It’s spooky season and this week is half term week. Which basically means those of you who have/look after kids need some fund Halloween themed must dos, stat. Fortunately your local Melton Mowbray guide is here to highlight some great options in the area. From pumpkin picking to arts and craft there is something that your child will like and will fit into your budget. So here are my recommendations.
Melton Carnegie Museum (Thorpe End, Melton Mowbray)
If you want a free activity for your kiddos, the museum is the place to be. From the 21st-25th of October, the museum will be hosting FREE Halloween hunts from 10am to 4pm. Creative kids can also make their very own Halloween themed stain glass decoration.
For an additional £2.50, your child can even make their very own wooden string puppet. It’s a great way to entertain them for an hour or two whilst watching your budget.
Jungle Bugs Soft Play (Mill Street, Melton Mowbray)
Jungle Bugs have a variety of Halloween themed entertainment this year that is perfect for your little monsters. Here’s what they’ve got lined up:
Half Term Spooky Crafts
From the 20th-24th of October, Jungle Bugs will be offering crafting and messy play sessions. The dates and times of these sessions are as follows:
Monday 20th October, 09:15am – 10:45am
Tuesday 21st October, 11:15am – 12:45pm
Wednesday 22nd October, 11:15am – 12:45pm
Thursday 23rd October, 11:15am – 12:45pm
Friday 24th October, 09:15am – 10:45am
These sessions are an additional £2.50 on top of your child’s normal entry fee. To book, message the team on 07806 658735.
Term Time Spooky Crafts:
Alongside the half-term craft sessions, Jungle Bugs will be offering 2 Halloween themed craft/messy play sessions during the week of Halloween. The craft session will be taking place on Monday the 27th of October at 09:15am, 11:15am and 1:15pm.
Their term-timed themed messy play session will be taking place on Wednesday the 29th of October at 09:15am.
These sections are an additional £2.50 per child on top of their normal entry fee. To book your place, message the team on 07806 658735.
Halloween Party Sessions:
Back by popular demand, Jungle Bugs’ annual Halloween Party takes place on the 25th of October at 4pm. It will set you back £16.50 per child under 2 and £18.00 per child aged 2 and over. This include entry to the soft play area, party food, a mini disco with DJ Chrispy and a goodie bag.
A second party will be taking place on the 26th of October at 11am. It will set you back £12.50 per child under 2 and £14.00 per child aged 2 and over. This fee includes everything featured in the 25th of October Party EXCEPT the mini-disco.
The last party takes place on Halloween (31st of October) at 9am. This party is the same cost as the party on the 26th but swaps out party food for breakfast food.
Irrespective of what party you choose, you must pay the cost in full upon booking your child’s place. This cost is non-refundable so make sure that your calendar is clear before you book. To book message 07806 658735. Fancy dress is encouraged but leave the face paint at home.
Winnie The Witch Takeover
The Jungle Bugs Team will be hosting a Winnie The Witch themed session on the 28th of October. This 2 hour session starts at 11am and features themed crafts, sensory place and a story about Winnie The Witch. This session is £6.50 per child aged 9 Months – 1. Kids aged 2 and above are £8.00.
You will need to pay for the session when you book and said payment is non-refundable. To book message 07806 658735.
Sip & Play (Nottingham Street, Melton Mowbray)
This brand new play café has two parties taking place on Halloween. Here’s some information about them:
Halloween Bash Party with Mickey & Minnie!
The iconic Disney mice invite kids under 5 to sing, dance and play. They can enjoy some fun themed games and dancing with the cafe’s fun hosts. As for the accompanying adults? They can take advantage of the cafe’s special themed drinks and don’t worry, there’s themed treats for the kids as well.
There are two party sessions. Kids under two are invited to the My First Halloween party which starts at 9:30am. Whilst kids aged 2-5 are invited to the mini Halloween party which starts at 11:45am. – 13:30 · Mini Halloween Party (ages 2–5). The party sessions are £22.50 per child. If that sounds pricey, please bare in mind that one adult entry is also included in that ticket (additional adults are £2.50pp). To book your child’s place, you’ll need to visit the cafe’s Wannabook link. Please note, your booking is non-refundable.
Sip & Play’s Halloween Party:
This party is open to all kids under 5 and starts at 4:15pm. This two hour session includes a spooky mini-disco, a themed photo corner, themed treats and goodie bags. Don’t worry if your child gets peckish from the dancing and soft play, Sip & Play will also be offering spooky party food and snacks.
This party is £13.50 per child and this does include one adult/older sibling. Additional adults are £2.50pp. Something to note if you do plan to bring older siblings is that the play area and activities are designed for kids under 5 so bare this in mind before you book. To book, you will need to visit WannaBook and then book it on there. This booking is non-refundable so bare that in mind when you think about booking.
Twinlakes Park (Melton Spinney Road, Melton Mowbray)
We all know Twinlakes for its animals, rides and massive soft play areas, but did you know they also have two scream parks? If you didn’t, now you know. We’ll be covering their Family Scream park in this blog post mainly because I don’t want your little ones to be traumatised. Don’t worry, Xtreme Scream hasn’t been forgotten, I’m going to cover it when I do my adult Halloween blog post. If you can’t wait until then, you can read my review for more information. All the entertainment in this section is included in your normal Twinlakes ticket/annual pass unless I say otherwise.
