Join us for some frightfully good family fun at Mansfield Palace Theatre and Mansfield Museum this October half term
We know, we know! It doesn’t seem like two minutes since the new school shoes and pencil cases were packed into the new rucksack, but blink, you’ve missed a few weeks and it will be October half term!
As always, we have you covered here at Mansfield Palace Theatre and Mansfield Museum with a mix of creepy crafts, fangtastic films and spooky shows coming up to entertain the whole family during the October half term break.
Tom Fletcher’s There’s a Monster in Your Show leaps from page to stage on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 October with tickets from £14.50. Expect plenty of playful fun for your littlest ones as their favourite characters come to life in a show that is packed with interactive moments to enjoy together.
This October half term Mansfield market place and town will be transformed with an art installation featuring the words of young people. Look out for flags, banners and digital screens as they takeover town in Refresh, from Saturday 21 October to Friday 3 November.
The Garden in My Living Room is a community touring show, perfect for families looking for something local and low cost during the holidays, and kids who find big theatres a bit much. Ali and Spencer are bored inside, but soon a gifted seed sends them on an adventure to grow the best plant they’ve ever seen. Where might their imagination take them? Catch the show at Switch Up Community Hub (Tuesday 24 October), Warsop Methodist Church Hall (Wednesday 25 October), Mansfield Museum (Thursday 26 October) or South Mansfield Community Centre (Friday 27 October). Tickets are just £6 per child with one accompanying adult free, under 2s are also free.
I Spy with my Little Eye comes to the Palace stage Monday 23 October, suitable for ages two years and above. Molly and Bingo the puppy are having a birthday party and, best of all, you're invited! Join them for a treasure hunt, singalong songs and lots of games. Get tickets for just £6 adult / £5 child using the code ‘familyfun’.
Win theatre tickets in our Family Quizzes at the museum on Tuesday 24 October! Bookings are essential for our 11am Disney themed quiz for under 10s and 1pm Stranger Things themed quiz for 12 years and over. Entry is £10 per team with a minimum of two children.
We have two low cost film screenings with Coco on Tuesday 24 October and The Nightmare Before Christmas on Wednesday 25 October. Just £3 per child with 2 free adults.
Show off your artistic skills in our Pumpkin Carving Workshops throughout Thursday 26 October. The cost is just £5 per child (adult supervision required).
Join us for two performances of Halloween Spooktacular on Friday 27 October if you dare! Kirsty, Jake and Melissa are determined to win first prize in their school project competition and have managed to find their way to a derelict castle to discover more about the history behind the ruins. But all is not as it seems as their quest is interrupted by ghosties, ghoulies and things that go bump in the night! Tickets start at £14.
Come along and create your own spooky story in our Halloween Workshop on Tuesday 31 October including having your face painted ready to go out trick or treating! Suitable for ages five and above, adult supervision not required, only £5 per child.
Joss Arnott Dance present The Tin Man (suitable for over seven year olds) on Thursday 2 November on the main theatre stage. Join us for a magical new retelling of a classic story, seen through the rusty eyes of the Tin Man and their journey to finding their heart and happiness. Grab exclusive £7 adult / £5 child offer tickets by quoting ‘family fun’ online or at Box Office. The museum are running Tin Man themed craft sessions before the show so make a mask to wear for the performance to impress the Lion and the Scarecrow!
Our Guy Fawkes Workshop on Friday 3 November will explore the myths around Guy Fawkes and why we celebrate Bonfire Night in a fun family workshop. Suitable for five years and over, adult supervision not required, £5 per child.
Jill Murphy’s beautiful book, Peace at Last, is brought to life at Mansfield Museum on Sunday 5 and Monday 6 November. Grab your tickets for just £6 per child with under twos and adults attending for free.
As if that’s not enough, you can join us at Mansfield Museum from Tuesdays to Fridays for the usual free daily half term activities too! Themes trails and craft activities will focus on The Tin Man, The History of Chocolate, Halloween and Black History Month so come along, get involved and learn something along the way.
We’re also classing October half term as ‘Farewell Fortnight’ for a special friend, as our recycling robot Ed from the Xplor Active exhibition is heading into retirement soon. Don’t miss out on your last chance to see him in the place he has called home since 2004, and if you have any memories or photos – perhaps you were at our opening day, or visited with school in the early 2000s - we’d love to hear from you at mansfieldmuseum@mansfield.gov.uk.
Please visit mansfieldpalace.co.uk to secure your tickets to bookable shows and events, or follow @mansfieldpalace and @mansfieldmuseum on social media for all of our latest news and updates.
There really is so much to see and do this October half term at Mansfield Palace Theatre and Mansfield Museum and we can’t wait to welcome you soon.