Halloween events in Shropshire during October 2016 half-term

Our guide to Halloween events taking place in Shropshire this October half-term:

Hallowe’en happenings at Attingham Park

Darkness isn’t the only time for fiendish fun at this time of year. All of Attingham Park’s Hallowe’en happenings are during the daytime, for all the family to enjoy. Visitors to the National Trust property on the outskirts of Shrewsbury will be spoilt for choice with the range of spooky activities and events on offer this Hallowe’en half-term, taking place from Saturday 22 to Sunday 30 October.

Even the smallest spooks will enjoy exploring the grounds, searching for clues to solve a ghostly mystery with a Hallowe’en Holiday Trail, especially if they visit on Wednesday 26 October when families are warmly encouraged to take on the trail in their finest fancy dress. Trails are available every day from Saturday 22 to Sunday 30 October, from 10am – 4pm and cost £2.50 per trail.

Witches and wizards in training can practice their magical skills and witch-craft at the Hallowe’en themed Attingham Adventures: Ghostly goings-on, on Tuesday 25 October from 10am-4pm (cost £2 per child).

On Wednesday 26 October families will be able to test their sense of direction at Sporty Wednesday: Orienteering and Archery Arrows. Wrekin Orienteers will be on site to set you off on the course and provide handy hints and help, and the Archery Arrows set will be available for young Robin Hood’s to aim for the target (11am – 4pm, £1 per orienteering map).

On Thursday 27 October, try your hand at making a traditional decoration to welcome or scare off those Hallowe’en visitors; what will you carve? A face, a shape, or something more spooky? Pumpkin Carving will be taking place from 10am to 4pm and costs £4.50 per pumpkin.

The half-term will be rounded off with Spooky Encounters: The Murderous Mansion. Meet the Master of the Mansion, hear his spooky tale and take on his tricky task. Spooky Encounters will take place at timed intervals throughout the day from Friday 28 October to Sunday 30 October, pre-booking is essential, and the event is suitable for children aged 4-11 years old and their accompanying adult/s (£4.00 per child including two accompanying adults, pre-booking essential).

Standard admission charges apply for all events, National Trust members and under 5s visit for free. For more information on all of Attingham’s horrible Hallowe’en happenings visit the website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/attinghampark or call 01743 708162. To book tickets for Spooky Encounters: The Murderous Mansion please visit the What’s On page on the website or call 08442491895.

‘Ghostbusters’ join Blists Hill Victorian Town’s Halloween Fright Night

Blists Hill Victorian Town’s annual Halloween fright night takes on a new dimension this year with the arrival of cult characters from the Ghostbusters 1980s movie. The Town’s Ghostly Gaslight evening takes place on Saturday, 29th October, when the streets, shops and houses will be transformed into eerie places filled with ghosts, ghouls and monsters.

You are encouraged to dress up in your scariest costume and watch out for the Marshmallow Man, as the massive 31ft high inflatable paranormal monster will be looming over the darkened streets. You won’t miss the replica of the iconic Ghostbusters Miller Meteor Cadillac car, as it measures a vast 23ft in length, 9ft in height and weighs 5 tonnes. If that was not enough, its four bars of emergency flashing lights will be dazzling the assembled spooks and the films’ famous sound tracks will be playing from its impressive sound-system.

You can meet two Ghostbuster characters complete with boiler suits and Proton Back Packs, which they plan to use to suck up the town’s many ghosts. But don’t be put off, you will be very welcome to have a selfie taken with the Ghostbusters and their car.

Elsewhere around Blists Hill, you will be kept guessing what spooky characters you 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. One of the many highlights of the night will be a firework show in front of the old Brick and Tile Works, along with pyrotechnic displays around the Town that will create scary scenes.

This popular, fun and safe event takes place between 6pm and 9pm. Tickets are priced at £9.95 adults; £6.75 children aged 3-15 years and £31 for a family (2+2). Tickets must be purchased in advance either online; from any of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums’ ticket points or the Ironbridge Visitor Information Centre. All under 16s must be accompanied by an adult; Ironbridge Gorge Museum Passports are not valid for this evening and dogs will not be allowed.

