Harrogate schools break for half term from 26 to 30 October 2026. Ten things on that week, from Harlow Carr's spooky trail to Fountains by Floodlight.
October half term in the Harrogate district is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for council-run schools, and most academies and grammars take the same week. Many children finish earlier: the council has a training day on Friday 23 October, and several secondaries add their own. Here are the dates, and ten things actually on locally that week, each checked against the organiser’s own listing.
The quick answer
- Half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Council schools also close on Friday 23 October for training, so the last school day is Thursday 22 October.
- Back to school: Monday 2 November, except Harrogate High School, back Tuesday 3 November. Ashville College breaks early, at 4pm on Tuesday 20 October.
- No trains between Poppleton and York on both half-term weekends (24 to 25 October and 31 October to 1 November): replacement buses run.
Who is off when
| School | Last day before half term | Back |
|---|---|---|
| North Yorkshire Council schools | Thursday 22 October (23rd is a training day) | Monday 2 November |
| Harrogate Grammar School | Friday 23 October | Monday 2 November |
| St Aidan’s CE High School | Thursday 22 October (23rd is a training day) | Monday 2 November |
| Harrogate High School | Friday 23 October | Tuesday 3 November (2 November is a training day) |
| Ripon Grammar School | Friday 23 October | Monday 2 November |
| Ashville College | Tuesday 20 October, 4pm | Monday 2 November |
Dates come from North Yorkshire Council and each school’s own term dates page, listed with the full year on our school term dates page.
Ten things on locally that week
1. Spooky plant trail, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate. Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 9.30am to 4pm daily. An interactive trail of poisonous and legendary plants, with rubbings to collect and a spooky plant to design. Included in garden admission; free to RHS members and under-5s. RHS Harlow Carr half term
2. ZooLab potion sessions, Harlow Carr. Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, 45-minute sessions at 11am, 12 noon, 1.15pm and 2.15pm in the Learning Centre, with snakes, snails and spiders. £2.50 per child or adult, on top of admission, and booked online. On Wednesday 28 October there is a free drop-in monster pot planting session (11am to 3pm, ages 4 and up), and on 29 and 30 October Garden Detectives science sessions at 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm.
3. Halloween at Stockeld Park, near Wetherby. Every day from 24 October to 1 November, 9.30am to 5.30pm, according to its Halloween page: a witches’ trail in the Enchanted Forest, a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch (pumpkins cost extra), the Mummy Maze and optional Zombie Laser Tag. Its prices page lists tickets from £12.75 to £29.50 per person, laser tag £5.50, and a Pumpkin Nights evening on Saturday 24 October, 5.30pm to 9pm, £15 or half price with a day ticket. (That page says daily opening starts on 19 October; the event page says 24 October, so check before a weekday visit that week.)
4. Hocus Pocus Halloween at Mother Shipton’s, Knaresborough. 24 October to 1 November. Witch displays, a witchy sister trio to meet, the cave and the Petrifying Well, and marshmallow toasting. Booking is essential, timed slots, £1.50 booking fee per order, dogs on leads welcome except in the playground and shop. Pedestrian tickets do not include parking; the nearest alternative is Conyngham Hall. Mother Shipton’s Halloween
5. Fountains by Floodlight, Fountains Abbey near Ripon. Evening openings on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October and Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October, with the abbey ruins lit, choral music in the cellarium and guided twilight tours. Entry from 5pm, last entry 8pm, in half-hour timed slots. Bring a torch. National Trust: Fountains by Floodlight
6. Victorian baking: Spooky Shortbread, Ripon Workhouse Museum. Tuesday 27 to Thursday 29 October, 10.30am to 3pm. Ripon Museums
7. We Will Rock You, Harrogate Theatre. The last performances are on Saturday 24 October at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets £28.50 to £114. Harrogate Theatre
8. Swan Lake, Harrogate Theatre. Imperial Classical Ballet, Wednesday 28 October, 7.30pm, two hours. Tickets £46 to £96, under-16s £29. Harrogate Theatre
9. Market day, Ripley Castle. Sunday 25 October, the last Sunday of the month, 10am to 3pm: local makers and food in the Castle Courtyard, and the castle gardens and grounds are free to enter on market days. Dogs on leads welcome; parking charges apply. Ripley Castle
10. Adam Garcia’s Emerald Storm, Royal Hall. Tuesday 27 October, 7.30pm, tickets £29 to £78. Harrogate Theatre
Book ahead now for Harlow Carr’s Glow, which runs on selected dates from 26 November to 30 December; the best dates go first. For Christmas plans see Santa’s grotto and the Christmas market.
Getting about that week
Engineering work closes all lines between Poppleton and York and between Leeds and York on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October and again on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November. National Rail’s notices for 24 to 25 October and 31 October to 1 November say replacement buses run between Poppleton and York, so a half-term trip from Harrogate or Knaresborough to York by train will involve a bus both weekends. For the roads, see roadworks and travel; for car parks, parking in Harrogate.
A tip run in half term? The tips switch to winter hours, 8.30am to 4pm, from 1 October and close every Wednesday.
Still to be confirmed
- Each school’s own extra training days: check letters home.
- Prices for Fountains by Floodlight and Mother Shipton’s Halloween tickets, which appear only in their booking systems.
- Harrogate library and leisure centre half-term activities, not yet published.
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