Spook-tacular fun and tasty offers this half term
There’s some scarily good fun planned in Darlington this October half term, with Halloween activities for all the family and the return of the popular #LoveDarlo Restaurant Week.
Witches, wizards and ghouls of all ages are invited to take part in a special day of Halloween activities in the town centre, including safe trick or treating and visits from some of Hollywood’s scariest villains, including the spooky Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus.
The trio will be joined by Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficient and Ursula from the Little Mermaid on Thursday, October 27. Also in the line up are magical owls from Walworth Birds of Prey, who will be in the Imperial Quarter; face painting and balloons, along with spooky story-telling sessions between 11am and 2pm in Darlington Market Hall; crafts with Yvonne Preston in Queen Street Shopping Centre; face painting and glitter tattoos, and spooky crafts with the Big Little Gigs team in the Cornmill Shopping Centre.
Shops and businesses around the town centre will also be offering trick or treating activities on October 27, to give younger children the chance to dress up and take part in the fun in safe surroundings.
There’s frightful fun this half term at Cockerton Library, including special Halloween Rhymetime sessions for babies and toddlers, potion classes with Madam Pumpkinspook (3+) and an interactive magical workshop Spectacular Spooks (3-7 years). Tickets for each event must be booked in advance – visit the library Facebook page @darlingtonlibraries for more details and a link.
Meanwhile, there’s pumpkin to get excited about at Head of Steam Railway Museum, which will open its doors on Sunday, October 23, between 11.30-3.30pm – the venue will be decorated in fa-boo-lous fashion. Get dressed up in your Halloween finest and have a ghouslishly good time at the museum.
Half term fun at Head of Steam also includes visits from Creation Station, Animal Encounters and the North East Play Bus. Full details, dates and booking information at www.head-of-steam.co.uk/whats-on
The half term fun isn’t just for kids. Cafes, bars, restaurants and country pubs from across the town centre and our rural villages have signed up to take part in Restaurant Week, offering diners three courses for £20 or less.
Enjoy Italian, Indian, steak dinners and hearty bar meals every day during the event, from Monday, October 24 to Sunday, October 30. Menus from each of the venues signed up to take part can be found at www.enjoydarlington.co.uk/restaurant-week
The event has proved a hit with food lovers in recent years, so booking ahead is advised.
Councillor Alan Marshall, cabinet member for economy, said: “We’ve a fang-tastic week of events planned for this half term, many of them free or low cost to make sure as many families as possible can take part.
“It’s wonderful to see so many businesses sign up to support our events calendar, whether that’s the safe trick or treating across the town centre and shopping centres, or taking part in Restaurant Week.
“Once again the events teams across our venues have pulled out all the stops to make sure there’s something for all age groups and all interests across the week. I look forward to seeing young witches, monsters and ghosts enjoying what we have to offer here in spooky Darlington.”
Keep up to date with events in Darlington by following @darlingtonboroughcouncil on Facebook or by visiting www.enjoydarlington.co.uk