Half term in Chelmsford is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Free science shows at ARU, Brainiac Live, £6 museum crafts and Halloween at Marsh Farm, dated.
October half term in Chelmsford is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, the week set by Essex County Council. It lands on top of the Chelmsford Science Festival this year, so several of the best things on are free.
The quick answer
- Half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Schools go back on Monday 2 November.
- Great Baddow High finishes a day early, on Thursday 22 October, because Friday 23 October is a staff training day there.
- Free and bookable now: Family Science Days at ARU on 24 and 25 October, then Groove on the Moon and Alien Oceans on Monday 26 October.
The dates
Essex County Council’s calendar gives the autumn half term as Monday 26 to Friday 30 October (Essex County Council term dates 2026 to 2027). With the weekends either side, that is nine days off, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November.
Schools set their own staff training days, so check yours. Great Baddow High School lists Friday 23 October as one (Great Baddow High School term dates). The school-by-school differences are on our Chelmsford school term dates page.
The clocks go back an hour in the early morning of Sunday 25 October (GOV.UK), the first weekend of the break.
What’s on, day by day
Every entry below comes from the organiser’s own listing, checked on 28 September 2026.
| When | What | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 24 and Sun 25 Oct, 10.30am to 4pm | Family Science Days | ARU Chelmsford campus | Free, booking needed |
| Sun 25 Oct, 1pm and 3pm | Alice in Wonderland, ballet | Chelmsford Theatre Studio | £13.50 to £17.50 |
| Mon 26 Oct, 11am to 2.30pm | Groove on the Moon | ARU Chelmsford campus | Free |
| Mon 26 Oct, 2pm to 4pm | Alien Oceans | ARU Chelmsford campus | Free |
| Mon 26 Oct, 6.30pm | The Science of Harry Potter | ARU Chelmsford campus | £10 adults, £5 students, under 16s free |
| Mon 26 and Tue 27 Oct | Zoolab animal encounters | RHS Hyde Hall | £7 a child, plus garden entry |
| Tue 27 Oct, 11.30am and 2pm | My First Concert | Chelmsford Theatre | £19 to £25 |
| Tue 27 to Thu 29 Oct, 10.30am and 1.30pm | Museum Magical Makes | Museum of Chelmsford | £6, members £5 |
| Wed 28 Oct, 11.30am and 2pm | Brainiac Live | Chelmsford Theatre | £20 to £22 |
| Thu 29 to Sat 31 Oct | Dinosaur World Live | Chelmsford Theatre | £18 |
| Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct, and weekends to 1 Nov | Halloween Festival | Marsh Farm, South Woodham Ferrers | £15.50 in advance, £18.50 on the door |
The free ones: Chelmsford Science Festival
The festival runs from 20 to 28 October and is organised by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU, Chelmsford Science Festival). The family events fall on the first weekend and the Monday.
- Family Science Days, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, 10.30am to 4pm at the Chelmsford campus. Entry is free but you book a place. Saturday has four bookable shows, all free: an AI robotics theatre (ages 6 and over), Supersonic Farts with the author Helen Rose (3 and over), Impossible Questions with Isabel Thomas, and Bubble Science (ARU, Family Science Day).
- SEN hours run from 9.30am to 10.30am on both days, quieter and with fewer people. A SEN hour ticket lets you stay for the rest of the day.
- Groove on the Moon, Monday 26 October, 11am to 2.30pm: live jazz, funk and storytelling for children aged 3 to 7 (ARU).
- Alien Oceans, Monday 26 October, 2pm to 4pm, recommended for ages 6 and over (ARU).
ARU warns that the campus is large and advises leaving time to move between buildings. The full programme, including the evening talks, is on our Chelmsford Science Festival page.
Chelmsford Theatre
Three family shows run in the main house that week, all on Fairfield Road.
- My First Concert, Tuesday 27 October, 11.30am and 2pm, £19 to £25 (Chelmsford Theatre).
- Brainiac Live, Wednesday 28 October, 11.30am and 2pm, 60 minutes, £20 to £22, recommended for ages 5 and over. It is part of the science festival but booked through the theatre (Chelmsford Theatre).
- Dinosaur World Live, Thursday 29 October at 2pm, then 11am and 2pm on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October. It runs 65 minutes, costs £18 and is recommended for ages 3 and over (Chelmsford Theatre).
The theatre’s pantomime opens four weeks later. Dates and prices are on our Chelmsford pantomime page.
Museum of Chelmsford
Museum Magical Makes runs on 27, 28 and 29 October at 10.30am and 1.30pm. Children make a broomstick keychain, a pumpkin and a thaumatrope, a spinning picture toy. It is for ages 5 to 11 and costs £6, or £5 for members. One accompanying adult gets in free, and extra adults pay the £4 museum admission (Museum of Chelmsford).
The museum’s gold exhibition, Timeless Treasures, runs until 11 April 2027.
Marsh Farm, South Woodham Ferrers
The Halloween Festival runs on weekends from 3 October to 1 November and every day of half term, 26 to 30 October. The ticket includes the pumpkin village, a trick or treat trail, a silent disco, the funfair rides and the dinosaur park. Pumpkins cost extra.
| Ticket | Price per person |
|---|---|
| General, booked ahead | £15.50 |
| Booked within 48 hours | £16.50 |
| On the door | £18.50 |
Source: Marsh Farm, Halloween Festival. The farm is card only. Its quieter Toddler Takeover week is 19 to 23 October, the week before half term, at £13.50 booked ahead and £5 for under twos (Marsh Farm).
RHS Hyde Hall, Rettendon
The garden’s half term programme runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm, with a spooky plants trail included in garden entry (RHS Hyde Hall, October half term).
- Zoolab animal encounters, Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October, four sessions a day from 10.30am, £7 a child.
- Storytelling walks, Tuesday 27 October, five walks from 10.30am, included in entry.
- Craft and planting workshop, Wednesday 28 to Friday 30 October, £2.50 a child, recommended for ages 3 and over.
Children aged 5 to 16 pay £6 to get in and under fives are free. Winter hours, prices and the Glow light trail are on our RHS Hyde Hall in winter page.
Just after half term
Marsh Farm’s family fireworks night is Saturday 7 November. Details are on our Chelmsford fireworks page.
Getting about
City centre car park tariffs are on our parking in Chelmsford page. Chelmsford Theatre says its nearest car parks are Townfield Street, Coval Lane and Fairfield Road. Check our roadworks and travel page before a trip out to South Woodham Ferrers or Rettendon.
What is still to be confirmed
- Hylands Estate lists no children’s half term event for the week. Its next Open Estate Day is Sunday 8 November (Hylands Estate events).
- Chelmsford City Council’s leisure centres had not published a half term holiday programme when we checked.
We will check both again on Monday 12 October and update this page.
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