Spooktacular October half term in Darlington
There is a range of events in Darlington over October half term.
Throughout the half term week there will be a trail to find and collect clues in the indoor market.
October half term starts off in the Halloween spirit at Head of Steam on Sunday 27, 11am-3.30pm. Little Horrors at Halloween will see the museum specially decorated, complete with a magician, arts and crafts, and a spooky treasure hunt. Admission included in normal entrance fee and family passes.
For those who want to keep active, there are family badminton sessions held at the Dolphin Centre on Monday 28 between 1.30-3pm.
There is a Halloween lantern making working in The Hullabaloo on Monday 28, 10am-2pm. This is a free drop-in session but capacity is limited.
The Hullabaloo is hosting a lyrical piece of dance theatre with Sky for children aged two to four on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30. Tickets can be booked online or by calling the box office.
Dogs Trust: Learn how to care for dogs is taking place in Crown Street Library on Wednesday 30, 10.30-11.30am. Join a Dogs Trust worker and learn how to care for dogs in this free event.
On Wednesday 30 October, the Dolphin Centre are running fencing lessons for younger folk ages five and above between 1-2pm. There is also an exciting variety of games between 2-3pm, also for ages five and above. Sessions must be paid for and booked in advance.
Captain Raggybeard is making his way to Head of Steam on Wednesday 30 October from 11am-3.30pm. Join him on a swashbuckling adventure with fun pirate themed activities. Drop in sessions included in admission and yearly passes.
On Halloween, Thursday 31 October, there are a host of spooky events throughout the town:
Theatre fans can look forward to a musical adaptation presented by Darlington Operatic Society of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson’s Gothic thriller Jekyll and Hyde from Wednesday 23 October to Saturday 2 November. There is a special Halloween offer when tickets are ordered on Halloween with the promo code ‘Hyde’.
There’ll be Halloween Storytelling and Crafts in The Hullabaloo, with stories for two to five year olds at 10.15am and 1pm, and a story for five to seven year olds at 11.15am. The craft session is a drop-in session at The Hullabaloo between 10am-2pm. Tickets can be booked online or via the box office.
Between 11am-3pm, there will be a safe trick-or-treat event in the Cornmill Centre. Little witches and wizards can follow a terrifying treasure trail to collect goodies from the centre’s retailers.
In Darlington’s indoor market hall there is a Halloween lantern making workshop with Yvonne Preston between 11am-5pm.
There are puzzles to solve in Head of Steam in Tall Tales Mysteries, 11am-3.30pm. This event is just for children, and will have them laughing, puzzling, and thoroughly involved with the investigations. Sessions must be booked. Included in admissions and yearly passes.
Queenstreet Shopping Centre is hosting a day of Halloween family fun, 11am-4pm, with crafts, slime, treats, and spooky masks. This is a free family event and booking is not required.
Head down to Crown Street Library for a Halloween Party, noon-1pm. Witches and wizards aged four to nine are invited in their best costumes to join a party packed with games, music, and fun! Booking required.
Battle Wars is an event ran by Nerf Battle Northeast in the Dolphin Centre; there is a session for six to eight year olds between 1.15-1.15pm, and for nine to eleven year olds between 2.30-3.30pm. Kids are equipped with safety goggles, team attire, Nerf gun blasters and ammo. Sessions must be booked in advance.
The indoor market will be joined by Walworth Birds of Prey with display birds between 1-5pm.
There is an animation workshop in Crown Street Library, 2-4pm. Participants can create their own animated short using spooky vampires and zombies in this Halloween stop animation workshop for children over seven. Tickets must be booked.
In Under the Sea, the soft play area of the Dolphin Centre, there is a Halloween soft play party between 4-6pm. Come in fancy dress and enjoy a monster mash disco, ghoulish party games, prizes, hot dog and drink. Sessions must be booked.
In the evening, between 5-6.30pm, there will be the Darlington Halloween Lantern Trail. This free family event starts in front of the indoor market. It includes face painting, spooky characters, sweet treats, street theatre, music, and more – wear your best costume.
On Friday 1 November, the Dolphin Centre is running trampolining sessions between 1.30-3pm. These sessions must be booked in advance. In addition, there is a pool party full of games, challenges, a giant pool float, diving boards, slides, prizes, and more. This takes place between 1-4pm.
The Dolphin Centre celebrates its 37th birthday on Saturday 2 November with face painting from Cheeky Chops Face Art, and balloon modelling and magic from Professor Nincompoop.
To book tickets for DarlingtonOS, call the ticket hotline on 01325 244659 or book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk.
For more information and to book for the Dolphin Centre, call 01325 406000 or email [email protected].
For more details on The Hullabaloo, visit www.theatrehullabaloo.org.uk or call the box office on 01325 405405.
For more details on events at Head of Steam, visit www.head-of-steam.co.uk or call 01325 405060, or follow them on Facebook @headofsteammuseum and Twitter @HeadofSteamMus.
For more information on events taking place in Darlington Libraries, call 349610. Keep up to date with upcoming events by following them on Facebook @DarlingtonLibraries and Twitter @DarlLibs.