We returned to Marsh Farm, where we had previously gone to pick pumpkins, for their annual Halloween Festival – an impressive event which has a lot more going on than any of us expected.
Even though the days seem to be getting shorter, and the temperature keeps dropping, it’s more important than ever to make sure that you get out of the house when you can. We’d already travelled to pick pumpkins at Marsh Farm’s impressive Pumpkin Village earlier in the month, and while there we noticed that there was actually much more to the place than a village shop and extremely well laid-out and decorated pumpkin patch. We spotted an entryway reminiscent of theme park booths, and what looked like a carousel. We had to go back and see the whole thing – so we set a day aside and headed there on a quiet Sunday.
As it turned out, their Halloween Festival was actually a kind of ‘best of’ of several places that we’d been over the last year. There were the obligatory farmyard animals, but they also ran shows throughout the day, including things like ferret racing. There was also a walkway where various small birds were free to fly around you, the kids thought this was great, and there were some lovely birds on show. Of course, at this time of year, there was also the pumpkin village, but we’d already been around that previously. Although, it should be stated that each child who attended the festival qualified for a free pumpkin. Much like the pumpkin village, there were lots of spaces for people to take pictures; In front of giant spiders, tractors, or hay-bale-based displays.
There was, however, much more going on as well. There were meet and greets going on around the park, including a fortune teller and a mascot pumpkin – a vampire and a pair of witches also made their way around the park, greeting people and cracking jokes. There were also two haunted houses, one a ride on and one on foot. It’s definitely worth noting that the on-foot haunted house was definitely quite scary for kids, while the ride-on has a moment where it jolts to a halt on a decline, which was very sudden. In addition to this, there was also a carousel, some tea-cups, dodgems and a single-rail ride-on. None of these rides, or meet and greets, had separate charges, so the children were free to go on the rides as much as they wish. There was also a 3D Halloween cinema which showed a short, 3D movie – the queues for this were quite long, but we managed to sneak into one near the end of the day.
Outside of the rides and shows, there were two large climbing parks – and an indoor one, although we didn’t get to go there – and bounce pillows. I’d not actually seen these before this year, but they seem to be cropping up everywhere now. Kids love them and they seem to be much safer than bouncy castles if that’s a concern.
In addition to this, there was a Trick or Treat hunt, however, this closed before we could hand in our answers for it. There was also a ride-on section for smaller kids AND a crazy golf course which we ran out of time to try – phew. Oh, and I almost completely forgot to mention that they had an adventure maze too – a small one, but definitely worth a quick run around for little legs.
Finally, the little farm shop that I mentioned seeing when we first visited Marsh Farm was actually extended with a couple of large, circus-style tents. While it seemed a little premature, there were some absolutely massive displays of Christmas decorations, stocking and stocking fillers. Perfect if you’re ready to put the Halloween decorations to bed, although, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, we’re not quite there yet.
In all, we had a great time at the Halloween Festival. There was a decent amount of care taken by the staff and park to ensure that social distancing was in place, and rides were being cleaned on a regular basis. The staff were also fully kitted out in PPE. A nice touch was that the wristband you receive when entering the park has room to write a contact number, if you normally let your kids go off on their own. Mine were more than happy with heading around with the adults, but it’s a nice touch.
This post is a part of our Blogtober series, all with a Halloween or Autumn theme.
That looks like a fabulous day out, so much to do and see. We have missed our usual Halloween activities on the farm this year as the event was cancelled thanks to COVID.
Aww that’s a shame!