Fareham's half term is 26 to 30 October: free Halloween days at Fort Nelson, a £12 inflatables day, £5 and £8 parties and Portchester Castle's last week.
October half term for Hampshire schools in Fareham is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, so with the weekends either side the holiday runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November (Hampshire County Council). The clocks go back an hour in the early hours of Sunday 25 October, at the start of the holiday.
Two free things anchor the week: the Royal Armouries’ Halloween programme at Fort Nelson, which runs every day, and Portchester Castle, which is open daily for the last time before it shuts for the winter. Everything below comes from the organiser’s own listing, read on 25 September 2026.
The quick answer
- Half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Boundary Oak, the independent school, breaks from 19 October, a week earlier.
- Free and daily: Halloween Fun at Fort Nelson, 24 October to 1 November, 10am to 4pm. Book the free tickets first; it sells out.
- Portchester Castle closes after Sunday 1 November until spring. Half term is the last chance to climb the keep this year.
Updated 3 October: four Halloween events added (a Portchester silent disco, the Mega Fun Day at Fareham Leisure Centre, library crafts and Scream on the Green), and Garsons’ pumpkins. Everything Halloween is also on our Fareham Halloween page.
Day by day
| Date | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 23 Oct | Halloween family silent disco, 5.30pm to 7.30pm | Portchester Community Centre | £8 per child |
| Fri 23 to Sun 25 Oct | Dog Man: The Musical | Fareham Live | From £27 |
| Sat 24 Oct | Halloween Mega Fun Day, inflatables, three sessions | Fareham Leisure Centre | Child £12 + £1 fee |
| Sat 24 Oct | Witchy Duo: stage shows and characters, 11am to 4pm | Whiteley Shopping | Not stated |
| Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov | Halloween Fun at the Fort, 10am to 4pm daily | Fort Nelson, Portsdown Hill | Free, pre-book; parking £3 |
| Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov | Portchester Castle open daily, 10am to 4pm from Mon 26 Oct | Portchester | Adult from £8.50 booked online |
| Mon 26 Oct | Rude Science | Fareham Live | From £21.50 |
| Thu 29 Oct | Halloween crafts for children, 10am to 12pm | Fareham Library | £2 per child |
| Thu 29 Oct | Chris Packham's World of Wonder, 7.30pm | Fareham Live | From £36.49 |
| Fri 30 Oct | Sophie's Legacy Halloween Trail, 10am to 3.30pm, and charity market | Whiteley Shopping | £5 per person (trail) |
| Fri 30 Oct | Fireworks night, fireworks 7.45pm | Cams Hall Estate | Ticketed |
| Sat 31 Oct | Step Behind The Curtain: Ghost Tour | Fareham Live | From £15 |
| Sat 31 Oct | Pumpkin King and Ragdoll Queen, 11am to 4pm | Whiteley Shopping | Not stated |
| Sat 31 Oct | Scream on the Green, children's party, 2pm to 5pm | Sarisbury Green Community Centre | £5 per child |
| Sun 1 Nov | Whiteley fireworks, 4.15pm | Meadowside, Whiteley | Ticketed |
Fort Nelson: free Halloween every day
The Royal Armouries’ Victorian fort on Portsdown Hill, PO17 6AN, runs Halloween Fun at the Fort from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm (Royal Armouries).
- A free Creepy Codebreaker trail around the museum, aimed at ages 6 to 10, with younger children joining in with adult help.
- Daily drop-in activities for ages 3 and up: a games zone, a craft station, a costume “Boo-tique”, den building, a witch’s workshop and a pumpkin patch disco.
- Entry is free, but book a ticket for every adult and child aged 3 and over, in hourly arrival slots from 10am to 3pm. The Royal Armouries says the event does sell out.
- Parking is £3 per vehicle, paid in reception. The booking page suggests a £2.50 donation, which you can remove.
During the school holiday the fort is open every day; in term time it closes on Mondays (Royal Armouries).
Portchester Castle: the last week before winter
English Heritage’s opening calendar has Portchester Castle open 10am to 4pm every day from Monday 26 October to Sunday 1 November, and then closed every day from Monday 2 November until mid March 2027 (English Heritage). English Heritage lists no events there this half term.
Prices vary by day. On half-term weekdays, which English Heritage prices as off-peak, an adult ticket is £8.50 booked online the day before, or £10.00 on the day, and a child (5 to 17) is £4.25 online. Weekend prices are higher. Full detail is on our Portchester Castle winter page.
At Fareham Live
Three family shows fall in or next to the holiday on the Osborn Road theatre’s listings (Fareham Live):
- Dog Man: The Musical, Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October, from £27
- Rude Science, Monday 26 October, from £21.50
- Chris Packham’s World of Wonder: A Planet on the Edge, Thursday 29 October at 7.30pm, from £36.49
On Halloween itself the theatre runs Step Behind The Curtain: Ghost Tour, from £15. Prices are the lowest listed and rise with seat and date.
Whiteley Shopping
Whiteley’s half-term programme has three dates (Whiteley Shopping):
- Saturday 24 October: a “witchy duo” with stage shows, games and meet and greets, 11am to 4pm.
- Friday 30 October: Sophie’s Legacy Halloween Trail, 10am to 3.30pm, £5 per person, with clues to solve for a medal and a treat and a meet and greet with Promise the Penguin (trail details). A charity market runs the same day, 10am to 4pm.
- Saturday 31 October: the Pumpkin King and Ragdoll Queen, stage shows and roaming characters, 11am to 4pm.
Halloween parties and crafts
Four more Halloween events are listed by their organisers on the council’s Live Love Local Fareham calendar and on Mega Fun Days’ booking page, read on 3 October:
- Halloween family silent disco, Friday 23 October, 5.30pm to 7.30pm, Portchester Community Centre, PO16 9AD, £8 per child (listing).
- Halloween Mega Fun Day, Saturday 24 October, Fareham Leisure Centre, PO16 7JU: inflatables, magic shows and a disco for ages 2 to 11 in sessions at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm. Child £12 plus a £1 fee, adult £1.50 plus 75p (Mega Fun Days).
- Halloween crafts for children, Thursday 29 October, 10am to 12pm, Fareham Library, £2 per child (listing).
- Scream on the Green, Saturday 31 October, 2pm to 5pm, Sarisbury Green Community Centre: disco, games, a string trail, £5 per child with a goodie bag (listing).
Garsons Titchfield’s pumpkin area is open from 9 October, free to walk in; the pick-your-own farms have not dated their 2026 seasons yet. Both are on our Fareham Halloween page.
Fireworks at the end of the week
Two of the borough’s four public displays fall in half term: Cams Hall Estate on Friday 30 October and Whiteley on Sunday 1 November. Times, tickets and the other two displays are on our Fareham fireworks page.
Not on this year
Westbury Manor Museum on West Street is not an option. It closed to the public on 4 November 2024, and Hampshire Cultural Trust handed the building back to Fareham Borough Council on 31 December 2024 (Hampshire Cultural Trust).
Still to be confirmed
Fareham Borough Council’s 2026 events page listed no half-term event of its own on 25 September (Fareham Borough Council). The council does point families to its free Play Rangers sessions, open-access outdoor play for ages 2 to 10 in the school holidays with no booking, run by Y-Services; the half-term locations are posted on the Play Rangers Facebook page rather than the council’s site (Fareham Borough Council). We will add anything else announced in October.
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