Does anyone else feel like it’s been a really long half term?! My children are so ready for a break from routine – not to mention me too. I’m looking forward to a few cosy days at home chilling out but also visiting some of our amazing local attractions here in South Wales who are all gearing up for half term and Halloween.

As always, there’s loads going on, with everything from family theatre shows and nature-inspired outdoor activities to spooky-themed Halloween activities and fun days – and lots of free and low-cost activities too.

I’ve listed everything I can find below – there’s rather a lot of it! – but do let me know anything I’ve missed in the comments below, on the Cardiff Mummy Says Facebook page or you can tweet me on @cardiffmummy  We’ll be sharing what we’re up to this half term over on the Cardiff Mummy Says Instagram feed too.

These listings are organised into the below categories and listed in date order within their category. Some activities appear in more than one category. Clicking on the event name will take you to the website for further info. Please note all events are subject to change or cancellation so do check ahead to avoid disappointment. Categories as follows:  Halloween activities; Arts and crafts; Museums, historical and castles; Nature-themed and the great outdoors; Theatre and performance; Cinema.

Please remember that all events are subject to change and cancellation. Please check ahead with organisers to avoid disappointment.

This post has been written in association with The Red Dragon Centre as part of Cardiff Mummy Says’ role as family blogger ambassador for the Cardiff Bay entertainment complex. The Red Dragon Centre is home to Hollywood Bowl for 10-pin family fun; family-friendly restaurants and cafes, and a huge Odeon cinema, which is the only digital IMAX® screen in South Wales.

The centre is gearing up for Halloween with its balloon decorations and the Spooky Green Zone full of frightful visitors to meet. Open daily from 10am-6pm, look out for a pair of skeletons relaxing on a boo-tiful 4 metre grass sofa, plus spiders and a pair of wicked witches complete with their cauldron.

From Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 October, 12pm-4pm, you can make a lantern in free family workshops lead by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, as well as learn how to identify leaves and how to make your garden more wildlife friendly.

As well all the usual bowling fun, Hollywood Bowl has a treasure hunt, plus spooky competitions where you can win prizes. See the Hollywood Bowl website for full details.

Plus there’s plenty of choice for meals or snacks with family-friendly restaurants and cafes including Bella Italia, Five Guys, Spice Route, Oriental Garden and Cadwaladers.

Spooky films showing at the Odeon this half term include The Addams Family, Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon, and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Read more about family-friendly films in the cinema this half term here.

The good news is tickets at the Odeon are now £5 all day every day, for standard 2D films when bought at the cinema. You can read more here.

Plus the Odeon offers family films for just £2.50 per ticket as part of Odeon Kids. These early morning showings (usually around 10am) take place every weekend and every day during local school holidays. They are a great chance to catch slightly older films on the big screen and a perfect low-cost indoor option when the weather’s not great. Visit the Odeon Kids page for latest listings.

Also, here’s an advance date for your diary! Sunday 24 November is Frozen day at The Red Dragon Centre. Celebrate the arrival of Disney’s Frozen 2 at Odeon and help raise funds for Ty Hafan children’s hospice. Meet lookalike mascots of your favourite princesses and their snowman friend at intervals between 12pm and 4pm; as well as free face painting and the chance to help craft a giant eco-friendly polar bear. Bring a plastic bottle to help contributed. Once finished, he’ll be on display at the centre throughout December.

Parking is free for up to six hours for customers of The Red Dragon Centre (subject to minimum spend and entering your registration number into the terminals at one of the outlets) so you can make a day of it, with bowling and arcade games at Hollywood Bowl or a meal or refreshments at one of the family-friendly cafes and restaurants.

100+ family-friendly activities in and around Cardiff
for October half term and Halloween 2019

Halloween-themed events

Pumpkin picking patch

On the A48 after Culverhouse Cross, CF5 6SF

Friday 18-Thursday 31 October, 9.30am-4pm

Pick your own pumpkin plus take part in spooky craft activities. Free entry but costs apply for activities.

Parc Play, Cardiff

Spooky Evening

Friday 25 October, 6.30pm-8.30pm

Adults £1, children (including hotdog and juice) 4-12, £8, 1-3, £6.50. Members just £3 for hotdog and juice.

A spooky evening of family fun with lots of tricks, and treats to be won.

Fangtastic Fun

Monday 28 October, 11am-3pm

Spooky-themed activities include haunted castle, spooky trail, a prize for the best-dressed, mystery box, plus Halloween-themed slush.

Fangtastc Fun plus Wild Walk, 11am-3.30pm

Tuesday 29 October-Friday 1 November

Spooky-themed activities as above plus meet Wild Walk – step into a unique encounter with some of nature’s scariest animals.

Booking advised.

Half term and half term events

Greenmeadow Community Farm, Cwmbran

Saturday 26-Wednesday 30 October 10am-5pm and Thursday 31 October 10am-3.30pm

Adults £6.50, children £5.40, family £23.50

As well as the usual farm attractions, there’s pumpkin carving (£2.50 extra), pig agility and apple bobbing, piggy pumpkin teatime, and lots more.

