by Mel Cook
BOO! It’s a very special half term in Norwich and Norfolk. A break from school uniform to dress up in glow-in-the-dark skeleton onesies, zombie suits and witches’ paraphernalia – all week long. And that goes for the grown-ups too!
Get stuck into writing ghost stories with published writers, taking a chilling challenge in a Halloween garden, daring to Twig or Treat, picking a pumpkin from thousands, taking notes for a frightfully good education or enjoying thrills, chills and circus skills.
Dragon Hall – home to the National Centre for Writing has a wonderful programme of school holiday activities – yet again they spoil us – and they include children who are a bit older and sometimes a little harder to please. These events are offered on a free or pay what you wish basis which is a huge help when trying to organise fun and watch your pocket. Check out their What’s On page!
Find something for children of all ages at Dragon Hall this half term
Write a Ghost Story with Adam Z. Robinson (11–13 years)
Mon 28 October, 1-3pm, pay what you wish
Get into the Halloween spirit with a fun and spooky writing workshop! Join writer Adam Z. Robinson as he teaches you how to create your own hair-raising tales. Dive into a series of creative exercises to help unleash your inner writer, looking at topics such as haunted objects, story skeletons and how to make a tale good and scary.
Family Activity Day at Dragon Hall
Mon 28 October, 10am-3pm, free & drop in
Looking for a creative activity or new space to explore? Drop into Dragon Hall and discover 600 years of fascinating stories! Learn about the building and its different uses over time, and take part in storytelling, craft activities and games for all ages. Drop-in any time during their Family Activity Day, no booking required.
Tyger: Meet Children’s Writer S.F. Said (8–13 years)
Tue 29 October, 2-2.45pm, pay what you wish
What is it like to write books for children? Meet S.F. Said, the award-winning author of Tyger, Varjak Paw and Phoenix. S.F. will talk about what he liked to read as a child, his dreams of being an author, and how he creates his stories. He will also read from one of his bestselling stories and there will be an opportunity for you to ask him questions.
How to Write a Story with S.F. Said (9-11 years)
Tue 29 October, 3.15-4.15pm, pay what you wish
Embark on a storytelling journey with S.F. Said, the award-winning author of Tyger, Varjak Paw and Phoenix. From coming up with ideas, to putting pen to paper, then adding the finishing touches, S.F. will share his advice on how to create stories that you would love to read.
Unleash your inner writing with Adam Z. Robinson at Dragon Hall
Step into a world of supernatural wonders at Castle Quarter‘s Spooky Spectacular carnival! It’s a FREE family-friendly event packed with eerie excitement, creepy circus performances, and interactive fun for all ages. There will be highly skilled circus performers, spellbinding stunts, stilt walking, poi spinning, lollipop hooping, and mesmerising hula hoop tricks and interactive circus workshops where you and your little ones can learn the tricks of the trade and become a circus star for the day.
You can also snap a spooky photo with their performers, who will be dressed to impress in creepy puppet, ringmaster, harlequin and clown costumes. We hope you’re feeling brave!
Castle Quarter’s Spooky Spectacular is full of circus-themed fun!
Holkham Hall never disappoints and this Halloween we see the opening of their new Halloween Garden. Be invited to dress up in your strangest outfit and creep through the gardens. Find chilling challenges, spook spotting, a Spooktacular Magic Show featuring Tess the Magical Cat, Pumpkin Carving (+£4) and Dastardly Decorations.
Learn about the magical plants grown in the garden and uncover the creatures that live there then enjoy the giant Pumpkin Patch, Ghostly Garden, Scarecrow Vineyard and Haunted Glasshouse. Get crafty and make a magic wand from all natural materials. Then write out a bewitching spell to cast with it!
Food trucks will be on site too for some tasty things to eat! And warming hot chocolate.
And as with many Halloween events this is outdoors so, please wrap up warm. On arrival, enter via the North Gates using the postcode NR23 1RH- parking costs £6 and well-behaved dogs are welcome- it really is a day for all the family!
Spooks, thrills, delights and chills have transformed Holkham’s Walled Garden for Halloween
Another local favourite and an award-winning one at that promoting imaginative outdoor play and adventure is BeWILDerwood. This Halloween, BeWILDerwood is introducing an exciting twist to their beloved Glorious Glowing Lantern Parade.
With a magical spin on traditional trick-or-treating, visitors are invited to dress up in their best Halloween costumes and wander along the magical light trail, spotting character doors along the way. As they discover each one, they’ll have the chance to say “Twig or Treat” to their favourite BeWILDerwood characters, enjoying a safe, fun-filled trick-or-treating experience like no other.
