Halloween
Pumpkin picking A VAMPTASTIC HALLOWEEN
Set in the rolling Nottinghamshire countryside a few miles north of Nottingham, this family - run 'Pick Your Own' has 1000's of pumpkins and squashes for you to choose from in October, and in the summer, thousands of sunflowers!
Since 2019 Nottinghamshire
‘Pick Your Own’ Pumpkins has quickly risen to being one of the most popular pick-your-owns in the Midlands, if not the UK, with visitors travelling from all over the country!
Little Schnauzer Coffee Company and Rocket Dogs will have pop up eateries at the event. Little Schnauzer serve the most delicious food including panini’s, crêpes, home-made cakes, icecream and hot and cold drinks, including seasonal favourites! Rocket Dogs serve an incredible range of hotdogs and fries. Be sure to visit them and fill-up after a busy time picking your pumpkins!
Pumpkin Picking opens in early October and runs until the 31st October.
Thousands of pumpkins, squashes and gourds are grown, and there are loads of varieties and colours, so you will have loads of fun picking the pumpkin that’s just right for you! There will also be some great photo opportunities!
There is no need to book for Pumpkin Picking, and it is free entry.
Only a 20 minute drive from the centre of Nottingham, we are situated just off the A6097 on Oaks Lane, Oxton, Southwell, NG25 0RH.
Open 12 - 31 October
Adventure Cinema brings thrilling outdoor cinema experiences this Halloween. Bring a blanket or camping chair, wrap up warm, and watch classic Halloween films on a giant cinema screen under the stars!
A vamptastic Halloween outdoor cinema experience with a screening of the vampire classic, The Lost Boys, the spooktacular Disney classic Hocus Pocus, the Tim Burton classic The Nightmare Before Christmas and the thrilling Halloween classic Scream!
Fancy dress is highly encouraged, plus there will be a spooky soundtrack to enjoy before the movie with specially curated songs for witches, ghouls, ghosts, vampires, werewolves and humans alike.
Hot food, snacks and a bar
will be available on-site. Picnics and drinks welcome. NO glasses. Plastic and paper cups only, wine/beer bottles are allowed but please take them home and recycle them.
No seating provided unless you have premium tickets. The event will go ahead if it's raining but we are hoping for a nice dry weekend.
Friday 25 October: The Lost Boys (15) Gates open 6pm, film starts approx 7.30pm Saturday 26 October: Hocus Pocus (PG) Gates open 5pm, film starts approx 6.30pm
Sunday 27 October: The Nightmare Before Christmas(PG) Gates open 5pm, film starts approx 6.30pm
Monday 28 October: Scream (18) Gates open 6pm, film starts approx 7.30pm
Wollaton Hall & Deer Park, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 2AE
HILLBILLY HORROR NIGHTS at Notts Maze
This Halloween season, Notts Maze presents its most terrifying event yet: Hillbilly Horror Nights. Running 4 nights only this October, this scare maze promises to bring nightmares to life for thrill-seekers and horror fans alike
Step into the depths of a twisted maze where backwoods horrors lurk behind every corner, and the only thing standing between you and safety is your courage. The Labyrinth Hillbilly Horror Scare Maze is packed with jump scares and spine-chilling atmospheres.
Deep within the sprawling fields of Notts Maze lies Whitley Farm, a once-thriving agricultural haven now shrouded in terror and darkness. Legends whisper of the Whitley family, whose isolation and suspicion of outsiders led them down a path of madness and horror.
Once, Whitley Farm was a picture of prosperity, its cornfields stretching as far as the eye could see. But with the arrival of a sinister force from the depths of the earth, the land itself became corrupted, and the Whitley family fell victim to its malevolent influence. As the crops wilted and died, so too did the sanity of the Whitleys. Consumed by visions and whispers from the darkness, they turned on one another in a frenzy of violence. Those who dared approach the farm vanished without a trace, their anguished cries lost in the night.
Now, Whitley Farm stands as a grim testament to the family's tragic demise, a place where nightmares roam freely and the boundary
between the living and the dead is blurred. Adventurers brave enough to venture into the farm's labyrinthine corn maze must navigate its twisting paths while evading the vengeful spirits of the Whitley family. But beware, for the darkness that claimed Whitley Farm still hungers for souls. Will you emerge unscathed from the clutches of the hillbilly curse, or will you become its next victim?
