Hertfordshire schools break from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, independents from 18 October. Willows Pumpkin Festival prices, Verulamium Museum and more.

October half term for Hertfordshire’s state schools is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. St Albans School and St Albans High School for Girls break a week earlier, from Sunday 18 October to Sunday 1 November. The week ends with Halloween on the Saturday, which is why the biggest local event, Willows Activity Farm’s Pumpkin Festival, runs right up to 31 October.

The quick answer

  • Half term is 26 to 30 October 2026 for Hertfordshire schools; the two big independents are off from 18 October to 1 November (Hertfordshire County Council term dates; school-by-school dates)
  • Willows Pumpkin Festival runs on 10 and 11, 17 and 18, and 23 to 31 October; adults and children over 90cm pay £20.95 to £22.95 plus a 75p booking fee, and every paying child picks a free pumpkin (Willows Activity Farm; Willows tickets)
  • Verulamium Museum is open 10am to 4pm every day and St Albans district residents pay £8 an adult, £4 a child, £18 a family, with an annual pass thrown in (Verulamium Museum)

Willows Pumpkin Festival, to 31 October

Willows’ autumn event is the one most local families plan the week around. The farm lists the 2026 dates as “10th/ 11th, 17th/ 18th and 23rd to 31st October”, so it covers both the independent schools’ half term and the county one. The ticket includes pumpkin picking and a pumpkin hunt, arts and crafts, a Halloween maze, character shows, a disco, tractor rides, Peter Rabbit meet and greets, adventure golf and the farmyard and adventure play areas.

Prices on the farm’s booking site, checked 25 September:

  • Adult (16 and over): £20.95 to £22.95 plus 75p booking fee, and adults must be with a child to visit
  • Child 90cm and over: £20.95 to £22.95 plus 75p, with a free pumpkin from the patch
  • Child under 90cm: free plus the 75p fee, or £2.95 plus the fee if they want to pick a pumpkin too
  • Essential companion tickets are free with an Access Card

Members do not need to book; everyone else selects a date and time slot online. The lower price applies to quieter dates, so the booking calendar is worth a look before settling on a day.

Verulamium Museum and the free museum in town

Verulamium Museum is open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, last admission 3.30pm. Standard tickets are £10 an adult, £5 a child, £23 for a family and free under five; St Albans district residents pay £8, £4 and £18. Since 31 July 2026 every paid ticket includes an annual pass at no extra cost, so a half-term visit covers the year. The museum’s half-term activities page still showed the Easter programme when we checked; its October workshops normally appear in early October, and this page will list them when they do.

St Albans Museum + Gallery on the Market Place has free general admission (St Albans Museums what’s on), and the Clock Tower is the third of the trio. Verulamium Park around the museum is free: the lake, the Roman wall and the hypocaust.

Theatre and the Arena

  • Abbey Theatre: The 39 Steps in the Studio runs 16 to 24 October, inside the independents’ half term, and Stage Two 2026, new writing from the Company of Ten’s writers’ group, is on 29 and 30 October (Abbey Theatre what’s on)
  • The Alban Arena: evening shows that week are Susan Calman on Sunday 25 October, Queenz: Battle of the Divas on Thursday 29 October, Thank You For the Music, an ABBA tribute, on Friday 30 October, and the Soulfish charity concert on Saturday 31 October, all at 7.30pm (The Alban Arena). The panto does not start until 4 December; details on our pantomime page
  • The Odyssey cinema’s programme for the half-term week was not yet listed on 25 September; it usually posts a fortnight ahead (Odyssey Pictures)

Harpenden that week

  • Saturday 24 October, 11am to noon: Opening of the Field of Remembrance at the War Memorial on Church Green, the Royal British Legion’s ceremony that also launches the Poppy Appeal (Harpenden Town Council)
  • Sunday 25 October, from 10am: Farmers’ Market in the town centre (Harpenden Town Council calendar)

St Albans Cathedral

The cathedral is open daily from 9am to 5pm, entrance through the Welcome Centre in Sumpter Yard (St Albans Cathedral, visit). Its events listing had no half-term family programme published when we checked; its Christmas season, starting with the Advent Procession on 29 November, is on our cathedral at Christmas page.

Getting there and parking

Verulamium’s car park is the cheapest for the museum and park. Our parking in St Albans page has every council tariff, and the roadworks page carries the A414 and M1 closures that can catch out a trip to Willows.

What is still to be confirmed

  • St Albans Museums’ October workshops, expected in early October.
  • The Odyssey’s half-term programme, expected mid October.