For our 2016 guide see: Halloween events in Shropshire during October 2016 half-term
The information below is now out of date.
What tricks can you get up to with your family this Halloween? Here’s some of the events taking place in Shropshire this October:
Ghostly Gaslight at Blists Hill Victorian Town
On Halloween night itself, 31 October, dress up in your most scary costume and go along to the Ghostly Gaslight event at Blists Hill Victorian Town, when the streets, shops and houses will be transformed into eerie places filled with ghosts, ghouls and monsters. The buildings will be illuminated in spectacular style and fireworks and pyrotechnic effects will light up the night sky.
One of Shropshire’s biggest Halloween events, Ghostly Gaslight will keep all ages guessing what spooky encounter they might meet next – will it be the wicked wizard casting spells, the local carpenter seeking victims to nail in his coffin, ghostly apparitions in the cottages’ windows or zombies looking for brains.
This popular fun and safe family event takes place between 6pm and 9pm. Tickets must be purchased in advance either online or from any of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums or the Ironbridge Visitor Information Centre. All under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Passports are not valid and dogs will not be allowed.
For further information and too book call 01952 433 424 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk.
*PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT*
Spooky Tales & Crafts at Stokesay Castle
It’s Halloween – and where better to enjoy some bone-chilling fun than at a centuries’ old ‘haunted’ castle? This half term spend a spooktacular day out at Shropshire’s popular old haunt – Stokesay Castle. With a feast of frightening fun, have-a-go crafts and spooky stories, your little horrors are in for a frightfully good time!
Join the castle team in Stokesay’s Gatehouse for different creepy crafts each day of the half term. Make your own bats, spiders, and lanterns to take home – perfect for getting in the spooky spirit. Storytellers in the spine-tingling solar room will treat little ghouls to a terrifying tale or two.
Plus, get in to the Halloween spirit with a daily kids’ fancy dress competition! Come along dressed in your most spooktacular costume and frighten the fearless staff! Judging takes place at 3pm daily with a prize for the best costume and medals for all those who take part.
Jenny Davie, Event Manager at English Heritage says, “We are going to be having monstrously good fun at Stokesay Castle this October Half Term and we are inviting aspiring young spectres to bring their mummies (and their daddies) for a hysterical and historical good time. What better place to imagine the ghosts of Shropshire’s past than at the dramatic medieval castle!”
Stokesay Castle is open every day from 10am – 5pm until 1st November, and then at weekends only throughout the winter. The Spooky Tales & Crafts activities will take place over the half term holiday from Monday 26 – Friday 30 October, between 11am and 4pm.
Tickets: Adult £6.60 /Child £4.00 /Concession £6.00 /Family £17.20 / Member FREE. Please note, an additional £1 will be charged on standard admission for every member and non-member child to help us fund this entertainment activity.
Halloween fun at Shrewsbury’s Darwin Shopping Centre
Shrewsbury’s Darwin Shopping Centre has gone pumpkin potty and chocolate crazy as it gears up for a spooktacular Halloween celebration.
The Centre’s Pumpkin-Carving Classes will be held in the unit next to Yours, opposite M&S, from 11am to 3pm on Thursday 29 October.
Maggie Love, has kitted herself out with genuine American-style safety pumpkin parers and is issuing an open invitation to local youngsters and their families to get creative. A chocolate workshop will also be held at the same time as the pumpkin carving classes by Chocolatier, Julia Wenlock. Julia will be teaching how to make scary face Halloween lollies.
On Friday, October 30, the centres will be staging a special fancy dress event at 12pm.
Shrewsbury Halloween Event
A fun filled Halloween themed day in Shrewsbury’s Quarry Park.
The event begins at 12pm with a entertainment and a fun fair, meet ghoolish characters from 2pm with a fancy dress competition at 5pm judged by the Deputy Mayor of Shrewsbury.
At 8pm there will be a fireworks display for all to enjoy.
The event will see market stalls, a fun fair, hot food and bar.
Free entry.
