Half-term picks
October half-term 2026 near Timperley, Altrincham and Sale, day by day
Our picks for every day of half-term week, 26 October to 1 November, near Timperley. Free Halloween trails, a library disco, parties, fireworks and ideas for when it rains.
Published . Prices and booking status below are checked every week.
Half-term week is here: Trafford’s schools are off until Monday 2 November. These are our picks for each day, mostly within 20 minutes of Timperley and many of them free, with Halloween on the Saturday and fireworks either side of it. Prices, dates and booking status in each row come from our checks and update themselves.
One thing to know before you set off: there are no trams through Timperley, Sale or Altrincham until Sunday 1 November. Express buses run instead, and tram tickets are valid on them.
All week
Free, daily to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Collect a map from the Bean and Brush cafe, find the missing pumpkins around Stanley Square and hand in your sheet for a treat. On Monday and Tuesday mornings there are free Halloween crafts in Market Walk on the same square, so the two make an easy morning in Sale.
Monday to Sunday, around 10am to 4pm. Altrincham’s own Halloween trail: pick up a sheet at Everyman Altrincham, then hunt for the vampires, bats, black cats and ghosts hiding in shop windows. Some of them carry a letter, and collecting the lot spells out a secret message. The organisers haven’t said whether there’s a charge.
Monday to Friday, 12 to 3pm, free with admission. A drop-in craft in the Stables Activity Room, turning a blank postcard into a collage to take home. Spend the rest of the visit in the autumn parkland: Dunham’s half-term family trail and self-guided walks run every day, and National Trust members get in free.
Tuesday to Sunday; the gardens are closed on Monday. Eight skeleton scenes hidden around Tatton’s autumn gardens, set up to be funny rather than frightening. It’s included with garden entry, and booking online saves 10%. Wellies help after rain.
Also all week: one child in fancy dress plays free with each paying adult at Dino Falls Adventure Golf, and the Garrick’s own Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs until Sunday, for ages 6 and up.
Monday 26 October
Free, Monday and Tuesday, 11am to 4pm. Trafford Palazzo’s Space Monster Kids Club: make a monster mask, get your face painted and join the Space Monster Squad. The Palazzo Planet Trail runs every day until Sunday; collect a trail sheet from the Customer Service desk.
£2 a child, Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, and Sunday. Nine imps and witches’ familiars are hidden around the Tudor hall and its gardens. Buy the sheet at reception, no booking needed, and entry to the hall is free. There’s a bookable workshop each day from Monday to Thursday too (broomsticks, spell books, clay faces and wands, £1.50 to £3). The trail is off on Friday and Saturday.
Tuesday 27 October
Free, Tuesday to Thursday, 11am to 4pm. Batty Beryl and Wingit Wanda host a 10-stop trail around the Trafford Centre: find the hidden words, finish the spooky chant and collect a treat. There’s a different Halloween craft each day at Orient Way and the Main Dome. It’s all indoors, so it works whatever the weather.
Tuesday 4pm, family of four £35. Hocus Pocus on a big outdoor screen on Tatton’s showground, with singing along and fancy dress encouraged. There are no seats: bring camping chairs or blankets, warm layers and a picnic. Book ahead (a £5 deposit online, the rest on the door); parkland car entry is extra.
For older ones on Tuesday evening, Altrincham FC play Kidderminster Harriers under the floodlights at Moss Lane: kick-off 7.45pm, £5 for ages 5 to 11 and £1 for under-5s. Urmston Library has a free Halloween disco from 5 to 6pm.
Wednesday 28 October
Wednesday 2pm, £4 a child. A reading of the new picture book Gruffalo Granny at Waterstones Altrincham, then a visit from the Gruffalo himself. Every child takes home an activity pack. Grown-ups don’t need a ticket, but the shop asks for one adult per family to save space.
Free, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Something different most days. On Wednesday and Thursday, Waste to Wonder turns recycled materials into a world of your own (11am to 1pm and 2 to 4pm). Billie Bee storytime, for ages 2 to 7, is on Wednesday and Friday; places are limited, so sign up when you arrive.
