family-friendly events in store! Scroll through our guide for our selection of the best events in Gloucester - we've counted 51, without including the usual attractions featured on Gloucester Rocks!
All Week
Visit your local Pets at Home store for a FREE My Pet Pals Spooky Pets Workshop, taking place every day at 11.30am during half term. Workshops are aimed at kids aged 5-11, helping to teach them how rewarding pets can be and how to care for them. They’ll meet some friendly small furries whilst learning how to keep them happy and healthy! Find out more.
Join National Waterways Museum this half term for some Halloween fun, from 26th – 31st October. With an exciting Pumpkin Trail and different activities each day from 11am-3pm, including pumpkin carving, spiderweb stitching, costume and puppet making and face painting! Find out more.
Over Farm’s spectacular Spookyard Halloween event is jam-packed with Halloween activities for the whole family to enjoy this half term! Get ready to jump aboard the tractor trailer, pick your free pumpkin from the patch, carve a spooky pumpkin design, take in a show, get your face painted, enjoy fairground rides, stroke a slimy snake, win a treat, hunt for scarecrows and more! Don’t forget to pack your wellies! Over Farm is also running a special offer for Saturday 26th October; have your photo professionally taken in the pumpkin patch for FREE on the day, with a keepsake image to take home! Find out more.
Open all week, enjoy The Museum of the Moon exhibition, taking up residence in the Nave at Gloucester Cathedral. Marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, wonder at Luke Jerram’s internally lit replica of the moon as it floats above, with accompanying atmospheric soundscapes. Open 7.30am - 6pm. Find out more.
Come along to Longlevens Library to celebrate Horrid Henry's 25th Birthday! With a few, free activities to take part in, from colouring to a quiz! This is a drop in event between 21st October and 31st October (closed Sunday), 10am - 5:30pm daily, no ticket required to attend. Find out more.
Saturday 26th October
Let your imagination zoom to the moon at the Gloucester Cathedral, space-themed Big Draw Big Space Doodle, 10:30am - 3pm! This free, family-friendly drop-in session is held against a spectacular backdrop of the Museum of the Moon! Come and doodle some great galactic characters - the sky is not the limit! Find out more.
Come along to Matson Library for Dress Up Story Time this Saturday, 10:30am - 11am! Wear your own costume or try on one from the fancy dress box, then enjoy a story session followed by Saturday Craft and Fun Zone. No booking required and it’s free! Also running Saturday 2nd November. Find out more.
Join Gloucester Library for a free, Halloween storytime and craft event this Saturday, 10:30am - 12pm. There will be ghosts and ghouls galore, as well as a prize for best fancy dress! This is a family event for all ages, no tickets required. Find out more.
Join colleagues in your local Hobbycraft store to make your very own Halloween Spider Squishee! During the course of the workshop little ones will make their own spider squishee using a range materials provided. Workshops at 10:30am and 12:30pm, suitable for ages 4+. Find out more.
Put on your neon face paints and party dresses for the HCA Glo Party! Join DJ Rossy as he entertains the kids with music, party games and glow fun while you sit back and relax, before a visit from a very special guest, courtesy of Enchanting Story Book Parties! From 11am, the bar and tuck shop will be open for additional treats and glow goodies! Find out more.
Not long now until the ghoulishly, gory, scourge of zombies make their way through the infamous gate streets of historical Gloucester! Gloucester Zombie Walk 2019 is raising money for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, in association with Marketing Gloucester and Gloucester BID. The Zombie Walk will meet at 2pm and leave from Café René at 3pm. Find out more.
Come along to The Greyhound Inn for some ghoulish fun from 4pm! With a kids Halloween party in the afternoon including a disco and entertaining activities, followed with a frightfully fun, evening disco for adults! Fancy dress is highly encouraged, with a prize for the best dressed! Find out more.
Join Hucclecote Community Association for a spooky Halloween Party this Saturday, especially for 3-11 year olds, with a disco and games! From 5pm - 7pm, adults don’t need tickets, but must stay onsite with child. Find out more.
More partying awaits at the Podsmead Community Association Family Halloween Disco from 7:30pm! Dress up in your best Halloween outfits and celebrate with your community, with prizes for the best dressed child and adult! Wayne Wonder Childrens Entertainment will be performing at 8pm and hot food and refreshments will be served. Find out more.
Monday 28th - Friday 1st November
Throughout October half term, Play Rangers will be providing active and creative play days in urban and rural communities across Gloucestershire. Sessions are aimed at school aged children, young people and their families, providing adventure, friendship and fun! Sessions are open access, running from 10am - 4pm, and free for those attending! Find out more.
