- Seasonal
- Halloween
South Wales Halloween Activities
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: 24/08/2026
Dates for 2026 are confirmed through September and we update this page as they are announced. The events listed below are 2025, kept here so you can see what to expect.
Pumpkin picking in 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.
| Newport Pumpkin Picking | Choose your personal pumpkin at Berry Hill Farm, with 20 varieties of pumpkins and squash available! 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Coedkernew, on the A48 just outside Newport 💷 £5.24/car entry |
| Clearwell Farm Pumpkin Picking | An interactive horror maze once the sun has set, with live actors, a haunting pumpkin village, and three different scare zones to survive! 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Clearwell Farm, Michaelston-Y-Fedw (between Cardiff & Newport) 💷 £10.48/car entry |
The most haunted places in South Wales
South Wales has the raw material for a good ghost story. More than a hundred castles, centuries of industrial history, and a coastline with a long record of shipwrecks and smuggling leaves 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.
| An Evening of Ghost Stories (Adults Only) | Enjoy a spooky, scary Halloween with an evening of ghost stories and local legends. Relax (if you can) with a complimentary hot drink, with ghoulish tales told by their storytellers. 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Chepstow Castle 💷 £15pp |
| Scare Evenings | 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. 📅 TBC For Halloween 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?! 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Meet at The Lifeboat Tavern, Tenby 💷 Adults £10pp / Children £5pp |
Halloween Activities in Newport & Chepstow
| Spooky Lantern Trail | Follow the spooky lantern trail to help Clive the ghost find a new home! 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Riverfront, Newport 💷 FREE |
| Spooky Crafty Cinema Club (7-11 Years) | Start with a spooky craft activity inspired by Hocus Pocus, followed by a relaxed lunch break, then in the afternoon enjoy the movie. 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Riverfront, Newport 💷 £20pp |
Halloween Activities in Cardiff & The Vale
| Cardiff Halloween Festival | The largest Halloween festival in South Wales comes to Cardiff, with ghostly quests and live stage shows, as well as stories, pumpkins, and play zones. The magic continues with premium experiences available, plus street food, walkabout characters, and photo opportunities. 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Alexandra Head, Cardiff Bay 💷 From £13.50pp to £15.50pp (family tickets also available) |
| Harvest of Horror (Age 12+) | An interactive horror maze once the sun has set, with live actors, a haunting pumpkin village, and three different scare zones to survive! 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Clearwell Farm, Michaelston-Y-Fedw (between Cardiff & Newport) 💷 £18.86pp |
Keep scrolling for more spooky events...
Halloween Activities in Bridgend & Porthcawl
| Family Daytime Halloween | 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. 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Fonmon Castle 💷 From £10pp |
| Pumpkin 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! 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Bryngarw Country Park 💷 £4.50/child |
Halloween Activities 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. 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Margam Park, Port Talbot 💷 Spooky Time from £16.50/child and £25/adult 💷 Scare Time from £26pp |
| The Monsters Ball! | Fantastic glow and foam Halloween party for families. 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Poundffald Farm, Three Crosses, Swansea 💷 Adults £5.19pp / Children £10.47pp |
Halloween Activities near Tenby
| Scarecrow Trail | The scarecrow trail returns to Folly Farm for October 2025 - just pick up a form and spot the scarecrows as you head around the park. There are lots of other spooky surprises too, with Meep the Sheep (costume character), Halloween themed VR ride, haunted hay bales, and Halloween-themed photo ops. 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Folly Farm 💷 Included with admission (£24.70/child and £26.60/adult) |
| Pumpkin Patch Adventure | A fun autumn adventure searching for pumpkin clues, perfect for younger kids. 📅 TBC For Halloween 2026 ◎ Carew Castle 💷 £2/child + normal admission |
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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