Hampshire's half term is 26 to 30 October 2026. Halloween Hollow at QECP, the Time Traveller club at Butser and witches on the Watercress Line, with prices.
Half term for Hampshire’s schools is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, though several Petersfield schools take longer. The week ends with Halloween on the Saturday, and the organisers around the town have built their programmes around it: pumpkin carving at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, a witches’ train at Alresford, a five-day history club at Butser and a folklore trail at Selborne. Every date and price below comes from the organiser’s own listing, checked on 25 September 2026.
The quick answer
- County schools are off Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. The Petersfield School returns on Tuesday 3 November, Bohunt on Monday 9 November, and Churcher’s, Bedales and Ditcham Park start their breaks earlier.
- Halloween Hollow at Queen Elizabeth Country Park is on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, £10 a child, booking essential.
- No trains between Petersfield and Guildford on Sunday 25 October: buses replace them all day.
The dates, school by school
The county’s dates apply to the community and controlled schools, and to most primaries. The secondaries do their own thing (Hampshire County Council).
| School | Last day before the break | Back in school |
|---|---|---|
| Hampshire county schools, Eggar's, Amery Hill, Herne Junior | Fri 23 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| The Petersfield School | Fri 23 Oct | Tue 3 Nov |
| Bohunt School | Fri 23 Oct | Mon 9 Nov |
| Churcher's College | Thu 22 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| Ditcham Park | Thu 15 Oct (INSET Fri 16) | Mon 2 Nov |
| Bedales (Senior) | Thu 15 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
The full year, with INSET days, is on our term dates page.
What’s on that week
Halloween Hollow, Queen Elizabeth Country Park. Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, sessions at 10am, 12pm and 2pm. A Halloween trail, a pumpkin playground with pumpkin bowling and ring toss, then carving your own pumpkin. £10 per child, adults free, booking essential, and parking is charged on top (QECP). The park also runs a Little Adventures Halloween Forest School on Wednesday 28 October (QECP what’s on). Winter parking at the park is £2 for an hour and £7 for the day; see our Queen Elizabeth Country Park page.
Time Traveller Holiday Club, Butser Ancient Farm. Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, for ages 6 to 13. Each day is a different period: Stone Age on Monday, Bronze Age Tuesday, Iron Age Wednesday, Romans Thursday and Saxons Friday, with bread over the fire, flint carving, bronze demonstrations and slings. Activities run 10am to 4pm with drop-off from 9am and pick-up until 5pm. £48 per child per day, 10% off for three or more days (Butser Ancient Farm). The farm is at Chalton Lane, PO8 0BG.
Halloween Witches of Watercress Woods. Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October, departing Alresford at 12:30pm and 3pm, about 1 hour 40 minutes there and back to Alton. An onboard story with Hansel and Gretel, characters along the line, a goodie bag for every child and fancy dress encouraged. £35 a seat, under-2s free on a lap, plus a £2.50 booking fee. Buggies cannot go on the train (Watercress Line). The same three evenings have a Halloween Horror Train for over-18s only.
A Magic Journey with Wightwick Hall. Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October on the Watercress Line. The steam locomotive Wightwick Hall, which plays the Hogwarts Express in the forthcoming Harry Potter television series, hauls a return trip from Alresford to Alton. Adults £35, children 2 to 16 £25, under-2s free, a whole compartment for six £250, plus the £2.50 booking fee (Watercress Line).
Folklore and Fable Autumn Trail, Gilbert White’s House, Selborne. Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November, so it covers every school’s break. A journey stick and a map lead you round the gardens to the trees once thought to keep off witches or open the way to another world. Trail sheets are £2 on top of admission, best for ages 5 and up, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:30am to 4:30pm (Gilbert White’s House).
Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery. The museum runs Creative Saturdays with family workshops, a Minibrix club and a sketch club, and its 1920s fashion exhibition runs until March 2027 (Petersfield Museum). Its half-term programme was not listed when we checked; the what’s on page is where it will appear.
Bow making at Butser. For older teenagers and adults, a four-day bow making course runs Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 October, and a Folklore of Plants workshop on the morning of Saturday 31 October (Butser calendar).
Free and outdoors. Petersfield Heath, the Physic Garden and the walks on Butser Hill cost nothing and are on our things to do page. The Taro Fair has been and gone by then; it is on the Heath the weekend of 9 to 11 October, on our Taro Fair page.
Getting about
Sunday 25 October, the day before half term, is a bad day to head for London by train: buses replace trains between Guildford and Petersfield all day (National Rail). The A3 southbound resurfacing at Longmoor starts on 9 October and runs overnight, so check our roadworks page before a late drive back from Alresford or Guildford. Town centre car park charges are on the parking page.
Still to be listed
Bookings for the QECP and Watercress Line events were open on 25 September. The museum’s half-term workshops and any library events had not been posted; we will add them in mid-October.
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