Guildford Castle's Halloween hauntings run 14 to 31 October from £2.50. Plus Hatchlands' ghost trail, pumpkin picking at Merrist Wood and a G Live kids' disco.

Halloween falls on Saturday 31 October this year, the last day of Guildford’s two-week half term, and the borough’s main Halloween attraction is in the middle of town: the hauntings at Guildford Castle, Wednesday 14 to Saturday 31 October, from £2.50 a child. Around it there are free trails at the museum and at Hatchlands Park, two pumpkin patches within a short drive, and a children’s disco at G Live on the day itself. Every detail below is from the organisers’ own pages, checked on 3 October 2026.

The quick answer

  • Guildford Castle hauntings: 14 to 31 October, 12pm to 4.30pm; Saturday 31 October 10am to 3pm. Adults £5, children £2.50, family £12, under 5s free.
  • Free: the Spooktacular Trail at Guildford Museum (14 to 31 October) and, with normal admission, Hatchlands Park’s ghost trail (daily 10 October to 1 November).
  • Pumpkin picking: Merrist Wood, Worplesdon, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October only, booked ahead; Secretts, Milford, selected days 17 to 30 October, £8.50.
  • On Halloween itself: Little Ghouls disco at G Live, 10.30am, £5; the castle’s last day; Tim Burton film music at the Cathedral, 7.30pm.

Guildford Castle hauntings

The council’s heritage service dresses the Castle Keep for Halloween from Wednesday 14 to Saturday 31 October: a ghost hunt, Halloween colouring, and “spooky story-telling sessions” on Wednesday 28 and Friday 30 October at 12.30pm. It is open 12pm to 4.30pm, last entry 4pm, except on Saturday 31 October, when it opens 10am to 3pm, last entry 2.30pm (Guildford Heritage, What’s On).

Ticket Price
Adult £5
Child £2.50
Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) £12
Under 5s Free

The council calls it “a great opportunity to visit the Castle before it closes fully for winter”, so this is the last chance to go up the keep this year.

Five minutes away on Quarry Street, Guildford Museum runs the free Spooktacular Trail over the same dates, during opening hours: pick up a sheet and find the ghosts hidden round the galleries. It is pitched at ages 4 and over, and adults must go round with their children.

Hatchlands Park, East Clandon

The National Trust has two Halloween trails at Hatchlands, both free once you have paid normal admission (members free), and neither needs booking:

  • We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt, every day from Saturday 10 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm. A trail based on the children’s books, following the Bunnies of Hoppity Hill round the park; the Trust says it suits pre-schoolers and young children (National Trust).
  • Pumpkin spotter trail, Sunday 18 October to Sunday 1 November, 10am to 4pm. Pick up a sheet at Visitor Reception and count the wooden pumpkins round the parkland; on house open days the rooms inside are decorated for Halloween too (National Trust).

Both trails are outdoors. Hatchlands’ number is 01483 222482.

Pumpkin picking

Neither patch is open on Halloween itself, so plan to pick earlier.

Merrist Wood Pumpkin Patch, Merrist Wood College, Worplesdon, GU3 3PE: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, 10am to 4pm. Tickets are sold through the college’s Eventbrite page, which lists both days as on sale; prices vary by ticket type and are shown at checkout (Merrist Wood College on Eventbrite). Last year’s patch ran on the last weekend of October and the Monday after, so this year’s dates are a week earlier than you might expect.

Secretts Pumpkin Picking and Halloween Trail, Hurst Farm, Chapel Lane, Milford, GU8 5HU, south of Godalming. £8.50 a person, under 2s free, which covers entry, a scavenger hunt sheet for the trail, the pumpkin field and the fancy dress competition; pumpkins are paid for by size on top (Secretts). Its 2026 dates and times:

Date Open
Sat 17 and Sun 18 Oct 9am to 4pm
Wed 21 to Fri 23 Oct 11am to 3pm
Sat 24 and Sun 25 Oct 9am to 4pm
Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct 10am to 4pm

Secretts says the walk to the pumpkin field takes 15 to 20 minutes each way, mostly paved but muddy in places, so wellies are a good idea. Parking is free, dogs are not allowed, and the extras (mini pedal tractors, magic show, haunted house, biscuit decorating) are £3 a person each. Tickets are non-refundable, but you can move your date through the link in the confirmation email.

Workshops and shows

  • Halloween soap-making, Tuesday 27 October, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre’s River Room: 10am to 11.30am for ages 5 and over (the ticket includes a supervising adult), and 1pm to 2.30pm for ages 12 and over. £25 a ticket (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre).
  • Halloween Craft Club, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, Watts Gallery, Compton: three sessions a day, 10am to 11.30am, 12.30pm to 2pm and 2.30pm to 4pm. £8, members £7.20, all materials included, and fancy dress is encouraged (Watts Gallery).
  • Spot’s Birthday Party, Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October at the Yvonne Arnaud, is not a Halloween show, but it is the theatre’s half-term family show; times are on our What’s On page.

Halloween day, Saturday 31 October

  • Little Ghouls Halloween Disco, 10.30am to 12pm, G Live, London Road. £5. Music, dancing, games and costume prizes for ages 5 to 9; children must be with a parent or carer, and face painting is a small extra charge (G Live).
  • Guildford Castle’s last day, open 10am to 3pm, last entry 2.30pm.
  • Tim Burton’s Universe by Mystery Ensemble, 7.30pm, Guildford Cathedral, doors 6.30pm. An hour of music from the films, mostly Danny Elfman’s scores: Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride. Tickets through the Cathedral’s link to the promoter (Guildford Cathedral).
  • Ripley Bonfire is the same evening, with fireworks at 8pm: see our fireworks page.

Getting there

The castle, museum and G Live are all walkable from the station. If you drive in, our parking in Guildford page has the nearest car parks and charges; Castle multi storey on Sydenham Road is the closest to the keep. Hatchlands and Merrist Wood are a short drive out, at East Clandon and Worplesdon. Check the roadworks page before setting off; the Guildford 10k closes town-centre roads on the morning of Sunday 18 October, the same weekend as the Merrist Wood patch.

Still to confirm

  • Whether the castle hauntings open every day of the run or only on set days: the council’s page gives the date range and hours but not the days of the week. Ring the heritage team on 01483 444751 before a special trip.
  • Merrist Wood’s ticket prices by type, which only show at checkout.