Half term is 26 to 30 October; King's is off from 19 October. Skeleton trail at Tatton, medieval crafts at the Silk Museum, Wallace and Gromit at Jodrell Bank.

October half term for Cheshire East schools is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 (Cheshire East: term dates). The King’s School starts a week earlier, on Monday 19 October, and has two weeks off. Below are the things local organisers have actually published for that week, with dates and prices from their own pages.

The quick answer

  • Half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. The weekends either side are Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October and Saturday 31 October to Sunday 1 November.
  • Tatton Park’s Skellies and Wellies skeleton trail runs 24 October to 1 November, and the Silk Museum’s free-to-drop-in Medieval Mayhem crafts run Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October.
  • Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out plays live at Jodrell Bank on 24 and 25 October.

Which dates your school is off

Most state schools follow the council dates. The exceptions we found:

School Off school
Council dates, most state schools Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct
The King’s School Mon 19 to Fri 30 Oct
Fallibroome Academy Closes Fri 23 Oct, reopens Mon 2 Nov
Wilmslow High School Mon 26 Oct to Mon 2 Nov (the Monday is an INSET day)

The full year, with Christmas, Easter and INSET days, is on our school term dates page.

What’s on, day by day

When What Where Cost
Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov (closed Mon) Skellies and Wellies skeleton trail Tatton Park gardens Garden and parkland entry
Until Sat 31 Oct, selected dates Pumpkin patch Tatton Park farm Farm and parkland entry; pumpkins from £2
Sat 24 and Sun 25 Oct Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out, live score Jodrell Bank Space Dome Add-on to an annual ticket
Sat 24 and Sun 25 Oct Autumn Gift Fair Tatton Park, Tenants’ Hall Free entry; parkland vehicle charge
Sun 25 Oct Treacle Market Market Place, Macclesfield Free
Half term week Curious Kids science show (weekdays), crafts, site trail Jodrell Bank Included in admission
Tue 27 Oct to Sun 1 Nov Tatton farm open daily for half term Tatton Park Farm entry
Wed 28 Oct to Sun 1 Nov Tatton Mansion open Tatton Park Mansion entry
Wed 28 to Sat 31 Oct Medieval Mayhem family crafts drop-in Silk Museum See listing
Wed 28 Oct, 10am to 12.30pm Medieval Mayhem stained glass workshop Silk Museum See listing
Thu 29 Oct, 10am to 12.30pm Medieval Mayhem storytelling workshop Silk Museum See listing
Thu 29 to Sat 31 Oct Myth, Magic and Mystery Tatton Park, Old Hall £15 per person, pre-book
Sat 31 Oct, from 11am Spooky Saturday Macclesfield town centre Free; details to follow

Tatton Park: skeletons, pumpkins and the Old Hall

Tatton’s Halloween programme is the biggest thing on in the district that week (Tatton Park: autumn and Halloween). Skellies and Wellies puts nine skeleton scenes around the 50 acres of gardens from 24 October to 1 November, closed on the Monday; normal garden and parkland entry applies. The pumpkin patch at the farm runs on selected dates until 31 October, with pumpkins from £2 on top of farm entry. Myth, Magic and Mystery at the Old Hall, on 29 to 31 October, is potion-brewing and Halloween folklore for £15 a head, and must be booked.

Half term falls in the week Tatton switches to winter hours. From 26 October the park is closed on Mondays, but the farm opens Tuesday to Sunday, 27 October to 1 November, and the Mansion opens Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November before closing for winter (Tatton Park: opening times). Parkland entry for a car is £11 at weekends and £10 on weekdays until 1 November, and a single attraction is £11 for an adult, £9 for a child aged 4 to 15 (Tatton Park: pricing). Our Tatton Park at Christmas page has the winter programme that follows.

The Silk Museum: Medieval Mayhem

The Silk Museum’s half term programme ties in with its Macclesfield and the Bayeux exhibition (Silk Museum: what’s on):

  • Family crafts drop-in, Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October, 10am to 3pm: knights, castles and royal scribes (listing).
  • Stained glass workshop, Wednesday 28 October, 10am to 12.30pm (listing).
  • Storytelling workshop, Thursday 29 October, 10am to 12.30pm, inspired by the Macclesfield History Tapestry and the Bayeux Tapestry (listing).

The free Unveiling the Cartwright and Sheldon Archive exhibition, on Macclesfield’s last handloom weavers, closes on Saturday 31 October, so half term is the last chance to see it.

Jodrell Bank

Jodrell Bank’s half term programme mixes a one-off with the everyday (Jodrell Bank: October half term). The one-off is Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out in the Space Dome on 24 and 25 October, with the soundtrack played live, and a dedicated SEN performance on Sunday 25 October at 10.30am. It is an add-on to general admission, and an optional make-your-own-moon clay workshop is £6 a person (Jodrell Bank: A Grand Day Out).

Included in admission all week: a Curious Kids science show on weekdays, daily space crafts, the site trail, the constellation playgrounds, and 15-minute Discover the Dish sessions at the Lovell Telescope at 2.35pm, weather permitting. Jodrell Bank’s tickets are annual passes, so a half term visit covers return trips for the rest of the year.

In town

The Treacle Market is on Sunday 25 October in Market Place, the last before the two Christmas editions (Treacle Market). Macclesfield Town Council has Spooky Saturday in its diary for Saturday 31 October from 11am, free and family-focused, but says details are still to be confirmed (Macclesfield Town Council: Spooky Saturday).

The week after half term is Bonfire Night; the displays are on our fireworks page.

Getting there

Tatton’s postcode is WA16 6QN (sat nav WA16 6SG), and from 26 October cars use Rostherne Gate (Knutsford Gate takes vehicles on Tuesdays only). If you are driving, check our roadworks and travel page before you set off: several roads in and around Macclesfield have closures running into the autumn. For the Silk Museum and the Treacle Market, our parking in Macclesfield page has the car parks and what they cost.

What is still to be confirmed

  • Spooky Saturday’s programme. The town council says details follow.
  • Tatton’s pumpkin patch dates. The park lists “selected dates”.
  • Silk Museum workshop prices, which are on each booking page.

Sources

Checked on 25 September 2026. We will update this page when Spooky Saturday’s programme is published.