Herefordshire half term is 26 to 30 October 2026. The Courtyard family festival peaks on the Wednesday, and no trains run Hereford to Worcester all week.
October half term in Herefordshire runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, so most children are off from Saturday 24 October and back on Monday 2 November. Two things shape the week locally: the Courtyard’s family festival, which packs most of its events into Wednesday 28 October, and a week-long closure of the railway between Worcester and Hereford.
The quick answer
- Half term: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for council schools, Bluecoat, Whitecross and the Hereford Marches Federation academies. Hereford Cathedral School is off for two weeks, from 17 October to 1 November.
- No trains between Hereford and Worcester all week. Buses replace trains from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, and London trains start and end at Worcester Shrub Hill.
- The Courtyard’s Family Festival has shows from £9 and a string of £1 to £3 activities, mostly on Wednesday 28 October.
Half term dates by school
The council’s term dates page sets half term as Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. Some schools add a day either side:
| School | Off from | Back on |
|---|---|---|
| Council-maintained schools | Sat 24 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat | Fri 23 Oct (INSET) | Mon 2 Nov |
| Hereford Marches Federation academies | Fri 23 Oct (INSET) | Mon 2 Nov |
| Whitecross Hereford | Sat 24 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| Hereford Cathedral School | Sat 17 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
| Hereford Sixth Form College | Fri 23 Oct | Mon 2 Nov |
Sources: Bluecoat, HMFA, Whitecross, Hereford Cathedral School, Hereford Sixth Form College. The full year, with Christmas and INSET days, is in our Herefordshire school term dates page.
What is on: the Courtyard Family Festival
The Courtyard on Edgar Street has published a sea-themed half term programme under its Family Festival banner. Every item below is from the Courtyard’s own event pages, read on 25 September.
| Day | Event | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 24 Oct, 11am | The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Garlic Theatre puppets and live music, 45 mins | £9 |
| Tue 27 Oct, 11am | The Witch Who Couldn’t Sleep, a story-time musical, 50 mins | £9 |
| Tue 27 Oct, 10.30am | Spirit of the Sea inclusive workshop for young people with SEND, ages 8 to 15, book by email | See listing |
| Wed 28 Oct, 11.30am | Ahoy There! Family Ceilidh, 45 mins | £1 |
| Wed 28 Oct | Little Play World, pop-up role-play village for ages 0 to 8 | £3 |
| Wed 28 Oct | Drama Tots: Underwater Adventure | £3 |
| Wed 28 Oct | Spirit of the Sea drawing workshop | £2 |
| Wed 28 Oct, 1.30pm | Tiddler (U), a relaxed 23-minute first cinema trip | Free |
| Wed 28 Oct, 3pm | The Storm Whale, storybook concert for ages 3 to 7 | £5 to £8 |
| Wed 28 Oct, 3pm | Splash! Crash! Have a Bash! music-making workshop | £1 |
| Wed 28 Oct, 3pm | Shark Tale (U) family screening | £1.50 |
| Wed 28 Oct, 4pm | Silent disco, biscuit decorating and face painting | £1 disco |
| Thu 29 Oct, 11am | Clare and Cory Share a (Glorious) Story, Really Big Pants Theatre, 45 mins | £9 |
| Sat 31 Oct, 11am | Halloween Family Rave, dress up, 1 hour | £6 |
On 25 September the ceilidh, the music workshop and the silent disco were already flagged “last few tickets”.
The Courtyard is also screening Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (U) from 17 October to 1 November, with tickets at £9 to £9.50, and there is a relaxed screening listed separately.
Travel: the railway is shut to Worcester
National Rail’s notice says no trains will run between Worcester Foregate Street and Great Malvern or Hereford from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, with buses replacing them between Worcester, Great Malvern and Hereford (National Rail).
- GWR London trains via Oxford will run between London Paddington and Worcester Shrub Hill only. Tickets are valid on the replacement buses.
- West Midlands Railway trains to Birmingham will not reach Hereford; buses cover the gap.
- Transport for Wales trains towards Newport and Cardiff are also affected late at night. On Sunday 25 October the 20:30 Manchester to Cardiff terminates at Hereford with a bus onwards (National Rail), and some late-night and early-morning trains via Abergavenny are retimed from Monday to Thursday (National Rail).
The notices published so far for the line south through Abergavenny cover late-night trains only. For the normal timetable see Hereford train times to London, and for road closures see Hereford roadworks and travel.
Other things to know that week
- The tips are on winter hours from 1 October: 8am to 4pm, bookings required. See Hereford tip opening times.
- Bonfire Night is the weekend after half term. The St Michael’s Hospice fireworks at Hereford Racecourse are on Saturday 7 November; details on our Hereford fireworks page.
- Parking for the Courtyard and the city centre is covered on our parking in Hereford page.
Still to be confirmed
Herefordshire’s museums, the cathedral and the county’s English Heritage sites had not published any half term events for 2026 when we checked on 25 September. We will look again in mid October and add what they announce.
Have your say