Halloween at The British Ironwork Centre
Dust off your broomsticks and dress up your little monsters as the British Ironwork Centre prepares for its FREE renowned Halloween Spooktacular.
Join us on the Friday 30 October for plenty of family Halloween fun. Come and meet some of our scariest sculptures ever from terminator, alien and terrifying spiders to menacing scarecrows, expect the unexpected.
For all those arachnophobes be warned you’re in for a fright, we have the largest spider in the UK visiting, think Aragog from Harry Potter but much bigger!
Staff are readying the fake blood and scream inducing decorations, our ghostly face painting services will also be on offer not to mention a host of sweet treats and a prize for the scariest costume.
Beware the wicked witch of the West, this malevolent visitor will also be joining our horrifying team, her ghastly cackle is sure to haunt you long into the Halloween evening! Children are invited to take part in a scary safari quiz to test their knowledge of the animal kingdoms most fearsome beasts.
Although the Halloween spectacular is FREE OF CHARGE, Fusion arts will also be at the centre giving demonstrations / experiences such as fire breathing, game tournaments, glitter tattoos & drums experience for a minimal cost.
Spooky Walks at Attingham Park
Step into the world of ghosts and ghouls, with self-guided spooky walks, at Attingham Park, this Halloween.
Students from Shrewsbury College are in rehearsals for the annual night-time scare-fest. Now in its fifth year, the popular self-guided walks promise to be bigger, better and scarier than before.
Performing Arts and Media students will combine forces this year and take up residence in the eighteenth century mansion, which offers a fantastic backdrop for more horror delights, including spine-chilling songs, hair-raising short productions and petrifying projections.
The route also takes visitors around parts of the grounds in the evening darkness, giving them a chance to discover what’s lurking in the shadows.
Spooky Walks will take place at Attingham Park on Monday 26, Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 October from 6-8pm (last admission 7.30pm).
The walks are not suitable for under 10’s (at parents’ discretion) and sections of the route involve steps. Visitors must bring their own torches as it will be after dark. Normal grounds admission charges apply.
There is no additional charge for the performance, but the students will be collecting donations towards course facilities and educational activities.
For more information about Attingham Park, including opening times, events and admission charges, please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/attinghampark or call 01743 708162.
Halloween fun at Alan Ward
Children’s entertainer Miss Picklelily will be performing her Witch Picklelily shows at Alan Ward on Friday 30th October.
The event will be held at the department store on Ennerdale Road in Shrewsbury from 10.30am to 3pm.
Children’s entertainer Miss Picklelily will be performing her 30-minute Halloween themed magic shows at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm.
Scott Adams from the Exotic Zoo will be in store with his creepy crawlies until 1pm, showcasing their animals and creepy creatures.
Children are welcome to join in the fun by turning up in Halloween themed fancy dress but it is not essential. A competition for the best fancy dress costume will also take place.
A Halloween hunt which will see the children solve the clues and enjoy a hunt around the store before winning a prize from the Halloween hamper.
There will also be refreshments for the children and the parents and grandparents.
The event will also see Alan Ward boost their fundraising efforts for Macmillan Cancer Support as staff will collect donations for the charity throughout the day.
Pumpkin Carving with Peppa Pig at Meadowdale Nurseries
Meadowdale Nurseries in Telford are welcoming a special guest at their pumpkin carving event on the 28 October, Peppa Pig!
The event will start at 10.30am, where Peppa will be on hand to meet the children and help them with their pumpkin carving. She will also be selling a variety of Halloween themed cakes in aid of the Nurseries chosen charity, Severn Hospice.
To top all that, for the very first time, visitors to the Nurseries will be able to ‘pick their own’ pumpkins from Saturday 24 October. The family-run Nurseries, who have never grown pumpkins before, planted the pumpkins back in June, so that they would be ready in time for the Halloween season.
