Hampshire half term is 26 to 30 October 2026. Spooky owls at the Hawk Conservancy, Halloween at Finkley, a free torchlit funfair and more, with prices.

October half term for Hampshire schools runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, so with the weekends either side, families in Andover have nine days from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Below are twelve things actually on that week, each checked on the organiser’s own page on 25 September 2026, with the free ones marked.

Check your own school first: Rookwood breaks a week earlier, from 19 October, and Mountbatten in Romsey from 22 October. The full list is on our Andover school term dates page.

The quick answer

  • Half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October.
  • Free: the Museum by Torchlight Ghastly Funfair on Halloween night (tokens for games) and the Chapel Arts Studios exhibition.
  • Biggest days out: Spooky Owl Week at the Hawk Conservancy Trust (normal admission) and Halloween at Finkley Down Farm (book ahead).

What’s on, day by day

When What Where Cost
Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov Spooky Owl Week Hawk Conservancy Trust, SP11 8DY Normal admission, adult £24.50, child £17.65
Sat 17 to Sat 31 Oct Halloween at Finkley Finkley Down Farm Pre-book online
Sat 24 Oct, 10am to 4pm Samhain family activity trail Museum of the Iron Age Free with an annual museum ticket
Sun 25 Oct, 8am Andover Half Marathon and 12km High Street start Entry closes 17 Oct
Tue 27 Oct, 2pm and 7pm The Eras Experience: Taylor Swift tribute The Lights £25, VIP £30
Wed 28 Oct, 11am to 3pm Wednesday Craft Club, drop in Museum of the Iron Age £2 per craft
Thu 29 Oct, 11am to 3pm Time Detective Agency trail Museum of the Iron Age Free with museum ticket
Thu 29 and Fri 30 Oct, from 5.30pm Owl-O-Ween evening Hawk Conservancy Trust £23
Fri 30 Oct, 10.30am to 12.30pm Tall Tales and Seasonal Stories, with pumpkin carving Harmony Woods £10 per child with adult
Fri 30 and Sat 31 Oct, from 5pm Bats and Blasters Halloween laser tag Riverside Activity Zone, Bridge Street £12 per child
Sat 31 Oct, 4.30pm to 7pm Museum by Torchlight: The Ghastly Funfair Museum of the Iron Age Free entry, tokens for games
Until 31 Oct, Wed to Sat, 11am to 4pm The Angel in the House, Marian Obando Chapel Arts Studios Free

The town centre listings come from Test Valley Borough Council’s Andover town centre half term round-up.

The big days out

Spooky Owl Week at the Hawk Conservancy Trust runs every day of half term, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. The usual Woodland Wonders flying display becomes a Spooky Owl show with special effects and storytelling, and there is a giant pumpkin trail with riddles and a Halloween treat at the end. It is all part of the normal day ticket. The Trust’s prices are £24.50 for adults, £17.65 for children aged 4 to 15, and free for under 4s, including a 10% voluntary donation. The park is open 10am to 5.30pm with last entry at 4.30pm, and it advises booking ahead in the school holidays because it caps numbers.

Owl-O-Ween is the evening version on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October: food from 5.30pm, the first flying display at 7pm, ghostly storytelling and a Halloween trail, at £23 a ticket excluding food. There are no jump scares, but the Trust suggests parental discretion for very young children.

Halloween at Finkley runs from Saturday 17 to Saturday 31 October at Finkley Down Farm. The weekdays before half term (19 to 23 October) are a gentler Mini Halloween; the full event runs at weekends and every day from 24 to 31 October, with a Barn of Bones, a ghost hunt, discos with balloon drops and magic and bubble shows at 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm. Tickets are sold online only and the farm is card only, no Amex. It also runs a SEND early access session on Wednesday 28 October.

In the town centre

The Museum of the Iron Age on Church Close has something on most days of the week, finishing with a free Halloween night funfair by torchlight on Saturday 31 October from 4.30pm to 7pm, where you buy tokens for the stalls and “it’s a prize every time”.

Riverside Activity Zone’s Bats and Blasters on 30 and 31 October is pitched as the alternative to trick or treating: unlimited laser tag, a pizza buffet and a goodie bag for £12 a child.

Also that week

  • The clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October, the same morning as the Andover Half Marathon. Bridge Street is closed for the race that morning.
  • Bonfire Night is the week after. See our Andover fireworks page for which displays are confirmed.

Still to be confirmed

  • The Hawk Conservancy’s Spooky Owl show times will be on its daily timetable nearer the week.
  • Finkley’s Halloween prices are shown only in its booking system.
  • The Lights had only two evening shows listed for the week on 25 September; family shows may still be added.

For parking in town that week, see parking in Andover, and check Andover roadworks before you set off.