Halloween Events in Christchurch 2026: Pumpkin Picking, Trails and Family Fun

Halloween events in Christchurch for 2026 include pumpkin picking near Sopley, a spooky woodland trail at the Red House Museum, family activities at Highcliffe Castle and illuminated adventures at Moors Valley. Running throughout October and the school half-term holiday, the programme offers everything from gentle daytime trails to an atmospheric evening forest experience. Find confirmed dates, prices and booking information below, along with details still awaiting final announcements from organisers.

Pumpkin picking at Sopley Farm and Cat & Fiddle Farm

Sopley Farm, near Christchurch, offers a seasonal pick-your-own experience alongside its farm shop and bakery.

During pumpkin season, visitors can explore the fields, choose pumpkins for carving or cooking and pay for what they collect. Pumpkin picking is subject to crop availability, so check with the farm before making a special journey.

The farm currently advertises daily opening from 9am-5pm, with last entry for pick-your-own at 4pm. These are its general opening hours; check the farm’s latest social-media updates or contact the team to confirm pumpkin-picking arrangements for your chosen day.

The farm shop and bakery make it easy to combine your visit with seasonal produce, cakes and refreshments.

Check the latest information from Sopley Farm

Location: Sopley Farm, Derritt Lane, Sopley, Christchurch, BH23 7AZ

Images: Instagram

Halloween at Moors Valley

Where: Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, Horton Road, Ashley Heath, BH24 2ET

Moors Valley now has a substantial programme of daytime and after-dark Halloween activities running throughout October and into early November.

The Great Halloween Mystery

Dates: 1 October-1 November 2026
Times: 9am-5pm
Activity pack: £3.50, including a prize
Recommended age: 4+

The Giant Halloween Pumpkin has disappeared, and children are invited to join the Cobweb Crew to investigate.

Families will follow clues around the park, gather evidence and decode a secret message as they attempt to solve the Great Halloween Mystery. Advance booking is not currently listed as a requirement, although normal Moors Valley parking charges apply.

Check all Halloween activities at Moors Valley.

Halloween Illuminated Trail at Moors Valley

Dates: 23 October-1 November 2026
Times: Bookable sessions from 4pm–9pm
Booking: Required

When darkness falls, the forest will be transformed into an illuminated Halloween trail filled with eerie installations, live characters and immersive scenes.

The 2026 experience includes giant skeletons, a sinister Demon Barber, a carnivorous garden and mysterious forest rituals. It is designed as a family Halloween experience, although some scenes may be unsettling for particularly young or sensitive children.

Food, hot drinks and seasonal treats will be available to purchase around the trail. Parking should be reserved when buying tickets, with a limited free parking offer available for qualifying Moors Valley members and season-ticket holders.

Book the Moors Valley Halloween Illuminated Trail.

Sundown Adventures - Go Ape at Night

Dates: 16 October-8 November 2026
Times: Selected evenings
Tickets: £31.95
Booking: Required

Go Ape’s high-ropes course will open after dark for an illuminated adventure through the forest canopy.

Visitors can take on the usual aerial obstacles and zip wires while the surrounding trees and course are lit with glowing lights. This is a more adventurous Halloween option for older children, teenagers and adults, with individual participation requirements applying to the different Go Ape courses.

Check availability for Go Ape Sundown Adventures.

Halloween Potion Hunt at Go Ape

Dates: 24 October - 1 November 2026
Times: Selected sessions
Price: £5 extra, added to an eligible Go Ape booking
Booking: Required

The Woodland Wizard has lost his potion ingredients among the branches, and visitors are invited to help find them.

This optional Halloween activity can be added to Treetop Adventure, Treetop Adventure Plus and Nets Adventure. Participants search for ingredients and solve a puzzle to earn a prize. The £5 charge is an add-on and does not include the underlying Go Ape experience.

Check Go Ape’s Halloween Potion Hunt.

Halloween Laser Tag Special

Dates: 24 October-1 November 2026
Times: Selected sessions
Tickets: From £23 per person
Recommended age: 8+
Booking: Required

Moors Valley’s outdoor laser-tag zone will receive a Halloween makeover during the October half-term holiday.

Teams will enter a darker, atmospheric game area for Halloween-themed versions of the attraction’s usual laser-tag challenges. Places must be reserved in advance and session availability may vary by date.

Check the Halloween Laser Tag sessions.

Halloween and Autumn Craft Workshops

Wall Clock Creation Workshop

Dates: Tuesday 27 and Thursday 29 October 2026
Time: 10.30am-11.30am
Price: £7 per person
Recommended age: 4+
Booking: Required

Join the rangers to make a working autumn-themed clock. Participants decorate a clock face with seasonal designs before assembling a simple mechanism to create a keepsake to take home.