Halloween Spooktakular

Greenmeadow Community Farm, Cwmbran

Thursday 31 October, 6pm

£7 per person in advance, £8 on the door (cash only)

Prepare to be scared with loud noises, strobe lights, scary characters and some gory scenes Not for the faint hearted, expect moonlit tractor rides, Halloween games and much more.

Friday 1-Sunday 3 November

Adults £6.50, children £5.40, family £23.50

Half term continues with activities including cuddle corner, milking demonstration, chicken lunchtime and more.

Spooktacular

Oakwood Theme Park, Narbeth, Pembrokeshire

Saturday 26 October to Sunday 2 November

From £20 per person

Expect new spooky rides and attractions on top of the usual spooky fun and scare actors located throughout the park at Spooktacular, Oakwood’s annual Halloween celebration. Attractions for 2019 include: Hide Run, a scare maze where thrill-seekers must evade zombies to escape the maze in a time-based challenge; Clowning Around, a circus-themed scare maze filled with terrifying clowns new this year; Witch Hunt, a live action scare maze which uses specially-created lighting, audio and other effects as well as the chilling presence of live actors; and a grasshopper-themed family rollercoaster The Creepy Crawler; plus Spooky 3D haunted house. On the 26 and 31 October, Oakwood will host Spooktacular Bites Back, where the park remains open until 8:30pm and guest can enjoy the Halloween attractions, as well as a selection of Oakwood’s regular rides, in the dark.

Pumpkins in the Park

Central Park, Barry

Saturday 26 October, 12pm-5pm

Spooky fun for the family, including pumpkin carving (book in advance), face painting, nerf gun game, spooky Victorian Barry tours, 1pm and 3pm, plus a bar and barbecue.

Room on the Broom and Halloween

Mountain View Ranch, Caerphilly

Saturday 26 October-Friday 1^st November

£7 per person, £27 for a family of four, £33 family of 5, under 2s free.

The Julia Donaldson classic Room on the Broom will be read by Witchy Witch at 11.30am and 1.30pm plus marshmallow toasting at Creepy Creep, a pumpkin trail, high ropes open at £5 a go, plus all the other freerange activities including the Gruffalo trail, fairy woods, Indian village and more.

Half term and Halloween events

Amelia Trust Farm, Barry

Mini beasts and pond dipping

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October

£7.50 per child, plus usual farm entry

Set of an expedition to find an unseen world in Amelia Trust’s woodland and water. Spot some mini beasts scurrying around the woods and delve deep into the pond to discover what’s lurking in the depths. Explorer kits provided for the activity.

Pumpkin patch trail

Saturday 26-Sunday 3 November

£2.50 plus usual entry fee

Find the spooky, silly and spectacular pumpkin faces hiding around the farm. Solve clues to find the faces, collect the letters on each face to spell out the word and claim your prize.

Creepy crawly shows

Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 October, 10.45am and 2pm

£3.50 per person, plus usual farm entry, advance booking recommended

Meet rats, giant African snails, a snake plus others in this family show.

Little Pumpkin Parties

Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 October, 10.30am and 1.30pm, must be pre-booked

£7.50

Two hours of music, bouncy castle, soft play and ball pit, face painting and more for ages 0-11.

Pumpkin quiz trail

Parc Slip Nature Reserve, Bridgend

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27, Tuesday 29 October-Friday 1 November, 11am-3pm

£2 per child; ages 5+

A spooky pumpkin quiz trail around the reserve with a prize for each completed trail.

Woodland Magic

Raglan Castle

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October, 11am-4pm

Adults £7.30, children 5-17 £4.40, under 5s free family (2+3) £21.20

A magical celebration of autumn with Halloween fun plus wildlife and woodland-themed displays and activities.

Spooky Halloween Week

Blaenavon Ironworks

Saturday 26-Thursday 31 October

Adults £5.80, children 5-17 £3.50, under 5s free, family (2+3) £16.80

Saturday 16-Wednesday 30 October

Hear the Yarn Spinner tell spooky Welsh legends and see a puppet show.

Thursday 31 October

Hear spooky Welsh tales, legends and songs in our cottages from storyteller Cath Little.

Plus 10am-4pm, a children’s trail with a chocolate prize in the spookily-themed cottages.

Halloween Trails and Fake Wounds

Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths

Monday 28-Thursday 31 October, 10am-4pm

Adults £4.20, children £2.50, family (3+2) £12.20 plus £1 per activity

Children can earn a treat by completing a spooky trail around the 2000-year-old remains. Museum custodians will also be on hand to apply fake wound makeup, be it a Dracula bite or a werewolf scratch.

Spooky Halloween trail

Chepstow Castle

Saturday 26-Thursday 31 October, 9.30am-5pm

Adults £7.30, children 5-17 £4.40, under 5s free family (2+3) £21.20

A spooky Halloween trail around Chepstow Castle, suitable for children of all ages.