For ages 6 and up, the Beano’s writers help the audience make a brand-new Dennis the Menace strip at Z-arts in Hulme, at 11am (£10).
Thursday 29 October
Free, Thursday 5 to 6pm. An hour of dancing, party games and treats at the library on Stockport Road, with prizes for the best costumes. It’s over by six, so there’s time for tea afterwards. No booking mentioned.
Thursday 5.30 to 7.30pm, £10 a child. Spikey Mike hosts an evening Halloween party at Let Loose soft play in Sale, with games, fancy dress and music. Book online; it’s £4.50 for babies under one and £3.95 for adults.
Thursday and Friday, child £18, adult £20.50. A wizard school on a heritage steam train in Bury: comic professors teach spells, wand-waving and broomstick flying, and children look after a dragon egg. Best for ages 5 to 12. You can picnic on board, and tickets include Bury Transport Museum.
Also on Thursday: family pumpkin carving at GRUB in Stretford (5.30pm, £10 for a family with three pumpkins), and a kids’ Halloween disco at Nell’s in Altrincham from 3 to 5pm (£7 a child, adults free).
Friday 30 October
Free, Friday 11am to 4pm, drop in. Spells, potion-mixing, a Halloween trail and a face painter in the Open Space at Wythenshawe Civic, and every child goes home with a sorcerer certificate. It’s aimed at little ones.
Friday 11am or 12.20pm, child £8, adult £6. An hour in the Flixton House ballroom meeting creepy crawlies and other curious creatures up close. Adult tickets include a hot drink, one adult can bring up to four children, and parking at the back is free. Places are limited.
Friday 4 to 7pm. Carved pumpkins sit in Knutsford’s shop windows, each with a letter to note down; post your form for a prize draw. King Street and Minshull Street close to traffic, with spooky characters, singing, dancing and games at the Market Hall. Come dressed up.
Friday is the last day to buy tickets for St Hugh’s fireworks (see Saturday). Antz in Your Pantz in Broadheath has its Halloween party from 3.30 to 6pm (£27.95 for ages 3 and up, tea included), and St Mary’s toddler groups lead a free autumn walk and play for under-5s in Walton Park at 2pm.
Saturday 31 October: Halloween
Free, Saturday 11am to 2pm. The Friends of Broomwood Park put on a bouncy castle, face painting, big garden games, food and a fancy-dress contest. It’s outdoors, so dress for the weather. Donations to the Friends are welcome.
Free, Saturday 12 to 4pm, with a ticket. Groundwork’s Halloween afternoon in Park Wood, off Brownley Road: face painting, nature trails, storytelling from 12.30pm and lantern making from 2pm. Get a free Eventbrite ticket first. If it’s wet, it moves into Brownley Methodist Church.
Saturday 5 to 8pm, adults £6, under-18s £4. Timperley’s own fireworks, in the grounds of St Hugh’s school on Park Road. It sold out last year and numbers are strictly limited. Tickets are online only, and sales close on Friday 30 October at 4.49pm; show them on your phone at the gate. Under-3s go free.
Free, Saturday from 4pm. Three displays: Little Sparks, a gentler, quieter show at 5.30pm for young children and anyone sensitive to noise, a louder one at 6.30pm and the 20-minute main show at 7.30pm. There’s a funfair and marshmallow toasting, but no bonfire. Parking has to be booked ahead, and boots help on the muddy ground.
If you’d rather skip the scary side, The Light Stop at Church on the Brow in Altrincham (free, 5 to 7.30pm) is a warm stop partway round a trick-or-treat route, with party games, a bouncy castle and sausage sandwiches. St Mary Magdalene in Ashton on Mersey has a glow-themed Light Party from 5.30pm (free ticket, suggested donation £4 a child).
Sunday 1 November
Sunday 11am and 2pm, child £18, adult £19. Nick Cope, from CBeebies, plays his gently funny songs live with animations on screen, at Waterside in Sale. About an hour with no interval, for ages 3 and up. When we checked on 17 October, the 2pm show was nearly full and 11am still had seats.
