Our comprehensive guide to half-term and Halloween activities in Bromsgrove, Birmingham and the West Midlands - The Bromsgrove Standard

Our comprehensive guide to half-term and Halloween activities in Bromsgrove, Birmingham and the West Midlands

Bromsgrove Editorial 23rd Oct, 2020 Updated: 23rd Oct, 2020   0

DESPITE the Coronavirus pandemic, there is still plenty of fun to be had across the region this half-term and for Halloween.

Ghost Night, Avoncroft Museum, Bromsgrove. On October 31 visitors make their way around the dark mysterious outdoor museum between 6pm and 9pm to learn about Midlands’ haunting stories. It is also a rare opportunity to see Avoncroft’s buildings as they would have been when occupied at night. Admission is just £5 to the museum which shocases life in the Midlands from the 1500s. Visit www.avoncroft.org.uk or email [email protected] to book tickets.

Fun on the buses, Wythall Transport Museum, Open for a half-term event on Thursday, October 28, and for the Twilight Running Day on Sunday, October 25 – the day when the clock literally goes back to mark the end of British Summer Time. The free bus service from Birmingham city centre will run on this day. Visit www.wythall.org.uk for more information.

Halloween Spooktacular, Cadbury World, Saturday October 17 to Sunday November 1 – Expect no tricks and plenty of treats as the Bournville-based attraction launches its fang-tastic fun Halloween activities and entertainment this scary season. In the Cadbury World Marquee, enjoy live entertainment at Freddo’s Haunted Mansion and help him uncover the mystery ghost with plenty of spooks, games and a lot of fun! Children are encouraged to don their creepiest costume and get into the spooky spirit as they walk around on a self-guided tour, catch the talented chocolatiers in action and take a delicious taster for themselves in the Chocolate Making zone, before practising their piping skills by drawing their name in chocolate in the Have A Go zone. Visit the 4D Chocolate Adventure zone and experience the Crunchie Rollercoaster.




 

Upcycling Workshop with the ecobirmingham team at Allens Cross Community Garden in Northfield. Make a wish for a fish to live in a plastic-free sea!


Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (October 27, 28, 29). Half an hour sessions between 10am and 2pm. Age 5+. Free.

Make a fish and make a wish with artist Sophie Handy. Learn how to reuse a plastic bottle to craft your very own wish for a fish to celebrate beautiful marine life whilst saving our oceans from another plastic bottle. Feel free to bring your own plastic bottles, plastic bags, bottle tops, magazines, cardboard and anything else you want to try and reuse, otherwise all materials will be provided. Please note, paper mache needs time to dry, so you will be guided as to how to paint your fish at home. Book here.

Upcycled bird house workshops on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (October 27, 28, 29). Half an hour sessions between 10am and 2pm. Age 3+. Free.

Create a colourful upcycled Bird House with artist ILdikó Nagy from a plastic drinks bottle. Add a spot of colour in your garden this Winter and feed the wildlife that visit! Book here.

 

Tricks and treats at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The venue will host a whole load of delightful spooks throughout the week. No two days are the same, with creepy craft activities. Make a scary mask or a brain in a jar, gruesome object handling and spooky storytelling. Join the Monster Madness Party on Wednesday, October 30, where little witches, mummies and vampires can celebrate in style. There will be music, dancing, activities, ghoulish games and prizes. The party runs 1.45pm to 3.30pm, with a separate relaxed session from 11am to 1pm with reduced numbers, lower lighting and music levels for visitors with sensory or special needs. Fancy dress is encouraged for what is sure to be frighteningly good fun. Tickets are just £2.50! Book in advance online. Click here for more.

Spooky Science at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum. Fang-tastic fun from 6pm to 9pm on Thursday, October 31, on Spooky Science Night. Explore the museum after hours for a magical night out. Children can unleash their inner mad scientist with an array of eerie experiments, as well as the chance to enjoy the Science of Fright show, dance the night away at the Silent Zombie Disco, and take part in lots more tricks and treats. The most frightful fancy dress will be chosen from a prize draw on the night. Visit Thinktank throughout the half term week for thrilling Halloween activities as you explore four floors of hands-on exhibits. Click here for more.

 

Halloween at Aston Hall. On Thursday, October 31, families are invited to Aston Hall’oween where the Hall – one of the country’s most haunted buildings – will be transformed into a haunted mansion. Meet the wise woman and her familiar, see a witch trial and encounter ghoulish creepy characters. On Wednesday, October 30, join the Ghostly Tales – Family Friendly Ghost Tour. Explore this atmospheric old house with tours at 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm and hear some terrifying tales. For a less spooky but equally spellbinding encounter, visit Aston Hall on Tuesday, October 29, for the Cinderella interactive story tour. Click here for more.

