23 Oct 2023
The horrifying highlight of this Halloween has to be a day out at Willows Activity Farm, where your little monsters can enjoy a packed programme of chills and thrills.
There are still plenty of days left to enjoy the annual Pumpkin Festival, which runs until Halloween itself on Tuesday October 31, and with many local schools enjoying an inset day on Monday, it could be the perfect way to wrap up the half-term hols.
We sent eager St Albans Times cub reporter Connie Childs down to the pumpkin patch to choose a suitably ghastly gourd to shape into a Jack O’Lantern – taking her pick from the thousands growing wild in the fields.
But she couldn’t be tempted to visit the Carving Cavern to get her hands stuck into the actual creation of her lantern, being overwhelmed by the vast range of other activities on offer this spooky season. (I guess that means Daddy will have to do it later!)
Although Willows has always made the most out of Halloween, it seems as though this year they’ve really upped the stakes – perhaps in preparation for any vampire visits over the coming week!
This year’s Pumpkin Festival also includes a free funfair as part of the admission, ensuring all treats and no tricks, and a visit to the Gourds Grotto, where you can snap a photo with a weird and wonderful array of squashes, gourds and pumpkins all grown on the site. It was genuinely comparable in quality to the annual Santa Spectacular, and what a great idea it was to do something similar ahead of Christmas!
For the craftier kids, there is a chance to make a Halloween decoration – choosing from the likes of a ghost, pumpkin or bat – which you can colour in and add googly eyes for that extra touch.
The Halloween funfair features a balloon ride, runaway train and Disney Cars ride, and although you’re likely to experience queues depending on the time of day, it’s all very well organised with staff on hand to check the heights of riders and keep things moving as quickly as possible. There’s also a Halloween silent disco, and specially themed shows featuring Peter Rabbit and his pals.
There are also inflatable slides, trampolines and bouncy castles, although the recent inclement weather meant it was impossible to keep them completely dry, so bringing a change of clothes is advisable.
All the other standard Willows attractions were also open, including panning for gold, the ever-challenging soft play, and the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground. Make sure you leave time for a ride on Tristan the Tractor Ride – who is still singing educational songs while making his way around the site – as it gives you a chance to check out the Halloween decorations scattered across the farm.
Having not visited for a while, it was noticeable that the whole venue appears to have undergone a spruce-up and lick of paint, the coffee machine in the café has been upgraded to include alternative milks, and the tables and chairs in the soft play are all new.
Connie was so excited by the wide choice of different activities that she spent her day running full pelt between them, which had its benefits come the evening when she crashed out exhausted at bedtime.
You can still purchase tickets to this year’s festival at https://www.willowsactivityfarm.com/events/pumpkin-festival/
