Pumpkin picking at Hoo opens 10 October; Fort Amherst scares, Dockyard ghost tours and Eastgate ghost stories follow. Every date and price, checked 3 October.
Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday, which puts it inside the Medway council schools’ half term (26 to 30 October) and gives the towns a full weekend of it. The season starts earlier, though: the pumpkin field at Hoo opens on Saturday 10 October, and Fort Amherst’s scare nights begin on Friday 16 October.
The quick answer
- Pumpkin picking: PYO Pumpkins at Beluncle Farm, Hoo, opens Saturday 10 October, on selected days to 31 October. Book a car ticket first; pumpkins cost £1 to £15.
- Scares for adults: Halloween Horrors at Fort Amherst, 16 to 31 October, £25 to £40, strictly 18+. The Dockyard’s adult ghost tours are £24.
- For families: the Dockyard’s family ghost tours (28 to 31 October) and Eastgate House’s ghost story evenings (30 October to 1 November, £12.50, usually sell out).
- On Halloween itself: the Capstone riddle trail, ghost stories at Eastgate House and Young Frankenstein at the Central Theatre.
Checked on 3 October 2026 against each organiser’s own page.
Pumpkin picking at Hoo
Medway’s pumpkin patch is PYO Pumpkins at Beluncle Farm, Stoke Road, Hoo ME3 9LU, run by Riverside Farmers and now in its 17th year (PYO Pumpkins). The farm’s own opening list for 2026 is:
- Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October
- Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October
- Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October
- Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October
- Saturday 31 October
The farm’s most recent social post, shown on its home page, gives the last run as “27th to 31st October”, which would add Tuesday 27th. The written list on the same page does not include it, so check the booking calendar before planning around the Tuesday.
How it works. Booking is essential: one ticket admits one car, it is not transferable, and there is “no ticket, no entry” (PYO Pumpkins FAQs). Tickets are sold through TicketSource, and the farm does not refund unless it closes the day itself. The pumpkins are paid for separately at the exit: from £1, rising to £15 for the biggest. Cards are taken (not American Express), cash too, but not £50 notes.
Times. There is a morning session from 10am and the farm gates close at 3.30pm.
Before you go. Dogs are not allowed, even on leads, apart from assistance dogs. The pumpkins are already cut from the vine, so leave knives and secateurs at home; staff will ask you to put them back in the car. Wheelbarrows are lent at the field, there are portaloos and a snack shop for drinks and sweets, and the farm says the ground is uneven and can be muddy. Parking is on a sloping grass field off Stoke Road; follow the pumpkin signs from the Four Elms roundabout on the A228 and do not park on the road, which the farm says carries heavy lorries (find us).
Fort Amherst, Chatham: three scare levels
Fort Amherst runs three Halloween experiences in its tunnels this October, split by age (Fort Amherst: Halloween 2026):
| Experience | Who it is for | Dates | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clown Chaos | Ages 5 to 10 | Listed from Monday 19 October | From £15 |
| Face Your Fears | 12A, evenings 6pm to 8pm | Listed from Friday 16 October | From £25 |
| Operation Hysteria | Strictly 18+ | 16 to 31 October | £25 to £40 |
Operation Hysteria is the long-running one, in its 43rd year. The fort warns the actors may touch you, though you may not touch them, and its ticket portal says photo ID is required: “no ID, no entry” (Fort Amherst ticket portal). Its date range is from Visit Medway, the council’s tourism site.
Face Your Fears promises spiders, zombies, coffins and clowns; children under 12 are allowed with a full-paying adult, and every under-18 must be with one (Visit Medway). Clown Chaos is new this year: spells, potions and a wand to banish the clowns, with a prize at the end (Visit Medway).
The individual nights and time slots for all three sit inside the booking calendar rather than on the fort’s pages, so pick your night there. The fort is on Dock Road, Chatham ME4 4UB, on 01634 847747.
The Historic Dockyard: ghost tours and a haunted supper
The Dockyard runs four separately ticketed after-dark events. None is included in the annual Dockyard ticket.
