You are at the top of the page

Skip to content or footer

Start of main content

Halloween at Hillsborough

Experience a spellbinding adventure for all the family

Skip the event ticket details and go to event summary.

When

24 October - 01 November 2026

In line with gardens opening hours

Ticketing information

Tickets on sale soon


Included in all admission tickets (Members go free, no pre-booking required)

Start of the events summary

This October half term, gather your little witches, wizards and adventurers for a spellbinding day out at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

Discover Halloween at Hillsborough

Explore 100 acres of enchanting gardens and visit the pumpkin patch to choose your own pumpkin to take home and transform into a spooky Halloween creation.

Follow a whimsical Halloween trail to help a crash-landed witch find the perfect broomstick, while discovering charming scarecrows and spookyacular displays.

Little adventurers can enjoy outdoor workshops, magical storytelling and classic autumn games, from conker duels to welly-tossing.

With something new happening every day, there's always more to explore.

Upgrade your garden ticket to visit the famous castle, and uncover fascinating stories for all the family. 

Children playing around pumpkins arranged in the woodlands of Hillsborough Castle.

Pick, create, and scare!

Wander through our Walled Garden pumpkin patch and choose your perfect pumpkin. Then take it home and transform it into a frightfully fun Halloween masterpiece!

Pumpkins are just £5 and can be booked in advance.

Three children playing inside a large plastic pumpkin sculpture.
Halloween decorations set up outside the Walled Garden at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

Autumnal Craft

24 and 25 October 

11:00, 12:00, 13:30. 14:30 and  15:30.

Get creative with a hands-on mask decorating activity inspired by autumn harvest celebrations, folk tales, and carnival traditions. Experiment with color, texture, and decorative embellishments to bring your design to life.

This workshop is separately ticketed.

Tickets on sale soon 

Close up of plastic pumpkin Halloween decorations.

Autumn outdoor workshops

Join a family-friendly workshop to satisfy all budding adventurers. With different autumnal workshops happening across Halloween there's plenty of new fun skills to learn and experience.

These sessions will be tailored to your group and are suitable for families of all ages. No ticket required; workshop spaces allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. 

26, 27 and 28 October: Potion class 

11:00, 12:00, 13:30 and 15:30.

Young witches and wizards in training are invited to step into a world of magic and imagination. Participants will create their own bubbling magical potions before embarking on a guided sensory walk around the lake to forage for natural materials and craft their very own wand. Classes are approximately one hour.

Meet at the Pinetum, a capacity of 30 participants per time slot.

29, 30 October: Nature art workshop

11:00, 12:00, 13:30 and 14:30.

Join us for a hands-on workshop where kids can get creative with natural materials and connect with the outdoors through art. Meet at the lower visitor centre, a capacity of 30 participants per time slot.

29, 30 October: Wild Walk

11:00, 12:00, 13:30 and 14:30.

Come along on a fun wild walk and discover the amazing trees, plants and creatures around us while exploring the wonders of biodiversity. Meet at the lower visitor centre, a capacity of 30 participants per timeslot.

Marketing photos of children for Halloween. Children in costumes posing in front of a tree in the gardens (holding pumpkins and pulling faces).

Step into Irish folklore with the Armagh Rhymers

On 31 Ocotber and 01 November, 11:00, 12:00, 13:30 and 14:30, be enchanted by renowned Irish folk theatre group, The Armagh Rhymers. Experience performances that blend together myth, music and drama, performed in iconic straw costumes to celebrate Irish folklore for all the family.

Cosy up and listen in our Core Learning Centre. Included in your admission ticket; no additional ticket required. 

Photograph of the Armagh Rhymers Theatre Company, wearing intricate animal masks and playing instruments.

Cast a spell on your ticket

Continue your unforgettable day out, with a visit for all the family to the castle. Discover the famous Throne Room, Red Room and listen to the fascinating history behind Northern Ireland's only royal residence.

Upgrade your ticket to membership for a whole year of extraordinary days out. See the stunning gardens change throughout the seasons and join unmissable events - from seasonal garden trails to our Christmas event and more.

Woman with two children looking at a ghostly scare-crow in the grounds of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

Explore what's on

  • Things to see
  • Families

The Imaginary Menagerie

Enjoy a day out discovering our interactive play trail - the Imaginary Menagerie.

Learn more
  • Events
  • Families

Thank you for the Musicals 2

Experience a range of sensational musical performances with Peter Corry. See classics including Mary Poppins, Grease, Evita, Blood Brothers, Hadestown, The Lion King.

Learn more
  • Events
  • Families

Hillsboroughton

Discover an evening of elegance at Hillsboroughton, a Bridgerton-inspired event in the stunning surroundings of the South Terrace in Hillsborough Castle’s gardens, led by reowned producer Peter Corry.

Learn more

Browse more history and stories

The story of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens

‘The Grandest House in County Down’

Art at Hillsborough Castle

Hillsborough Castle has become a place in which to see amazing art

Historic hauntings at Hampton Court Palace

Centuries of ghosts and grim tales

Shop online

Official Hillsborough Castle & Gardens Guidebook

Descriptive, informative, authoritative - this superb guidebook is the best way to learn all there is about Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

£4.99