Half term is 26 to 30 October for most Stevenage schools, two weeks at Barclay. The free Halloween event is now Sat 31 Oct, 11am to 3pm, at the Indoor Market.

October half term in Stevenage is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for most children, and the council’s free Halloween event follows on Saturday 31 October at Stevenage Indoor Market. Two schools break differently: Barclay Academy pupils are off for two weeks, to 6 November, and Valley School pupils start their break on Wednesday 21 October. The clocks go back on the Sunday before, 25 October, so it is a dark-by-teatime week.

Everything below comes from the organiser’s own listing. Where 2026 detail is still missing, it says so.

The quick answer

Hertfordshire’s half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Barclay Academy is off from Friday 23 October to Friday 6 November, and The Valley School from Wednesday 21 October. The council’s free Halloween event is on Saturday 31 October, 11am to 3pm, at Stevenage Indoor Market. Knebworth Gardens, Park and Dinosaur Trail open daily from 24 to 30 October, 10.30am to 4pm, with a £2 autumn trail on top of admission. The Gordon Craig Theatre has two daytime family shows in the week, and the museum’s free Family Saturdays run through to December.

Updated 3 October: the council’s autumn programme puts its Halloween event on Saturday 31 October at the Indoor Market, not Friday 30 October on Event Island as its spring diary said.

Whose half term is it?

Hertfordshire County Council’s dates put the holiday at 26 to 30 October (Hertfordshire County Council, term dates). Academies can set their own, and in Stevenage two do:

  • Barclay Academy has a training day on Friday 23 October and a two-week break from 26 October to 6 November, with pupils back on Monday 9 November (Barclay Academy term dates).
  • The Valley School has training days on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 October, then the county week (The Valley School term dates).

The Nobel School, The Thomas Alleyne Academy, Marriotts and Barnwell all take the county week. The full comparison, including the November training days, is on our term dates page.

The clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026 (GOV.UK, when do the clocks change).

Halloween at the Indoor Market, Saturday 31 October

The council’s free Halloween event is on Saturday 31 October 2026, from 11am to 3pm, at Stevenage Indoor Market. The council suggests calling in before trick or treating to get your face painted (Stevenage Borough Council, “Free events for all this autumn and winter”, 1 October 2026). Its printed autumn calendar lists it as the “Halloween Market Event” (Stevenage Borough Council, What’s On events calendar).

This replaces the date we gave earlier. The council’s spring diary had put Halloween-tastic on Friday 30 October at the Town Centre and Event Island (Stevenage Borough Council, Chronicle Spring 2026, page 6). The October programme no longer lists that date, so plan for the Saturday. It falls the day after half term ends.

For comparison, the 2025 event, on Saturday 25 October, ran from 12 noon to 7pm on Event Island, with face painting, circus skills workshops, a craft fair, a children’s disco and a fancy dress competition (Stevenage Town Centre, Halloweentastic). The council has not said what the 2026 market event includes beyond face painting. The town centre team is on 01438 242184 or tcm@stevenage.gov.uk. For the pumpkin patches at Hitchin Lavender and Church Farm Ardeley, see our Stevenage Halloween page.

Knebworth: gardens, park and dinosaurs, 24 to 30 October

Knebworth House closes its main season on 27 September and reopens the grounds for one week of half term. From Saturday 24 to Friday 30 October the Gardens, Park and Dinosaur Trail open daily from 10.30am to 4pm, last admission 3.30pm. The house is not open, and the adventure playground is closed through October and November (Knebworth House, Autumn).

The Autumn Trail is aimed at children aged 2 to 8: five challenges around the Formal Gardens, a trail sheet and pencil, a small chocolate prize with a dairy-free option, and two craft activities, for £2 a person on top of admission. Season ticket holders get admission and the trail free.

Admission for Gardens and Park is £15.50 online or £16.50 at the gate for anyone aged 3 and over, or £58 online (£62 gate) for a family of four. Under 3s are free but need a £2 trail sheet to take part (Knebworth House, opening times and prices). The visitor entrance postcode is SG1 2AX.

Two days later, on Sunday 1 November, the Hertfordshire Half Marathon and 10K starts and finishes at the house, 9am to 12pm, in support of Garden House Hospice (Knebworth House, Half Marathon and 10K).

Gordon Craig Theatre

The theatre’s own booking system lists these in the week (Gordon Craig Theatre, what’s on). A £3.50 transaction fee is added to each booking.

  • The Dinosaur That Pooped: A Rock Show, Monday 26 October, 12.30pm and 3.30pm
  • Ministry of Science Live: Science Saved the World, Wednesday 28 October, 12.30pm and 3.30pm
  • Jeremy Bamber: The White House Farm Murders, Thursday 29 October, 7.30pm, age guidance 14+ with under 16s accompanied
  • Halloween in Concert, Friday 30 October, 7.30pm
  • The Best of Queen, Saturday 31 October, 7.30pm

Prices vary by seat and are on the theatre’s site.

Stevenage Museum

The museum on St George’s Way is open Wednesday to Friday 10am to 4.30pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm, and is free (Stevenage Borough Council, Stevenage Museum). The Stevenage Football Club @ 50 exhibition runs to 31 October, so half term is its last week. The council’s events listing has Family Saturdays, free drop-in craft activities, running every Saturday to 12 December, and Pop up Play for under 5s to the same date (Stevenage Borough Council, events). A specific half-term holiday programme for October 2026 was not listed as of 24 September.

Also on the council’s list: local historian Simon Speller’s 80 years of the new town walks, running to 9 November as part of the town’s 80th anniversary, which we covered on our Stevenage Museum 80 programme page.

The week after

Half term ends and the first big evening of the winter follows straight on. The council’s free fireworks display at Fairlands Valley Park is on Thursday 5 November, five days after the Halloween event, with gates at 6.30pm and the display at 7.30pm; details and parking are on our fireworks page. Remembrance Sunday is 8 November, on our Remembrance page.

For parking in the town centre during the week, including the pay-by-plate change, see parking in Stevenage. For the A1(M) and any road closures, see roadworks and travel.

Still to be confirmed

  • The Halloween Market Event programme beyond face painting, from the council.
  • Stevenage Museum’s half-term activities, on the council’s events page.
  • Whether Knebworth adds anything to the gardens opening beyond the autumn trail.