 

Meet the fearsome witchfinder while on a family tour of Blakesley Hall on Thursday, October 31. This beautiful property has a sinister side and you’ll take a spooky journey through the rooms and find out all about vampires, trolls, fairies, goblins and ghosts and the history behind some of these characters! There’s also the spooky Halloween trail to take part in from Tuesday, October 29 to Thursday, October 31. Click here for more.

 

Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. Explore the abandoned Smith and Pepper factory with a spooky makeover on Wednesday, October 30. Explore the atmospheric museum with the help of costumed guides and the haunted factory trail. The popular kids’ jewellery workshop is back at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter on Thursday, October 31, where children can use their imagination to create their own spooky design for the perfect Halloween keepsake to take home. Visit the Jewellery Quarter Type exhibition by Tom Hicks while there which is a photographic exploration of the area. Click here for more.

 

The Pumpkin Flotilla, Sarehole Mill, Tuesday October, 29 to Thursday, October 24. Bring a beautifully carved pumpkin with you to the mill. Staff will then add a light and float it on the mill pond as a part of the popular seasonal event. With spooky storytelling in the mill and hot chocolate too, this special event is not to be missed. Tickets are selling fast so check the website for availability. Click here for more.

 

Halloween event, Soho House, Wednesday, October 30 to Thursday, October 31. Use a torch and explore the spooky corridors to hunt down all the bats which have escaped around this Georgian house. Watch out for creepy goings-on that lurk the rooms! Click here for more.

 

Make a Gargoyle Mask, Weoley Castle, November 1. Get creative and learn about the gruesome tales of medieval life.

Giant Scream, Spooktacular Films at Millennium Point. Socially distance screenings in the main auditorium (formerly IMAX cinema). Coco (PG) – Thursday, October 29 – doors open from 11.15am, for an 11.30am start. Tickets are available in bundles of two, three of four, priced at £6 per person (plus booking fee). Ghostbusters (PG) and cocktails – Friday, October 30 – doors open from 6.30pm, for a 7:30pm start. Tickets are £34.95 (plus booking fee) and include four themed cocktails served throughout the event. Book tickets at www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/mppresents/

 

Severn Valley Railway, Friday, October 23 to Monday, November 2, Half-term steam services run every day and there is a bat trail around the engine house enabling youngsters to find loads of fascinating facts about the history of the railway. Other attractions include an exciting and innovative ‘mobile’ exhibition that lifts the lid on the fascinating history of the 158-year-old line. It’s housed inside a specially-adapted brake van, No 2886, stationed alongside a loading dock at Kidderminster station. Beautifully restored last year by experts in the SVR’s workshops, the van, affectionately known as the Stove R, now contains interactive exhibits with the sounds, sights and smells of the railway over the years. Visitors get a glimpse into the lives of a series of characters associated with the SVR, through voice recordings and diary entries. Meanwhile, The Engine House visitor centre at Highley goes even deeper into the lives of SVR folk over the centuries. Full size totem characters give a rich insight into their experiences Young children to build their own viaduct, and try out being a navvy, transporting rocks with a shovel and wheelbarrow. Plus a wardrobe of clothes for adults and children to dress up as a soldier, nurse, factory worker and more. Entry to both the Stove R mobile exhibition at Kidderminster and The Engine House at Highley is included within the ticket price. The SVR is running a number of special day excursion trains, departing from either Kidderminster or Bridgnorth, and travel is mostly within private compartment carriages, to enable social distancing between groups of passengers. For more information on services and to book tickets, visit svr.co.uk or phone 01562 757900.

West Midland Safari Park’s Spooky Spectacular, until November 1 – See the animals out on Safari including their new Indian rhino calf and take part in ‘Mystery of the Pumpkin Thief’, a brand-new Covid-friendly interactive trail in a pumpkin-packed Halloween celebration. 2020 sees the Park’s very first pumpkin patch installation, decorated with more than 1100 pumpkins and 55 illuminated scarecrows – a great photo point for guests. The Discovery stage has been transformed so visitors can take a socially distanced selfie with the park’s witches and wizards. Brave guests will also be able to experience the Adventure Theme Park and Land of the Living Dinosaurs in the dark. Visit https://www.wmsp.co.uk/ for more information and to book.

The Haunted Castle, Warwick Castle October 24 to November 1 – Prepare for a Halloween adventure at Warwick Castle brimming with spooky tales, scary fun, and daytime themed attractions and activities for all ages. There’s also The Castle After Dark on October 24, 29, 30 and 31 –  enjoy delicious street food and tasty tipples from Digbeth Dining Club in a Halloween-themed festival experience with live music and evening entertainment on the Main Stage. Experience nerve-jangling thrills in the Castle Dungeon After Dark and watch out for creepy characters in two scare mazes. Visit https://www.warwick-castle.com/ for more information and to book.

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