Children will be given their very own glowing lantern to help guide their way along the Halloween trail. Spot sparkly lights, shiny disco balls, BeWILDerbats and a GIANT pumpkin. Plus, enjoy a NEW 10-minute show Twig or Treat Tales at the Storytelling Stage. This year, there are new earlier arrival timeslots for families with younger children (arrival timeslots begin from 5.30pm to 7.30pm and the event lasts around 1.5 hours).
BeWILDerwood’s twist on Trick or Treating at this year’s Glorious Glowing Lantern Parade
Pensthorpe will be transforming into a land of magic and mystery this October half term for their FIRST EVER Pumpkin Festival… Mini witches and wizards can enjoy a whole week of eerie-sistible adventures including creepy woodland trails, scary scarecrows and petrifying pumpkin carving!
Visit their BRAND-NEW Pumpkin patch where you can choose from thousands of Pumpkins to collect and carve. Full paying children’s tickets include a FREE Pumpkin to pick and carve. Plus heaps of photo opportunities – it will look amazing!
Enjoy a hair-raising Halloween at Pensthorpe’s first ever Pumpkin Festival!
As the doors of ‘traditional’ schools close, the doors of the Weston-Smythe School of Dinosaurs and the Undead OPEN! But this is a school like no other. Turn up for Dippy and friends who will be joined by a quirky cast of professors, offering hands-on lessons and fun-filled sessions to get into the Halloween spirit. Meet the original teachers, returning in various forms to instill order, discipline, and a frightfully good education for all!
Dippy’s Hallloween Days promise a frightfully fun time!
What’s a scarecrow with his crows? And it’s up to you to find them! Chantry Place’s FREE Chantry Jack’s Crow Trail is frightfully good fun for families to enjoy. Pick up your map at Langley’s and hunt high and low for Jack’s crows!
Celebrate your success with Scarecrow Jack himself- snap a spooktacular selfie together an show your support with a creepy Crow Trail sticker! What’s more, there’s also the chance to enter competitions to win scarily-good tricks and treats.
Join the hunt for Chantry Jack’s crows!
This Halloween, Yalm have a spooktacular variety of Halloween-themed sessions for children of all ages.
Let your little ghouls and goblins unleash their creativity in the kitchen with their Halloween Cooking Workshop- including in a Best Dressed competition! If creepy crafts are more your thing, then how about Yalm’s Slime Workshop or Pumpkin Crafts? Decorate mini pumpkins, create creepy-crawly clay spiders and bring out your inner witch or wizard with magic ribbon wands.
Yalm’s Halloween events are for all ages!
Join in Banham Zoo‘s thrilling action-packed Halloween half-term, full of spooky spirit and wild adventure for all the family. Something mysterious is going on- the caracara’s mirror is missing! And you can help track it down- is this some mischievous fun or something spookier?
Uncover hidden clues and crack the case in this Cluedo-style mystery– it’s your chance to become a wildlife detective! Meet the zookeepers to discover spooky secrets, follow the trails through haunting habitats and handle creepy crawlies– if you dare!
Put your detective cap on and solve a spooky mystery at Banham Zoo!
Join The Garage‘s wonderfully wicked Halloween workshops this half-term, ideal for young children!
For 2 – 4 year olds, experience their first taste of theatre with Halloween Magic!, all about witches, wizards, spells and stories. Dress up in your favourite creepy costume and take part in an hour of games and play- learn how to bubble up a spooky spell, build a cool character and catch creepy-crawlies along the way!
And for your older children, why not try the Halloween Theatre Workshop? Make magical improvisations and explore famous spooky stories– are you brave enough? Full of marvellous props, games and role play, let your imagination embrace it’s whimsical side!
The Garage’s Halloween workshops are a spooktacular introduction to theatre!
If you’re want something a little less scary this half-term, then how about immersing yourself in not one, but two, authentic medieval camps? Step into the sights and sounds of Norwich’s medieval history at Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral!
And there’s something for all ages. Meet costumed characters, as well as Snap the Dragon and Flint the Fox and the Castle mice and their friends in a special sticker trail, before getting hands-on with crafts, testing out your combat skills, experiencing weaponry displays and more. You can even strike your own coin to take home on the day- how exciting!
Who wouldn’t want an opportunity to try on armour? And if that wasn’t enough, Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral will have various fun-filled family activities throughout half-term to unleash your creativity.
Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral have teamed up for a free medieval festival!