FREE Making Spider Hats

Glanfa Foyer, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay

Saturday 26 October, 11am-4pm

A free craft session for families, where you can create your own spider hat ready for Halloween

Spooky Science / The Science of Fear / Star Tours / Walking With Ghosts

Techniquest, Cardiff Bay

Saturday 26 October-Sunday 3 November

As well as all the hands-on science exhibits, Techniquest has live science show Spooky Science running in the science theatre and included in ticket price, featuring a self-carving pumpkin, a coin screaming and more; plus The Science of Fear (age 12+; £1.50 extra), a planetarium show which examines how and why we react to danger and scares; Star Tours (under 12s; £1.50 extra) where you’ll find out more about some familiar constellations and planets; plus Walking With Ghosts (ages 5-8, £3.50 extra) a one-hour activity where you will navigate through a field of ghosts, develop a chemical communication system and find the code to unlock the mystery box as you hunt for Techniquest’s friendly phantom. Please note Techniquest is undergoing redevelopment work so some areas are closed to the public.

Pumpkin Carving

Dyffryn Gardens, St Nicholas, Vale of Glamorgan

Saturday 26-Thursday 31 October November, 11am-4pm

Adults £12.10, children £6.05, family £31 or free for National Trust members; plus £4 per pumpkin

Carve the scariest, funniest or silliest pumpkin this October and take it home for your garden.

Pumpkin carving

Tredegar House, Newport

Friday 25-Thursday 31 October, 11am-3pm

Adults £11.20, children £5.60, family £28 or free for National Trust members; plus £4 per pumpkin

Get your spooky creation ready for Halloween. Expected to be busy so timed sessions will be allocated on arrival. To avoid disappointment, arrive early.

Ghost Train

Blaenavon Railway

Saturday 26, Sunday 27, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 October, 4pm-9pm

£6 per person

Trains will run from the Spooky Furnace Sidings station at regular intervals from 4pm through to 9pm. Spooky fancy dress encouraged – be prepared to be scared.

Calan Gaeaf / Harvest

Aberdulais Tin Works and Waterfall, Neath Port Talbot

Saturday 26 October-Friday 1 November

Adults £6.50, children £3.25, family £16.25

Discover the origins of Celtic Halloween with daily activities including Calan Gaeaf mask making, and a unique trail to discover Welsh Halloween traditions and legends. Events are free but usual admission applies.

PLUS Noson Galan Gaeaf

Thursday 31 October, 5.30pm-8pm

Explore the Tinworks by lantern light and discover the Welsh traditions of Calan Gaeaf. Make a spooky mask to ward off the Aberdulais witches, craft paper bats, and learn about Celtic Halloween, ‘Calan Gaeaf. Head back to the traditional Welsh roots, celebrating harvest, the Celtic superstitions and legends. Discover the origins of turnip carving, the Welsh version of pumpkin carving.

Create a Party: Halloween Party

Christ Church Hall, Lake Road North

Monday 28 October, 2pm-4pm

£7 per child; £5 for siblings; ages 3-6

Activities include wand making, spooky cake decorating, potion making and more. Plus Liz from Create a Party will be on hand to explain more about her new business, which hires out themed free-play packages designed to make it easy for people to set up and host the party themselves.

Margam Country Park, Port Talbot

FREE Planetarium Day

Monday 28 October, 11am-3pm

Learn about astronomy from the experts at Usk Astronomical Society, with activities designed to engage children in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

Halloween-themed mask making

Tuesday 29 October, 11am, 12.15pm, 1.45pm and 3pm

£3 per child

Make a Halloween-themed mask in the Castle

Have A Go Archery

Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 October, 11am-4pm

Learn to fire a bow and arrow with the Margam Archers – three arrows for £1.

FREE Autumn Colours

Wednesday 30 October,

Create majestic golden leaf crowns, some exploding art using natural materials, and complete an autumn colour challenge, as well as learning how to help keep wildlife safe and healthy through the colder months.

Children’s Monster Ball at The Orangery

Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 October, 6pm-9pm

Adults £16.95, children £11.95

An evening of family entertainment including DJ, games and activities, photo booth, bobbing for apples, face painting, competition prizes, and more. Hot food included.

FREE Wildlife Walks with Dan

Thursday 31 October, 11am

Explore the park in search of wildlife such as woodpeckers, a heap of different fungi and seek out the park’s deer who will have begun rutting! Places are limited and tickets can be picked up from the car park kiosk on arrival.

Pumpkin Dash with Louby Lou (Storytelling)

Thursday 31 October, 11.30am, 12.45pm, 2pm

£4 per child (advance booking only; almost sold out!)

A spellbinding storytelling adventure, part of which takes place outdoors, as you search for a missing witch, whose broom has had a little accident, and her hidden pumpkins.

FREE Lego Robot Day

Friday 1 November, 11am-3pm

STEM Ambassador hub Wales will show how to use computers to control robots built from Lego. They will show how this relates to automation in industry and help you build and control your own Lego robots. Learn how to make your robot, move, talk, smile and much more.

