Essex half term is 26 to 30 October 2026; Burnt Mill and Mark Hall break from 19 October. Free library Harry Potter and spooky craft days, Frozen, fireworks.

October half term in Harlow is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for schools on the Essex County Council calendar. Two big academies start a week earlier: Burnt Mill and Mark Hall, on the BMAT calendar, are off from Monday 19 October. Passmores and Stewards pupils are off from Thursday 22 October, which is a staff training day, and their half term runs on from 23 October.

Pumpkin patches, scare nights and the Halloween events are on our Harlow Halloween page.

The week ends with the town’s biggest free event of the autumn: the council’s bonfire and fireworks night on Sunday 1 November.

The quick answer

  • Essex half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Back on Monday 2 November.
  • BMAT schools (Burnt Mill, Mark Hall): 19 to 30 October, two weeks.
  • Free fireworks: Sunday 1 November, Town Park Showground, display 6.30pm.

Updated 5 October: Harlow Library’s half term sessions are out, including free Harry Potter Fun on 24 October and Spooky Craft on 28 October.

Which week is your child off?

School or calendar Off from Back on Source
Essex County Council (community and voluntary controlled schools) Mon 26 Oct Mon 2 Nov Essex County Council
BMAT: Burnt Mill, Mark Hall Mon 19 Oct Mon 2 Nov BMAT calendar 2026-27
Stewards Academy Thu 22 Oct (INSET day), half term from 23 Oct Mon 2 Nov Stewards 2026-27 dates
PCLC schools, including Passmores Thu 22 Oct (INSET day), half term from 23 Oct Mon 2 Nov PCLC 2026-27 calendar

Primary schools that are academies can set their own INSET days either side of the break, so check your school’s letter. The full year, including Christmas and February, is on our Harlow school term dates page.

What’s on in Harlow over half term

Every listing below is from the organiser’s own page, read on 25 September 2026.

At Harlow Playhouse (what’s on):

  • RARE Productions presents Frozen, Thursday 29 October to Saturday 31 October. Evening shows at 7.30pm on 29 and 30 October, then 2pm and 6.30pm on the Saturday. Tickets £20 to £22. The Playhouse notes it is an amateur production. Details
  • HATS presents David Palmer’s A Cockney Ding Dong, Saturday 31 October at 2.30pm and 7pm, £12, a 1940s East End sing-along in Theatre 2. Details
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray, a new musical, Saturday 24 October at 7.30pm, £26.50 to £37. The Playhouse’s content guidance lists gunshots, strobe and adult themes, so it is not one for younger children. Details
  • The Rocket Man, a tribute to Elton John, Thursday 22 October at 7.30pm, £32, during the BMAT first week. Details
  • Harlow Ballet Association Autumn Gala, Sunday 1 November at 3pm, £10.50 to £18.50, the afternoon before the fireworks. Details

At the Harvey Centre (Halloween Happenings):

  • Friday 30 October, 10am to 3pm: a trick or treat bag decorating workshop and a “Trick or Treat Door” with giveaway treats.
  • Saturday 31 October, 11am to 4pm: Halloween face painters.
  • Both days are free and need no booking, the centre says.

At Harlow Leisurezone, Second Avenue CM20 3DT. Its October half term programme (pdf) is published, with prices it says are correct until November 2026. Member prices need a £7.70 annual junior membership; non-member prices are in brackets. Booking is required for the multi activity day and strongly advised for the rest, on 01279 621500.

