Essex half term is 26 to 30 October 2026, but some big Basildon schools are off from 19 October. What is on: Barleylands Halloween, Towngate shows, Wat Tyler.
October half term in Basildon is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for schools on the Essex County Council calendar. Mayflower High, Harris Academy Billericay and Woodlands School are off for two weeks, from Monday 19 October.
Below are the dates, then what is actually on in the borough across both weeks, taken from each organiser’s own listings.
The quick answer
- Essex half term: 26 to 30 October 2026, back on Monday 2 November. Some academies break from 19 October
- The big one: Barleylands Halloween Festival, 10am to 4pm daily from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November
- Towngate Theatre family shows on 24, 25 and 31 October, and a Halloween market at Wat Tyler Country Park on 31 October
Which week are your children off?
| Calendar | October half term |
|---|---|
| Essex County Council (community schools) | Mon 26 to Fri 30 October |
| Mayflower High School, Billericay | Mon 19 to Fri 30 October |
| Harris Academy Billericay | Mon 19 to Fri 30 October |
| Woodlands School, Basildon | Mon 19 to Fri 30 October |
Academies set their own dates, so check your school’s calendar. Full detail, INSET days and the rest of the year are on our Basildon school term dates page.
What’s on over half term
Barleylands Halloween Festival, Billericay
Barleylands Farm Park runs its daytime Halloween Festival from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, 10am to 4pm. New this year, every child picks a pumpkin to decorate in the Pumpkin Decorating Barn. The Events Barn has a child-friendly Halloween maze, magic shows from Skittleman the Entertainer and Halloween dance parties, all in the ticket (Barleylands). Barleylands also sells tickets for separate evening Spooky Nights, and the festival page links to both.
Barleylands Road, Billericay CM11 2UD. It covers the whole of the Essex half term week and the weekend before it, but not the first week the academies are off.
Towngate Theatre, Basildon
The Towngate’s autumn listing has four family shows in the half term fortnight (Towngate Theatre):
- Halloween in Concert (“It’s a graveyard smash!”), Saturday 24 October
- Dinosaur Adventure Live: Danger on T-Rex Mountain, Sunday 25 October
- We Will Rock You, a youth production by Young @ Part, Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October
- The Spooktacular Variety Show, Saturday 31 October
The theatre is in St Martin’s Square, Basildon SS14 1DL. The pantomime, Aladdin, opens on 26 November: see Basildon pantomime.
Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea
A Halloween Market in the park’s Nobel room on Saturday 31 October, 10am to 4pm (Wat Tyler Country Park). The park itself is free, with 125 acres of walks and an adventure play area (more on our things to do in Basildon page). Pitsea Hall Lane, Pitsea SS16 4UH.
Langdon Nature Discovery Park, Laindon
Essex Wildlife Trust’s listings for Langdon in the fortnight include a foraging in autumn walk on Sunday 25 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm, and the weekly Nature Tots parent and toddler group on Wednesday 21 October, 10am to noon (Essex Wildlife Trust events). Events are booked through the trust.
Straight after half term: fireworks
Bonfire Night falls the week after. Barleylands runs family fireworks on four nights from 5 to 8 November and Billericay Round Table’s display at Lake Meadows is on Saturday 7 November. Details and ticket status are on our Basildon fireworks page.
Getting there
Wat Tyler Country Park has a free car park. For council car parks in the towns, which are free at weekends, see parking in Basildon. For road closures in the half term fortnight see Basildon roadworks.
What is still to be confirmed
- Towngate show times and prices, which are on each show’s booking page
- Library and council holiday activities. We have not found a half term programme from Essex Libraries or Basildon Council for the borough yet. We will add them here when they appear.
More ideas for the rest of the year: things to do in Basildon.
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