Kent schools break 26 to 30 October, several local schools a week earlier. The Festival, a £6 Tudor trail at the Beaney, Cathedral crafts and two Marlowe shows.
Kent County Council’s October half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. In the Canterbury district that is only part of the answer, because several of the biggest local schools break a week earlier or run a week longer, so the holiday is spread across three weeks from 19 October to 6 November. This page gives the dates school by school, then what is on locally in those weeks, with prices from the venues’ own listings.
The quick answer
Kent’s half term is 26 to 30 October. The Canterbury Academy and The Archbishop’s School are off 19 to 30 October, The Whitstable School 21 to 30 October, and Simon Langton Girls’ and Herne Bay High 26 October to 6 November. King’s and St Edmund’s are away from 16 or 17 October to 1 or 2 November. The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, the Canterbury Festival runs to Saturday 31 October, and the Beaney’s Tudor Traitors trail is £6 and open on Monday 26 October, a day it is normally shut.
Whose half term is when
| School | Off from | Back on |
|---|---|---|
| Kent maintained schools, Simon Langton Boys', Barton Court Grammar | Mon 26 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| The Canterbury Academy, The Archbishop's School | Mon 19 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| The Whitstable School | Wed 21 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| Simon Langton Girls', Herne Bay High | Mon 26 Oct | Mon 9 Nov |
| The King's School | Fri 16 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| St Edmund's School | Sat 17 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
The full 2026/27 calendars, sources and staff training days are on our Canterbury school term dates page. The clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026 (GOV.UK), so the county’s week is the first of the dark evenings.
What is on
Everything below was checked against the organiser’s own website on 25 September 2026.
Canterbury Festival, to Saturday 31 October
The city’s arts festival runs from 16 to 31 October, so its final week is Kent’s half term week. The free Empathy Museum installation “A Mile in My Shoes” is at the corner of High Street and Best Lane until 31 October (festival what’s on). Our Canterbury Festival page has the headline shows, prices and booking details.
Canterbury Cathedral: creature trail and Bayeux embroidery
The Cathedral’s half term programme has two strands. “Gregory and Peti’s Creature Trail”, hunting carved and stained-glass animals, runs from 24 October to 1 November during opening hours. “Embroider a Beast of the Bayeux” is a drop-in craft session from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, 11am to 3pm. Both are “included free with a valid Cathedral Admission Ticket, Cathedral Pass or Friends’ Card”, and the Cathedral’s rule that “Kids go FREE every day” applies. Adult admission from October to March is £18 (plan your visit), and it is free for locals with a Cathedral Pass. Opening is 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, last entry 4pm; on Sundays the church opens at 12.30pm. Our Canterbury Cathedral at Christmas page covers the winter season that follows.
The Beaney: Fright at the Museum, Tudor Traitors
The Beaney’s Halloween puzzle trail runs from 3 October to Sunday 1 November, and is “closed Mondays except Monday 26 October”, so it is open every day of Kent’s half term week. It costs £6 per trail, which includes a prize and a competition entry, and the museum says it is “very popular with children aged 5 to 10 years old”. Buy on arrival or pre-book. Saturday 31 October is a “Spooky Day” with costumes and reduced lighting (Canterbury Museums). The museum itself is free and open 10am to 5pm.
The Marlowe Theatre: two Main House shows
- Paranormal Activity, Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 October, 7.30pm with 2.30pm matinees on Thursday and Saturday, £19 to £82. Recommended for ages 15 and over; the theatre warns of “high tension moments and strong language” (Marlowe). That is the early week for Canterbury Academy, Archbishop’s and Whitstable School families.
- High Society, Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October, 7.30pm with 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, £19 to £98, recommended for ages 8 and up (Marlowe). That is Kent’s week.
The Marlowe’s pantomime, Peter Pan, does not open until 27 November.
Howletts Wild Animal Park, Bekesbourne
Howletts’ online day tickets for 2026 are £26 adult and £20 child including the voluntary donation (£23.64 and £18 without it), against £29 and £22.50 at the gate, plus a £2.40 online booking fee. Children aged two and under are free (book your tickets). Its what’s on calendar showed nothing yet for the half term weeks when we checked; its Halloween programme, if there is one, will be added here.
Wildwood, Herne Common
Wildwood’s summer season, 10am to 5pm, runs to Sunday 25 October, the day before Kent’s half term, and the park is open every day of the year except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Last entry is an hour before closing. Tickets are £18 adult, £14 child (2 to 17), £16 senior or student, £53 family including a 10 per cent voluntary donation (times and prices). The page did not yet state the winter closing time that starts on 26 October; we will add it.
Whitstable Castle
Whitstable Castle lists family fun days and quests among its regular events but had no dated half term listing on its events page when we checked. Its grounds are free to walk.
Just after half term
Kent Cricket’s fireworks evening at the St Lawrence Ground is on Thursday 5 November; see our Canterbury fireworks page. Herne Bay’s Christmas lights are switched on on Sunday 22 November, and the Canterbury switch-on date is still to come (Christmas lights).
Still to be confirmed
Howletts’ and Wildwood’s Halloween or half term events for 2026, Wildwood’s winter hours, and any Whitstable Castle or Herne Bay half term programme. We will check the organisers’ pages again in the second week of October. For everyday ideas see things to do in Canterbury, and for getting around see parking in Canterbury and Canterbury roadworks and travel.
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