Council schools in Medway break 26 to 30 October 2026; the grammars start a week earlier. Thirteen things on, with dates, times and prices from organisers.
October half term in Medway is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for the council’s maintained schools. Several grammar schools break a week earlier, from Monday 19 October, and take two weeks. Most of what is on locally is Halloween-themed and runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, so it covers the council week and both weekends either side of it.
The quick answer
- Council schools: half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October; back on Monday 2 November.
- Grammar schools we checked: Rochester Grammar, the Maths School and Rainham Mark break from 15 or 16 October and return on 2 or 3 November. Our term dates page has the detail.
- The big three for families: Yuck Yard at the Historic Dockyard (included in the ticket, 24 October to 8 November), the rat trail at Rochester Castle (24 October to 1 November) and Clown Chaos for 5 to 10 year olds at Fort Amherst.
Two half terms in one town
The council’s own term dates put the autumn break at 26 to 30 October (Medway Council term dates). The grammars are academies and set their own. If you have children at both kinds of school, the overlap is only the council week. The first week, 19 to 23 October, is quieter: several of the events below have not started, and the Historic Dockyard is closed on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 October (Dockyard site notices).
What’s on, by venue
| Event | Where | Dates | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuck Yard: Barnaby Bilge's Big Mess | Historic Dockyard, Chatham | 24 Oct to 8 Nov; live show 24 Oct to 1 Nov, 11am, 1pm, 3pm | Included in admission |
| Family ghost tours | Historic Dockyard, Chatham | 28 Oct to 1 Nov | Separately ticketed |
| Castle Crumb Snatchers trail | Rochester Castle | 24 Oct to 1 Nov, 10am to 4pm (closed Mondays) | Included in admission |
| Halloween trail | Guildhall Museum, Rochester | 24 to 31 Oct | Included in admission |
| Halloween crafts | Guildhall Museum, Rochester | 27 to 30 Oct, 10am to 4pm | Included in admission |
| Halloween scavenger hunt | Eastgate House, Rochester | 17, 18, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29 Oct, 10am to 5pm | Included in admission; child £3.50 |
| An Evening of Classic Ghost Stories | Eastgate House, Rochester | 30 Oct to 1 Nov, 5.30pm and 7pm | £12.50, book ahead |
| Clown Chaos (ages 5 to 10) | Fort Amherst, Chatham | From 19 Oct | From £15 |
| Face Your Fears (12A) | Fort Amherst, Chatham | From 16 Oct, 6pm to 8pm | From £25 |
| Nature collage | Capstone Farm Country Park | Tue 27 Oct, 10am to 12pm or 1pm to 3pm | £3 per child, book |
| Spooky scarecrows | Capstone Farm Country Park | Wed 28 Oct, 10am to 3pm | £6 per scarecrow |
| Fire building and outdoor cooking | Capstone Farm Country Park | Thu 29 Oct, 10am to 3pm | £5 per person |
| Halloween trail | Capstone Farm Country Park | 31 Oct and 1 Nov, 10am to 2pm | £3 per child, no booking |
The Historic Dockyard, Chatham
Yuck Yard is the Dockyard’s half term event: an “incident trail” of slimy handprints and “grime scenes” around the site, running from 24 October to 8 November, plus a live show called The Night Shift at 11am, 1pm and 3pm from 24 October to 1 November. Both are included in the admission ticket with no extra booking (Historic Dockyard: Yuck Yard). Admission bought online is £29 for an adult, £18.50 for a child aged 4 to 15 and £78 for a family of four, and the ticket lets you back in for a year; children aged 3 and under are free (Dockyard tickets). The Dockyard also offers a limited number of £2 tickets each day for Medway residents on Universal Credit or Pension Credit. Opening hours are 10am to 5pm until 1 November, then 10am to 4pm (opening times).
Torch-lit family ghost tours run after hours from 28 October to 1 November and are booked separately (Visit Medway listing).
