Nine days, one half-term and a free light trail that switches on every evening at 5pm. Here is what to do with the kids in Liverpool from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, day by day, with the travel problems flagged before you leave the house.
Liverpool schools break up for October half-term from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, but the useful family planning window runs from Saturday 24 October through to Sunday 1 November. That gives you nine days covering free museums, children's theatre, a Southport book festival, River of Light, Liverpool Irish Festival activities and, inevitably, plenty of Halloween.
This is the day-by-day parent planner rather than another Halloween list. Liverpool City Council's dates apply to most schools, but Catholic, Church of England and Hebrew schools can differ, and individual schools also allocate training days, so check your child's calendar before booking anything.
Liverpool October half-term 2026 at a glance
Date
Main family idea
Cost / booking
Saturday 24 October
Liverpool Irish Festival Family Day, Museum of Liverpool
There is one constant all week. River of Light runs every night from 5pm to 9pm, with 13 installations across the waterfront and city centre. It is free, self-guided and does not require a ticket. The 2026 run starts on Friday 23 October and finishes on Sunday 1 November.
Saturday 24 October: Liverpool Irish Festival Family Day
The first weekend starts with one of the strongest free options of the holiday.
The Liverpool Irish Festival Family Day takes over the Museum of Liverpool from 11am to 4pm on Saturday 24 October. National Museums Liverpool says the free programme will include Irish music, dancing, traditional performance and creative activities for all ages.
It is a useful opening-day choice because you can spend several hours indoors without committing to an expensive family ticket, then stay around the waterfront for River of Light after 5pm.
There is another free activity at World Museum the same day. Mind Games comes to the Egypt gallery, with visitors able to learn and play games including chess and Go alongside members of Liverpool Chess Club.
Families with children aged five and under can also use the Museum of Liverpool's Little Liverpool gallery during the holiday period. From 20 to 31 October, Winnie the spider and friends bring Halloween-themed activities into the children's gallery. Check National Museums Liverpool before travelling for current entry arrangements and session availability.
Sunday 25 October: Ancient Nubia at World Museum
World Museum, where the Ancient Nubia Spotlight Day runs on 25 October. Photo: Fatih Renkligil, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sunday's strongest non-Halloween option is at World Museum, where a special Spotlight Day explores Ancient Nubia on 25 October.
The programme looks at the cultures that developed in the region south of ancient Egypt, and at the Nubian civilisation that eventually conquered Egypt and united the Nile Valley under rulers from what is now Sudan.
World Museum general admission is free, so this can also work as a flexible museum day rather than an activity that has to occupy every hour.
For a completely different day out, Aintree Racecourse's Halloween Family Day is also on Sunday 25 October. Gates open at 10.40am, pony racing begins at 11.45am and the first full race is scheduled for 12.40pm. The family programme includes crafts, face painting, circus skills, a bouncy castle and a costume competition. Under-18s enter the Grandstand & Paddock free when accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
There is an important travel warning for Sunday. Planned railway engineering means the Wirral Line will use replacement buses between Birkenhead North and Moorfields and between Rock Ferry and Moorfields. Northern Line services are also altered. Allow more time than normal if you are crossing the river or travelling into the centre.
Monday 26 October: Follow The Jolly Postman around Southport
Monday is the first official day of Liverpool's school half-term, and a good point to get out of the city centre.
Books Alive! runs across Southport from 24 to 31 October. Its free Jolly Postman Book Trail is based on Janet and Allan Ahlberg's children's book, which turns 40 in 2026.
Nine installations are placed around Southport town centre, with locations including Town Hall Gardens, Wayfarers Arcade, Mermaid Gardens, Lord Street, Southport Market, Tulketh Street and Waterstones on Chapel Street.
Families can collect a trail map from The Atkinson or download one, and the installations are open from 10am to 4pm each day.
That makes Monday useful for families trying to keep costs down. It is a proper half-day or full-day activity rather than a five-minute photo opportunity, and cafés, the library, The Atkinson and other indoor stops are close to the route if the weather turns.