John Anderson, co-owner of the Nurseries, said: “We were very excited and relieved to see the pumpkins coming through. We have been growing plants for the last 27 years, but have never grown any kind of vegetables before, so we were delighted that the crop was successful and are hoping to expand it in future years. ”
If you would like to attend the workshop on the 28th October, please telephone Meadowdale on 01952 502470 to pre-book a place. A small charge of £2.50 per child will be taken on the day, to cover costs and to allow for a donation to the Nurseries chosen charity, Severn Hospice. Children are more than welcome to simply visit Peppa Pig (without taking part in the Pumpkin Carving event) free of charge.
Meadowdale Nurseries is situated on Wellington Road, Horsehay, on the A5223 (postcode TF4 2PU). From junction 6 of the M54 take the A5223 towards Ironbridge Gorge and the Nurseries are located on the right, immediately after Horsehay Village Golf Course.
Halloween Special: Rabbit Theatre Goes Batty!
Arts Alive scored a hit last year with Rabbit Theatre’s wonderfully witty, one-man adaptation of Great Expectations. Now the same team, with the brilliant David Mynne taking on the role of The Count, his victims – and everyone else – has got its teeth into Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Blood and bats. Garlic and gore. Lunatics and sexy lady vampires. Coffins, crypts and the Count. They’re all here in this brand-new adaptation… a monstrous, disturbing and completely batty tale of dark deeds and the Un-Dead!
Dracula will be flapping into Snailbeach Village Hall (SY5 0NX) on Friday 30 October at 7.30pm. For tickets call 01743 791327 £10/6/26 (family).
Ghoulish goings on this October Half Term at Attingham Park
There’s fiendish fun at Attingham Park this Half Term, small spooks can pick up a Hallowe’en family trail throughout Half Term for £2.50 to explore the grounds to find spooky clues and solve the Hallowe’en mystery.
Attingham Adventures: Ghost Hunters will be on Tuesday 27 October where little monsters will get the chance to make their very own ghost hunting kit to fight off any ghoulish goings on. Attingham Adventures is £5 per child and gets children to make those all-important ghost hunting essentials. Everyone knows that a ghost hunter’s kit wouldn’t be without a ghost catcher and children get to design a wand to cast those all-important ghost hunting spells to lure in their prey.
Hallowe’en traditions are also on offer, with a chance for little ones to carve a pumpkin on Thursday 29 October to take home in time for Halloween. Tickets are £4.50 per child and can be picked up on the day.
Be brave and meet the Master of the Murderous Mansion in this spooky encounter. Children will have to listen carefully to the Master and be fearless enough to take on his tricky challenge. Bump into the Master at the set times of 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm on Thursday 29 – Saturday 31 October. £2.50 per child and is suited for blood-sucking vampires aged between 4 and 11.
Tamsin Cross, Programming and Events Officer said, “There’s fun and frights for all at Attingham this Hallowe’en Half Term, so it’s a great time to visit with the whole family. Adventure planners are available to pick up from Visitor Reception to make sure that families don’t miss any of the spook-tacular events on offer!”
Normal admission charges apply. For more information on Attingham Park events call 01743 708162 or visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/attinghampark.
Spooky Night at Shrewsbury High Prep School
Shrewsbury High Prep School will be opening its gates on Friday 23rd October from 5.30pm for a Spooky Night!
If you are brave enough, you can take a stroll along the ghostly trail, visit the witch’s cavern and explore the slimy cauldron! In the creepy Kennedy cave you will find refreshments, stalls, activities and games. Bring your lightsabres and glow sticks and we’ll also have a prize for the best fancy dress! All welcome!
To find out more, please call 01743 494 038 or visit the School’s Facebook page “Shrewsbury High School.”
Halloween “Horrors” at Weston Park
Head to Weston Park between October 27 – 31 for creepy crafts, pumpkin carving and spooky scavenger hunts during half-term.
In the Granary Deli & Cafe kids can tuck into pumpkin soup, spooky sandwiches and novelty cakes and biscuits.
The Miniature Railway will be open, taking riders into Temple Wood for a 14 minute journey through Capability Brown’s scenic pleasure grounds.