The event will be open on select nights, with gates opening at 6:30 PM. Hillbilly Horror Nights is not recommended for the faint-hearted. Visitors can expect a night of terrifying entertainment, with the maze taking an average of 45 minutes to complete.In addition to the scare maze, Notts Maze will offer refreshments and themed Halloween treats to keep the adrenaline pumping.
Tickets are selling fast for Hillbilly Horror Nights, and we encourage people to book early to avoid disappointment. For those who survive the maze, Notts Maze will also be hosting additional family-friendly Halloween activities during the day.
25th, 26th, 27th & 28th October
look who's back!
The season of spooks and thrills is just around the corner, and It’s in Nottingham is ready to bring the frightful fun to life. Mark your calendars because the Nottingham Halloween Festival is back, and it's going to be bigger and better than ever!
Monsters on the roofcan you spot them?
Get ready for monstrous fun this October half-term as the It’s in Nottingham rooftop monsters make their highly anticipated return to the city centre from Saturday 26 October - Sunday 3 November 2024.
There will be more monsters to spot this year, as the crazy creatures take up residence on the rooftops of high street shops and businesses across the city.
Family-Friendly Frights
For those looking to explore more of the Halloween magic, the Monster Bus Spooky Safari offers a unique way to discover the city. This eerie bus ride will take participants on a tour around Nottingham's city centre, giving them the chance to spot the Rooftop Monsters from the best vantage points. On Thursday 31 October 2024,
Nottingham Castle will host the Monster Mash from 10am to 5pm – a day filled with music, dancing, and ghostly delights. A live DJ will set the mood, spinning tunes that will have everyone dancing in the bandstand. The event will also feature a variety of spooky activities, free face painting for children, and the Strolling Bones Parade by the renowned performance group, Walk the Plank.
Tickets for the Monster Mash are available from Nottingham Castle and cost just £1 per person, which includes entrance to the Castle.
The Halloween Festival 2024 is set to be a highlight of the autumn season, bringing together the community for a celebration filled with thrills and chills. It’s in Nottingham invites everyone to join in the fun and experience the city as never before.
TOIL AND TROUBLE AT BELVOIR CASTLE THIS HALLOWEEN
Plenty of hocus pocus is in store at Belvoir Castle this October half term, as it launches its new enchanted Halloween trail. Families are in for a spooktacular treat at Belvoir’s adventure playground which has been taken over by Betty the Witch and her sisters.
Little witches and wizards will need to hunt round the decorated playground including its daring giant tube slide, secret climbing wall and hidden tunnels, to collect the ingredients the magical witches have misplaced and create a spellbinding charm to protect the castle this Hallows’ Eve.
The spine-chilling trail will be available from Saturday 19th October to Saturday 2nd November throughout the October half term, providing families with a hair-raising experience that won’t be forgotten this Halloween.
Extra art and witchcrafts await at Belvoir Castle’s pumpkin painting activity, so children can blow away the cobwebs
after a bewitching time at the adventure playground. Whether it’s a spooky face or an eerie Halloween design, families can put their creative skills to the test and craft their own pumpkin masterpiece to take home. Rachel Cullis Dorsett, marketing consultant for Belvoir Castle said: “We love seeing our visitors enjoy this creepy time of year and experience the magical delights of Halloween.
“We hope our new enchanted trail ignites little imaginations as they join the witches’ coven and our pumpkin painting activity is sure to encourage reams of creativity from all family members – no matter their age.”
The enchanted Halloween trail and access to Belvoir’s adventure playground is included in the admission price and will be available every day throughout the October half term.
Whilst the castle itself will be closed for its annual deep clean and preservation of important historical artefacts, visitors can still make the most of their day out at Belvoir Castle by enjoying the acres of surrounding parkland, as well as the formal gardens on the castle terrace and into the woodland through the Japanese, Duchess’s and Hermit’s gardens.
Not forgetting Belvoir Castle’s Retail Village, The Engine Yard, which offers artisan
shopping and delicious local food. Located in the village is Belvoir Bistro’s restaurant which serves locally sourced produce and seasonal favourites, with coffee and cake served all day and woodfired pizzas and takeaway grill also available every weekend.
There’s a brand-new farm shop to explore there, alongside The Duchess Collection featuring a range of homeware and fashion, and the retail village is home to pop ups every weekend, featuring unique and independent businesses.
When booking online in advance, visitors can receive 10% off all tickets and the option to add pumpkin painting for £4.50 per child will be given when booking either playground or garden tickets.
For access to the adventure playground only, an adult ticket costs £3, a child ticket (4-16 years) is £5 and a family ticket for two adults and three children is £15.