Tuesday 27 October: Sir Charlie Stinky Socks at the Playhouse
The Playhouse on Williamson Square, where Sir Charlie Stinky Socks runs from 27 to 31 October. Photo: User:Hassocks5489, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The main family theatre production of the week starts at Liverpool Playhouse on Tuesday.
Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Really Big Adventure runs from Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October at the Playhouse in Williamson Square. Tickets are £14, the production lasts around 60 minutes without an interval, and the theatre says it suits children aged three to ten, although all ages are welcome.
Tuesday performances are at 2pm and 4pm. Wednesday to Saturday shows are at 11am and 2pm.
The production includes live music, puppetry and interactive storytelling. The theatre also warns of haze or smoke and a short dragon roar, which is useful to know if your child is sensitive to sudden noise.
Williamson Square sits inside the expanded River of Light area for 2026, so a late-afternoon performance can be paired with the light trail once the installations switch on at 5pm.
Wednesday 28 October: Mexican dance at World Museum
World Museum has another family event on Wednesday 28 October: a workshop introducing the traditional dance of Mexico's Day of the Dead.
National Museums Liverpool says the session is adapted for all ages, using music, costume and dance. It gives families a seasonal activity rooted in a specific cultural tradition rather than a generic Halloween event.
The half-term announcement does not give a session time or booking arrangement, so check National Museums Liverpool's What's On listing before setting off.
If the museum session does not fit your day, Sir Charlie Stinky Socks has 11am and 2pm performances at the Playhouse on Wednesday.
This is also a sensible midweek night for River of Light if you would rather avoid the busier Friday and Halloween Saturday. The full outdoor trail is approximately 5km, so families with smaller children do not need to see all 13 works. There is no designated start or finish.
Thursday 29 October: Beatles activities at World Museum
Thursday brings another National Museums Liverpool half-term event to World Museum.
Beatlemania: National Museums Liverpool at 40 includes a record-sleeve craft activity inspired by Beatles artwork, Beatles memorabilia from the museum collection and a 1960s object-handling session.
It is one of the better options for mixed-age families because the subject is familiar to adults while the craft gives younger children something practical to do.
Thursday is also the first day of the Festival of Stories at The Atkinson in Southport. The two-day programme on 29 and 30 October brings together children's writers, illustrators, storytellers and performers. All Festival of Stories events are free, although places for bookable sessions are limited and advance booking is required.
The announced contributors include Kate Pankhurst, Lydia Monks, Dapo Adeola and Joseph Coelho, alongside other authors and illustrators. There are also drop-in activities where booking is not required.
Friday 30 October: Make a day of Books Alive! in Southport
Sudley House, which runs its Halloween family programme on 30 and 31 October. Photo: Man vyi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
If you did the Jolly Postman trail earlier in the week, Friday is the day to return to Southport for the larger Festival of Stories programme.
Events at The Atkinson and Southport Library run across Thursday and Friday, with free author sessions, illustration, storytelling, performances and craft activities. The main programme runs from 10am to 4pm on Friday 30 October. Some sessions need tickets, while drop-in events do not.
Back in Liverpool, Sudley House begins its two-day Halloween family programme on Friday 30 October. National Museums Liverpool says the Mossley Hill house will have crafts, face painting and objects for families to handle on 30 and 31 October.
Sir Charlie Stinky Socks is another fallback, with Playhouse performances at 11am and 2pm.
Saturday 31 October: Halloween without making the whole day about Halloween
Halloween falls on the Saturday at the end of half-term, so this is the busiest day for dedicated spooky events.
For younger children, Sir Charlie Stinky Socks has final performances at 11am and 2pm at the Playhouse. Sudley House has its second day of family Halloween activities, while Little Liverpool's Winnie the spider programme reaches its final day at the Museum of Liverpool.
Another free option runs at Royal Albert Dock. From 24 October to 1 November, The Beatles Story Discovery Zone offers free Halloween-themed Beatles crafts from 10am to 3pm. The Discovery Zone is free to enter and you can drop in during those hours.
