✳ Days Out
October Half Term in London: Free & Cheap Ideas
October half term in London falls in the week beginning Monday 26 October 2026 for most state schools, running to Friday 30 October — Harrow and Bexley both publish exactly those dates for 2026/27, and the London boroughs almost always move together. Five weekdays, shorter daylight than the summer holidays, and a much higher chance of rain, which changes what a cheap week looks like.
The honest shape of it on one income is this: a free spine, one paid treat, and a plan for the food. Get those three right and half term costs less than a single soft-play afternoon. Get them wrong and you can spend a hundred pounds by Wednesday without doing anything memorable.
Check your own school’s dates first
Term dates are set by each local authority, and academies and free schools set their own — so the 26–30 October week is the pattern, not a guarantee. Harrow lists “Half Term: Monday 26 October 2026 - Friday 30 October 2026” and Bexley lists “Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026”. If you have children at two schools, check both before you book anything, because a mismatched inset day is how half of us end up paying for childcare on a day we thought was free.
The free spine: three kinds of day that cost nothing
A week works better if you think in types of day rather than in destinations, because the weather will make the decision for you anyway.
The indoor day. London’s big national museums remain free to enter, and half term is when they run their family programmes. The catch nobody mentions: the free museums are at their absolute busiest during half term, and the good workshops are ticketed and released in advance. Book the free ticket the moment the programme goes up, not the night before. The free museums for kids post has the ones that actually hold a child’s attention rather than the ones that sound impressive.
The outdoor day. Royal parks, commons and heaths cost nothing and are at their best in late October — conkers, leaves, and the kind of cold that justifies a hot chocolate later. Add the city farms, most of which are free or donation-entry and are genuinely better in autumn than in August when everything is baked.
The view day. Sky Garden is still free and still one of the best things in London with children in it: the tickets are free, they go quickly, and you book them in advance through the site. Non-negotiably a booked thing, not a walk-up thing.
And a fourth, cheaper than it sounds: the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, where “the Museum and Gardens are open, and free to visit” — with charges only for the Aquarium, Butterfly House and special exhibitions. Free museum, free gardens, animal walk, and one of the best views in south London, with the paid bits optional rather than compulsory.
The one paid treat, chosen properly
One treat, decided in advance, is the difference between a week that felt special and a week that felt like a slow leak. What makes a good half-term treat is not the price, it is whether it is weather-proof and long. A ninety-minute indoor thing on a wet Wednesday is worth three hours in a damp park; the same money on a Monday when the sun is out is wasted.
October’s obvious candidate is a pumpkin patch, and it is worth knowing before you set off that you pay twice at almost all of them — entry per person, then the pumpkin at the exit. The real costs are laid out in pumpkin patches near London.
Where the money actually goes
Not on entry. On four things:
| The leak | Why it happens | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | Five days of travel across zones adds up faster than any ticket | Pick one destination per day and walk the last bit; check TfL’s under-11 rules before you pay for anyone |
| Lunch out | Nobody packed anything, everyone’s starving at 12:40 | Pack the boring one and buy one hot drink; or plan around kids eat free |
| The gift shop | Positioned at the exit of every free museum, deliberately | Decide the number before you go in. “One thing, under £5 (~$7), and it’s from the whole week” |
| The unplanned Friday | You ran out of ideas and paid to fix it | Put the cheap day last, not first |
That last one is the only genuinely counter-intuitive bit. Most people front-load the exciting days, get to Thursday with nothing planned and no energy, and buy their way out of it. Plan the big free day for Thursday or Friday instead, and the week ends well.
A rough week that works
- Monday — local and free. Park, conkers, library. Everyone is still tired from term.
- Tuesday — the one paid treat, booked, indoors if the forecast is poor.
- Wednesday — museum day, with a free workshop ticket booked a fortnight earlier.
- Thursday — home day. Genuinely. Half term does not need to be five days out, and the wet-afternoon plan is where the crafts come in.
- Friday — the big free one: Horniman, Sky Garden, a city farm, or all the way across town to whichever museum they chose.
The home day is the one people skip and then regret, because the children are usually happier for it and it is the only day that costs nothing at all. Fill it with the Halloween crafts you would have been doing anyway, and the results decorate the flat for the 31st.
FAQ
When is October half term 2026 in London?
Most London state schools break up for the week of Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026 — the dates Harrow and Bexley both publish for 2026/27. Academies and free schools set their own dates, so check your school’s calendar rather than assuming, especially if you have children at two different schools.
What can you do for free in London at October half term?
The national museums, the royal parks, commons and heaths, most city farms, and Sky Garden’s booked free tickets. Museums run family programmes during half term that are free but ticketed, and those tickets go early — book as soon as the programme appears rather than the night before.
How much should October half term in London cost?
It can genuinely be close to nothing plus travel, if you build the week around free entry and pack lunches. The costs that creep in are transport across zones, buying lunch, gift shops and the unplanned day at the end of the week. Setting one paid treat in advance and planning a free day for Friday keeps the total down.
What is there to do in London half term when it rains?
Museums are the obvious answer and will be packed, so go early or go to a smaller one. Beyond that: the Horniman’s free museum and gardens has plenty under cover, libraries run free half-term sessions, and a proper home day with a baking or craft plan is a real answer rather than a fallback.
Is October half term a good time for a pumpkin patch near London?
Yes, and it is the only week most families can go — which is why the patches are busiest and booking is usually compulsory. Budget for entry per person plus the pumpkin charged separately at the exit, and go on a weekday rather than the weekend if your half-term week allows it.