Rochester Castle, the Guildhall and Eastgate House
The three council heritage sites in Rochester each have a trail. At the castle, children look for rats nibbling medieval food, from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm. Admission is £9.50 for adults, £4.50 for children aged 5 to 17 and £22.50 for a family of two adults and three children (Visit Medway: Castle Crumb Snatchers). The castle’s winter hours, from 1 October, are 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Sunday, and it is closed on Mondays (Medway Council: Rochester Castle), so Monday 26 October is a closed day.
The Guildhall Museum on the High Street runs a Halloween trail from 24 to 31 October and craft sessions, making a spider or a ghost, from Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 October, 10am to 4pm. Both are included in admission: £5 for adults and £1.10 for children, or a £12 annual family pass (Visit Medway: Guildhall crafts).
Eastgate House runs a scavenger hunt for a witch’s cauldron with a badge at the end, on 17, 18, 24, 25, 27, 28 and 29 October, 10am to 5pm. It is included in admission (adult £7, child £3.50, family £17.10) and needs no booking (Visit Medway: scavenger hunt). For older children and adults, its Classic Ghost Stories evenings on 30 and 31 October and 1 November at 5.30pm and 7pm cost £12.50 and, the council says, usually sell fast (Visit Medway: ghost stories).
Fort Amherst, Chatham
The fort runs three Halloween experiences in its tunnels this October (Fort Amherst: Halloween 2026). Clown Chaos is new and aimed at 5 to 10 year olds: spells, potions and a prize, from £15, listed from 19 October (Visit Medway: Clown Chaos). Face Your Fears is a 12A evening experience, 6pm to 8pm, from £25, where every under-18 must come with a full-paying adult (Visit Medway: Haunt at the Fort). Halloween Horrors: Operation Hysteria is strictly over 18. Individual session dates are on the fort’s booking pages.
Capstone Farm Country Park
The council’s country park rangers run a day of activity through the council week (Medway Council events). Nature collage on Tuesday 27 October has two sessions, 10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm, at £3 a child; book at the visitor centre, on 01634 338 191 or by emailing medway.countryparks@medway.gov.uk (event page). Spooky scarecrows on Wednesday 28 October are £6 each, and fire building and outdoor cooking on Thursday 29 October is £5 a person. A riddle trail with a prize runs on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, 10am to 2pm, £3 a child with no booking (event page).
For the grammar school week, 19 to 23 October
Less is on in the first week. What is: the Medway History Showcase at the Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham over the weekend before, 17 and 18 October, with free tickets (RE Museum what’s on); the Eastgate House scavenger hunt on 17 and 18 October; and Fort Amherst’s Halloween sessions from 16 and 19 October. Upnor Castle, run by English Heritage, opens only for guided tours on the last Sunday of each month until October, which this year is Sunday 25 October (English Heritage: Upnor Castle).
Getting there
All three Rochester venues are on or just off the High Street. For car parks near the castle and the Dockyard, see parking in Medway, and check Medway roadworks before you set off. If you are clearing out the garage over the break, the tips keep normal hours: see our tip opening times page.
Still to confirm
- Library activities. Last year the council listed Halloween crafts, story sessions and Lego club across its libraries during half term. The 2026 programme was not published on 25 September; we will add it when it is.
- Fort Amherst session dates. The fort lists its Halloween events as October 2026 without a full date list on its main page.
Frequently asked questions
When is October half term 2026 in Medway?
Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for Medway Council’s maintained schools. Rochester Grammar, the Maths School and Rainham Mark Grammar break from 15 or 16 October and return on 2 or 3 November.
Is the Historic Dockyard open during half term?
Yes, every day of the council half term week, 10am to 5pm. It is closed on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 October, the first week of the grammar schools’ break.
Is Rochester Castle open on Mondays in half term?
No. From 1 October the castle is open 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and closed on Mondays.
What is free in Medway this half term?
The Medway History Showcase at the Royal Engineers Museum on 17 and 18 October has free tickets. Most other trails are free once you have paid admission.
Sources
- Medway Council: school term dates
- The Historic Dockyard Chatham: Yuck Yard, site notices, tickets
- Visit Medway (Medway Council): events listings
- Medway Council: Rochester Castle opening times
- Medway Council: events
- Fort Amherst: Halloween 2026
- Royal Engineers Museum: what’s on
- English Heritage: Upnor Castle
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