Families wanting pumpkin picking, children's Halloween parties, scare-free activities or larger Halloween days out will find them in L1Local's kids' Halloween guide and family Halloween guide.
River of Light runs until 9pm on Halloween night. If you are taking very young children, the 5pm start gives you the lights without a late finish.
Sunday 1 November: One final free day and the last River of Light
The Royal Albert Dock, home to the Beatles Story Discovery Zone. Photo: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The half-term planner finishes on Sunday 1 November.
The Beatles Story Discovery Zone remains open for its free craft programme from 10am to 3pm. At World Museum, Muse-zine is aimed at young people aged 16 to 25, with art, zine-making and printmaking inspired by the museum collections.
Sunday evening is also the final night of River of Light 2026. The installations switch on at 5pm and finish at 9pm, with no ticket required.
Travel needs more planning than usual. Sunday 1 November is the second half-term Sunday affected by the Wirral Line engineering work, with replacement buses linking Birkenhead North and Rock Ferry with Moorfields. Northern Line replacement buses also run between Hunts Cross and Sandhills on Sundays.
Free and low-cost things to do across the whole week
You can build several half-term days without paying for four or five attraction tickets.
National Museums Liverpool provides the strongest concentration of free indoor options, particularly World Museum, the Museum of Liverpool and Walker Art Gallery. The Museum of Liverpool's Irish Festival Family Day is free, as are the Books Alive trail and Festival of Stories in Southport. River of Light then provides a free evening activity from 5pm throughout the school holiday.
The Beatles Story Discovery Zone adds another free drop-in option between 10am and 3pm from 24 October to 1 November. You do not need a ticket to the main Beatles Story attraction to use the Discovery Zone activity.
Check the opening status of museums before you go on a wet day, as some Royal Albert Dock museums are closed for redevelopment.
Merseyrail engineering work affects the entire half-term
This needs to be part of the plan rather than a footnote.
Merseyrail's Northern Line tunnel works run from Sunday 11 October until Friday 6 November, covering the whole half-term. Normal service is due to return on Saturday 7 November.
From Monday to Saturday, replacement buses run between Hunts Cross and Moorfields, while Northern Line trains operate from Liverpool Central towards Southport, Ormskirk and Headbolt Lane.
On Sundays, replacement buses run between Hunts Cross and Sandhills instead. Sunday 25 October and Sunday 1 November also have significant Wirral Line changes, with replacement buses between Birkenhead North and Moorfields and between Rock Ferry and Moorfields.
That matters for several plans above. Southport remains reachable by train from the city centre on weekdays, but families travelling from south Liverpool or across the Wirral may have an extra change or replacement-bus leg.
Check the journey again on the morning you travel. For the full list of affected stations, see L1Local's Merseyrail closure guide.
River of Light can fill the evening without filling the whole day
River of Light is useful in a nine-day planner because it does not need its own dedicated day.
The 2026 event has 13 artworks, runs from 23 October to 1 November, and operates from 5pm to 9pm every night. It is free and self-guided. The official map places installations across the waterfront and city centre, rather than treating the event as a single attraction at the Pier Head.
Families can do World Museum, the Playhouse, the Museum of Liverpool or another daytime activity and see part of River of Light afterwards.
There is no requirement to complete all 5km. With younger children, seeing three or four installations before heading home may be a better plan than forcing the complete route.
Quiet Hour sessions are planned for 2026, but the final session times had not been published when this guide was checked. Families who need lower noise or reduced crowds should check the official accessibility information before choosing a night.
What should parents book first?
The time-sensitive bookings are the Playhouse performances and the Festival of Stories sessions in Southport. Sir Charlie Stinky Socks has fixed theatre capacity, and The Atkinson says advance booking is essential for its limited-capacity Festival of Stories events.
River of Light does not need booking. The Jolly Postman Book Trail does not need a ticket. The Museum of Liverpool's Irish Festival Family Day is free. Keep those in reserve if you do not want to commit the whole week in advance.
For everything beyond this planner, L1Local's What's On hub covers current Liverpool events, and the free things to do guide is useful when the main requirement is keeping the week's cost down.
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