A combined family ticket (2+2) for Ghostly Gaslight and the Fireworks Night (5th November) is priced at £55.

Visitors are advised to park at the Ironbridge Park and Ride, located at the top of Jiggers Bank (TF4 3QE) where a regular bus service will take them to the event for a small fee. Limited parking is available at Blists Hill Victorian Town.

Charity Halloween treasure trail around Shrewsbury

The streets of Shrewsbury are set to get especially spooky on October 30 – in aid of charity.

Fund-raising group Shropshire Breast Cancer Now is organising a Halloween treasure trail on that afternoon when families are being asked to come along in fancy dress.

“The spooky treasure trail will take a route around the streets of Shrewsbury – the clues will be fun and will also tell people a little bit about the history of the town,” said Tina Boyle of the local Breast Cancer Now group.

Anyone interested in taking part can collect clue sheets from Shrewsbury Baptist Church in Claremont Street any time between 1.30pom and 3.30pm on Sunday October 30.

Teams of up to four can enter, at a cost of £5 a team, and there will be prizes for the most scarily-dressed child and adult.

“We are saying ‘dress up if you dare’ as we want to see as many spooky looking treasure-hunters as possible walking around town,” Tina added.

Halloween Fun at Wyevale Garden Centres Shrewsbury and Telford

Wyevale Garden Centres in Shrewsbury at Percy Thrower’s and Telford are hosting a range of fun Halloween activities this half-term. For ages 3-8 years there’s plenty of spooky fun to be had.

Haunted Heather Planting
24th October – 10.00 – 12.00 (20 minute sessions)
Plant a spooky orange heather and decorate your own terracotta pot. It’™s sure to give garden guests a fright!
Ticket price – £2.50

Spooky Spider Crafts
25th October 10.00 – 12.00 (20 minute sessions)
Design and make your own creepy spider complete with its own web to call home. An essential Halloween decoration!
Ticket price – £2.50

Pumpkin Carving
28th October 10.00 – 12.00 (20 minute sessions)
Learn how to spookify your own pumpkin. A Halloween classic!
Ticket price – £2.50

Fangtastic Parties 26-27th & 29-30th October
Join the Wyvale team for a fancy dress ‘monster mash’ featuring a host of great activities, such making a crushed bug flapjack, chocolate dipped apples and a wicked witch’€™s hat, monstrous musical statues, petrifying pizza with unlimited squash and much more!

Ticket price – £9.99 (Includes unlimited squash)

Pre-booking for each event is essential see http://www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk/little-monsters for details and to book online.

Shrewsbury Ghost Tours

Take a spine-tingling ghost tour around Shrewsbury this October and November. The tours last an hour and a half and travel Shrewsbury’s centuries-old cobbled streets, which are busy with spirits.

For more information or to book a place email guided.tours@shropshire.gov.uk or call 01743 258888.

Ghosts, ghouls and magic in the air at the SVR this half-term

Visitors to the Severn Valley Railway this half-term can enjoy a fun-filled programme, including steam trains great and small and plenty of spooky encounters, topped off with a great gift-buying opportunity and a sprinkling of magic.

From October 22nd – 30th, visitors can climb aboard one of the SVR’s heritage steam trains for an exciting ride out into the countryside.

Passengers can stop off at any of the six historic stations along the line and explore the picturesque villages and bustling market towns or enjoy scenic riverside walks.

Youngsters can pick-up an I-spy sheet from booking offices and test their powers of observation as they travel along the line.

Expert entertainer Miss Picklelily will be performing her fast and funny blend of magic during her Halloween-themed shows at The Engine House Visitor Centre on October 25th, 26th and 27th.

Whilst at The Engine House, families can explore a fun range of exhibits for all ages, including full-sized steam engines, travelling post office, Peter’s Railway Young Engineers Centre and, of course, kids can let off steam on the railway-themed outdoor play area or re-fuel at the Flag & Whistle Food Stop restaurant.

If a journey on a full-size steam train isn’t enough, families can enjoy an extra ride on the Coalyard Miniature Railway at Kidderminster, operating from 2.30pm – 5pm on October 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th, weather permitting, for £1 a ride.

