Article by Index Digital Team | 4th October 2024

How To Keep The Kids Entertained This Halloween

Looking for ways to keep your little horrors busy over half term? Here are some ideas of where to go in Kent & Sussex, activities for days spent at home, plus top tips on trick or treating etiquette.

Image Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash

Events in Kent & Sussex this Halloween

26th October to 3rd November: Dragon Training and Meet & Greets, County Mall Crawley

Get ready for a magical Halloween experience at County Mall, Crawley. This October, the shopping centre is bringing the spooky vibes with a magical dragon’s lair, offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to become dragon masters and meet the mythical creature. On Saturday 26th October, join the centre’s dragon trainers with interactive dragon training sessions at 11am, 12.30pm, and 2pm, where you’ll have a chance to learn the secrets of dragon handling and have the opportunity to meet the dragons afterwards. Then, on 28th Monday October and Wednesday 30th October, guests can get up close and personal with adorable baby dragons and their handlers. These exciting sessions will be held at 11am, 12.30pm, and 2pm, allowing visitors plenty of time and opportunity to fit in a baby dragon visit around the rest of their day. To make the experience even more memorable, County Mall is inviting visitors to participate in a photo competition. Simply take a picture with one of the adorable baby dragons and tag County Mall on social media. The winner will receive a £100 voucher to a County Mall store of their choice. The dragon’s lair will be open throughout the half term, from 26th  October to 3rd November, providing ample opportunities for photo shoots and fun for the whole family. Visit countymall.co.uk/news-and-events 

28th & 29th & 31st October: The WonderWorks Events for Families, Margate

28th & 29th October: Aardman Model-Making Workshop. Children and adults alike can immerse themselves in the enchanting world of Aardman Animations, creators of beloved characters such as Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Gromit. Led by an expert model maker with experience on some of Aardman’s cherished productions, participants will have the opportunity to create their favourite characters from clay. 31st October, 10am-2pm: Halloween Shortbread Decorating. Get into the Halloween spirit with a fun shortbread decorating session. For just £3 per person, unleash your creativity and decorate spooky treats. Plus, visitors dressed in fancy dress on Halloween will enjoy free entry to The WonderWorks! Visit wonderworksmargate.co.uk

23^rd October to 31^st October: Tulleys Pumpkin Festival, Turners Hill, Crawley

Perfect for families, there's something truly memorable about picking your own pumpkin – you can even take the dog! Much more than just a field of glowing orange pumpkins, your adventure starts in the "Pumpkin Village" where you'll discover delicious Street Food, incredible doughnuts and sweet treats. During your visit keep an eye out for the "Pumpkin Folk", who really bring the Village to life. If shopping's your thing, pop into "The Pumpkin Boutique" and browse the seasonal range of gifts and merchandise. In the heart of the Village stands "Pumpkin House", an actual life-size house made of Pumpkins! One of the many picture-perfect backdrops so you can take awesome pictures that'll you treasure forever. The perfect opportunity to pick your own pumpkin with over 100 different varieties, which you can decorate your porch, carve goulish faces or make a pumpkin pie! Visit pumpkinfarm.co.uk

25^th October to 1^st November: Halloween Spooktacular at Kent Life, Maidstone, 10am-5pm 

Head along and join in with the family-friendly Halloween events as Kent Life is transformed for the spooky season. There will be plenty for all to enjoy, from pumpkin carving, trick or treating, creepy bugs and fancy-dress competitions. Guests who are brave enough can trick or treat in Kent Life’s historic houses, but be careful, you never know who’s lurking behind the doors! Adults £11.36, Children (aged 2-15) £11.36, Members Free. Visit kentlife.org.uk/event/halloween-spooktacular

