Halloween in Jersey 2026: What's Actually On and How to Do It Properly

October is my favourite month in Jersey. The hydrangeas are going over, the evenings close in fast, and suddenly every hedge-veg stall has a crate of pumpkins outside. But where do you actually go, especially with kids in tow?

I live here, I do the same lap around the Island every Halloween — farm shop, pumpkin carving, one big night out — and every year someone asks me: is there enough going on here to make a proper thing of it? Honestly? Yes, more than ever. Halloween in Jersey has quietly gone from a couple of plastic skeletons in town to nearly rivalling Christmas for some local businesses. So here is my rundown for 2026, sorted in the order you will probably need it.

Start at the farm, obviously

If you do nothing else, go and pick a pumpkin properly. What is the point of buying a sad, shrink-wrapped one that has been shipped in a lorry when you can walk into a field here and choose your own?

The big one is Master Farms' Pumpkin Patch at Les Prés Manor in Grouville. Phil Le Maistre and his family run it, and last year he told the BBC it had been "crazy" seeing thousands of people turn up, after starting years ago with just a few pumpkins in bins and an honesty box. I love that story — it sums up how Halloween has grown here in the last five years. For 2026 they are opening on Saturday 10th, Saturday 17th, Saturday 24th, Tuesday 27th and Saturday 31st October, all bookable online, and it is far more than pumpkins. There is a maize maze to get through first, Jersey calves to meet, big John Deere tractors to climb on, tractor-trailer rides for a small extra charge, toasted marshmallows, a sand pit, Halloween crafts and an indoor patch if the weather turns. Tickets are per person, under-3s are free, and pumpkins themselves run from about £1 to £20 depending on size. Book early — they limit numbers because the car park is tight when the fields are wet in October, and the Saturdays do sell out.

The other end of the Island has its own tradition. Manor Farm on Route de Vinchelez in St Ouen — Didier and Christine Hellio's stall — is famous for Jersey Royals in summer and crates of colourful pumpkins in October. It is cash-only, parking is tight down the lane, and last year they even had La Robeline cider and sausages on a Saturday alongside the pumpkins. How Jersey is that? Follow their instructions on parking, bring cash, and be polite — they work incredibly hard.

Why does it matter where your pumpkin comes from? The UK had a miserable pumpkin year recently with slugs and wet weather, but our growers largely escaped the worst of it. Numbers here have held up, even if, as Phil put it last year, they were "not quite as big as usual" after a summer short on sun. Buying local keeps money with the few farms we have left, and honestly the pumpkins taste better too if you cook them afterwards.

What do you do with 4kg of pumpkin flesh?

Good question, because after carving we all end up with a bowlful and no plan. Do not bin it. Roast it with garlic and chilli for soup, or take it to one of our farm shops — Homefields in St Clement, the Classic Farm Shop in St Peter, Holme Grown at Fauvic in Grouville — and you will find the rest of your autumn supper there: squash, apples, proper cream, cheese for a toastie. I always make a big pot of soup on carving night. It makes the mess feel worth it.

And if carving with little ones fills you with dread, paint your pumpkin instead. It lasts longer in Jersey's damp, there is no knife involved, and you can still put a tealight next to it for effect.

An afternoon that is not just about sweets

One of my favourite finds for this year is Halloween at La Mare Wine Estate in St Mary. If you have never been in autumn, the cider orchards are beautiful, and this year they are leaning into it properly.

For families there is the Magical Meadow Express, run with the Jersey Miniature Railway — a gentle train ride winding through the orchards past scarecrows, glowing pumpkins and little surprises. For grown-ups there is something much more my speed: a paper-mâché pumpkin art workshop with botanical artist Emma from Away with the Fairies, using dried flowers from La Mare's own organic wildflower meadow, followed by afternoon tea with sweet, savoury, vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian options. Booking is direct with La Mare and spaces are limited, so do not leave it to the 30th.

The National Trust for Jersey is doing something similar on a smaller scale: Family Spooky Halloween Crafts at Le Moulin de Quétivel in St Peter on Thursday 29th October, 2pm to 3.30pm. You and your little monsters make decorations from everyday bits and natural treasures with their education officer. It is free for members, £10 for non-members, and you need to book. It is calm, it is indoors if it rains, and you come home with something that is not plastic.

