Lewes schools are off 26 to 30 October 2026. What's on locally that week: Newhaven Fort's daily Halloween programme, Lewes Castle's trail, Firle Bonfire.
October half term in Lewes district runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for most schools, and the week is full of Halloween and bonfire events. Newhaven Fort has something different every day, Lewes Castle has a Halloween trail, and Firle, Isfield and Newick all hold their bonfire nights inside the holiday. Two schools break a week earlier, so check your own before you book anything.
The quick answer
- Half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026; back on Monday 2 November. Peacehaven Community School and Lewes Old Grammar School break a week earlier. Full dates are on our Lewes term dates page.
- Best-value days out: Lewes Castle’s Halloween trail (included with a £6.50 child ticket) and Newhaven Fort’s daily programme (included with admission).
- Bonfires in the holiday: Firle on Saturday 24 October, Isfield on Friday 30 October, Newick on Saturday 31 October.
What’s on in half term week
Every entry is from the organiser’s own website, checked on 25 September 2026.
| When | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 24 Oct | Firle Bonfire | Firle | £12.50 advance, £17 on the day, under 13s free |
| Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct | Halloween Adventures trail and crafts | Lewes Castle | With admission |
| Mon 26 to Sat 31 Oct | Halloween half term, a different event daily | Newhaven Fort | With admission |
| Until Sun 1 Nov | Gristle Grotlin’s Halloween Trail | Paradise Park, Newhaven | With admission |
| Half term week | Scarecrow display around the Open Farm | Middle Farm, Firle | £10 day admission |
| Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov | Halloween Shriek Week | Drusillas, Alfriston | With admission |
| Fri 30 Oct | Isfield and Little Horsted Bonfire | Isfield | Free, donations |
| Sat 31 Oct | Newick Bonfire Night | Newick | Roads closed 6pm to 11pm |
Lewes Castle: Halloween Adventures
Sussex Past’s Halloween Adventures in Lewes runs from 26 to 30 October, 10am to 4pm. It is a seasonal trail around the castle grounds about medieval All Hallows’ Eve, with craft activities where children make something to take home. It is for all ages and included with a normal ticket.
The castle’s admission prices are £12 adults, £6.50 children aged 5 to 17, and £34 for a family of two adults and up to four children. Under 5s go free. The castle’s own opening times list Tuesday to Sunday, so ring before you go on Monday 26 October. From Sunday 25 October it closes at 4pm, with the museum open until 5pm.
A combined ticket with Anne of Cleves House costs £54 for the same family. Anne of Cleves House is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, until Sunday 8 November, then shuts for the winter until March.
Newhaven Fort: something every day
Newhaven Fort’s Halloween half term programme has a different activity each day:
- Monday 26 October: witch-themed storytelling and crafts
- Tuesday 27 October: Reptylers, with snakes and “all things creepy crawly”
- Wednesday 28 October: the Wacky Wizard Magic Show and wizard crafts
- Thursday 29 October: spooky tunnels, plus a family ghost hunt in the evening that must be booked separately through the-pigs.co.uk
- Friday 30 October: spooky tunnels
- Saturday 31 October: spooky tunnels and Halloween crafts
The fort recommends the tunnels for children over 8, and warns they have steps. Its 2026 prices are £19.95 adults, £16.95 children aged 4 to 15, and £67.95 for a family of two adults and two children or one adult and three children. Tickets are valid for return visits for 12 months. Book a timed slot online. The fort closes for the winter after Sunday 1 November, so half term is the last week of its season.
Paradise Park, Newhaven
Paradise Park runs Gristle Grotlin’s Creepy Creatures Discovery Trail through its gardens from 3 October to 1 November. It is included with standard entry: the park’s ticket page lists a £12.99 individual day pass for anyone over 3, with under 3s free. The park is at Avis Road, Newhaven, BN9 0DH.
Middle Farm, Firle
Middle Farm’s Open Farm is running a scarecrow competition, and the entries go on display around the farm over the Halloween half term. Winners are announced on 5 November. Open Farm day admission is £10, under 3s free, open 10am to 4pm.
Drusillas, Alfriston
Drusillas Zoo Park, just over the district boundary near Seaford, holds Halloween Shriek Week from 24 October to 1 November 2026. Its page does not list the individual activities or a separate price yet.
Three bonfire nights in the holiday
- Firle, Saturday 24 October. Firle Bonfire Society processes through the village at 7pm, with the bonfire and fireworks at about 9pm. Advance tickets are £12.50 until the day and £17 on the gate, and under 13s are free. Free parking is in the field at Firle Park, signposted from the A27. It is also the night the clocks go back.
- Isfield and Little Horsted, Friday 30 October. The society holds its display on the last Friday of October in the Isfield Community Enterprise field behind the Laughing Fish pub. It is free, with a collection for next year’s display.
- Newick, Saturday 31 October. Newick Bonfire Society’s diary has a Make a Guy competition (drop off at Newick Village Hall by 9am), a bonfire breakfast at 10am, and roads closed from 6pm to 11pm for the evening.
Seaford’s bonfire falls the weekend before half term, on Saturday 17 October. Every society night this autumn, and the Lewes Fifth on Thursday 5 November, is on our bonfire nights near Lewes page.
Still to be confirmed
- Drusillas’ Shriek Week programme and any extra charge.
- Isfield’s start times and parking.
- Monday 26 October at Lewes Castle: the event page says 26 to 30 October, the opening times say Tuesday to Sunday.
Driving to any of these? Check roadworks and travel first, and parking in Lewes for the castle. Other ideas for the rest of the year are on our things to do in Lewes page. Halloween night itself, the Bluebell Railway’s Ghost Train and the Depot’s horror films are on our Halloween in Lewes page.
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