Image Kent Life Heritage Farm Park

25th October to 2nd November: All Horrors Eve, Tonbridge Old Fire Station

There will be fun for all ages at the All Horrors Eve Halloween Festival at Tonbridge Old Fire Station this half-term. Kids and adults alike are invited to enjoy activities, parties and immersive events, including: 26^th October to 2^nd November: Pumpkin Patch Parade (for families with children at select times). Looking for a safe place to trick-or-treat with the little ones this Halloween? The Pumpkin Patch Parade is the perfect adventure, filled with treats and surprises! Children aged 3-10 will pick up their Pumpkin Patch Parade bags and embark on a magical journey through the TOFS cemetery. Along the way, they’ll trick-or-treat at six fun Halloween doors – with friendly and spooky residents behind each! 28^th October to 2^nd November: Tabby The Tonbridge Witch Meet-and-Greet (for families with children at select times). Tabby The Tonbridge Witch has set up her enchanting apothecary in TOFS, just in time for Halloween. In this immersive experience, children will be guided by the friendly Tonbridge Witch and help craft her latest potion. With fun gifts and a personalised experience for each child, this is truly a magical event. Candid and posed photos with Tabby will be available for purchase after the experience. Perfect for children aged 3-10. Visit allhorrorseve.com

26^th October to 3^rd November: Halloween Half Term Fun 2024 at Hever Castle, near Edenbridge

Treat your little ones to a spine-tingling visit to Hever Castle over the Half Term break. Explore the castle grounds filled with spooky pumpkins and put your detective skills to the test with a Halloween-themed word puzzle. Don’t be too startled if you come face to face with some of Halloween’s most infamous characters. You might encounter Dr. Frankenstein himself! For those who want to get hands-on with Halloween, the themed craft sessions are the perfect opportunity to unleash your creativity. There is also a pumpkin Halloween themed trail where you can wander through the grounds and find the spooky pumpkins. Cast your eyes on the letters and see if you can rearrange them to work out the Halloween word. Then head to the Information Hut and you will receive a prize! There will also be Halloween stories and face painting. Visit hevercastle.co.uk/whats-on/halloween-half-term-fun/

26^th October to 3^rd November: Halloween Shriek Week at Drusillas Park, Alfriston

Shriek Week at Drusillas Park is the perfect place to bring the kids for a family-friendly, fun-filled, and spooky Halloween week. Their super spider experts will be taking over the Discovery Centre on 29th, 30th and 31st October to create a 'Spider's Den' with their eight-legged friends to teach you all a little more about these amazing creatures. Make sure your phone battery is full as they have lots of spooky, silly, and terror-ific photo opportunities all around the Park. Plus they are running a competition for the best Halloween photo shared during a visit to Shriek Week, with the chance to win a family ticket for four. Drusillas also dare you to venture through the creepy cobwebbed corridors of Haunted Heights – the live action haunted house experience – into the terror-tory of sin sisters, Hocus & Pocus as they play hide and shriek with the unsuspecting public. Their wickedly stylish live action Sugar Skull Witch will also be making appearances throughout the day between Monday 28th October and Friday 1st November gracefully and ghoulishly gliding around the Park. Visit drusillas.co.uk/halloween-activities-in-east-sussex

26^th October to 3^rd November: The Guardians of the Grounds – A Haunted Halloween Quest at Leeds Castle, Maidstone

Head to Leeds Castle for a spellbinding experience that will ignite your imagination and leave you spellbound this autumn. Welcoming back your favourite characters to Leeds Castle, meet them on a haunted Halloween quest, where young adventurers become spell seekers on a thrilling interactive journey through the mystical Leeds Castle estate. As children embark on their adventure, they will be armed with a special quest sheet, guiding them through the sprawling grounds of the castle. Their mission? Embark on an epic quest to find Rocky, the Castle Stone Monster, and recover the six magical coloured stones! ​Follow the map, meet the Guardians, and complete the challenges to lift the curse and restore the castle walls before it’s too late. Throughout their adventure, children will encounter six magical beings, each with their own rhyming tales and wisdom to share. Once they have found all the magical stones, they will make their way to the Castle Maze to help lift the Curse of the Tumbling Walls. To cap off a delightful day of fun, make sure to participate in the spooktacular Halloween fancy dress competition. Every day, you have the exciting opportunity to showcase your creativity and style, vying for the esteemed title of ‘best dressed’. Not only will you have a chance to impress your fellow attendees, but you might also claim the coveted trophy as your well-deserved prize. Visit leeds-castle.com/events/halloween-at-leeds-castle/

21st to 25th October: Holiday Camp, Radnor House Sevenoaks

Fun and educational STEM activities this Half Term: Radnor House Sevenoaks is hosting Next Thing Education's Tech Camp for children aged 5-11 years-old. Held daily, 9am-3pm, from 21st-25th October, attendees can enjoy activities including programming robots, spooky film making and Lego engineering. Perfect for children new to coding and STEM or those who are already tech savvy the interactive course has been designed to teach key computer skills, whilst allowing children to explore their creativity. Visit nextthing.education/product/radnor-house-sevenoaks-october-camp/. £45 per day or £175 for the week, childcare vouchers are accepted.

