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- Halloween
South Wales Halloween Events
More than a hundred castles, a fair few of them ruined and several reputed to be haunted. South Wales is well set up for Halloween. Here is what is on across the region.
When is Halloween?
Halloween falls on 31 October every year. In 2026 that is a Saturday, so the main weekend of events runs from Friday 30 October, and a lot of attractions programme activities across the whole of the preceding week.
The Welsh school October half term usually falls in the week leading up to Halloween, so most family events across South Wales run through that week as well as on the night itself. Expect daytime trails, workshops and pumpkin picking across the full week, with the bigger evening events concentrated on the closest weekend.
Below you will find our pick of the pumpkin patches and ghost tours, guidance on which events suit which ages, and everything that is on area by area.
Last Updated: 24/09/2026
Dates for Halloween 2026 - we'll add more as we hear about them, so check back for updates.
Pumpkin picking in Cardiff & South Wales
Pumpkin picking has become one of the fixtures of the South Wales autumn, and a growing number of farms across the region now open their fields through October. The format is broadly the same everywhere: you pick your own from the field, pay by size or by pumpkin, and most sites add extras like tractor rides, mazes, food stalls and photo spots.
A few things are worth knowing before you go. Most pumpkin patches now require you to book a timed slot in advance, and the popular ones sell out for weekends well before October. They are working fields, so wear boots or wellies rather than trainers, and take a bag or a barrow if the farm does not provide one. Weekday visits are dramatically quieter than weekends if you can manage one, particularly during half term.
Pumpkin patches typically open from late September or the start of October and close on or just before Halloween itself, so leaving it until the weekend after usually means finding the field picked out.
| Clearwell Farm Pumpkin Festival | Cardiff's Pumpkin Village returns at Clearwell Farm with their annual pumpkin festival. They have 27 varieties and 60,000 pumpkins to choose from, all grown on their farm! Twilight sessions have music and occasional DJs, and various events on weekends throughout October. 📅 Saturday 3rd to Saturday 31st October 2026 ◎ Clearwell Farm, Michaelston-Y-Fedw, CF3 6XT (between Cardiff & Newport) 💷 £5 per person |
| Gower Fresh Pumpkin Picking | Book you Car Pass to get full access to the Gower Fresh Pumpkin Patch at Wales' largest Pumpkin Festival. Wander through the pumpkins and pick your own straight from the field - just pay for what you choose on the day. 📅 Saturday 26th September to Saturday 31st October 2026 ◎ Gower Fresh Christmas Trees, Three Crosses, Swansea, SA4 3PB 💷 £5.26/car entry (up to 6 people) |
| Pumpkin Picking at Forage Farm | Daytime: Pick from thousands of homegrown pumpkins this autumn, with tractor trailer rides out to the patch, a maize maze, farm animals, hay bale climbing, photo opportunities and seasonal food and drink. A family favourite for all ages. Twilight (after dark): For a spookier night out, Forage's Twilight pumpkin picking returns with a bigger scare maze, live actors lurking in the shadows, fire performers and stilt walkers, plus pumpkin picking under the stars. Recommended for ages 8 and up. 📅 Selected Dates from Saturday 3rd to Saturday 31st October 2026 ◎ Forage Farm, near Cowbridge, CF71 7FF 💷 Daytime from £12pp / Twilight from £10pp |
The most haunted places in South Wales
South Wales has the raw material for a good ghost story. Ruins of castles, centuries of industrial history, and a coastline with a long record of shipwrecks and smuggling leave no shortage of places with a reputation.
Among the best known are Llancaiach Fawr Manor near Nelson, a Tudor house that runs regular paranormal evenings, the Skirrid Mountain Inn near Abergavenny, reputed to be one of the oldest pubs in Wales, Craig-y-Nos Castle in the upper Swansea Valley, and Margam Castle near Port Talbot. Caerphilly Castle has its Green Lady, and Chepstow and Carew both carry long-standing stories of their own.
Ghost walks and evening tours run through October across the region, with town walks in Tenby, evening events at several castles, and ghost story evenings at historic houses among the regular fixtures. Most run only in the autumn and many sell out, so book ahead.