Children ages 0 - 11 are welcome to attend the various Halloween Playschemes throughout Gloucestershire this half term, organised by Gardners Lance & Oakwood Federation. With exciting activities including Spooky Skittles, Monster Craft, Slime, Feely Boxes and Pumpkin Ring Toss! Find out more.
Monday 28th October
Join Little Learners for a messy monster Halloween Party from 11am until 12pm; all the fun of the usual Little Learners messy play, with a spooky twist! Suitable for 5 months to 5 years, with older siblings welcome! Find out more.
Free, family storytelling at Gloucester Cathedral! Chloë The Dragon Whisperer will entertain with a fabulous mix of traditional and original stories. From the thrilling adventure of The Boy Who Saved The Moon in Somerset, to Silver Moon of Thailand, these tales are packed with magic, dragons and fantasy from around the world! Also running Tuesday 29th October. Find out more.
More free fun at the Gloucester Cathedral - Little Lunar Learners! This drop-in session runs from 11am - 3:30pm, and includes moon-themed art and craft activities suitable for all ages! Also running Tuesday 29th October. Find out more.
Come along to Dixie Dot to learn how to make some colourful, gooey, fluffy, glow in the dark slime! Kids can choose their own colour and texture, with a sealable container to take it home with you (so there’s no mess in the car)! Sessions suitable for ages 5+, also running Wednesday 30th October. Find out more.
Even more slime! Join Hobbycraft colleagues in your local store for free slime fun, as they show you how to make your very own textured Halloween slime! On the day, you'll be making your own batch of slime - choosing from a range of colours and textures! Sessions suitable for ages 4+.Sessions also run Wednesday 30th October and Friday 1st November, from 10am - 1:15pm. Find out more.
Tuesday 29th October
Join Haberdashmash for their exciting Make and Create All Day Halloween Party from 9:30am - 4:30pm! Book your chosen time slots at Brockworth Library for the popular Slime Sessions and to reserve a Customisable Cape! All other activities run on a drop-in basis, including party games and prizes throughout the day and pumpkin carving sessions! Find out more.
Free Thomas & Friends story time and Duplo trains at Longlevens Library from 11am - 12pm, with colouring sheets and word searches suitable for little ones! Find out more.
Pop down to Churchdown Library from 4pm - 5pm and take part in a free, Halloween creative writing workshop today! Children can make their own Halloween Haunted House which will open out to reveal their own story! Suitable for ages 4+. Find out more.
Wednesday 30th October
Come and join Mary Poppins from Everlasting Entertainment for this free storytelling session, held at The March Hare from 9:30am. Let your little one's imagination run free whilst you sit back and enjoy a coffee and breakfast! To make the deal even better - under 5's get a free drink with every hot drink purchase you make! Find out more.
Feeling spooky this Halloween? Churchdown Library are hosting some free, Halloween themed craft activities from 10:15am - 12pm. Find out more.
This free Carving For Young People workshop at Gloucester Cathedral offers 16-21 year olds a hands-on experience of carving! Participants will create a lunar landscape on two large alabaster discs, to create a sculpture, as well as creating a small moon to take home. Find out more.
Make a space themed mini comic at Gloucester Cathedral in this one day workshop for young people with Author and Illustrator Hannah Shaw. Learn to invent engaging characters, write a short plot, illustrate in sequence and design a cosmic cover! Recommended for 12 – 16 year olds. Find out more.
Come along to Robinswood Hill for a fang-tastic, family-friendly morning, with creepy crafts and wildlife-themed activities! There's no need to book, just turn up on the day from 11am - 2pm! Find out more.
The zombies are coming! Battlesports Glos is running a special Zombie Takeover (zombie themed laser tag) this half term! First game at 11am, last game 3pm, running hourly throughout the day. Simple turn up and play! Suitable for children 7+ and their grown ups, also Thursday 31st October and Friday 1st November. Find out more.
Join Interpal at the Olympus Theatre in Gloucester this Wednesday from 11am - 4pm, where you can enjoy various stalls, a bouncy castle for the kids, henna, delicious food and much more! All funds raised will go towards helping Palestinians in need. Find out more.
Thursday 31st October
Set your imagination free with the Gloucester Guildhall Bricks2Learn LEGO® Club! ‘Tis the ‘Spooky-Season’ and this Halloween children will be building their own vignettes from the collection of LEGO® bricks and minifigures. Come and join in for some fang-tastic construction fun! Sessions run between 9:30am - 2pm. Find out more.