Wild Things at Halloween

Newport Wetlands

Monday 28 October and Wednesday 30 October, 10.30am-12.30pm

RSPB members £4.40 / non-members £5.50; must be pre-booked

Explore the creepy crawly world of Newport Wetlands woodland. Make a spooktacular den, a magical wand and a smelly autumn potion, as well as making creepy clay faces to create a terrifying tree trunk. Plus a trail of terror to see how many creepy crawlies you can find in the depths of our weird and wonderful woodland.

Vampire School

The Royal Mint Experience, Llantrisant

Monday 28-Thursday 31 October, 11am, 12pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm

£5 per child or free with tour (adults £13, children 5-15 £10.50, under 5s free, family of 4 £38.50); pre-booking essential

Count Dracula invites families to join him at Vampire School, where children will learn how to dress, dance and fly like vampires while learning a little about their real history and having a great deal of fun with our vampire games! Suitable for children aged 4-12 years.

See Arts, crafts and culture section for other non-Halloween events at The Royal Mint Experience.

Halloween Children’s Activities

Llancaiach Fawr, Treharris

Creepy crawlies animal encounters

Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 October

£5 per session, must be pre-booked

Witch Trials in the Manor Court

Tuesday 29-Friday 1 November

Justice 17th-century style with the chance to vote on the outcome of each trial

Usual entry fees apply, adults £8.50, children £6.95, under 5s free, family (2+3) £25

Halloween Events

Cwmcarn Forest, Crosskeys

Pumpkin carving

Tuesday October 29, 11am-3.15pm

£5.50 per child; ages 4+

Create your own spooky carved pumpkin. Four sessions available, booking essential.

Spooky tree mobiles

Wednesday 30 October, 11am-3pm

£4 per child; ages 4+

Make a spooky tree decorated with bats and ghosts. Four sessions available, booking essential.

Hocus Pocus trail

Thursday 31 October, 11am-3pm

£4 per child; ages 3+

Venture into the woods to find all the ingredients for the witches’ potion. Beware though of the scary witch who would love to add you to her cauldron! Price includes prize.

FREE Lantern Making Workshops

The Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay

Tuesday 29-Thursday 31 October, 12pm-4pm

Use leaves and recycled jam jars (why not bring one along with you?) to create a lantern with The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. Children can also learn how to identify leaves and decorate their lanterns with spooky bats. Plus learn how to make your garden more wildlife friendly.

Plus The Green Zone will be open all week from 10am-6pm. Look out for a pair of skeletons relaxing on a boo-tiful 4 metre grass sofa, plus spiders and a pair of wicked witches complete with their cauldron.

Spooktacular

Rhondda Heritage Park

Tuesday 29-Thursday. 31 October, 10am-4pm

£5 per child, accompanying adults free

Pumpkin carving, pumpkin hunt, spooky mask making, Halloween show and entry to the Energy Zone play park are all included in the ticket price. A spooky underground tour costs £2 extra per person, including adults.

Halloween Nights

St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff

Tuesday 29-Thursday 31 October, 6pm-9pm

£13 adults, £10 child (under 16), under 2s free; must be booked in advance.

An evening of family-friendly spooky events for Halloween. Find the ghostly guests walking around the museum, listen to spooky stories at Penrhuw Chapel and around the witch’s cauldron in Oakdale, write your own magic spell in the schoolhouse, drop-in to creepy craft workshops for pumpkin carving, willow wand making and more, plus watch the burning of the Wicker Man.

Halloween activities

Fontygary Leisure Park, Rhoose

Tuesday 29-Thursday 31 October, 10am-4pm

Activities include pumpkin carving, £5; broomstick making, £6; face painting, bouncy castle and daytime spooky disco.

Plus (smaller) Halloween disco Wednesday 30 October, 6pm, £2.

Spooky laser disco, Friday 1 November, 6pm, £4, £15 family of 4.

Spooky Themed Craft

Museum of Cardiff (formerly the Cardiff Story)

Wednesday 30 October, 10am-12pm

£1 per child

A drop-in Halloween-themed craft event. Make something spooky to take home.

FREE Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Museum of Cardiff (formerly the Cardiff Story)

Wednesday 30 October, 1pm-2.30pm

Strange things are happening to the carrots and swedes in the village and it’s down to our two heroes to solve the mystery before the annual vegetable contest is ruined.

Spook School

Pyle Garden Centre, Bridgend

Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 October, 12pm

£10 per child; ages 8 and under

Learn how to become a wizard with casting spells and making broomsticks all included in this non-scary Halloween workshop. Under 8s are invited to one hour of interactive fun, arts and crafts, dancing and singing. There is not room for parents in the events room so children booked must be comfortable being left with the qualified school teacher/children’s entertainer and her team. There are viewing points into the room so that you can check on little ones throughout.

Pumpkin carving

Pettigrew tea room, Bute Park

Thursday 30 October, 10am-12pm

Create your pumpkin carving outside in the heated gazebo, with money going to Heads Above The Waves, a local charity that raises awareness of depression and self-harm in young people.

Medieval Halloween Event

Cosmeston Medieval Village, Penarth

Thursday 31 October, 10am-3pm

£5 per child; age guidance 5-12

Enter the medieval village to search and discover where the Monsters of Mayhem are hiding.