If you would rather explore on your own, a number of the region's ruined castles and historic sites are free to walk around and are considerably more atmospheric on a dark October afternoon than on a bright day in July.
| Chepstow Castle Ghost Tour (Adults Only) | Enjoy a spooky, scary Halloween with an evening of ghost stories and local legends. Hear eye-witness accounts from castle custodians past and present of paranormal activity in the castle, and relax (if you can) with a complimentary hot drink, with ghoulish tales told by their storytellers. 📅 Thursday 22nd October 2026 ◎ Chepstow Castle 💷 £15pp |
| Scare Nights | Do you dare take on The SCARE RUN with 10 terrifying zones! Halloween activities, marshmallow roasting, axe throwing, and plenty of other activities, as well as food trucks in the square. 📅 Dates from Saturday 17th October to Sunday 1st November 2026 ◎ Fonmon Castle 💷 From £14pp |
| Tenby Ghost Walks | Join Tenby Ghost Walks for a Halloween special, voted one of the top five ghost walks in the UK - are you brave enough for this immersive journey into the haunting tales and eerie history of Tenby?! 📅 Saturday 31st October 2026 - at 6pm and 9pm ◎ Meet at The Lifeboat Tavern, Tenby 💷 Adults £10pp / Children £5pp |
| The Harvest Calling | Not for the faint-hearted, The Harvest Calling is an actor-led night-time horror experience for ages 12 and over. Step into a cursed harvest festival and uncover the chilling truth behind the missing local farmers and the rise of The Hollow Man, as you're dragged through the Maize Field and scare zones like the Slaughter Shed, the Corn Cult and the Chainsaw Run. Expect live scare actors, hidden pathways and sudden reveals, smoke and lighting effects, atmospheric sound and a full chainsaw finale, with relentless tension from start to finish. 📅 Thursday 29th to Saturday 31st October 2026 ◎ Poundffald Farm, Three Crosses, Swansea 💷 Book a car for up to 6 people £5/car - then add £8.95pp for The Harvest Calling (booking fees apply) |
| Monsters of the Mine | Monsters of the Mine: The Final Reckoning returns to Zip World Tower near Aberdare, transforming the former colliery into an after-dark scare-fest. Brave a horde of monsters as you take on adrenaline-fuelled adventures in the pitch black, from the Terror Coaster and Phoenix zip line to the Cursed Climber and Fear Flyer, with a range of Night Passes to suit how much fear you can handle. No one is safe, not even in the car park, so come face to face with the creatures of the mine if you dare. A lower-cost Spectator Pass is available for those who'd rather watch the chaos with both feet on the ground. 📅 Friday 9th October to Sunday 1st November 2026 ◎ Tower Colliery, Aberdare, CF44 9UF 💷 From £22/person |
Halloween Events in Newport & Chepstow
| Halloween Mini Golf After Dark | Step into a world of glowing lights and spooky fun as our mini golf course comes alive after sunset! Perfect for a fun, family-friendly night with cool Halloween additions (no jump scares). Bring your friends and family, putt your way through the lights, and enjoy Tredegar Park Mini Golf like you've never seen it before! 📅 Saturday 24th October to Sunday 1st November 2026 ◎ Tredegar Park Minigolf, Newport, NP20 3AJ 💷 Adults from £8pp / Children from £6pp +booking fee |
Halloween Events in Cardiff & The Vale
| Royal Mint Experience Halloween Takeover | Join in for a frightfully fantastic Halloween of spooky crafts and family fun, from terrifying tealight holder painting and menacing mask making to ghoulish games and daily face painting. Strike a pose at the Trick or Treat photo op, enjoy haunted Halloween hits setting the scene and spooky sweet treats in the café, and for the truly brave, book a spot on the Mini Monster Cake Decorating Workshop (cake workshop is only Wednesday & Friday). 📅 Monday 26th to Friday 30th October 2026 ◎ Royal Mint Experience, Llantrisant, CF72 8YT 💷 £FREE with a tour - otherwise £7.50/child |
| Murder Mystery Night | Step back in time to the roaring 1920s - an era of glamour, secrets, and scandal. The year is 1927, the gin is flowing, the jazz is playing, and high society has gathered for an extravagant evening at Shawley Manor, but when the night takes a deadly turn, everyone becomes a suspect in this thrilling Cardiff murder. Packed with comedy, clues, and intrigue, this murder mystery experience is fully interactive, featuring immersive performances and audience participation that let you interrogate suspects, uncover hidden motives, and enjoy a night of mystery, laughter, and murderous fun. 📅 Saturday 31st October 2026 ◎ Future Inn, Cardiff Bay 💷 £40pp including three-course dinner with coffee |
| Harvest of Horror (Age 16+) | An interactive horror maze once the sun has set, with live actors, a haunting pumpkin village, and four different scare mazes to survive! 📅 16th & 17th, 23rd & 24th, then 26th to 31st October 2026 ◎ Clearwell Farm, Michaelston-Y-Fedw, CF3 6XT (between Cardiff & Newport) 💷 £18.86pp |