Family Scream Park
The Family Scream park takes place throughout October and offers a variety of themed activities and competitions. Marty The Monster hosts this fun filled event and like all good party hosts, will be saying hello to his guests throughout the day.
If you have a surplus of loo roll from the COVID stockpiling days, get practicing. There will be a Mummify Your Mummy competition, happening at 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM each day. The fastest wrappers will win some exciting prizes. Alternatively, you can use that loo roll to make an epic fancy dress outfit ready for the daily fancy dress competition which takes place at 4pm.
For an extra £1 your child can create their very own wand. Just explain to them beforehand that they can’t turn their teacher into a frog.
Monster Rave
Taking place from the 20th-31st October. DJ Dracula will be playing the best Halloween and chart topping classics. The raves take place at 12:30 PM and 3:00 PM. There will be plenty of time for kids to dance their heart and and they could even walk away with some fantastic prizes!
Pick Your Own Pumpkin
Every child under 12 will be able to leave Twinlakes with a free pumpkin to carve and take home with them. If bigger is better, you can upgrade to a giant pumpkin for an additional small charge.
Melton Sports Village (Burton Road, Melton Mowbray)
On the 31st of October, Melton Sports Village will be hosting a Halloween Party in their soft play area. This party is open to kids aged 10 and under making it a great option if you kids with older siblings that may not be able to attend the other Halloween parties mentioned in this blog.
It’s £7.50 per child and will include music, games and a goodie bag to take home with you. To book your child’s place, call 01664 481188.
Kick Up The Arts (The Bell Centre, Nottingham Street, Melton Mowbray)
Taking the Arts And Culture gong at this year’s Melton Business Awards, Kick Up The Arts have some great options for kids of all ages. They will be hosting a fun Halloween Arts & Crafts session on the 26th of October at 10am. The session includes your materials and tutorage.
For prices and to book, make sure to visit the Eventbrite. If you can’t make the 26th of October and are willing to partake in sessions that aren’t spooky themed, don’t panic. The Kick Up The Arts team have a variety of workshops taking place with include letterpress, tealight making, bauble making and tons more. So make sure to follow them for more information.
March House Farm (Top End, Great Dalby)
The Spooky Barn
The Spooky Barn will be open up until the 31st of October. Here you’ll be able to meet a witch, warm up with some hot chocolate and enjoy some tasty bakes. If you had to March House on a Sunday between 12pm and 3pm, you can even enjoy a roast dinner.
Pumpkin Picking
Pumpkin Picking is open from 10am to 4pm each day. After navigating the spiders maze (which I don’t think has any real ones so arachnophobes, you should be ok), head to the farm’s pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin of your choice. Whether you want a dinky one for your bedroom window or a massive one so you can make the ultimate pumpkin soup/pumpkin pie, entry is free. You just pay for the pumpkins that you picked.
Melton Town Estate (Play Close Park, Melton Mowbray)
Picking up the Leisure And Tourism gong at this year’s Melton Business Awards, Melton Town Estate seems to be on a roll recently. We’ll certainly be touching on them again when I discuss Christmas entertainment.
Melton Hell-oween takes placed at Play Close Park on the 31st of October. The event starts at 6pm with a sensory friendly firework display happening around the 6:45 mark. After the bonfire is lit and the fancy dress competition is judged, it’s time for the live music to begin. Before the main display Guns n’ Roses Experience will perform live at 7:30pm. At 8:30pm the main firework display sets the sky alight followed by Blax Abbath (Black Sabbath tribute) closing out the night at 9pm.
If all that wasn’t enough, there is a fun fair for the kids with a ghost train. As for the older ones, make sure to check out the horror costume characters. Just be mindful, they might be scary for your little ones so exercise a bit of caution and common sense.
Advanced tickets for this display/festival combo are:
- £10 per adult
- £5 per child aged 5-15
- Kids under 5 and carer assistance (please bring something like a PIP/DLA carers allowance letter with you) are free.
You can get your advanced ticket via Eventbrite.
Now if you wish to pay on the gate, you can. That being said, I would highly advise you buy them in advance for 3 reasons:
- It’s cheaper. An adult ticket on the gate is £15pp so buy getting a ticket in advance, you’re saving a fiver. That’s a beverage at the onsite bar.
- There is a maximum capacity of 5000 people. If you get a ticket in advance, you are guaranteed to be one of those people.
- Last year, it was, for lack of better wording, a giant pain in the arse to buy a ticket on the gate. To the point, where I had a polite but strong word with the planning team because people were getting annoyed and getting mouthy with people who weren’t paid to deal with the hot mess. I can’t guarantee what the state of play will be this year so by getting a ticket in advance, you won’t have to pray that you’ll actually be able to buy said ticket.
Know anymore family friendly spooks and scares?
If so, feel free to post about them in the comments section. Want to leave the kids at home whilst you party and scream? If so, subscribe to this blog to be one of the first people to read about Melton Mowbray’s various adult Halloween offerings. So far we’ve got alt nights, award winning scare parks and the return of a very popular band. Oh and gingers, we also have a ginger to discuss.
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Love and virtual hugs,
Kelly