All day: Halloween trail through Temple Wood
11am – 12.30pm: Spooky Craft Activities and Pumpkin Carving
2pm – 3.30pm: Spooky Craft Activities and Pumpkin Carving
From 11am – 4pm there will be Halloween cartoons including Tom & Jerry and Spongebob Squarepants in the Auditorium.
Gates open at 10.30am – 4pm with activities taking place from 11am – 12.30pm and 2pm to 3.30pm daily in the Activity Room. Park Admission Prices: £7.50 per child, £4.50 per adult, £22.00 per family (2+2), Pumpkin Carving + £1 per person, Miniature Railway + £2 per person.
** The Adventure Playground is closed to visitors due to essential winter maintenance.
Halloween Fun at Dudmaston
Things are getting spooky at Dudmaston this Hallowe’en. We are asking for visitors to join us on Sunday for a day of all things creepy. Turn up in your best Hallowe’en costume and ask the face painter to complete your scary look. There will be children’s crafts and trails around the garden, can you solve Dusty’s riddle? For the younger visitors there will be storytelling in the enchanted wood, for the older and braver, dare you enter the Dingle woodland? More importantly will you be able to leave?
Events and Marketing Officer, Caroline Norcott, said “everyone at Dudmaston loves Hallowe’en and we all can’t wait to get dressed up; even the tearooms get involved making lots of lovely treats (hopefully no tricks!) Our scary Dingle walk has become a firm favourite with our visitors but also with the staff and volunteers who love nothing better than hiding in the woodland ready to scare the unsuspecting visitor. I prefer a less frightening day so will be looking forward to storytelling in the enchanted wood, hopefully it won’t be too scary or else I won’t be able to sleep after.”
There are plenty of other things for people to enjoy including new installations, ‘Unheard Voices’ and ‘Dudmaston: Something Old Something New’ in the Galleries, which provides visitors with a special moment of peace and reflection amongst all the spooky fun. On Monday and Wednesday the following week, join us for Hallowe’en themed children’s crafts and trails around the orchard and garden.
Events take place on Sunday 25, Monday 26 and Wednesday 26 October 11:30am – 5:00pm.
Normal admission charge applies with a small additional charge for crafts, trails and face painting.
Design and sail a ghost ship on the Enginuity pool of doom
Design and make a spooky ghost ship at Enginuity’s drop-in Halloween themed workshops during the autumn half-term between 24 October and 1 November. Then see how wind power makes it race through the dark, treacherous waters of the pool of doom at the interactive design and technology centre near Ironbridge, Shropshire. Everyone is invited to come dressed for the part in their most frightening pirate costume.
The fun, hands-on Ghost Ship workshops will use a foam base for the boat’s hull plus colourful craft materials to customise the sail. Taking place between 10.30am and 3.45pm, activities will vary from day-to-day and carry a small charge in addition to the museum entrance fee.
After testing your boat, follow a self-led water-themed trail around Enginuity and discover how a little ingenuity will empower you to generate electricity from flowing water as well as pull a 10 ton locomotive, build an earthquake proof tower and challenge a robotic arm to test the speed of your reactions. There’s also a soft play area for small children and a shop packed with great science, design and technology inspired toys.
Open 10am to 5pm Enginuity is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £27.95 per adult, £21.50 for seniors, £16.95 for children under 18, £68 for a family of two adults and all their children and £50 for a family with one adult; under 5s free (terms and conditions apply); Passports can also be bought online in advance saving 10% and individual entry tickets are available at each museum.
Halloween at Hoo Farm
Hoo Farm’s season of spooky fun returns for another year. Join Winnie the Witch for some scary activities at Halloween at Hoooooo Farm including pumpkin carving, eyeball picking and some creepy sand art.
Halloween events take place from Saturday 24 October – Sunday 1 November.
Alongside these extra activities Hoo Farm’s usual animal encounters will continue to take place. Open 10am-5pm admission is £9.95 adults; £9.45 2-16 year olds, £9.45 concessions, family of five £45 under 2s free. For details visit www.hoofarm.com or call 01952 677917.