Children ages 2 - 4 are welcome to attend free, story time at Gloucester Library from 10am, for magical adventures from the pages of some of your little one’s favourite books! Find out more.
Children will love this free, Halloween fancy dress day at the Museum of 'Ghoulster'! Wear your spookiest fancy dress to the museum today and win a small prize! Find out more.
Seven Towers Benefice is hosting a Superhero Holiday Club, for a day! An alternative take on Halloween, with no ghouls or frightening faces! Suitable for ages 4 - 11. Find out more.
Come along to LJ's Cafe for Halloween fun from 11am - 1pm! With free squash and biscuits, Halloween games, Halloween arts and crafts, Halloween bingo and prize for Spookiest Costume! Find out more.
Inspired by our night sky, Stella, is a brand new piece of theatre for children aged 3+ and their families. The story of The Man in the Moon is a familiar one, but what if it wasn’t an old man all the way up there, but a young woman? What if this solitary young woman had a job, a very important one? Performance times at 1pm and 4pm. Find out more.
Slightly spooky, very funny traditional stories from around the world in store at Discover DeCrypt, thanks to Chloë The Dragon Whisperer! Stories ideal for ages 8+, all welcome from 2:15pm - 3pm. Find out more.
Visit Churchdown Library for a Halloween themed STEM club! Learn how to make your own moving skeleton while learning about the different bones in the body and how they work together. Free event with no need to book, from 3:30pm - 4:30pm. Find out more.
If you’re out and about trick or treating this Halloween, make sure to stop in to Dixie Dot on your route! Some friendly witches will be giving out free sweets and squash to visitors from 5pm - 7pm. Find out more.
Friday 1st November
Occupying all four of the Gate Streets, the weekly Farmers’ Market in Gloucester offers a fine range of local produce including seasonal vegetables and autumnal fruits. With local bakeries, locally reared meats, poultry, game, cheeses, pies, olives, preserves, free range eggs - even plants for the garden! Find out more.
Bring the kids down to The Barn Owl for a Halloween themed magic show and disco from 4pm until 6pm, tickets include a lunch box meal and drink. Find out more.
The annual Churchdown Firework Display & Funfair will return tonight from 5pm at Churchdown Park! With another bright and entertaining firework display to surpass last year, from Catherine Wheels to Rockets, Parton Road will be ablaze with colour for the night, illuminating the sky for miles around! Find out more.
The Mini Marines team have planned an exciting overnight camp for parents and children at Cranham Scouts Centre! With an evening of child-friendly activities in store, including a haunting night trail, pumpkin carving, trick or treating, games, bushcraft, and marshmallow-toasting (with yummy hot chocolate)! Running Friday 1st - Saturday 2nd November. Find out more.
Saturday 2nd October
Exciting news! Brockworth First will be having a festive Autumn fair this year at Brockworth Community Centre, run by the parish council! This year's event includes a home produce competition, judged in five categories and open to children, with some great prizes to be won! Find out more.
Lego fun at Longlevens Library for ages 5-10 years, younger siblings can join in with Lego Duplo too - no need for them to book! From 11.30am - 12.30pm - and it’s free! Find out more.
New and returning favourite stalls, live music and something for all the family at Orchard Street Market this weekend! The market brings together the finest, award-winning, food, drink, art and craft producers in the area, featuring handpicked specialists offering unique, original products designed to inspire! Also running Sunday 3rd November, free entry to browse! Find out more.
Guests of the The Red Lion Charity Fireworks Display are promised an even bigger and better show this year! With bonfire night food from 5pm, a thrilling firework display at 6:30pm, and live music from 8pm, ticket proceeds to the Great Western Air Ambulance charity. Find out more.
Sunday 3rd November
Join store colleagues in your local Hobbycraft to make your very own poppy badge for Remembrance Sunday. During the course of the workshop you will make one spinning wheel poppy badge using a range of core components. Sessions run at 11am and 12pm, with 50% of the ticket cost goes to The Royal British Legion, suitable for ages 4+. Find out more.
The fabulous Coney Hill Firework Display is back with a bang! Coney Hill RFC and Coney Hill Community Primary School have been working together to make this years event bigger and better, and this year fairground rides and stalls have been included for all the family to enjoy! With a BBQ, hot drinks, sweets, music and bar. Gates open at 3pm, display starts at 6pm. Find out more.
The Longlevens Firework Display looks set to wow the local community this Sunday too! With a disco, stalls, food and entertainment on the night. Gates open at 4:30pm, with the display at 6:30pm. Find out more.
