Staffordshire's October half term is 26 to 30 October 2026. Ten things actually on in Stafford and Stone that week, with times and prices from the organisers.

October half term in Stafford is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and it runs straight into Halloween weekend. Several local secondary schools also close on Friday 23 October or Monday 2 November, so check your school before you book anything.

The quick answer

  • Half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, back to school Monday 2 November (Staffordshire County Council dates).
  • Halloween Saturday 31 October: Stone’s Halloween Festival on the High Street, 10am to 3pm, and The Spooky Magic Show at the Gatehouse, 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
  • Shugborough’s Halloween trail runs all week, 9am to 5pm in the gardens, with normal admission.

The dates, and the schools that differ

The county’s term dates page puts half term at 26 to 30 October for community and voluntary controlled schools. Most local academies match it. The ones that add a day either side, from their own calendars:

  • Sir Graham Balfour and Blessed William Howard: INSET days on Friday 23 October and Monday 2 November, so pupils are off from 23 October to 2 November inclusive.
  • Alleyne’s Academy, Stone: INSET day Friday 23 October, back Monday 2 November.
  • Stafford Grammar School: half term starts on Thursday 22 October and runs to Friday 30 October.

The full table for 2026/27, with Christmas and Easter, is on our Stafford school term dates page.

Ten things on in half-term week

Every entry below is from the organiser’s own listing, checked on 25 September 2026.

At Shugborough, Milford

  1. The Great Big Halloween Hunt Trail, Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November. A story trail through the Walled Garden and farmyard based on the Nosy Crow picture book, with pumpkin spotting, spell casting and “flying like a witch on a broomstick”. No booking needed; it is included in admission, per the National Trust’s Shugborough page.
  2. The Painted Paradise, an exhibition of recently conserved 18th-century watercolours of the estate’s monuments, open until Sunday 1 November. Also included in admission.

Shugborough’s gardens, parkland and walled garden are open 9am to 5pm every day of half term. The mansion and servants’ quarters open 11am to 4pm, but the mansion closes early, at 2pm, on Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October. Whole-property admission is £18 adult, £9 child (5 to 17), £45 family; park and gardens only is £12, £6 and £30. Under-fives are free, as are National Trust members. More in our Shugborough winter guide.

At the Gatehouse Theatre, Eastgate Street

The theatre’s what’s on listing has four children’s events in half-term week:

  1. The McDougalls: Halloween Party Show, Tuesday 27 October, 1pm, £15. Singalong Halloween show for young children, about an hour long. The theatre is running a limited offer of £27 for two adults and two children. Details.
  2. Kids Learn to Paint Workshop, Wednesday 28 October, 11am to 1pm, £20. Run by a local professional artist, for children aged 8 and over, materials provided. Listed as “Last Few” when we checked. Details.
  3. Halloween Dance Workshop, Friday 30 October, 11am, £5. Come in costume. Also listed as “Last Few”. Details.
  4. The Spooky Magic Show, Saturday 31 October, 1.30pm and 3.30pm, MET Studio, £15. Magic and puppets, “spooky but not scary”, for children aged 4 and up, 55 minutes. Details.

Either side of the week, the Gatehouse also has Spot’s Birthday Party on Saturday 24 October at 12pm and 2pm (£18, ages 2 and up) and The Enchanted Princess Ball, billed as a half-term panto called Freezin’, on Sunday 1 November at 1pm and 4.30pm (£19.50 to £21). Box office: 01785 619080.

In the town centres

  1. Stafford Food and Music Festival Halloween Special, Friday 30 October, Market Square. Stafford Borough Council’s Market Square events page lists it with times to be confirmed.
  2. Stone Halloween Festival, Saturday 31 October, 10am to 3pm, High Street, run by Stone Traders Group, per Stone Town Council’s 2026 events calendar.
  3. Stone Artisan Market, the Saturday before half term, 17 October, 10am to 3pm, High Street, from the same calendar.

Just after

  1. Staffordshire Fireworks Extravaganza, Sunday 1 November at the County Showground, the last day of the holiday. Tickets are online only. Full details are on our Stafford fireworks page.

What is not happening

Stafford Borough Council’s own events calendar showed no events at all for half-term week when we checked on 25 September. Listings are usually added closer to the date, so this page will be updated in mid-October.

Getting about

Half term is often when roadworks are booked to avoid school traffic. Our roadworks and travel page lists what is on the borough’s roads, and parking in Stafford has every town centre car park and its charges.