Halloween Suncatcher Making

Date: Wednesday 28 October 2026
Sessions: 10.30am-11am and 11.15am-11.45am
Price: £4 per child
Recommended age: 4+
Booking: Required

Children can create a Halloween suncatcher in the Ranger Den, using colourful tissue paper to decorate a themed shape ready to display in a window at home.

Book Moors Valley’s half-term craft activities.

Room on the Broom Halloween Trail

Dates: Throughout October
Times: 9am-5pm
Trail pack: £4, including the Halloween activity sheet

Look out for magical cauldrons along the Room on the Broom trail this October. Families can solve clues and complete a crossword to earn a special sticker reward.

The Halloween activity sheet is included when purchasing a £4 Room on the Broom trail pack.

Find out about the Room on the Broom Halloween Trail.

Images: Moors Valley

Highcliffe Castle’s 2026 October half-term activities run from Sunday 25 October to Sunday 1 November.

This year’s activities have a Night Sky theme rather than a traditional Halloween theme, but they provide a useful family day out during Halloween week.

Children can search for stars hidden around the Castle and design a planet to add to the attraction’s night-sky display.

Additional craft sessions take place from 10am until 3pm on:

• Tuesday 27 October
• Thursday 29 October

Children can make a rocket or create a planet-themed suncatcher. The trail and craft activities are included with normal Castle admission.

Half-Price Family Day

Highcliffe Castle is offering 50% off family admission on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

The Castle will be open from 10am until 4pm, with last admission at 3pm.

Although advance booking may not always be essential, purchasing admission online is advisable during the school holiday.

Book admission to Highcliffe Castle

Location: Highcliffe Castle, Rothesay Drive, Highcliffe, Christchurch, BH23 4LE

Images: Facebook

BMT’s Halloween Spooktacular at The Regent

Where: The Regent, 51 High Street, Christchurch, BH23 1AS
Date: Saturday 31 October 2026
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: £19
Booking: Required

Bournemouth Musical Theatre returns to The Regent for its first fully staged concert at the venue in ten years.

The family-friendly Halloween Spooktacular will combine theatrical choreography, live vocals and suitably sinister musical-theatre numbers.

The programme draws inspiration from shows including Wicked, Beetlejuice, Young Frankenstein and Little Shop of Horrors, alongside spooky rock favourites and other Halloween surprises.

This is a full evening theatre production rather than a children’s party, but The Regent describes it as suitable for families and musical-theatre fans.

Book BMT’s Halloween Spooktacular.

The Spooky Woodland Walk and Trail

The Red House Museum and Gardens is inviting families to explore its spooky decorated woodland walk this October half term.

Advertised for 24 October - 2 November 2026, the trail takes visitors among the trees to search for ghosts and ghouls hiding alongside the museum’s dinosaur inhabitants.

Admission to the museum and woodland walk is free. Optional Halloween trail leaflets cost £3 each, and no advance booking is required.

The woodland walk is an outdoor activity and may be affected by the weather. Check the museum’s opening days before visiting, as the advertised date range does not necessarily mean daily opening.

Check the Red House Museum Halloween trail.

Treehouse Theatre: The Enormous Pumpkin

Date: Thursday 29 October 2026
Time: 2pm-3pm
Tickets: £6 per child; accompanying adults and babes-in-arms free and do not require tickets
Recommended age: 3-8, although open to all
Booking: Advance booking recommended; spaces are limited

Treehouse Theatre brings The Enormous Pumpkin to the Red House Museum for an afternoon of interactive storytelling with a Halloween twist.

Inspired by the classic tale of The Giant Turnip, this gentle family performance invites children to join in an imaginative adventure. Halloween fancy dress is encouraged, making it a chance for younger visitors to enjoy their costumes in a relaxed, friendly setting.

The hour-long event is scheduled for the ground-floor Main Gallery, but may move into the South Garden if the weather allows.

Book Treehouse Theatre: The Enormous Pumpkin.

Location: Red House Museum and Gardens, Quay Road, Christchurch, BH23 1BU

Images: Hampshire Cultural Trust

Continue planning with our other local guides:

• Halloween Events in Bournemouth 2026
• Halloween Events in Southbourne 2026
• Halloween Events in Poole 2026 
• Halloween Events in Dorset 2026

Dates, prices and programmes can change after publication. Always check with the individual attraction or event organiser before travelling.