| Halloween Spooktacular | Join the orchestra at the Wales Millennium Centre for its much-loved Halloween Spooktacular, a family concert of delightfully mysterious music in the BBC Hoddinott Hall. Expect spine-tingling moments and big orchestral sound as the players conjure up ghosts, goblins and grins, with Halloween favourites from Danse Macabre and the Ghostbusters theme to the Imperial March and highlights from Wicked. Dressing up is all part of the fun, so pull on your best costume for a fang-tastic family celebration. 📅 Saturday 31st October 2026 ◎ BBC Hoddinott Hall (Wales Millennium Centre), Cardiff Bay 💷 From £17pp |
| Vampire Movie Night | Cinema in the bowl is back at Spit & Sawdust. On Oct 25th Dark Entries will be screening Ana Lily Amirpours 2014 Iranian vampire western : A Girl walks home alone at night. In the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire. The Screening will be in the skate park bowl, cushions & chairs, bar open, pre & post movie tunes in the cafe. Join us for an immersive & fresh way to see movies curated by a film loving witch. Doors 7pm | Film 8pm. 📅 Sunday 25th October 2026 ◎ Spit & Sawdust, Unit B, Rhymney River Bridge Rd, Cardiff CF23 9AF 💷 Tickets £6pp (+booking fee) |
| Halloween @ Spit & Sawdust | The witching hour is almost ready & team Spit & Sawdust LOVES Halloween! On Friday 30th 6-10pm - We’ve got a double feature with our Indie Night market & All Hallows eve eve soirée with live music from BADLANDS. Halloween costumes encouraged to enter our annual comp! On Saturday 31st 10-6pm, we have our family fun day, with wicked workshops, gruesome games, ghoulish tuition, spooky snacks and a second chance to dress up and win the rest of the years skate for free! 📅 Friday 30th October 2026 - Indie Night 📅 Saturday 31st October 2026 - Family fun day ◎ Spit & Sawdust, Unit B, Rhymney River Bridge Rd, Cardiff CF23 9AF 💷 Free entry to the events (Saturday skatepark £8 all day ages 7+) |
| Cardiff Pottery Workshops Halloween Events | We have a range of workshops for children and families taking place through October half term, some of which are Halloween focussed, and they are as follows: 📅 Sunday 25th October 2026 - Spooktacular pumpkin workshop 📅 Sunday 25th & Wednesday 28th October 2026 - Parent and child throwing on the Wheel 📅 Tuesday 27th October 2026 - Make and Paint plate or door plaque 📅 Thursday 29th October 2026 - Spooktacular monster workshop ◎ Cardiff Pottery Workshop, Llandough Studio, Unit 12, Llandough Trading Estate, Cardiff, CF11 8RR 💷 £20pp |
Keep scrolling for more spooky events...
Halloween Events in Bridgend & Porthcawl
| Not-So-Scary Halloween Daytime | Plenty of fun with frights for all the family. Explore Beetlejuice’s Castle, see the haunted dinosaurs, pick your own pumpkin, and enjoy the crafts and activities, as well as plenty more to see and do. Enjoy live character appearances and shows featuring the Sanderson Sisters and Maleficent. 📅 Dates from Saturday 17th October to Sunday 1st November 2026 ◎ Fonmon Castle 💷 £11/adult and 10/child |
| Halloween Trail | Explore Bryngarw Country Park and hunt down the giant pumpkins - complete the trail to win a small prize on the day, and be entered into a prize draw to win a Halloween hamper! Ideal for ages 3-9 years, it's pram and pushchair friendly, and should take around 40 minutes. 📅 Saturday 24th October to Sunday 1st November 2026 ◎ Bryngarw Country Park 💷 £4.50/child |
Halloween Events in Swansea & The Gower
| Scream Time & Spooky Time | Choose your scare level at Margam Park this Halloween! Both are a 1km interactive trail, either suitable for children aged 7 and upwards, or for the full Scream Time experience from age 15+. Both trails also include the "scare village" offering tasty treats, games, and rides. 📅 Thursday 15th October to Sunday 1st November 2026 ◎ Margam Park, Port Talbot 💷 Spooky Time from £14.50/child and £21.95/adult 💷 Scare Time from £22.95pp |
| The Witches of the Farm | Join the Witches of the Farm on a one-hour immersive Halloween adventure for families and children up to 12. This interactive, story-led quest sends young visitors gathering the lost ingredients for the Giant Potion of Halloween Magic, with live witch characters, magical challenges and special effects, before a grand finale and Halloween party in the Cauldron Barn. Can you complete the potion and save Halloween before midnight? 📅 Saturday 24th to Saturday 31st October 2026 ◎ Poundffald Farm, Three Crosses, Swansea 💷 Book a car for up to 6 people £5/car - then add from £4.95pp for The Witches of the Farm (booking fees apply) |
Halloween Events near Tenby
