Half term is 26 to 30 October 2026, two weeks at some schools. Castle siege activities, Legoland's Halloween, a Snow Queen ballet and £11.50 shows in Maidenhead

October half term in the Royal Borough runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Pupils at The Windsor Boys’ School, Windsor Girls’ School and Charters get a second week, to Friday 6 November. Full school-by-school dates are on our term dates page.

Below is what is actually on, taken from each organiser’s own listing on 25 September 2026.

The quick answer

  • Windsor Castle: free siege-themed art activities for children, 24 to 30 October, included in the castle ticket. The castle is shut on the Tuesday and Wednesday.
  • Legoland’s Brick or Treat runs every day from 17 October to 1 November, from £37 a person.
  • Cheapest shows: £11.50 a child at Norden Farm, Maidenhead, or four tickets for £45.

Ten things on during half term

What Where When Cost
A Castle under Siege, family art activities Windsor Castle 24 to 30 Oct, not Tue or Wed, 10am to 2.30pm In castle ticket
Brick or Treat Legoland Windsor 17 Oct to 1 Nov From £37
The Snow Queen, Ballet Theatre UK Theatre Royal Windsor 27 to 31 Oct From £19.50
Matilda (PG), cinema Norden Farm, Maidenhead Sat 24 Oct, 4.30pm Cinema prices
The Magic Flute, Luca Silvestrini Norden Farm Tue 27 Oct, 5pm £13.50, £11.50 under 16
The Elves and the Shoemaker Norden Farm Wed 28 Oct, 11.30am £13.50, £11.50 under 16
Kevin Quantum Anti-Gravity, magic Norden Farm Thu 29 Oct, 7.30pm See listing
A Tale of Us, for babies up to 18 months Norden Farm Fri 30 Oct, 11.30am £15 adult and baby
Fireworks Spectacular Family Raceday Ascot Racecourse Sat 31 Oct From £29; fireworks only from £12
Alice in Wonderland touring exhibition Royal Borough libraries April to December Free

Windsor Castle: A Castle under Siege

The Royal Collection Trust marks 810 years since the 1216 siege of Windsor Castle with art activities in the Pug Yard Learning Centre and a children’s trail through the castle. Sessions run 10am to 2.30pm on 24, 25, 26, 29 and 30 October; the castle does not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It is included in a castle ticket or one-year pass, so there is nothing extra to book (Royal Collection Trust). Castle prices are on our things to do in Windsor page.

Legoland Windsor: Brick or Treat

Legoland’s Halloween event runs on 10 and 11 October and then every day from 17 October to 1 November, covering the whole of half term at every local school. Tickets start at £37 a person, and Lord Vampyre’s House Party show returns this year (Legoland Windsor). Pumpkin picking, Windsor Royal’s pumpkin party and the other Halloween events are on our Windsor Halloween page.

Theatre Royal Windsor: The Snow Queen

Ballet Theatre UK brings its Snow Queen to Thames Street from Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October, evenings at 7.30pm with matinees at 2.30pm on Thursday 29 and Saturday 31 October. Tickets from £19.50, age guidance 3+, about two hours (Theatre Royal Windsor).

Norden Farm, Maidenhead

The arts centre on Altwood Road has the cheapest family tickets of the week: £13.50 adults, £11.50 under 16s, or £45 for a family of four, plus a £1.90 booking fee per transaction.

  • The Magic Flute, Tuesday 27 October, 5pm: Mozart retold for children aged 7 and up (Norden Farm).
  • The Elves and the Shoemaker, Wednesday 28 October, 11.30am: Theatre of Widdershins’ puppet version, age 3+, 55 minutes (Norden Farm).
  • A Tale of Us, Friday 30 October, 11.30am: a play for parents with babies up to 18 months, £15 for one adult and one baby (Norden Farm).
  • Matilda (PG) on the cinema screen on Saturday 24 October at 4.30pm, and Kevin Quantum’s anti-gravity magic show on Thursday 29 October at 7.30pm.

Ascot: the first fireworks of the season

Ascot Racecourse’s Fireworks Spectacular Family Raceday is on Saturday 31 October, the last day of the one-week half term. Raceday tickets start at £29, and fireworks-only tickets at £12 for adults and £5 for children aged 5 to 12 (Ascot Racecourse). Times and the rival displays are on our Windsor fireworks page.

Libraries: Alice in Wonderland

A free touring exhibition of artwork from the original editions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is moving round the borough’s libraries from April to December 2026, for the National Year of Reading. Check the council’s library pages for where it is in October (Visit Windsor).

For the two-week schools: 2 to 6 November

If your children are at Windsor Boys’, Windsor Girls’ or Charters, the second week ends with two of the borough’s biggest fireworks nights on Saturday 7 November: Royal Windsor Racecourse and Fire.Fest at Braywick Park, Maidenhead. Both are on our fireworks page. Theatre Royal Windsor has a show every night from 1 to 6 November, mostly tribute concerts (Theatre Royal Windsor).

Windsor Great Park Illuminated does not open until 13 November, a week after both half terms have finished; details on our Illuminated page.

Getting there

Half term week is busy in Windsor town centre, particularly on the Saturdays either side. Car park prices and the park and ride are on our parking in Windsor page, and weekly road closures on roadworks and travel.

Still to be confirmed

Ticket prices for Kevin Quantum and the Matilda screening are on the Norden Farm booking pages rather than the listing. We will add more half term events as organisers publish them, and check again on 12 October.