The ever-popular Ghost Trains will be arriving on October 27th, running until October 29th. Tickets for the Ghost Trains have now sold out.

For more information visit www.svr.co.uk call 01562 757900 or visit the Severn Valley Railway Families page on Facebook.

Spooky Halloween themed tile decorating workshops at Jackfield Tile Museum

Decorate tiles with your own spooky designs at Halloween themed workshops during the autumn half-term holidays at Jackfield Tile Museum, near Ironbridge. The designs can be as colourful and original as your imagination allows, perhaps a ghostly apparition, wicked witch on a broomstick or snarling black cat.

The fun and informal sessions will take place on 22nd and 24th – 29th 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. Drop-in workshops start from 10am, but allowing up to 1½ hours to decorate your tile, last admission is at 3.15pm.

Jackfield Tile Museum is open 10am to 5pm for daytime events. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £25 per adult, £20 for seniors, £15 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.

“Halloween Horrors” at Weston Park

Visit Weston Park this half-tern for creepy crafts, pumpkin carving and spooky scavenger hunts. If you are feeling peckish, in the Granary Deli & Cafe kids can tuck into pumpkin soup, spooky sandwiches, novelty cakes and biscuits.

The brand new Woodland Adventure Playground will be open for your little monsters to run wild in.

The Miniature Railway will be open from 11.30am – 3.30pm (last admission 3pm), taking riders into Temple Wood for a 14 minute journey through Capability Brown’s scenic pleasure grounds.

Gates open at 10.30am – 4pm (last admission 2pm) with activities taking place from 10.30am – 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 3.30pm daily in the Activity Room.

Halloween Activities Programme:
All day: Halloween trail through Temple Wood
10.30am – 12.30pm: Spooky Craft Activities and Pumpkin Carving
1.30pm – 3.30pm: Spooky Craft Activities and Pumpkin Carving

Park Admission Prices:
£8 per child (4-14 years), £4.50 per adult, £23.00 per family (2+2), Weston Park Annual Pass Holders: Adults are free, Children £5.00 each.

Pumpkin Carving + £2 per person, Miniature Railway + £2 per person.

Halloween Spooktacular at the Darwin Shopping Centre

Shrewsbury’s Darwin Shopping Centre has gone pumpkin potty as it gears up for a spooktacular Halloween celebration.

The Centre’s Pumpkin-Carving Classes will be held on the top level of the centre on Thursday 27th October between 11am – 12:30pm and 1pm – 3pm.

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.

On Friday, October 28, join the fancy dress Halloween parade, roaming through the Darwin and Pride Hill Shopping Centre’s collecting treats along the way. All parents and children welcome to come along!

The event begins at 11am with a 10:45am meet time.

Creepy crafts at RAF Museum Cosford this Halloween!

October half term is almost upon us and this year the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford has a range of devilish Halloween crafts for your little monsters to take part in. These spookily creative activities cost just £1 each and will run from 24-28 October between 11.30am and 3pm with all materials provided by the museum.

With four frightfully fiendish activities available, your little devils can decide which scarily good experience they would like to master (or why not try them all!):

Ghoulish Gliders – Whether you choose the witch, vampire, bat, skeleton, pumpkin or monster, these scary gliders are sure to be popular with families taking part in the half term fun. Children can decorate and personalise their glider with a ghoulish design using the colourful pens provided. Gliders are easy to assemble and once they have been put together you can test how well it flies by trying to land it on the Halloween themed roundel target zone.

Spooky Bat Buckets – Perfect for trick or treating, our treat pots are a hideously fun way to collect your Halloween sweets and candies. With three colours to choose from: green, orange or purple, these screamingly good funky foam pots come complete with foam wings, self-adhesive foam accessories and wiggle eyes.

Frightful Face Masks – Create a scary personalised face mask by simply scratching a design onto the specially coated surface using a scratch tool to reveal the lurid colours hidden underneath. With six frightening designs to choose from including a bat, witch, pumpkin, spider, monster and cat, youngsters will have everything they need to make a creepy disguise for All Hallows Eve.

Creepy Halloween Bags – Which ghastly design will you choose; Vampire, Witch, Pumpkin or Monster? An essential for when you head out trick or treating or to Halloween parties! Best of all, there’s no glue required so ideal for even the youngest of visitors.