Session When Ages Price
Spooktastic Multi Activity Day: go karts, trampolining, soft play, crafts, Halloween games Thu 29 Oct, 8.30am to 3pm 5 to 12 £28.50 (£30.50)
Spooky Fun Swim, inflatables and floating pumpkins Wed 28 Oct, 2pm to 3.30pm 8+ main pool, under 8s learner pool £6 (£7) a child, £6.20 (£7.70) an adult
Aqua Jets underwater ride, three 30-minute slots Mon 26 Oct, 12.15pm, 12.45pm, 1.15pm 8+ with Swim England Stage 5 £9.80 (£11.80), free swim after
Intensive swimming crash course, five mornings Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct, 9am to 10.30am by age Beginners 3 to 8+ £47.70 for the week, membership needed
Rookie Lifeguard Tue 27 Oct, 9.30am to noon 8+ with Stage 7 £14, membership needed
Try Pickleball Wed 28 Oct, 1pm to 3pm 8+ £9.80 (£11.80)
Come and Try Squash Mon 26 Oct, 10am to 11.30am 7 to 12 £9.80 (£11.80)
Try Trampolining Mon 26 Oct, 11am to 12.30pm 5 to 12 £6.55 (£8.55)
Go-Karts on the inflatable track Thu 29 Oct, noon and 12.45pm 5 to 11 £7.90 (£9.90)
Halloween Lazer Tag: The Zombie Game, fancy dress welcome Fri 30 Oct, 6.30pm and a late 8pm session 5 to 11 £8.80 (£10.80)

Open all week without a fixed session: Urban Limitz trampoline park (weekdays 10am to 6pm, from age 6, £9.80 member or £10.80 non-member a child, £12.30 an adult, grip socks £2.50), Kidzz Kingdom soft play (daily 9.30am to 5.30pm, £3.50 under one year, £6.50 to £7.50 for one to four year olds, £7.60 to £8.60 for five to ten year olds, hour sessions starting on the half hour), Vertigo climbing (Tuesday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm, weekends 10am to 5.30pm, £9 for six to seven year olds, £11 for 8 to 15, £14 adults), and holiday racket courts (Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct, 9am to 4pm, badminton or table tennis £5.30 a court, squash £3).

Free, and open all week:

  • Pets’ Corner, Harlow Town Park: open seven days a week, 11am to 4pm, free entry with a donation box. Reindeer, llamas, alpacas, rare-breed pigs and an aquarium. No car park of its own; School Lane car park is a three-minute walk. (Harlow Council)
  • Harlow Museum and Walled Gardens: free, open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 9.30am to 3.30pm, last entry 3pm. The museum says it stays open despite roofing work and scaffolding. (Harlow Museum)

Last chance of the season:

  • The Gibberd Garden, Marsh Lane CM17 0NA, is open on Wednesdays and Sundays “until the end of October”, which makes Wednesday 21, Sunday 25 and Wednesday 28 October its last open days of 2026 on that pattern. Adults £6, children aged 5 to 16 £1, under-fives free. (The Gibberd Garden)

At the libraries (all free, read on Essex Libraries’ events site on 5 October 2026):

  • Harry Potter Fun, Saturday 24 October, 10.30am to 11.30am, Harlow Library, Cross Street CM20 1HA. For ages 6 to 10, booking with a library card; children are sorted into houses and play for points, and fancy dress is welcome. (Essex Libraries)
  • Spooky Craft, Wednesday 28 October, 2.30pm to 3.30pm, Harlow Library. No booking. (Essex Libraries)
  • LEGO in libraries, Thursday 29 October, 2.30pm to 3.30pm, Harlow Library. For ages 6 to 11, up to ten children, booking needed; two places were left on 5 October. (Essex Libraries)
  • Under-12s must have an adult with them at every library session. The regular Baby and Toddler Rhymetime carries on through the week at Harlow, Great Parndon, Mark Hall and Old Harlow libraries.

The weekend either side:

  • Saturday 17 October, 10.30am to 2pm: Harlow Museum marks what would have been Lady Patricia Gibberd’s 100th birthday with free drop-in pop-up card making. (Harlow Museum)
  • Sunday 1 November: the council’s free bonfire and fireworks night at the Town Park Showground, bonfire lit 6.15pm, display 6.30pm, with Fifth Avenue and parts of Park Lane and School Lane shut from 5.15pm to 8.30pm. (Harlow Council) Parking and the Showground car park trap are on our Harlow fireworks page.

What is still to be confirmed

  • Pets’ Corner Halloween. A past Halloween event there, still listed by Visit Essex as passed, had a ghost hunt, a scarecrow competition and pumpkin decorating for a small fee. No 2026 dates are published yet.

We will add Pets’ Corner if the council publishes a Halloween programme; on 5 October its page listed none. The Leisurezone and Harvey Centre listings above were added on 25 September and the library sessions on 5 October. For getting into town, see parking in Harlow and Harlow roadworks and travel.