Halloween Events at Whittington Castle
On Sunday 25 October between 12 noon to 4pm, let your young ones enjoy a spooky time at Whittington Castle, collect treats as you play the spooky games, enter a carved pumpkin to win a prize and enter the fancy dress competition.
Visit the witch for your treats and follow the spooky trail around the Castle and grounds.
£1 per person entrance.
On the evening of Halloween between 6pm – 8pm go along to the castle dressed up and assemble in the Castle Grounds for a special Torchlight Procession. Which includes a visit to the witch to get your Halloween Treats!
Entry costs £1 per person.
Spooky themed tile decorating workshops at Jackfield Tile Museum
Join a Halloween themed, drop-in workshop at Jackfield Tile Museum, near Ironbridge during the October half-term and decorate ceramic tiles with your own colourful spooky designs. The motifs can be as scary as your imagination allows, perhaps an ugly monster, ghostly apparition or a wicked witch or wizard.
These fun and informal sessions will take place on Saturday, 24 October and again between Monday 26 and Saturday 31 October.
The Victorian tube lining technique will be used to decorate the tiles, which are priced from £5 per tile (p&p extra to have your tile sent home after firing) plus the museum admission fee. Workshops start from 10am, but allowing up to 1½ hours to decorate your tile, last admission is at 3.15pm.
Open 10am to 5pm Jackfield Tile Museum is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £27.95 per adult, £21.50 for seniors, £16.95 for children under 18, £68 for a family of two adults and all their children and £50 for a family with one adult; under 5s free (terms and conditions apply); Passports can also be bought online in advance saving 10% and individual entry tickets are available at each museum. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge.
Telford Town Park 5K Dark Run
Run or walk the 5K charity Dark Run in Telford Town Park; all participants must bring a torch and will be given a glow stick to help light their way in the town’s second annual fun run in the dark; participants will also receive a glow-in-the-dark medal as part of their entry fee.
Starting and finishing at the Visitor Centre, the Dark Run will begin at 6pm on Saturday 31 October and is suitable for all ages and abilities; pre-registration is essential.
Funds raised will be donated to Hope House Children’s Hospices. Entry fee is £15 adults and £6.50 for children 15 and under; virtual entry is £10; minimum sponsorship requested is £20 per person. For more information visit www.darkrun5k.com.
Trick or Treat Halloween Trail at Sunnycroft
Little witches and wizards dressed in their most frightening costumes can follow a trick or treat Halloween trail around the house and five acre garden at Sunnycroft (National Trust) on Saturday, 31 October.
Open 10.30am and 4pm at 200 Holyhead Road, Wellington, entry is £6.50 adult; £3.20 children, £16 family.
For details visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sunnycroft or call 01952 242884.
Make a monster or creepy creature at Coalport China Museum
Go along to a Spooky Halloween themed family workshop between Saturday 24 October and Sunday 1 November at Coalport China Museum in Shropshire’s Ironbridge Gorge during the autumn school half-term and try your hand at making a creepy crawly from clay, or painting a monster on a ceramic money box.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday you can model a monster or creepy creature in clay; choose from a batty bat, scary spider or gruesome rat, or create your own weird and wonderful design, the choices are limitless. On other days let your imagination go wild and decorate a ceramic money box with strange monsters using on-glaze paints. You can also paint a delicate china flower or fridge magnet, or join in some paper activities.
The hands-on workshops will be held from 11am until 1pm and 2pm until 4pm; ceramic activities carry an additional fee of £4 per item plus a postage charge from £3.50, if you want to have your creation fired and sent home after; flowers and fridge magnets are £1 each and paper activities are included in the admission fee.
Open 10am to 5pm Coalport China Museum is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £27.95 per adult, £21.50 for seniors, £16.95 for children under 18, £68 for a family of two adults and all their children and £50 for a family with one adult; under 5s free (terms and conditions apply); Passports can also be bought online in advance saving 10% and individual entry tickets are available at each museum. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge.
Shropshire Live is regulated by