In addition to all the creepy crafts, there is plenty more at the RAF Museum Cosford to keep your little monsters entertained throughout half term week. With over 75 historical aircraft on display, the interactive area of Fun ‘n’ Flight, a 4D Experience where you can take a ride with the Red Arrows, audio visual displays, plus a well-stocked museum shop, families are guaranteed to have hours of fun exploring the site.

To participate in the Halloween activities, please purchase your ticket from the Visitor Centre on arrival. The creepy crafts will take place in the museum’s National Cold War Exhibition and cost just £1 per activity. Participants will get to take their creations home as a memento of the day and in time for all their Halloween events.

The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm and entry to the museum is FREE of charge.

Pumpkin Carving at Meadowdale Nurseries

After the huge success of their first ever Pumpkin crop last year and their pumpkin carving event, Meadowdale Nurseries in Telford will be running events from Monday 24th to Saturday 29th October.

On the 26th October there will also be a special guest appearance from Peppa Pig, who 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.

Visitors to the Nurseries will also be able to ‘pick their own’ pumpkins from Saturday 22nd October. The family-run Nurseries, who until last year had never grown pumpkins before, planted the pumpkins back in June, so that they would be ready in time for the Halloween season.

If you would like to attend the workshops, please telephone Meadowdale on 01952 502470 to pre-book a place. A small charge of £6.00 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 open Monday – Saturday between 9am and 5.30pm and Sunday’s 10am – 4pm. It is situated on Wellington Road, Horsehay, on the A5223 (postcode TF4 2PU).

Shrewsbury Ghost Cruises

Step on board the Sabrina where Ghost cruises take place every Monday night at 7pm.

Join the 45 minute cruise for a scary and thrilling trip ‘round the loop’ of the River Severn. The guides will regale you with strange happenings and spooky tales of the river and a bygone Shrewsbury.

Visit www.sabrinaboat.co.uk/evening-trips/weekly-trips/ghost-cruises/ or call 01743 369 741 to book.

Victorian ghost story trail at Blists Hill Victorian Town

Families who visit Blists Hill Victorian Town, near Ironbridge between 22nd and 30th October are invited to follow a Victorian ghost story trail around the historic streets.

Discover how famous authors of the time, including Charles Dickens, wrote hugely popular works about spirits, ghosts, fog-shrouded graves and mysterious reflections appearing in mirrors. Some of the most famous stories will be included in the spooky trail. Having whet your appetite for ghoulish tales, each afternoon during the half term break the Prince Albert Players will be performing spooky scenes from Sweeney Todd along with Shropshire ghost stories.

In Victorian England, All Hallows Eve (31st October) was celebrated with games and rituals including the popular practice of ‘souling’, a tradition that paved the way for modern-day Trick or Treating. In the 1800s children, and sometimes poor adults, would dress up and go around door-to-door offering prayers and songs in exchange for Soul Cakes. A selection of these simple round spiced cakes, which were often marked with a cross, will be on sale in the town’s bakery during the half-term Halloween week. You can find out more about this and other curious Victorian Halloween customs as you explore Blists Hill’s many shops, cottages and places of work.

Blists Hill is open 10am to 5pm for daytime events. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £25 per adult, £20 for seniors, £15 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.

Halloween at Stokesay Castle

Visit Shropshire’s popular ‘old haunt’ – Stokesay Castle for a bone-chilling day out at a ‘haunted’ castle this Halloween half term. With a feast of frightening fun, have-a-go crafts and spooky stories, your little horrors are in for a frightfully good time! Plus, get in to the Halloween spirit with the daily kids’ fancy dress competition! Come along dressed in your most spooktacular costume and frighten our 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 looking forward to some monstrously good fun at Stokesay Castle this Halloween Half Term and we hope aspiring young spectres will 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?”

Standard entrance fees apply.

Halloween Spooktacular at the British Ironwork Centre

The British Ironwork Centre’s Halloween Spooktacular returns this October and is set to be bigger and more ghoulish than ever! The family friendly fun day has become an annual favourite for all ages, with members of staff dressed to impress as some of the seasons most loved and terrifying characters, ready to entertain visitors.