Free, Sunday 2 to 3pm. The Friends of Stamford Park hide spiders around the park; pick up a map between the play areas. Fancy dress encouraged, and cash donations are welcome.
Sunday 9.15 to 11.15am, for children with SEN. Adventure Forest closes to the public for a Halloween party for children with autism and additional needs: spooky tattoos, a gift, a pumpkin hunt, fancy dress and a UV disco with glow sticks. Brothers and sisters can come too, and one adult or carer per booking goes free.
On Sunday evening there’s Salford’s free bonfire at Prince’s Park in Irlam from 4pm, or Radcliffe Cricket Club’s musical fireworks at 8pm (£24 for a family of four). Bonfire Night itself is the Thursday after; every display is on our bonfires and fireworks page.
If it rains
Free, daily, 10am to 4pm. The Story Seekers trail takes families round IWM North’s galleries to find the real people behind the objects, from survival at sea to acts of bravery. From Monday to Friday a family hub looks at how the museum came to be, and on Wednesday veterans and eyewitnesses share their memories (11am to 3pm). Best for ages 5 and up.
The Little Terrors Trail and Manchester Museum above are indoors too, and the Science and Industry Museum has a free alien-themed half-term every day. More on our rainy day page.
Book now, before it goes
Christmas is filling up already. When we checked on 25 October, 150 of Dunham Barn’s 198 private Santa visits had gone, and 19 and 20 December were sold out. Every Santa visit near Timperley, with real prices and booking status, is on our Santa grottos compared page.
Everything else on this week, day by day, is on our October half-term page, and holiday clubs are on our holiday clubs page.
Questions parents ask
When is October half-term 2026 in Trafford?
Trafford Council’s community schools break up on Friday 23 October and go back on Monday 2 November, so half-term runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Academies and independent schools can differ, so check with your school. All the dates are on our school term dates page.
Are the trams running in half-term?
Not through Timperley, Sale or Altrincham, or to the Trafford Centre, until Sunday 1 November, while TfGM works on the line. Express buses run instead and tram tickets are valid on them. Trams are back on Monday 2 November; the details are on TfGM’s site.
What's free to do in half-term near Timperley?
The Haunted Pumpkin Patch Trail in Sale’s Stanley Square (daily to Saturday), the Little Terrors Trail at the Trafford Centre (Tuesday to Thursday), Timperley Library’s Halloween disco (Thursday at 5pm), the Sorcery School at Wythenshawe Civic (Friday), the Broomwood Spooktacular and Halloween at Park Wood (both Saturday), and Salford’s fireworks at Buile Hill Park (Saturday). Museums in Manchester and Salford are free too. More on our free things to do page.
Where are the fireworks on Halloween weekend near Timperley?
St Hugh’s PTA fireworks in Timperley on Saturday 31 October (tickets online only, sales close on Friday 30 October), Salford’s free display at Buile Hill Park the same night with a quieter show for young children at 5.30pm, a free bonfire at Prince’s Park in Irlam on Sunday 1 November, and Radcliffe Cricket Club’s musical display that Sunday at 8pm. Bonfire Night itself is the Thursday after; every display is on our bonfires and fireworks page.
What is there for toddlers and under-5s this half-term?
Meet the Gruffalo at Waterstones Altrincham (Wednesday 2pm, £4), Spikey Mike’s Halloween party at Let Loose in Sale (Thursday evening), a free autumn walk and play for under-5s at Walton Park (Friday 2pm), the Very Hungry Caterpillar Show at the Lowry all week, and Nick Cope at Waterside (Sunday, ages 3 and up). Many weekly baby and toddler groups are term time only, so check before you go; the rest are on our baby and toddler page.
What can we do in half-term if it rains?
The Little Terrors Trail at the Trafford Centre (Tuesday to Thursday), the Story Seekers trail at IWM North, Manchester Museum’s half-term activities (Tuesday to Saturday) and the Science and Industry Museum’s alien-themed half-term are all indoors and free. Our rainy day page has more.
Details change, so check with the organiser before you set off. Spotted something wrong, or know an event we've missed? Tell us.