Halloween in Hexham

Hexham is quietly one of the best towns in the region for a spooky October, with a genuinely creepy historic gaol, a famous local paranormal mystery all of its own, and one of the North East's biggest pumpkin patches on the doorstep. Here is where to go. Dates change every year, so always check each venue for this year's programme and to book.

Hexham Old Gaol

Hexham Old Gaol is England's oldest purpose-built prison, opened in 1333, and it leans into the season with Halloween programming such as a skull trail and drop-in activities through late October. It is also a recurring venue for paid evening ghost hunts run by specialist operators, for those who fancy testing their nerve after dark in one of the most atmospheric buildings in town.

The Hexham Heads

Hexham has a genuinely unsettling mystery all of its own. In 1971 two small carved stone heads were dug up in a garden in the town, after which the family reported strange poltergeist-like phenomena and even a werewolf-like figure. The heads later vanished and have never been found, and the "Hexham Heads" remain one of Britain's enduring unexplained folk mysteries. It is a story rather than a place to visit, but a perfect one to tell on a dark October night.

Pick your own pumpkins

Just down the Tyne Valley at Stocksfield, between Hexham and Prudhoe, Brocksbushes is one of the North East's biggest and best-known pick-your-own pumpkin patches, with more than 20 varieties, a carving marquee, a food village and fairground rides through October. It is a proper family day out and a short drive from Hexham. For the full round-up, see our guide to pumpkin picking near Newcastle.

A little more spooky history

For atmosphere, Hexham Abbey at the heart of the town has more than 1,300 years of history and a wonderfully evocative Saxon crypt built from Roman stones, well worth a look while you are in town.

Plan the day

See more with our things to do in Hexham guide, and the full regional round-up in Halloween in the North East.

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Know a Hexham Halloween event we should add? Get in touch via our contact page.