West Berkshire half term runs 23 to 30 October 2026. Dinosaur World Live, Beale Park's pumpkin patch, GreenFest and the other dated things on locally.
October half term in West Berkshire starts on Friday 23 October 2026 and children go back on Monday 2 November. The best-dated things on locally that week are Dinosaur World Live at the Corn Exchange on Tuesday 27 October, the pumpkin patch at Beale Wildlife Park every day from 24 October to 1 November, and GreenFest at St Bart’s on Saturday 24 October, which is free.
The quick answer
- Council half term: Friday 23 to Friday 30 October 2026, back on Monday 2 November. Kennet School in Thatcham breaks a week earlier, from Monday 19 October. School-by-school dates are on our West Berkshire term dates page.
- Biggest ticketed show: Dinosaur World Live, Tuesday 27 October, 2pm and 4.30pm, Corn Exchange Newbury, £17.
- Free: GreenFest West Berkshire, Saturday 24 October, 10am to 5pm, at St Bart’s School.
Which days are actually off
The council’s dates give a nine-day break: Friday 23 October is the first day off, and the Thursday before is the last school day. Not every school follows them. Kennet School takes two weeks, from Monday 19 October; St Bart’s closes a day early for a training day on Thursday 22 October; and Park House pupils go back a day late, on Tuesday 3 November. All three are set out with their sources on our term dates page.
What is on, day by day
Every entry below is from the organiser’s own listing or Newbury BID’s Visit Newbury calendar, read on 25 September 2026.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 23 and Sat 24 Oct | BetVictor Flat Finale with Oktoberfest | Newbury Racecourse | Racecourse tickets |
| Sat 24 Oct, 10am to 5pm | GreenFest West Berkshire: stalls, talks, family crafts, live music | St Bart's School, RG14 6JP | Free |
| Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov, 10am to 3pm | Pumpkin Patch, Halloween woodland walk and maize maze | Beale Wildlife Park, Lower Basildon | Included with park admission |
| Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov | Spooky Crafts (11am to 2pm), Mini-Beasts (2pm), Halloween Trail | Beale Wildlife Park | Trail £1 |
| Sat 24 Oct, 9.30am | Songs and Stories: Small Wonders, for parents with 0 to 2 year olds | The Base, Greenham | £8.25 |
| Sun 25 Oct, 10am to 4pm | Newbury Artisan Market | Newbury town centre | Free |
| Sun 25 Oct, 12pm to 4pm | The Kids' Table: table-top activities during Sunday lunch | The Lock Stock & Barrel | Free, book a table |
| Tue 27 Oct, 2pm and 4.30pm | Dinosaur World Live, 50 minutes, meet and greet after | Corn Exchange Newbury | £17 |
| Fri 30 Oct, 7.30pm | The Nutcracker, Crown Ballet | Corn Exchange Newbury | £34.25 |
| Sat 31 Oct, 10am to 12pm | Speed Lego Competition | Rocket Propelled Games | £20 per pair |
Sources: Dinosaur World Live, The Nutcracker, GreenFest, Beale Wildlife Park Pumpkin Patch, Newbury Artisan Market, The Kids’ Table, Small Wonders, Speed Lego, Flat Finale.
Beale Wildlife Park is the full-day option
Beale Park at Lower Basildon runs its busiest programme of the autumn across the whole break. The park’s own page says the Pumpkin Patch, the decorated Halloween woodland walk and the maize maze are included in normal admission and open 10am to 3pm from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Pumpkins themselves are extra if you want to take one home. Spooky Crafts run 11am to 2pm and a Mini-Beasts session at 2pm, both daily, and there is a £1 Halloween Trail and a £1 Autumn Trail you can add when booking online. The park opens 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4pm (opening times).
Shaw House and the museum
Shaw House is open Monday to Saturday through October and closed on Sundays, 10am to 4pm on weekdays and 11am to 4pm on Saturdays. Admission is £9 for adults, £6 for children aged 4 to 17 and £25 for a family, and the house then closes for the whole of November (West Berkshire Heritage). So half term week is the last chance to visit until 1 December. West Berkshire Heritage had not published any half-term activities for either Shaw House or West Berkshire Museum when we checked on 25 September.
Worth knowing before you book
- Dinosaur World Live has two performances only, both on the Tuesday. The Corn Exchange’s pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, does not open until 27 November: see Newbury pantomime.
- Thatcham Festival finishes before half term. It runs 9 to 18 October, with the free Big Thatcham Fest-Off on a traffic-free High Street on Saturday 10 October, 4.30pm to 9pm (Thatcham Town Council). Kennet School families on the two-week break get the last weekend of it.
- Halloween is the last Saturday of half term. Pumpkin patches at 4 Kingdoms, Wasing and Berkshire Farm Girl, and 4 Kingdoms’ after-dark Halloween Nights, are on our Newbury Halloween page.
- Bonfire Night falls the weekend after. The Newbury Lions display at the racecourse is on Saturday 7 November and Thatcham’s at Kennet School on Friday 6 November: details on our fireworks page.
- Driving in? Tariffs and free periods are on parking in Newbury, and closures on the approaches on Newbury roadworks and travel.
Still to be confirmed
- Half-term activities at Shaw House and West Berkshire Museum, and any library holiday sessions. We will add them when West Berkshire Heritage publishes them, which we expect in early October.
- Newbury Racecourse’s family activities and prices for the Flat Finale weekend are on the racecourse’s own booking pages, not the BID listing.
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