For garden and adventure playground entry, an adult ticket is £9, a child ticket is £5.40 and a family ticket is £28.80. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased on the day without the discount.
A £2 car parking charge will apply however visitors can pick up a £2 voucher which is redeemable in all Belvoir outlets.
Dare to enter the maze
This isn’t your usual day out at a farm ….there will be pumpkin carving, spooky stories around the fire, face painting plus various craft options along with our Halloween crow count and a spooky scavenger hunt to complete as you walk through the Maize Maze.
The East Midlands official Ghostbusters will be guarding the area to make sure all of the spooky creatures are kept in the maze!
Fancy a challenge? There will be a spooky scavenger hunt and word search to complete as you walk
through the maze. All taking place within and around our 12-acre maize maze – there will even be characters waiting to meet you along the way!
Tricker Treat Farm is set to be the children’s Halloween event of the season.
will offer a complimentary pumpkin. Please note there will be a maximum of three pumpkins per family ticket.
Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult over 18. Whilst this event is not designed to be frightening, we leave it at the parent’s discretion to decide if the event is appropriate for your child.
For each pre-booked child ticket, we
* The Tricker Treat Maze will be running 10-2pm last entry at 1pm on select days in the half term.
25 -29 October Open 10am - 2pm
LIME LANE WOODS, LIME LANE, NOTTINGHAM, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, NG5 8PW
Create your own Spooky Halloween Doorway
This Halloween, turn your home into the talk of the town with a delightfully spooky doorway, courtesy of Dobbies Garden Centres.
Whether you’re welcoming trick-or-treaters or being the the ghostess with the mostest and hosting a frightfully fun gathering, Dobbies’ Stylist, Rebecca Stanton explains how Dobbies’ range of decorations and a touch of DIY, will help you create an entrance that’s both eerie and inviting.
Rebecca recommends starting your Halloween masterpiece with a mix of real and faux pumpkins. She says: “Arrange pumpkins on the steps leading up to your door or in clusters on your porch. Carve some with ghoulish faces and leave others intact
Faux pumpkins are a great investment as they can be reused year after year, while real pumpkins add authenticity and a fresh autumn scent.
“Illuminate your spooky scene with an array of lanterns, placing them strategically to cast eerie shadows and highlight your pumpkin display,” recommends Rebecca.
Dobbies offers a variety of fa-boo-lous lantern styles, from classic black metal to the Music Laughing Jack O’Lantern, £10.99, perfect for creating a fun and gourdly glow. Consider using battery-operated LED candles for safety and convenience - no tricks here, just treats!
“No haunted house is complete without cobwebs”, explains Rebecca. “Drape them across your doorway, over bushes, and around your lanterns to add an
abandoned, haunted house feel. The key to a realistic look is to stretch the webs thinly and unevenly, ensuring they cling to surfaces and create the illusion of long-forgotten corners.”
To finish off, Rebecca says: “Don’t forget the details that complete your spooky scene. Accessories like a haunted door knocker can make a big impact and will be sure to have even the witches under your spell! Dobbies’ spooky death door knocker even has LED lights for eyes for extra skele-fun.”
Happy Halloween!
For more Halloween decorating inspiration, and to browse Dobbies’ full range for the spooky season, visit www.dobbies.com
Large Terracotta Pumpkin, £29.99
Death’s Door Knocker, £10.99
Black Wire Lantern, £19.99
Music Laughing Jack O’Lantern, £10.99
Small Terracotta Pumpkin, £14.99
TRICK OR TREAT?
Whether you prefer to simply stay in and watch your favourite scary flicks or would rather venture out to an event with family and friends, celebrating Halloween is for many of us one of the best times
Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, blending elements of ancient Celtic traditions, Christian influences, and modern customs. It's a time of spooky fun, creative costumes, trick-or-treating, and haunted houses. The holiday's origins trace back to the Celtic festival Samhain, when people believed the boundary between the living and
the dead blurred, allowing spirits to roam the earth. Over time, this evolved into the Halloween we know today. Many embrace the holiday's spooky vibe with horror movies, and festive decorations. We dress up in our scariest costumes, indulge in our favourite sweet treats and share our best ghost stories, popular Halloween symbols include jack-o'lanterns, black cats, skeletons, and witches.
When Halloween began, it was called the festival of Samhain and was part of the ancient Celtic religion in Britain, as well as other parts of Europe. When the summer months drew to a close, it was the belief of the Celts that the barrier that protected our world from that of ghosts became extremely thin, allowing freakish creatures with peculiar powers to roam freely on Earth. Spooky! In America, the holiday has been the cause for massive celebration for decades, and
this is thought to be because of Irish immigrants who came in the 19th century and increased its popularity.