Spooky Succulent Skeletons

Pugh’s Garden Centre, Wenvoe

Thursday 31 October, 1pm and 2pm

£10 per child; age 3+; must be advanced booked

Turn two ordinary plant pots into a spooky skeleton and then plant a succulent inside to give your spooky friend some funky hair. Plus creepy crawlies to meet and a ghost hunt around the centre. Fancy dress encouraged.

Pine Cone Pets

Pugh’s Garden Centre, Wenvoe

Friday 1 November, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm 3pm

£6 per child, ages 3+; must be advanced booked.

Create three pine cone pets – a spider, a bat and an owl perfect for the spooky season. Plus creepy crawlies to meet and a ghost hunt around the centre. Fancy dress encouraged.

Arts, crafts and culture

Slime Workshops

Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay

Saturday 26 October-Sunday 3 November

£8 per child; ages 4+; must be pre-booked

Hosted by The Creation Station, children create their own slime, personalise and embellish it at the Slime Bar, ready to take home in compostable pots, as well as taking part in games such as blowing the biggest bubble, or creating the stretchy-est strand. As well as the 45-minute slime workshops, there will also be a selection of free Play-Doh to play with too.

FREE Making Spider Hats

Glanfa Foyer, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay

Saturday 26 October, 11am-4pm

A free craft session for families, where you can create your own spider hat ready for Halloween

FREE Follow The Fox

Glanfa Foyer, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay

Monday 28 October-Saturday 2 November, 11am-4pm

A free craft activity for families, in conjunction with Welsh National Opera’s augmented reality experience, A Vixen’s Tale (on until TBC). Mother fox has lost her cubs – can you help her find them? Craft yourself an animal disguise, pick up an activity sheet and join in the search.

Gruffalo Workshop and Storytelling

The Royal Mint Experience, Llantrisant

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October, 11am, 12pm, 1.30pm and 4.30pm

£5 per child or free with tour (adults £13, children 5-15 £10.50, under 5s free, family of 4 £38.50); pre-booking essential

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the much-loved Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book with a themed workshop featuring storytelling, games and more.

The Beagle has (nearly) landed

The Royal Mint Experience, Llantrisant

Adults £13, children (5-15) £10.50, under 5s free, family of 4 £38.50

To celebrate 30 years of Wallace and Gromit’s A Grand Day Out, released in November 1989, sets from The Curse of the Were Rabbit and Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention will be on display in The Royal Mint Experience’s exhibition hall. Alongside the sets, trace their journey to stardom, watch an interview with Merlin Crossingam, Wallace & Gromit’s creative director, as well as footage of Aardman animators working on models of the duo.

PLUS: Gromit model making workshop

Friday 1 November

£7.50, must be booked in advance; age 5+

Make your own Gromit with model-making experts from Aardaman in this creative, fun and hands-on workshop.

Antefixa Clay Tile Making

National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon

Thursday 31 October and Saturday 2 November, 11am-1pm

Small charge applies

Antefixas are a Roman tile with a scary face, put on the edge of roofs to scare away evils spirits and offer protection to houses. Make your own to take away this half term.

Spooky Succulent Skeletons

Pugh’s Garden Centre, Wenvoe

Thursday 31 October, 1pm and 2pm

£10 per child; age 3+; must be advanced booked

Turn two ordinary plant pots into a spooky skeleton and then plant a succulent inside to give your spooky friend some funky hair. Plus creepy crawlies to meet and a ghost hunt around the centre. Fancy dress encouraged.

Pine Cone Pets

Pugh’s Garden Centre, Wenvoe

Friday 1 November, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm 3pm

£6 per child, ages 3+; must be advanced booked.

Create three pine cone pets – a spider, a bat and an owl perfect for the spooky season. Plus creepy crawlies to meet and a ghost hunt around the centre. Fancy dress encouraged.

Cardiff Craft Festival

City Hall, Cardiff

Friday 1 and Saturday 2 November, 10am-5pm; Sunday 3 November 10am-4pm

Adult daily ticket, £7, weekend ticket £13. Accompanied children under 18, free

Formally known as Made By Hand Cardiff, Craft Festival Cardiff returns to City Hall for the sixth year running, showcasing more than 130 makers from across Wales and the UK. Meet and buy from jewellers, textile artists, potters, silversmiths, printmakers, sculptors, blacksmiths, furniture makers and glass blowers, as well as take part in workshops that explore a range of materials and techniques and witness inspiring demonstrations. Entry is free for children under 18, with free drop-in children’s workshops provided by Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre.

Museums, castles and historical events

St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff

CoedLan – High Ropes 

Friday 5 April-Sunday 3 November 2019, 10.15am-4.30pm

£10 per person;

Tackle CoedLan’s 18 obstacles, including a balance beam, zig zag bridge, cargo net and a zip wire. No need to book in advance – buy your tickets on the day from the CoedLan desk. However if you’d like to guarantee a spot, you can book in advance by calling 029 2057 3322.

