It's October and that means two things: half-term and Halloween.  Put them together and that's a lot of spooky school holiday fun to look forward to!  But the fun isn't just limited to that one week.

Fun Palaces is a nationwide campaign for culture at the heart of community, with an annual weekend of arts and science events created by, for and with local people.  You can enjoy free arts and science on the theme of "Light and Art" at Trestle Arts Base, St Albans on Sunday 8th October.

Make the most of what  Autumn has to offer by picking your own pumpkin ready for Halloween, at the Pop-up Farm 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th & 14th - 31st October; or at Willows Farm Pumpkin Festival 21st - 29th October.  Enjoy an afternoon celebrating apples at Highfield Park's (St Albans) Apple Day on 8th October, YWAM's annual Apple Festival at Highfield Oval on Saturday 14th October with tractor rides, bouncy castle, Hog Roast, games & stalls, Aylett Garden Centre's Apple Festival on 21st & 22nd October, or Harpenden Common Apple Day on 23rd October, which includes rope-swinging and tree-climbing amongst the activities on offer!  

Batford Memorial Hall are holding their annual Halloween Party on Saturday 28th October.  This is a great-value event for all the family and is alway extremely popular so booking your tickets in advance is recommended to avoid disapointment on the night.

Circus Zyair will be back in town 24th - 29th October presenting a colourful, action-packed show.  Tickets are on sale now.

As mentioned already, the arrival of half-term brings every type of halloween-themed activity you could think of from pumpkin carving, spooky trails and goulish arts & crafts to ghost stories and owl encounters. Full details are on our events page.

Fans of children's illustrator Nick Sharratt might want to book a ticket to Nick Sharratt's Big Draw Along (Halloween Special) at The Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead on 28th October where Nick will be showing attendees how to draw some of his best-loved characters.

Budding young artists are also invited to St Albans Cathedal's free Family Discovery Morning on 26th October to create their very own masterpieces inspired by the theme of this year's Big Draw - Living Lines.

And after all that, if you just want to get and about and enjoy the beauty of autumn then grab your wellies and take a look at the parks, forests and country estates listed in our Things to Do section.