Watford half term is 26 to 30 October. A free trick or treat trail runs all week in the town centre, plus Diwali on 1 November. Ten things on, with prices.

October half term in Watford is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for schools on the Hertfordshire calendar. Some local secondaries break earlier, and one takes two weeks. Here are the confirmed dates, then ten things actually on in the town that week, each from the organiser’s own listing.

The quick answer

  • Half term is 26 to 30 October at county-calendar schools. Future Academies Watford is off for two weeks, to 6 November, and Parmiter’s breaks on Wednesday 21 October.
  • A free trick or treat trail runs all week, 10am to 4pm, along the High Street and The Parade.
  • Diwali on Sunday 1 November and the Cassiobury fireworks on Saturday 7 November bookend the break.

Which schools are off when

From the Hertfordshire County Council calendar and each school’s own term dates:

  • County dates: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October
  • Watford Grammar School for Boys: off from Friday 23 October, back Monday 2 November
  • Watford Grammar School for Girls and Westfield Academy: 26 to 30 October
  • Parmiter’s: last day Wednesday 21 October, back Monday 2 November
  • Future Academies Watford: off from Friday 23 October, back Monday 9 November

Every school’s full year is on our Watford school term dates page.

Ten things on in Watford over half term

1. Trick or Treat Trail, Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, 10am to 4pm, free. Watford Town Centre BID puts ten large inflatable ghosts in shop windows on the High Street and The Parade. Find one, go in and say “trick or treat” for a sweet. Send a team selfie for a draw for a £100 Watford Gift Card. The ghosts are only on the High Street and The Parade, not in side roads or Harlequin. (Watford Town Centre)

2. Wifi Wars, Saturday 24 October, 3pm, from £18. The audience plays games and quizzes on their own phones, in a Halloween version this time. Age 6 and over; bring a charged phone or tablet for each player. Runs 1 hour 35 minutes. (Watford Palace Theatre)

3. GrandSlam Wrestling, Sunday 25 October, from £18. Billed as a family-friendly night of live wrestling. (Watford Palace Theatre)

4. Dinosaur Adventure Live, Tuesday 27 October, 2pm, from £21. A one-hour family show with puppets, a T-Rex and audience stomping. (Watford Palace Theatre)

5. Market Lates Halloween, Friday 30 October, 6pm to 10pm, free. Watford Market’s themed late night, with music, street food and a pop-up bar. The council’s events site describes all Market Lates as free and family-friendly. (Watford Actually)

6. Watford Film Club: Ghostbusters, Friday 30 October, 8pm, from £7.50. The Palace’s film club screening, rated PG. (Watford Palace Theatre)

7. Trick or Treat Show, Saturday 31 October, 5pm to 6pm, free. Halloween street performances at Pondside, including dancers and a contortionist. (Watford Town Centre)

8. Diwali in Watford Town Centre, Sunday 1 November, 11am to 7.30pm, free. Diya making, cultural performances, a Festival of Light parade and a rangoli lighting ceremony, spread across the High Street, Harlequin, Pondside and the Palace Theatre. The BID says fuller details are still to come. (Watford Town Centre)

9. Dark Arts at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, until 8 November. The Harry Potter sets are dressed for Halloween, with over 100 floating pumpkins in the Great Hall and Death Eaters on the tour. It is included in a standard ticket, which in 2026 costs £58.50 for adults and £47 for children aged 5 to 15; under 4s go free. The studio is in Leavesden, just over the borough boundary. Its after-hours Nox evenings on 29 to 31 October are sold out. (Warner Bros. Studio Tour)

10. Buffy Revamped, Saturday 31 October, from £28. A Halloween-night show at the Palace; check the listing for age guidance. (Watford Palace Theatre)

The week after

The big one comes a week later: the Cassiobury Fireworks on Saturday 7 November. Times, parking and road restrictions are on our Watford fireworks page.

Still to be confirmed

  • The Diwali programme and parade route (the BID says “further information is on its way”)
  • Any half-term activities at the Cassiobury Park Hub, which lists its sessions on Eventbrite nearer the time

Getting into town: our parking in Watford page has every car park tariff, and Watford roadworks and travel lists closures that week.