Participants must be 110cm tall and aged 6 or over in order to take part. Children between 110cm and 130cm must be accompanied by an individual over 130cm and aged 12 years old or over. The maximum weight is 18 stone. Read our review of the experience here (paid collaboration as part of our role as family blogger ambassadors with National Museum Wales).

St Fagans Makers Market

Saturday 26 October-Sunday 3 November, 10am-5pm

Pick up something special that you’d never find on the high street. There’s a chance to meet the makers and find out more about their crafts as they run workshops and demonstrations throughout the week. Making activities for children available at some stalls for an additional cost.

Traditional Fairground

Saturday 26 October-Sunday 3 November, 10am-5pm

From £1 per child per ride; ages 2-11

Visit the Traditional Fairground and experience the magic of a bygone era.

FREE Make a Halloween Offering

Monday 28-Thursday 31 October, 12pm-4pm

Burning the Wicker Man is one of the highlights of St Fagans’ Halloween Nights – see more in the Halloween events section above. From Monday to Thursday afternoons, make an offering of a mini wicker person, ready for the flames in these free.

National Museum Cardiff

Museum ExplorAR: A living guide to the galleries

£10 per hour plus refundable deposit

A new way of looking at some of the museum’s most famous exhibits – thought augmented reality (AR) which brings the exhibits to life. Pick up a handset at the museum’s shop and use the handset for Monet’s Waterlilly Garden Experience; Underwater Life Experience; and Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures Experience in either Welsh or English. Read our full review of the AR experience here.

FREE The Fossil Swamp

National Museum Cardiff

Saturday 18 May 2019-Saturday 17 May 2020

Discover what life was like 300 million years ago – before humans, even before dinosaurs – when a vast tropical swamp covered what is now Wales. The Fossil Swamp had monster plants, giant insects, thunderstorms and floods. Beautifully preserved fossils tell us about these ancient tropical wetlands. See the remains of strange plants which lived millions of years before flowers and fruits ever evolved. The prehistoric animals were also very different to those living today. What strange creatures will you find lurking in the swamp?

FREE Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure

Saturday 19 October-Sunday 26 January

Dippy, the Natural History Museum’s iconic Diplodocus dinosaur skeleton, has arrived in Cardiff as part of a UK tour. Dippy is cast from a near complete skeleton discovered in Wyoming, America in 1898. The specimen is made up of 292 bones and is an impressive 21.3 metres long, 4.3 metres wide and 4.25 metres high. Read our review of Dippy here, plus details of Dippy-related special events.

Museum of Cardiff (formerly the Cardiff Story Museum), The Hayes, Cardiff

FREE Where’s Wally? The Big Museum Hunt

Saturday 26-Sunday 3 November,

Organised by Kids in Museums and Walker Books to celebrate the new Where’s Wally? book, Double Trouble at the Museum. Pick up an activity sheet, search for Wally in the museum’s collections, and get a sticker if you do.

FREE Medieval Family Fun Day

Saturday 26 October, 10.30am-3pm

Join members of The De Caversham Household at the museum for a medieval fun day. Meet a soldier from the Hundred Years War and try some of the weapons and armour he uses on the battlefield. Join the ladies of the household and make your own medieval friendship braids to take home.

National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon

The museum reopens after essential roof maintenance on Thursday 26 October

FREE Roman Doctor and Medicines

Saturday 26, Monday 28, Tuesday 29 and Thursday 31 October, 11.30am-12.30pm

Meet the Roman Doctor to hear all about Roman medicines and surgeries from the strange to the gruesome, but beware he doesn’t try some out on you.

FREE Roman Spooky Stories

Saturday 26, Monday 28, Tuesday 29 and Thursday 31 October, 2.30pm-3.30pm

Creepy Roman tales of spooks and hauntings – meet a Roman resident with chilling stories to share.

Halloween Bilingual Activity Day

Wednesday 30 October, 11am-3.30pm

A bilingual day of haunting Halloween activities delivered in both Welsh and English Languages. Meet the Roman Doctor to hear all about Roman medicines; listen to creepy Roman tales of spooks and hauntings; chat to the Roman soldier in the barrack room and find out more about his life; plus from 11am-1pm you can make an Antefixa clay tile (small charge applies). Antefixas are Roman tiles with a scary face that were put on the edge of roofs to scare away evils spirits and offer protection to houses. See website for timings of events.

Antefixa Clay Tile Making

Thursday 31 October and Saturday 2 November, 11am-1pm

Small charge applies

Antefixas are a Roman tile with a scary face, put on the edge of roofs to scare away evils spirits and offer protection to houses. Make your own to take away this half term.

FREE Meet a Roman Soldier

Thursday 31 October–Saturday 2 November, 2pm-4pm

Chat to the Roman soldier in the barrack room to find out more about the life of a Roman soldier in Isca.

FREE Digi Dig 1926 Roman Discovery Trail

Monday 16 September 2019-Wednesday 16 September 202

Use the App to explore the amphitheatre and barracks at Caerleon. Follow clues and meet historical characters to help you discover the Museum’s treasures where they were once found. Finding them all will unlock a virtual National Roman National Roman Legion Museum.

Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon

FREE Virtual Reality Experience

Tuesday 2 April 2019-Thursday 2 April 2020, 9.30am-5pm

Featuring real characters from Blaenavon’s industrial past, the Time Travel in the Blaenavon World Heritage experience uses audio storytelling and three-dimensional technology to display the town’s rich industrial history through three virtual reality films ― showcasing life at Big Pit, the town primary school and the home of a local family in Blaenavon Heritage Town. Using smart devices, the immersive content can be viewed at three iconic locations across the internationally celebrated region, including Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon World Heritage Centre and Blaenavon Heritage Town, which all feature in the immersive films.

The films can be viewed with or without an accompanying VR headset, which are available to borrow from Big Pit National Coal Museum (deposit of £5 required) or Blaenavon World Heritage Centre or can be simply viewed using a mobile phone.  Plus, visitors can revisit the on-site experience and view the digital package at home using a desktop browser. Read our review here (paid collaboration with Big Pit National Coal Museum).

FREE Yama – The mining art of Sakubei Yamamoto

15 September 2019–30 September 2020

Japanese in style but recognisable to us here in Wales as a mining nation, this is a collection of art works from Sakubei Yamamoto (1892-1984). He worked in the mines from the age of 12 until the age of 63 and although he had little formal education, he kept notebooks and diaries in which he recorded events. These influenced his later painting

FREE Family of Miners Exhibition

Until 30 December, 9.30am-5pm

A photographic exhibition by Walter Waygood documenting mining and miners of Blaenaon from the 1970s onwards.

FREE The Winding Engine

Winding House Museum, New Tredegar

Saturday 26 October; 12pm

The Winding House Museum is built on the site of the former Elliot Colliery and its centre-piece is the original Victorian winding engine. This remarkable piece of machinery was used to operate the cages that transported men and coal between the surface and the mine below. The museum’s dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers maintain and run the engine for the public on the last Saturday of the month.

Nature-themed, the great outdoors plus animal encounters

Autumn apprentice trail

Dyffryn Gardens, St Nicholas, Vale of Glamorgan

Saturday 26 October-Sunday 3 November, 10am-3pm

Adults £12.10, children £6.05, family £31

See if you have what it takes to be a Dyffryn gardener by having a go at some typical garden tasks completed at this time of year such as raking leaves and identifying plants. See Halloween events section for other seasonal activities. The event is free but usual admission applies.

PLUS

Make It Mondays

Monday 28 October, 12pm-3pm

Take part in a craft activity every Monday during Vale of Glamorgan school holidays. The event is free but usual admission applies.

Fangtastc Fun plus Wild Walk, 

Parc Play, Cardiff

Tuesday 29 October-Friday 1 November, 11am-3.30pm

Spooky-themed activities as above plus meet Wild Walk – step into a unique encounter with some of nature’s scariest animals.

Booking advised. See Halloween section for more spooky events at Parc Play.

Creepy Crawlies

Cardiff Castle

Tuesday 29 October and Friday 1 November, 10.15am, 11.30am, 12.45pm

£5; book in advance

Close encounters with real creepy crawlies, getting up close and personal with maggots and frogs, lizards and snakes.

Spider Encounter

Cardiff Castle

Tuesday 29 October and Friday 1 November, 2.30pm

£7; book in advance

An in-depth insight into the fascinating creatures, plus the chance to test your nerves by seeing how it feels to hold a tarantula.

FREE Making Hedgehog Houses

Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff

Friday 1 November 10.30am-3.30pm

Hedgehogs look for cosy warm places to curl and hibernate for the winter. Come along and learn how to make a hedgehog home from recycled materials and willow at this drop-in workshop.

FREE Autumn Wildlife Day

Bute Park Education Centre, Cardiff

Friday 1 November, 10.30am-3pm

A day of wildlife-themed activities, from leaf safaris, colour trails and guided walks outside to unusual wildlife exhibits and art and craft inside the centre.

FREE Wild Challenge

Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff

Saturday 2 November, 10am-2pm

RSPB Cymru Giving Nature A Home in Cardiff

Hands-on nature-based activities for families with RSPB Cymru Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff.

Arts, theatre and performance

Drudwen

Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay

Friday 26 October 7pm; Saturday 27 October 2pm and 7pm

Age guidance: 7+ (no under 2s)

Adults £12, children £7

Circus, movement and music tell the twisting story of the enchantress Drudwen, and the twins she finds in the forest who are not all that they appear to be… Drudwen is a dark modern fairy tale, a magical story of transformation, choice and consequence. With stunning aerial circus, hilarious physical comedy and captivating live music, Drudwen is a feast for the senses.

Also at Riverfront Arts Centre Newport, Thursday 7 and Friday 8 November. See below for details.

I Wish I Was A Mountain

Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay

Tuesday 29 Friday 1 November, 11am; plus Tuesday 7pm

Age guidance: 6+ (no under 2s)

Written and performed by former Glastonbury Poetry Slam Champion, Toby Thompson, I Wish I Was A Mountain uses rhyme, live music, and just a smattering of metaphysical philosophy to boldly reimagine Hermann Hesse classic fairy tale. On the day of the famous annual fair, the town of Faldum receives an unexpected visit. A wanderer offers to grant a wish to anyone who wants one. Before long, the city is transformed. Mansions stand where mud huts once squatted, and beggars ride around in horse drawn carriages. And one man wishes to be turned into a mountain.

