As the nights draw in and the transitory gloom begins to settle lower above Greater Manchester, October offers its usual reprieve: Spooky Season has arrived, and with it a sudden, astonishingly broad selection of pumpkin patches across the region.
From Oldham to Cheshire, here are some of the best gourd-grabbing hotspots around the city this month.
Brookheys Farm in Dunham Massey will be opening its pumpkin patch up to the public. Admission is £3 for kids, £4 for adults (pumpkin not included), and that includes a tractor and tailor ride to and from the car park, use of the farm’s wheelbarrows, access to the Maize maze and plenty of brand-new photo opportunities.
Lancaster Park’s Halloween on the Farm promises pumpkin picking and carving, a haunted house, stories from the Wicked Witch, animal petting, mini quad bikes, a pirate shootout, pictures with some ominously advertised ‘Giant Spooky Friends’ and, somehow, much more in the Chadderton farm’s festive answer to Alton Towers.
Nestled inside the enormous Reddish Vale Country Park, the serene suburban farm hosts pumpkin picking, an indoor play barn, witches and wizard shows, a haunted tractor ride and more alongside its usual fun farm activities as part of their Halloween Festival, which runs from Sat 12 Oct – Thu 31 Oct.
Featuring farm staff in elaborate costumes, presumably outside harvest season, a children’s fancy dress competition, a ‘spooky sweet hunt’ and ticket prices per pumpkin rather than per person, the Bolton farm’s Pumpkin Picking and Halloween Special events take place from Sat 19 Oct – Thu 31 Oct.
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Tue 15 Oct 2024
Nine miles east of the city centre, Cockfields Farm is a seasonal idyll with an extensive array of family-friendly entertainment alongside its pumpkin patch. Running from Sat 12 Oct – Thu 31 Oct there’ll be a Haunted Hayride, a chance to meet the reptiles, Outdoor play areas, a fairground Carousel and more.