Spook-Fest runs 10 to 31 October at Aldenham Country Park. The farm pass starts at £7.95, but pumpkins, the tractor ride and the scarecrow shows skip some days.

Spook-Fest 2026 runs from Saturday 10 October to Saturday 31 October at Aldenham Country Park, Aldenham Road, Elstree WD6 3BA. It is on sale now, and it runs on all 22 days.

The park describes it as spooky rather than terrifying, and pitches it at all ages.

What the ticket covers

A Spook-Fest Farm Pass from £7.95 buys entry to the farm and everything themed inside it:

  • The Aldenham Mausoleum and the Spooky Shack.
  • The pumpkin hunt, giant puzzles, mini tractor play, the bouncy castle and the dance tunnel.
  • The animals, as on any normal farm day.

Two things are extra and are added to the farm pass at booking, not bought on their own:

  • Pumpkin picking, from £4.95, which includes access to the carving marquee.
  • The Horrid Hay tractor ride, from £3.50, a route round the farm past the scarecrows.

The trap: half the attractions do not run on half the days

This is the part the park states clearly and people still miss. Only the farm pass covers all 22 days.

  • Pumpkin picking: 10 and 11 October, then every day from 17 to 31 October. It is not available from 12 to 16 October.
  • The Horrid Hay tractor ride: 17 and 18 October, then 24 to 31 October only.
  • The scarecrow characters, interactive shows and pop-up activities: the same nine days, 17 and 18 October and 24 to 31 October.

We checked this against the booking system rather than taking the wording on trust. Ask it for Tuesday 13 October and the two paid extras come back as “Check Availability” while the farm pass is straightforwardly available; ask it for Saturday 17 October and all three are bookable.

If the pumpkin patch is the point of the trip, do not go in the middle of the first full week.

Parking, payment and dogs

  • The car park is charged separately from your ticket and it is a fixed daily charge whatever time you spend there. £4.50 on weekdays in school term, £5.50 at weekends and in the holidays.
  • Hertfordshire’s autumn half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, so the last full week of Spook-Fest is £5.50 every day.
  • Pay by contactless card or phone at the exit barrier. If you pre-book parking with your farm pass, collect a token at the farm shop when you check in. Seasonal permits are £200 to £350 and are non-refundable.
  • The park is predominantly cashless. Cash is taken only in the farm shop and at the two catering outlets, the Clock House Kiosk and the Warm Welcome Cafe.
  • Dogs are welcome on leads in the park, but not on the farm’s signposted areas or in any child play area including the adventure playground.
  • Coaches are strictly by pre-arrangement.

The park itself opens every day from 9am and 100 Aker Wood is free to walk. The adventure playground and the SEND pavilion open Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays only, the playground 11am to 4pm and the pavilion 9am to 4pm. The Warm Welcome Cafe is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The park says advance tickets are generally cheaper than walk-ins, and that on some event days it admits ticket holders only, which it flags on its home page. Book ahead.

What follows it

Winter-Fest 2026 takes over from Saturday 28 November. The Winter Farm Pass is on sale for every day from 28 November to 3 January from £6.95, and covers the elf hunt, the play barn, the bouncy castle, the dance tunnel, Santa-Oke and a meet and greet with Christmas Pooh on selected times.

Santa’s Magical Grotto is a separate booking from £31.85 and runs every weekend from 28 November to 20 December, then daily from 21 to 24 December. Each grotto slot includes two adults free, caps at four adults and four children, and automatically adds the farm pass. Your slot is your grotto entry time, so arrive at the farm at least 15 minutes before it. There is a note in the terms that late arrivals cannot be admitted or refunded.

That makes the park the reliable Santa option in the borough, given that Borehamwood and Radlett have both published free grottos at their switch-on events but no 2026 dates.

Getting there

Aldenham Road runs between Elstree and Bushey and the entrance is signed off it. The park is not on a station. Hertsmere’s own car parks and their tariff are on our parking page, though the country park charges its own fee at its own barrier. Several closures are live around the borough this autumn: see the roadworks and travel page before you drive.

Enquiries: 0208 953 9602, info@aldenhamcountrypark.co.uk.

Sources checked 5 September 2026: the park’s own Spook-Fest and Winter-Fest pages plus its opening times and FAQ pages, plus its Checkfront booking inventory for 13 and 17 October and 5 and 22 December; Hertfordshire County Council’s school term dates for 2026-27.