See here for tour dates across Wales in October and November.

Baba Yaga

Blackwood Miners’ Institute

Wednesday 30 October, 11am and 1.30pm

£6.25

Age guidance: 7-12

This new take on an old Russian folktale will give audiences plenty to think about. Vaselina lives the quiet life, working as a receptionist in a very tall apartment block. But all that changes when she is forced to confront a terrifying resident who plays her music far too loudly and eats jelly babies with her mouth open. Who is this mysterious neighbour? Will she ever turn the music down? And what exactly is she planning for dinner?

The Mystery Of The Raddlesham Mumps

Richard Burton Theatre, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff

Thursday 31 October 7pm

£8

After a series of untimely deaths, 7-year-old Crispin inherits a huge, empty house called Raddlesham Mumps.  The butler tells him about the bizarre and hilarious deaths of his deeply eccentric ancestors and the story takes flight on darkly comic wings. This brand-new show for children began its life as a 6000-word epic family poem and mixes dark storytelling and poetry with a brilliant score, which will make you and your family shudder and laugh out loud. Halloween fancy dress encouraged!

What a Wonderful World

Blackwood Miners’ Institute

Thursday 31 October, 2pm and 4pm

£6

Age guidance: 2-6 years

Before anything new is made it must be dreamed. From our moon-base in the Sea of Tranquility we get a great view of the Earth and it’s time to make a new one just like we do every night! What shall we put in tomorrow’s world? Snowballs and flamingos of course!

Get your hands on the stuff of creation on this interactive romp through the universe, designed to delight and entertain even the smallest of people.

Oskar’s Amazing Adventure

Memo Arts Centre, Barry

Friday 1 November, 2pm

£7

Age guidance: ages 2-8.

This original play for young children uses a rich mix of storytelling, physical theatre, clowning, puppetry and music and song to tell the tale of a puppy’s search for friendship in the wilderness of the Alps. Fun-loving puppy Oskar leaves the snowbound little house on top of the mountain to try to find a friendly animal to play with. But where are all the animals? And why does Oskar have to wait till spring to play his favourite game again? The performance lasts 35 minutes followed by a 10 minute playtime, where the children can meet the performer and play with the animal puppets from the play.

London Sinfonietta: Family Concert

Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff

Friday 1 November, 1.15pm

£8 on the day, £6 in advance

Ages 7-11

Join the world-famous London Sinfonietta as they delve into the mesmerising world of minimalist music in a family concert suitable for children aged 7-11 years, and featuring music by composers Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Get stuck in with the musicians, make music on the spot, and go home with some new tricks for any budding composers in the family!

13 The Musical

St Donats Arts Centre, Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan

Friday 1 November, 7pm; Saturday 2 November 2pm and 7pm

Adults £10, children £8

Stage Door One Youth Theatre present this musical about fitting in – and standing out. Geek. Poser. Jock. Beauty Queen. Wannabe. These are the labels that can last a lifetime. With an unforgettable rock score from Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, (Parade, The Last Five Years, Bridges Of Madison County) this is a high energy musical from a talented and dedicated young cast.

The Bear

Richard Burton Theatre, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama

Sunday 3 November, 2pm

£10

Age 3+

Based on the book by Raymond Briggs and adapted for the stage by Pins and Needles Productions, this is a beautifully poignant show for young theatregoers. One night when she’s fast asleep, Tilly is visited by an enormous bear. It has a big black tongue and a yawn as big as your head. But Tilly’s not scared. Join Tilly and her great big white friend on a wild and magical adventure featuring dazzling puppetry, delicious music and dozens of laughs. We’ve seen this show previously and loved it. Read our of The Bear review here.

Cinema and film

I’m focusing on special film events and cheap family screenings at holidays and weekends here, rather than regular cinema screenings.

You can see family-friendly films showing this October half term in my round up here.

FREE Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Museum of Cardiff (formerly the Cardiff Story)

Wednesday 30 October, 1pm-2.30pm

Strange things are happening to the carrots and swedes in the village and it’s down to our two heroes to solve the mystery before the annual vegetable contest is ruined.

Odeon Kids

Odeon Cinema, The Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay

The 10am weekend and school holiday showings are £2.50 per person. Films to be announced; films are usually a few months old rather than new releases.

Movies for Juniors

Cineworld, Mary Ann Street, Cardiff

The 10am weekend and school holiday Movies for Juniors showings are just £2 per person. Check online for schedule; films are usually a few months old rather than new releases.

Mini Mornings

Vue Cinema, Millennium Plaza, Cardiff

The 10am weekend and school holiday Movies for Juniors showings are just £2.49 per person. Check online for schedule; films are usually a few months old rather than new releases.

Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff

A different family film every week

£4/£3 booked in advance; see website for full listings.