“Staff are readying the fake blood and scream inducing decorations”

Join a whole host of spooks and spectres on October 28th to take part in the classic pumpkin hunt, the devilishly delicious doughnut challenge, pumpkin painting and face painting. For those looking who think they’re brave enough, why not take on the fear boxes or even the scream extracting terror tunnel (over 12’s only), you never know who or what could be lurking within!

Tickets are available to purchase on the day, £3 per child and £1 per adult. Fancy dress is of course encouraged with prizes and judging taking place at 1.00pm.

Prizes for the most horrifying, the cutest, the most realistic, the most original, the best face paint and a top prize for best in show.

Halloween at Whittington Castle

Sunday 30th October – From 12 until 4pm go along dressed up to the Castle and play the spooky games. Follow the Halloween Trail and visit the Castle Witch for your treats. Cost £1 per person.

Sunday 30th October – Bring your Carved Pumpkin with a Candle to the Castle by 3pm to enter the pumpkin cometition. First Prize £10 2nd Prize £5 3rd Prize £2.50

Monday 31st October – From 6-8pm visit the Castle Witch for your treats and take a photo of yourselves in costume at the spooky setting and the scary stocks. Follow the Procession, Watch the Pageant of Ghost from the Castle Bridge at 6.30pm. Cost £1 per person

Halloween ceramic workshops at Coalport China Museum

Drop-in to a family ceramic workshop at Coalport China Museum, near Ironbridge during the half-term school holidays which run from 22nd to 30th October.

You can paint a ceramic money box or join in some paper activities every day; additionally, between Tuesday 25th and Thursday 27th October you can sculpt a creepy creature from air-dry clay, maybe a bat, long-legged spider or gruesome rat, or a weird and wonderful creature only limited by your imagination! The hands-on workshops will be open from 11am – 1pm and 2 – 4.30pm; ceramic activities carry an additional charge from £1 per item for clay models or £4 to paint a money box. You can take all items home with you on the day.

Coalport China Museum is open 10am to 5pm for daytime events. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £25 per adult, £20 for seniors, £15 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.

Make Pneumatic Monsters at Enginuity

Use your imagination to design and make a scary Halloween monster from craft materials then see how quickly you can make it move using compressed air at Enginuity, near Ironbridge during the autumn half-term holidays.

The fun Pneumatic Monster drop-in workshops will take place at Enginuity, Ironbridge’s design and technology discovery centre between Saturday 22nd and Sunday 30th October from 10.30am until 3.45pm. Your monster’s design will only be limited by your creativity. Activities will vary from day-to-day and some additional costs will apply.

Enginuity is open 10am to 5pm for daytime events. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £25 per adult, £20 for seniors, £15 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.

Ghost Tours of Whittington Castle

Ghost tours of Whittington Castle are set to take place on Tuesday 25th, Wednesday 26th, Thursday 27th, Friday 28th and Saturday 29th October.

This year the audience will be led around the Castle and encounter ghostly characters who will tell their sad tales.

The ghost stories will include the outlawing of Fulk Fitzwarine (who will appear on horseback with his wolf dog).

Their will be a court scene set in Medieval times, Stories from Victorian times and the fire at the Castle and the cursed chest!

Please bring a torch – not suitable for young children.

Tours start at 6.30pm and last around 40 mins. The cost is £4 per adult and £3 per child.

You must pre-book a ticket either by phoning 01691 662500 or info@whittingtoncastle.co.uk as tickets are limited and these tours are always popular.

Please note some of the tour will take place outside.

Halloween at Wenlock Edge

Look as scary as you can to scare away ghouls by making your own bat. We will go in search of a witch who will tell us spooky stories. Children are encouraged to attend in fancy dress, the best will win a prize and all the little monsters will leave with a ghostly treat. Please wear sensible shoes, bring a torch and wrap up warm.

This event takes place on Friday 29 October running from 3pm until 5pm at Presthope carpark. No need to book just turn up. £2.50 per child.

Important information: We have made every effort to ensure this guide is accurate at the time of publishing. Please check with the venue of each event before attending.