- Ghost Tours: The Ropery Complex, selected evenings from 2 October to 7 November. A 90-minute torch-lit walk through the Ropery, over 18s only, £24 (Historic Dockyard).
- Ghost Tours: Ships and Slipways, selected evenings from Saturday 10 October (first tour 6.30pm) to Friday 6 November. Round the slipways and aboard the ships, including HMS Cavalier and HMS Gannet, over 18s, £24 (Historic Dockyard). Visit Medway lists this tour from 16 October; the Dockyard’s own page starts it on the 10th.
- Family Ghost Tours, Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October, 5pm to 6pm; arrive 20 minutes early. Aimed at ages 9 to 15 with “a few gentle jump scares”, and not recommended for children aged 6 and under. The Dockyard lists adults (16 and over) at £7.50 and children aged 9 to 15 at £15; carers go free but must be booked on 01634 823800 (Historic Dockyard).
- Haunted Supper, Friday 30 October, in the Commissioner’s House: a cocktail on arrival from 6.30pm, dinner at 7.30pm, storytellers between courses, bar until 11pm. Over 18s, £70 a head. The Dockyard says it is “not an evening of jump scares” (Historic Dockyard).
By day, the Dockyard’s half term trail, Yuck Yard, runs from 24 October to 8 November and is included in admission (Historic Dockyard). Visitors use the Western Avenue entrance, ME4 4TY.
Rochester: Eastgate House, the Guildhall and the castle
Eastgate House on the High Street does the Halloween weekend itself (Visit Medway):
- An Evening of Classic Ghost Stories, Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November, at 5.30pm and 7pm. £12.50 from TicketSource or 0333 666 4466. The council says it usually sells fast.
- The Unexplained, the same three days, 11am to 4pm (last entry 3.15pm): first-hand accounts of the strange things that have happened in the house. Included with admission: adult £7, child £3.50 (Visit Medway).
For younger children, Eastgate House, the Guildhall Museum and Rochester Castle each run a daytime trail over half term, included with admission. The dates and prices are on our October half term page.
On Halloween night, Saturday 31 October
- Capstone Farm Country Park runs a riddle trail with a prize on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, 10am to 2pm, £3 a child, no booking (Medway Council). Earlier in the week the rangers run spooky scarecrow making on Wednesday 28 October, £6 a scarecrow, booked on 01634 338 191 (Medway Council).
- Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, the Central Theatre, Chatham, Saturday 31 October at 2pm and 7.30pm (and Friday 30th at 7.30pm). Three Towns Theatre Company; £17 and £19 (Medway Tickets Live).
- Operation Hysteria at Fort Amherst finishes its run that night, and the Eastgate ghost stories run at 5.30pm and 7pm.
Getting there
Fort Amherst (Dock Road) and the Dockyard (Western Avenue) are both in Chatham, and Eastgate House is on Rochester High Street. Beluncle Farm is out on the Hoo Peninsula, and the farm’s own directions assume you are driving. For council car parks and charges, see parking in Medway, and check roadworks and travel before you set off.
For everything else on this month, see what’s on in Medway. Bonfire night follows a week later: our Medway fireworks page has the one confirmed display.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I go pumpkin picking in Medway?
PYO Pumpkins at Beluncle Farm, Stoke Road, Hoo ME3 9LU, on selected days from 10 to 31 October 2026. You must book a car ticket in advance; pumpkins cost from £1 to £15 on top.
Can I take my dog pumpkin picking at Hoo?
No. The farm does not allow dogs, even on leads, apart from assistance dogs, because many people eat the pumpkins and squash.
What is the scariest Halloween event in Medway?
Halloween Horrors: Operation Hysteria at Fort Amherst, Chatham, is strictly over 18, with actors who may touch you. It runs 16 to 31 October and costs £25 to £40.
Is there anything for young children at Halloween in Medway?
Yes. Clown Chaos at Fort Amherst is for 5 to 10 year olds, the Capstone trail is for all ages, and the council’s Rochester museums run trails over half term. The Dockyard’s family ghost tours are aimed at 9 to 15 year olds.
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