Harborough's half term is 19 to 23 October, the week before Halloween, so the Halloween events land after it. What organisers list locally for the week off.
October half term in Market Harborough, Lutterworth and the district’s villages runs from Monday 19 to Friday 23 October 2026. Leicestershire keeps its own school calendar, and this year its half term ends a week before Halloween on Saturday 31 October. The Halloween events we found locally all run that following week, after children are back at school.
Below is what the organisers themselves list for that week, and what comes straight after.
The quick answer
- Half term: Monday 19 to Friday 23 October. Robert Smyth Academy pupils are off until Wednesday 28 October, because of two INSET days.
- Railex ‘26 opens the break, free, at Harborough Indoor Market on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October.
- Halloween at Rockingham Castle is Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October, after the Leicestershire half term.
Why the dates matter here
Leicestershire County Council’s 2026/27 calendar puts the autumn half term on 19 to 23 October, with schools back on Monday 26 October. (Leicestershire School Term Dates 2022 to 2027, Leicestershire County Council)
The big local academies follow it, with extras at the edges: Kibworth Mead Academy adds an INSET day on Friday 16 October, and Robert Smyth Academy adds INSET days on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October. Our Harborough school term dates page has every school’s calendar side by side.
What’s on during half term
| When | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 17 and Sun 18 Oct, 8am to 5pm | Railex '26: modern trains, exhibitions, layouts and traders | Harborough Indoor Market, Northampton Road, LE16 9HB | Free |
| Every day | Foxton Locks sculpture trail: 14 wildlife sculptures, activity map from the welcome centre | Foxton Locks, Gumley Road, LE16 7RA | Free to visit, parking from £1.50 |
| Tue 20 Oct, 10am to 2pm | October Garden Morning, including a woodland walk through the Wild Garden | Rockingham Castle | See the castle's site |
| Tue 20 Oct, 6pm | Verdi's Macbeth, live broadcast from the Met (for older children and adults) | Harborough Theatre | See the theatre's site |
| Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun, 10am to 4pm | Gardens, stableyard and tearoom open, last week of the season | Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens | See the hall's site |
| Sat 24 Oct, 8pm | HA HA Harborough comedy night, headliner Nick Doody (adults) | Harborough Theatre | See the theatre's site |
Sources: Harborough Market events and the council’s events calendar; Foxton Locks, Canal & River Trust; Rockingham Castle events; Harborough Theatre what’s on; Kelmarsh Hall opening times. All read on 25 September 2026.
A few details worth knowing before you go.
- Foxton Locks has two pubs, two cafés and the Foxton Canal Museum on site. The museum charges £4 for adults and lets under-18s in free with a paying adult (Foxton Canal Museum); check its opening days before you travel. The short-stay car park charges £1.50 for an hour, £3 for two hours and £4.50 for four; the long-stay car park is £3 a day, and both are free after 5.30pm. Blue badge holders pay too.
- Kelmarsh Hall closes for the season on Thursday 29 October, so half term is the last full week to see the gardens this year. The hall itself is shut on Thursday 22 October for a private event; the gardens and tearoom open as usual.
- Rockingham Castle’s garden mornings run on three Tuesdays in October, and 20 October is the only one inside the Leicestershire half term.
The week after: Halloween and Bonfire Night
The events most families will be looking for fall once school has restarted.
- Halloween Fun at Rockingham Castle, Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October: activities with the castle’s “witches and wizards”. (Rockingham Castle)
- Artisan Fair on The Square, Market Harborough, Saturday 31 October, 9am to 4pm, free. (Harborough Market)
- Market Harborough fireworks: our Bonfire Night page has the date, times and ticket prices.
What we could not confirm
Leicestershire’s libraries and Harborough Leisure Centre had not published half-term activities when we checked on 25 September, and Foxton Canal Museum’s website does not yet list its October opening days. We will add them here when they appear.
Have your say