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Halloween outfits

As sustainability moves further to the forefront of people's minds, rather than buying ready-made Hallween outfits for your little ones, why not save a bit of money, and do some good, by creating your own? Look through your wardrobes and see what items and materials you have from clothes that you no longer wear and think about how they could be used to create something spook-tacular. For extra supplies visit a charity shop to find the items you're missing. Creating your own outfits also makes a for a great activity to keep the little ones entertained and off devices while they are off school.

Trick or treating safety tips and etiquette

• Many Halloween outfits will be dark in colour, so try to carry something with you that makes you all visible to passing drivers – attach reflective strips to your outfits, or carry glow sticks or torches.
• Make sure your child’s costume is the right length for them and not a trip hazard – and that their footwear is suitable and safe.
• Stay on well-lit roads.
• If you children are old enough to go out alone, make sure you know the route they are taking and the time they plan to be back.
• Respect any signs asking you not to knock on people's door – it may be trick or treat season but remember some people can be made anxious by the event.
• Avoid knocking on doors where the porch light or front room lights aren’t on. If people want to be involved in the fun they usually will let you know by decorating or displaying something Halloween based at the front of their property.
• Be mindful of not trick or treating too late into the evening and keep noise to a respectful level.
• Don’t take more than one or two treats from each house.
• Politeness goes a long way and makes the event enjoyable for everyone – always say please and thank you.

Indoor activities over Halloween

Pumpkin carving

It may seen obvious, but pumpkin carving is a classic activity for entertaining youngsters in the Halloween half term. Most supermarkets have lots of them available in the run up to Halloween – or make the fun last longer by going and picking your own from a farm. Just remember, when it comes to the carving always supervise children when there's any sharp implements around and it’s probably best to get kitted in aprons as it could get messy!

Make scary masks

Another way to make your trick or treating outfits more sustainable – and keep the kids enetrtained if it's raining outside in the day – is to make your own scary masks. Get out some card, pens, paint or pencils and let the kid's imaginiations go wild, creating whatever character they want to be this Halloween. Then you'll be ready to head out trick or treating on Halloween knowing you won't bump into anyone with the same outfit!

Bake some Hellishly Tasty Halloween Treats

Organic honey company Honey Heaven has developed some hellishly tasty Halloween treats, guaranteed to bewitch even the most demanding trick or treater. Their recipes feature a selection of honeys from their 16 strong range of outstanding Hungarian honeys expertly blended with other botanical ingredients, including mushrooms, to uniquely boost the flavour. Here’s just one of their suggestions…

Honey Ginger Halloween Cookies

Mouthwatering chewy cookies blend autumnal flavours of ginger and cinnamon but are beautifully sweetened by honey and white chocolate. Cookies that are not just for the kids!

Ingredients:

• 125g softened butter
• 175g Honey Heaven Ginger Honey 
• 1 large egg
• 185g all-purpose flour
• 2.5g baking powder
• 2.5g salt
• 2.5g cinnamon
• 60g of melted white chocolate
• Edible eyes

Method:

• Preheat oven: Set your oven to 170°C
• Prepare baking sheet: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it lightly.
• Cream butter and honey: In a bowl, beat together the softened butter and ginger honey until light and fluffy.
• Add egg: Beat in the egg until well combined.
• Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
• Bake cookies: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
• Cool and decorate: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with melted white chocolate and add some edible eyes. Let the white chocolate set and enjoy!

• Some Honey Heaven honeys are available from Selfridges but to see the full range, visit honeyheaven.co.uk. Jars start from £7 and 40g taster jars are available for £3.

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