When do the kids break up, and when should you book the big nights?

Half-term week is when everything clusters. Most of the ticketed events run from Friday 24th October right through to Friday 31st itself, with daytime sessions for families and evening sessions for adults. That is deliberate — so check which one you are booking.

The biggest new thing this year is TambaBowl Fright Fest at TambaBowl in St Peter, running 24th to 31st October. By day, little monsters get Dr Aikenhead's Zombie Adventure — characters, tricks, treats and spooky surprises, dress-up very much encouraged. By night it flips. Project 13 opens its doors: a proper live scare maze with actors, special effects and surprises around every corner, made by an award-winning immersive team. It is being billed as the return of a live scare maze to Jersey for the first time in over ten years. Daytime is for families, evenings are intense and not for the nervous. If you only book one evening out with friends, this is probably it.

Then there is the castle. Jersey Heritage's Halloween at Mont Orgueil in Gorey has become the Island's signature Halloween night. I went two years ago and the fire show alone was worth it. Last year's format — which they tend to repeat — was 6pm to 10pm on Friday 31st October, with creepy characters roaming the walls including the Witch, the Medieval Jester and the Ghoulish Soldier, ghost stories in hushed corners, macabre dancing, food and music, plus a spectacular fire show from the Jersey Showman at 7pm and 9.30pm. Tickets were £25 for adults and £20 for children aged 6 to 16 plus booking fee, with 20% off for Heritage members, and it is not recommended for under-6s. Keep an eye on Jersey Heritage's What's On page, because it sells out and the pricing and times are confirmed there first.

What about trick-or-treating in Jersey — is it done here?

Yes, but Jersey does it in its own way. We do not have American-style suburbs, we have lanes with no pavements and houses set back behind granite walls. So how does it work?

In town — St Helier, St Saviour, parts of St Brelade and St Clement — you will see the usual rule: pumpkin or light on in the window means knock, no pumpkin means do not. In the country parishes, most families drive to a relative's estate or stick to one clos where neighbours have agreed beforehand. Parish Facebook groups are gold for this in the last week of October. People post which roads are welcoming visitors and what time they are doing it, usually 5pm to 7.30pm before it gets too late.

A few courtesies that will make you popular: take a torch for the lanes, stay on drives not walls, do not knock after 8pm, and if your child is old enough to go without you, make sure they go in a group. Drivers — go slowly on estate roads on the 31st. There are a lot of small ghosts about.

And if you would rather stay in? Central Market, the Co-op Locale stores and our farm shops all do a roaring trade in bakery treats and autumn veg that week. A spooky film night with proper Jersey fudge and popcorn is a perfectly respectable Halloween.

Evenings for grown-ups

Not everyone wants a family maze. If you want a proper night out, you have options.

The Club Hotel & Spa in St Helier has run its Haunted Hotel Halloween party — ground floor turned into a haunted-house hotel, photo booth, DJ and disco, feast and karaoke room — as a ticketed evening, with different prices for weeknights and weekends and private bookings for up to 100 guests. It is smart, central, and you can make a night of it without driving home.

Our pubs do Halloween well without needing a ticket. The Liberation Group pubs across the Island — and independents like the Portelet Inn, the Tenby in St Aubin, Rozel Pub & Dining and the Old Smugglers Inn at Ouaisne — usually put on pumpkin menus, local ale, fancy dress and late music in that last weekend. Ring ahead if you have a big group. Fancy dress in a Jersey pub on 31st October is not optional in spirit, even if it is technically.

Cineworld at the Waterfront almost always adds late horror screenings and family matinees in half-term. I love a horror film in a full cinema — it is the cheapest scare you will get all week.

My honest plan if I were you

If you asked me for a simple itinerary: pick pumpkins at Master Farms or Manor Farm on the weekend of the 24th, do La Mare or the Mill crafts mid-week, carve on the 30th with soup on the stove, trick-or-treat your own clos on the 31st, then hand the kids to grandparents and do Project 13 or Mont Orgueil that night. That is Halloween, Jersey-style: muddy boots, granite castles, real farms, and just enough fright.

Will I see you in the maize maze? I will be the one who cannot find the exit.

Find family farms, estates, cinemas, hotels and pubs for Halloween all listed here on Buy.je — and check event pages directly for this year's times and tickets, as details can change.