October half term in Witney is 26 to 30 October. Cogges' Dracula weeks, Blenheim's half-term shows, the wildlife park's winter hours and a Corn Exchange play.

October half term for Witney’s state schools is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, set by Oxfordshire County Council for every community school in the county. Some schools add a training day on either side, so check your child’s school. The biggest half-term events near Witney actually start the Thursday before, 22 October, and run to Sunday 1 November.

The quick answer

  • Half term: 26 to 30 October 2026. Wood Green and Chipping Norton also close on Friday 23 October; Burford and Bartholomew on Monday 2 November.
  • Clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, so outdoor attractions switch to winter hours for the whole week. Cotswold Wildlife Park closes at 4pm.
  • The two big local events are Cogges’ Halloween and Blenheim’s, both running 22 October to 1 November.

The school-by-school breakdown is on our Witney school term dates 2026/27 page.

What’s on over half term

Every entry below is taken from the organiser’s own listing, checked on 24 September 2026.

What Where Dates Times Price
Dracula Spooktacular Cogges Manor Farm, Witney 22 Oct to 1 Nov 10am to 5pm £16 adult, £12 child, £61.20 family
Haunted Half Term Blenheim Palace, Woodstock 24 Oct to 1 Nov 10am to 4.30pm Included with a Blenheim pass
Halloween at Blenheim trail Blenheim Palace, Woodstock 22 Oct to 1 Nov After dark Separate ticket
Cotswold Wildlife Park Bradwell Grove, near Burford Open daily 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm £17.50 adult, £12.50 child online
Crocodiles of the World Brize Norton Open daily From 10am, last entry 4pm See operator
The Hound of the Baskervilles Corn Exchange, Witney 29 to 31 Oct 7.30pm £15

Cogges Manor Farm: Dracula Spooktacular

Cogges turns its 13th-century Manor House into Dracula’s castle, with a walk-through experience from room to room. The two Victorian barns hold a Halloween disco, a bouncy castle (from Saturday 24 October), spooky crafts and a dressing-up corner. Because it is all indoors, it is the one on this list that does not depend on the weather.

Tickets are £16 for adults, £12 for children, and £61.20 for a family of two adults and three children. Annual ticket holders get 50% off. A face painter is there on Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 3pm, charged separately.

Blenheim Palace: two different Halloweens

Blenheim runs two events, and a ticket for one does not get you into the other.

Haunted Half Term is the daytime one, in the Walled Garden and Adventure Play from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4.30pm. It is included with a Blenheim Annual Pass and has the same timetable every day: ZooLab animal handling shows at 11am, noon, 1.10pm and 2.15pm, witchy storytelling roughly hourly from 11.50am, and circus workshops at 12.10pm and 3.10pm.

Halloween at Blenheim Palace is the after-dark illuminated trail, Thursday 22 October to Sunday 1 November, with a spider’s lair, a pirate wreck and catacombs. It is separately ticketed, food costs extra, and dogs are not allowed.

Cotswold Wildlife Park: winter hours all week

Half term falls entirely after the clocks change, so the park near Burford is on winter hours: 10am to 4pm, with last admission at 3pm, and the Madagascar walk-through closes at 3pm. The park suggests allowing at least four hours, so an early start matters.

Tickets are £17.50 for adults and £12.50 for children aged 3 to 16 and over-65s if bought online, or £19.50 and £14 at the gate. Under-3s are free. Parking is free.

Crocodiles of the World

The UK’s only crocodile zoo, at Brize Norton, is open daily from 10am with last entry at 4pm. Its daily feeding talks run at 11.15am (meerkats), noon (Nile crocodile), 12.40pm (binturong) and 3pm (crocodiles), all subject to change. The indoor areas are kept tropical all year, which helps on a wet October day. The zoo is also selling Halloween “Fright Nights” but has not published their dates on its own site.

An evening play in Witney

Witney Dramatic Society stages The Hound of the Baskervilles, a spoof by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, at the Corn Exchange on Thursday 29, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October at 7.30pm (doors 7pm). Tickets are £15.

Coming straight after half term

  • Bonfire weekend: Witney Lakes on Friday 6 November, then Ducklington and Minster Mill on Sunday 8 November. Details on our fireworks page.
  • Remembrance Sunday, 8 November: see our Witney Remembrance Sunday page.

Still to be confirmed

  • Crocodiles of the World’s Fright Nights dates, which the zoo’s own news page does not yet carry.
  • Library and leisure centre holiday activities, which are usually listed nearer the week. We will add them when they appear.

Frequently asked questions

When is October half term 2026 in Witney? Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for state schools. Some add a training day on Friday 23 October or Monday 2 November.

What is on for children in Witney over half term? Cogges Manor Farm’s Dracula Spooktacular runs 22 October to 1 November, 10am to 5pm, at £16 for adults and £12 for children.

What time does Cotswold Wildlife Park close in half term? 4pm, with last admission at 3pm, because the clocks go back on 25 October.

Is Blenheim’s Haunted Half Term the same as the Halloween trail? No. Haunted Half Term is daytime and included with an Annual Pass; the Halloween trail is an evening event with its own ticket.

Sources