London Boroughs Halloween half-term at Eltham Palace 2026
Eltham Palace and Gardens, London · Organized by English Heritage
- Dates
- Oct 24, 2026 – Nov 1, 2026
- Time
- 10:00 – 16:00
- Format
- In person
- Where
- Eltham Palace and Gardens, London
- Organizer
- English Heritage
A medieval great hall with a 1930s art deco house grafted onto it, in Greenwich, throwing a pumpkin party for nine days.
Eltham Palace half term 2026 dates and times
Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, 10am to 4pm daily, at Eltham Palace and Gardens, Court Yard, Eltham SE9 5NP. Included in the standard entry price; English Heritage members go free, and booking in advance saves 15 per cent.
What is on at Eltham Palace
The Great Pumpkin Party: interactive storytelling and spooky games, a themed trail around the site and a seasonal spot to be photographed in. There is a fancy dress competition every day with prizes, and English Heritage recommend coming dressed for it — the opposite of the rule at the Tower.
The house itself
Eltham is worth the ticket without a pumpkin in sight. Stephen and Virginia Courtauld built the art deco wing onto Edward IV's great hall in the 1930s, and the entrance hall and the gardens are the reason people come back in months without half term in them.
Eltham is the quiet one of the London half-term palaces, which is its whole advantage — the same nine days that put a queue around Hampton Court leave this one comfortable, and it is twenty minutes from London Bridge to Mottingham. Ten in the morning is the hour to arrive if the trail is the point; the house and gardens then have the rest of the day, and they are the part children remember, art deco entrance hall and all.
Halloween half-term at Eltham Palace 2026: questions
When is Halloween at Eltham Palace in 2026?
Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, 10am to 4pm every day.
Is the Great Pumpkin Party included in admission?
Yes — it is included in the standard entry price, members go free, and advance booking gets 15 per cent off.
Can children wear costumes?
English Heritage encourage it: there is a fancy dress competition each day, with prizes for the winners.
Source: English Heritage checked against the source