| Spooky Scarecrow Trail | The Castle has been overrun by mischievous scarecrows! They’re lurking in every corner, sneaking into dark nooks, and waiting to surprise you. Some are silly, some are spooky, some are famous, and a few are downright terrifying. Track them all down and uncover a mysterious prize! 📅Saturday 24th October to Sunday 1st November 2026 ◎ Carew Castle 💷 £2.50/child + normal admission |
| Institute of Terror | Can you escape the Institute? This Halloween, Heatherton's giant hedge maze is transformed into a terrifying abandoned asylum whose former patients haven't all left. Navigate the twisting pathways after dark, where unsettling sights, chilling sounds and live scare actors wait around every corner. Keep your group close, watch the shadows and try to find your way out before the Institute of Terror gets the better of you. 📅 Monday 26th to Saturday 31st October 2026 ◎ Heatherton World of Activities 💷 £12 per person |
South Wales Guide does not organise any of the events listed on this page. Details are provided by the organiser or taken from their own listings, and they can change without notice, so please check directly with the organiser before you travel.
Age guidance for Halloween events
Halloween events in South Wales range from gentle to genuinely frightening, and the difference is not always obvious from the listing. As a rough guide, daytime trails and pumpkin patches suit all ages including toddlers. Early-evening family events with fancy dress and light-touch spookiness generally suit primary school children. Anything described as a scare event, scare maze or with a stated minimum age is aimed at teenagers and adults and usually involves actors, darkness and deliberate jump scares.
Where an event carries an age restriction we have noted it in the listing, but if you are booking for a nervous child it is always worth ringing the venue and asking directly. Organisers are used to the question.
Happy Halloween!
We hope you have a very happy Halloween in South Wales this year.
If you are organising a Halloween event in South Wales and would like it featured on this guide, please get in touch. Listings are free. We start planning this page over the summer, so it always carries the latest events well before October.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Halloween 2026?
Halloween falls on 31 October every year, and in 2026 that is a Saturday. Most Halloween events across South Wales run through the preceding week and concentrate on the weekend of 30 and 31 October. The Welsh school October half term usually falls in the week leading up to Halloween, so family events typically run across that full week.
- Where can you go pumpkin picking in South Wales?
Pumpkin patches open across South Wales through October, including farms in Monmouthshire, the Vale of Glamorgan, the Gower and Pembrokeshire. Most operate a pick-your-own format with timed booking slots, and many add tractor rides, mazes and food stalls. Book ahead for weekends, as popular patches sell out well before October, and wear boots, as these are working fields.
- What are the most haunted places in South Wales?
South Wales has a long list of reputedly haunted sites, most of them castles and historic houses. Ghost walks and evening tours run through October at locations including Chepstow Castle, Carew Castle and around Tenby’s old town, and several historic houses across the region hold ghost story evenings. Many of the region’s ruined castles are free to visit and are at their most atmospheric on a dark autumn afternoon.
- What Halloween events are suitable for young children?
Daytime pumpkin trails, lantern walks and craft sessions at country parks, castles and shopping centres across South Wales are all suitable for young children, and most are explicitly aimed at families. Country parks including Bryngarw and Margam and castles such as Fonmon and Carew typically run gentle daytime events. Anything described as a scare event or scare maze is aimed at teenagers and adults and usually carries a minimum age.
- Are there free Halloween events in South Wales?
Yes. A number of free Halloween events run across South Wales each October, including trails and activities at council-run parks, free events at shopping centres, and town centre fancy dress and trick-or-treat trails. Visiting the region’s free-to-access ruined castles on a dark October afternoon costs nothing and delivers more atmosphere than most paid attractions.
- Do you need to book Halloween events in advance?
Usually, yes. Pumpkin patches almost all operate timed booking slots and sell out for weekends well before October. Ghost walks and evening castle events run limited dates with limited capacity and regularly sell out. Free town centre and shopping centre events generally do not need booking. If an event falls during the Welsh school half term, assume it will be busy and book early.
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