Other countries celebrate October 31 differently, and in Mexico, Latin America and Spain, the events continue until 2 November, which is known as All Soul’s Day, which commemorates those that have passed over and who are believed to have returned to their earthly homes on Halloween. In Ireland, Halloween is still celebrated as much as it ever was and traditionally, fires are lit and barmbrack, yeasted bread with sultanas and raisins, is eaten.
Maybe you’ll take the children trick or treating or perhaps you will attend an exciting event at a stately home that you have never been to before. Either way, remember that when you put your mask on, you will be honouring a longstanding history of horror!
TRUESTORIESCRIME HALLOWEEN SCAREFEST
The Museum’s popular Condemned event gets a refresh with a host of new Victorian tales this Halloween.
The National Justice Museum in Nottingham has launched an updated version of it’s popular Halloween event, Condemned. Where previous years have looked at Georgian stories of crime and punishment, the brand new event for 2024 explores the true stories of Victorian Nottingham’s criminal past.
Infamous for being a place where a person could be imprisoned, tried, and executed, the National Justice Museum is based in Nottingham’s former County Gaol, and has had a court on site for nearly 650 years. The Criminal Courtroom, which you can see on a visit to the Museum, dates back to the 1870s, so would be where all of the real people in Victorian Condemned would have received their sentence. Victorian Condemned is led by one of the museum’s team of expert historical interpreters, in full period costume as they lead visitors through the authentic spaces in this Grade II* listed building.
Discover the disturbing true crimes that landed people in Gaol throughout the Victorian era, and stand in the dock where those found guilty heard their fates. Learn more about the gruesome crimes that brought them to Shire Hall’s courtroom. Finally, visit the dark cells where the condemned spent their final hours before finally being escorted to the courtyard, where the gallows loom and bodies were laid to rest. Hear stories of defendants like Joseph Tucker, arrested in 1885 for the brutal murder of his wife; Mary Ann Parr, accused of killing her child in 1863; and William Saville, who’s crime was so gruesome his public execution in 1844 caused even more deaths than the murders he was found guilty of.
Victorian Condemned runs on selected dates in October and November, with tours at 6pm & 7pm. For more information, and to book your tickets, visit nationaljusticemuseum. org.uk, call 0115 952 0555, or pay them a visit on High Pavement, Nottingham. Please note, this event is unsuitable for under 18s.
AT JAMES ALEXANDER BUILDING
A BRAND NEW interactive Halloween pop-up experience will be taking place at the James Alexander Warehouse this month, hosted by canalside dining, leisure and events destination, Binks Yard, in partnership with scare attraction company, Outbreak Nottingham.
Located at The Island Quarter, the new temporary attraction launched on 12 October and will run for three weeks at the disused warehouse that was formally part of Boots’ main research, production and storage facility dating back to 1800s.
During the experience, thrill seekers will be transported to the scene of a chemical outbreak at a secret scientific test facility. There they’ll be racing against the clock to make it through the ‘scare maze’ in the James Alexander Warehouse, where live actors transformed into scary inhabitants lurk, awaiting visitors at every corner.
The one-of-a-kind event will run from 5.00pm – 10.00pm on weekdays, and 2.00pm – 10.00pm on weekends.
A special ‘family friendly’ experience will be created for families with children on the Saturday and Sunday dates from 2.00pm – 5.00pm, while older guests can buckle up for a truly spine-tingling
experience, complete with jump scares, as night falls from 5pm onwards.
Ben Hicklin, head of events at Binks Yard, said: “This is an exciting next step for the ongoing development of our events offering, after launching our huge outdoor stage and screen, investing in a cover for our outdoor terrace and expanding into our second outdoor area, the Cargo Park.
“This October, Outbreak Nottingham’s Scarefest offers a chance to explore the James Alexander building for the first time in years, showing an example of the creative ways the space can be used, and we’ve worked with local promoters as well as professional and amateur actors from across the city to bring it to life.
“It’s set to be a fantastic event, the likes of which haven’t been seen in Nottingham before, and together with the team at Outbreak, we look forward to welcoming thrill seekers next month.”
Once guests have completed the scare maze, they will be escorted back to Binks Yard to enjoy exhilarating and family fairground rides, as well as an external food court and bar. Outbreak Nottingham’s Scarefest launched on 12 October.