Milton Keynes half term runs 26 to 30 October 2026. Bletchley Park's Halloween trail, free Howe Park Wood mornings, Matilda from the 28th and Fright Fiesta.
October half term in Milton Keynes is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Schools break up on Friday 23 October and return on Monday 2 November, under the city council’s calendar. Twelve things are confirmed for the week so far, all taken from the organisers’ own listings.
The quick answer
- Half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. Some secondaries add a training day either side, so check your school.
- Bletchley Park’s Halloween trail runs 26 to 31 October, included in admission. Under 8s go free.
- Milton Keynes Museum opens every day of half term, 10.30am to 4.30pm. Under 5s go free.
Updated 4 October: added the Parks Trust’s free open mornings at Howe Park Wood, Gulliver’s Fright Fiesta, and the times of centre:mk’s Halloween kids club.
The dates
The council’s term dates for 2026 to 2028 set the autumn half term as 26 to 30 October. Academies and independent schools set their own calendars. Our term dates page compares nine of them, including the two independents that break up a week early.
Twelve things on that week
| What | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Halloween at Boo-letchley Park, Bletchley Park | Mon 26 to Sat 31 October, 9.30am to 5pm | Included in admission. Under 8s free. |
| Half term at Milton Keynes Museum | Mon 26 to Fri 30 October, 10.30am to 4.30pm | Museum ticket. Under 5s free. |
| Matilda The Musical, Milton Keynes Theatre | From Wed 28 October to Sat 14 November | Ticketed |
| L.S. Lowry: The Theatre of Life, MK Gallery | From Sat 24 October, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm | Adults £14.50. Under 21s free. |
| Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, MK Gallery cinema | Sat 24 and Sun 25 October at 10.30am, Thu 29 October at 3.30pm | Up to £9 |
| MK Curated Winter Fair, centre:mk | Fri 30 October to Sun 1 November | Free |
| Black History Month Exhibition, centre:mk | Fri 23 to Sun 25 October | Listed without a charge |
| Bright Ideas Kids Club: Spooky Pom Pom Mobiles, centre:mk | Sat 31 October, 11am to 4pm | Free |
| Half term open mornings, Howe Park Wood (The Parks Trust) | Tue 27 to Thu 29 October, 9.30am to 12.30pm | Free |
| Fright Fiesta, Gulliver's Land | Sat 10 October to Sun 1 November | Tickets from £19 |
| Kerala Exhibition, Milton Keynes Museum | Until Sat 7 November, 10.30am to 4.30pm | Museum ticket |
| Legends and Lanterns, Milton Keynes Museum (adults only) | Fri 30 October, 6pm to 9pm | £20, food included |
Bletchley Park: a Halloween code trail
Halloween at Boo-letchley Park runs from 26 to 31 October, from 9.30am to 5pm. Families hunt for clues hidden across the site and solve codes, ciphers and puzzles, visiting the locations in any order. It is included in admission.
Booked online in advance, admission is £25.87 for adults, £13.50 for ages 12 to 17 and £6.75 for ages 8 to 11. Under 8s are free. Every ticket is an annual pass, so a half term visit also covers a return at Christmas. Bletchley Park says people living within ten miles get 50% off with proof of address.
Last admission is 3pm during half term. The site moves to winter hours on 1 November.
Milton Keynes Museum: open all week
The museum in Wolverton normally opens Wednesday to Sunday. It opens every day during the local October half term. Its half term listing runs from 26 to 30 October, 10.30am to 4.30pm, with Halloween crafts to take home. Spooky biscuit decorating carries a small extra charge. Children are encouraged to come in costume.
You can book ahead or turn up on the day. The museum says you pay once and visit free for a year, and under 5s are free. Parking on site is free. The address is McConnell Drive, Wolverton, MK12 5EL.
On Friday 30 October the museum holds Legends and Lanterns from 6pm to 9pm. It is for adults aged 18 and over, not a family event. Tickets are £20 and include a meal from Saf’s Kitchen. Annual tickets are not valid for it.
Theatre, film and the gallery
Matilda The Musical opens at Milton Keynes Theatre on Wednesday 28 October and runs to Saturday 14 November, according to the theatre’s listings.
MK Gallery opens L.S. Lowry: The Theatre of Life on Saturday 24 October, the first day of the holiday. Adult tickets are £14.50 and concessions £10.25. Under 21s go free. Milton Keynes residents pay £1 on Tuesdays, so Tuesday 27 October is the cheap day. The gallery is closed on Mondays.
The gallery’s cinema shows Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, certificate U and 80 minutes long. Screenings are at 10.30am on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, and at 3.30pm on Thursday 29 October.
At centre:mk
The shopping centre’s events list has three entries across the holiday:
- Black History Month Exhibition, Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October.
- MK Curated Winter Fair, Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November in Middleton Hall. The centre’s fair listing promises over 100 stalls of handmade and vintage goods, with free entry. Hours are 9am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10.30am to 5pm on Sunday.
- October Bright Ideas Kids Club: Spooky Pom Pom Mobiles, Saturday 31 October, 11am to 4pm, at Door 1 outside the M&S Food Hall. Children make spooky pom pom and ghost mobiles. Free, and children must be accompanied, according to the club listing.
Parking charges in central Milton Keynes apply as normal through half term. Our parking page has the tariffs by bay colour.
Howe Park Wood: free open mornings
The Parks Trust runs half term open mornings at Howe Park Wood Education Centre, Tattenhoe, MK4 3GG, on Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Children join in activities indoors and then follow a self-guided trail into the woods. The open morning is free; a craft session on the same days is charged and has to be booked separately.
Parking is free in the car park off the H7, opposite the Westcroft Centre, with a second free car park off Howe Rock Place (MK4 3BX). The building is step-free, with an accessible toilet and a café.
Gulliver’s Land: Fright Fiesta
The theme park’s Halloween season, Fright Fiesta, runs from Saturday 10 October to Sunday 1 November, so it covers the whole of half term. Gulliver’s lists tickets from £19, with a fancy dress street parade, a Haunted Mansion and character meet and greets. Parking on site is free, and children under 90cm go free. Pumpkin picking and the rest of the season are on our Halloween page.
The week after: fireworks
Bonfire Night falls just after the holiday. Wolverton’s free display is on Thursday 5 November and Newport Pagnell’s is on Friday 6 November. Our fireworks page has times and locations.
Still to be confirmed
- The Stables’ half term films. Its calendar ran only to 24 October when we checked.
We will update this page in the week of 12 October. For engineering works on the railway that week, see our trains to London page, and for road closures our roadworks page.
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