October half term in East Sussex runs 24 October to 1 November 2026; Beacon Academy is off from 22 October. Ten things on near Crowborough that week, with prices.

October half term for East Sussex schools runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026. Children at Beacon Academy are off from Thursday 22 October, because the school has put two training days in front of the holiday.

Here is what is actually on near Crowborough that week, taken from each organiser’s own listings.

The quick answer

  • County half term: Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Schools go back on Monday 2 November
  • Beacon Academy: off from Thursday 22 October, back Monday 2 November
  • Pick of the week: an owl evening at the Ashdown Forest Centre on 29 October, and the free Isfield and Little Horsted bonfire on Friday 30 October

The full list of term dates, including every school’s INSET days, is on our Crowborough school term dates page.

Ten things on near Crowborough

Date What Where Price
24 Oct to 1 Nov Half-term themed trail, open daily Wilderness Wood, Hadlow Down Details to follow
24 Oct to 1 Nov Shriek Week, Halloween at the zoo Drusillas Park, between Brighton and Eastbourne Pre-book to save 20%
Sat 24 and Sun 25 Oct Model Brick Show, LEGO models Spa Valley Railway, Tunbridge Wells West See railway
Sun 25 Oct Diesel running day Lavender Line, Isfield See railway
Tue 27 Oct Saxons vs Vikings history day Wilderness Wood See listing
Wed 28 Oct Wild Wednesdays, 10am to noon Broadstone car park, Ashdown Forest £10
Wed 28 Oct Family fungus hunt, 10.30am Wilderness Wood Adults £10, children £5
Thu 29 Oct Nature Thursdays, family activities Ashdown Forest Centre £10
Thu 29 Oct An Evening with Owls, 7pm Ashdown Forest Centre £8.95 (3 to 12), £9.50 (13+)
Fri 30 Oct Isfield and Little Horsted bonfire Field behind the Laughing Fish, Isfield Free

The detail

Ashdown Forest

The Conservators of Ashdown Forest list three half-term events on their What’s On page:

  • Wild Wednesdays, Wednesday 28 October, 10am to 12pm, from Broadstone car park, £10: a walk, natural crafts and games with the Forest’s education team
  • Nature Thursdays, Thursday 29 October, at the Forest Centre, £10: family activity sessions for children aged 5 to 12
  • An Evening with Owls, Thursday 29 October, 7pm to 8.10pm, at the Ashdown Forest Centre, with the UK Owl and Raptor Centre flying owls close over the audience. Tickets are £8.95 for ages 3 to 12 and £9.50 for 13 and over, with tea, coffee and squash included

Both family sessions need booking through the Forest’s regular events pages.

Wilderness Wood, Hadlow Down

The woodland’s What’s On listing has more going on than anywhere else nearby that week:

  • a half-term themed trail, open every day from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm, with details still to come
  • Woodland Fungi: Death or Dinner, a fungus identification walk with Anne Yarrow, on Sunday 25 October and Saturday 31 October, 10.30am to 1pm
  • Saxons vs Vikings, a hands-on history day on Tuesday 27 October, 10.30am to 3pm
  • a family fungus hunt on Wednesday 28 October, 10.30am to noon: adults £10, children 4 to 15 £5, under 4s free
  • a comics workshop for 7 to 12 year olds on Wednesday 28 October, at 10.30am and again at 2pm
  • Monster Mayhem, a Halloween crafting afternoon on Thursday 29 October, 1.30pm to 3.30pm, £12.50 per child
  • a Halloween Slice day on Friday 30 October, 10am to 4pm, with wood-fired pizza and spooky activities, and a mud-kitchen disco for little ones at 10.30am that needs a free ticket
  • Drama in the Woods, a drop-off holiday club for 5 to 12 year olds, Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October, booked through its own site

Drusillas Park

Shriek Week runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. A live-action Sugar Skull Witch appears at 12.15pm, 1.30pm and 2.55pm each day, and a Spider’s Den takes over the Discovery Centre on 28, 29 and 30 October, 10.30am to 2pm. Drusillas says pre-booking saves 20% on the gate price.

Two heritage railways

  • Spa Valley Railway: a Model Brick Show of LEGO creations at Tunbridge Wells West on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October.
  • Lavender Line: a diesel running day at Isfield on Sunday 25 October, its last public day of 2026 before it closes for November, according to its operating dates. Trains run every 30 minutes from 11am and the tearoom is open 10am to 4pm.

Bonfire night comes early in Isfield

The Isfield and Little Horsted bonfire is on Friday 30 October, free (the society asks for donations), in the field behind the Laughing Fish pub. The society holds it on the last Friday of October every year, according to its own site. It is the only bonfire society event near Crowborough that falls in half term. The full season, including Crowborough’s own display on 5 November, is on our Crowborough fireworks page.

Sheffield Park and Garden

The National Trust garden, five miles north-west of Uckfield, runs autumn colour events through October. From 25 October to 1 November its garden is open 9am to 4.30pm, according to the National Trust’s opening calendar. Adult entry is £20.90 with Gift Aid, children £10.50, members free, and parking is free.

Free holiday clubs

Children who get free school meals can apply for a free place on a holiday club through East Sussex County Council’s Holiday Activities and Food programme, linked from the county’s term dates page.

What is still to be confirmed

  • the theme of Wilderness Wood’s half-term trail, “more details to follow closer to the time”
  • whether the Bluebell Railway runs any half-term trains; its October listing so far shows only the Giants of Steam gala, 16 to 18 October, the weekend before
  • anything from Crowborough Town Council: its 2026 events programme has nothing in half-term week, with the 5 November fireworks the next date

Also on Crowborough Today

Sources