Solihull's October half term is 26 to 30 October 2026. Disney On Ice at the NEC, Packwood's woodland trail, a Knowle fireworks night and what's on for adults.

Solihull’s October half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and most schools go back on Monday 2 November. Several secondary schools add INSET days either side, so some pupils finish as early as Wednesday 21 October. Below are the dates, the schools that differ, and what is actually on in and around the borough that week, taken from the organisers’ own pages.

The quick answer

  • Council dates: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Solihull School’s half term is two weeks, 19 to 30 October.
  • The big family ticket: Disney On Ice at bp pulse LIVE, NEC, from Wednesday 28 October, from £18 plus fees.
  • Free with admission or membership: Packwood House’s woodland trail, every day 24 October to 1 November, 9.30am to 4pm.
  • Fireworks end the week: the Solihull Hospital Charity display at Silhillians, Knowle, is Sunday 1 November, adults £8, advance tickets only.

Half term dates by school

Solihull Council’s term dates give half term as 26 to 30 October. Tudor Grange Academy Solihull, Arden Academy, Alderbrook and St Peter’s all use the same week. What moves the break is the INSET days:

School Last day before half term Back
Council-maintained schools Friday 23 October (INSET days vary) Monday 2 November
Tudor Grange Academy Solihull Wednesday 21 October Tuesday 3 November
Arden Academy, Alderbrook Thursday 22 October Monday 2 November
St Peter’s Catholic School Friday 23 October Tuesday 3 November
Solihull School (independent) Friday 16 October Monday 2 November

Sources: each school’s own 2026/27 calendar, linked from our Solihull school term dates page, where the full list of INSET days is set out.

What’s on: families

Disney On Ice presents Discover the Magic, bp pulse LIVE, NEC. The show runs from 28 October to 8 November. Half term performances are Wednesday 28 October at 2.30pm and 6.30pm, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October at 11.30am and 3.30pm, Saturday 31 October at 10.30am, 2.30pm and 6.30pm, and Sunday 1 November at 10.30am and 2.30pm. Tickets are from £18 plus fees. Under-14s must be with an adult aged 18 or over, and under-2s on a lap go free. Characters come from Frozen, Moana, Coco, Toy Story, Aladdin, Lilo and Stitch, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid (bp pulse LIVE).

Mystical and Magical Woodland Trail, Packwood House. Every day from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, 9.30am to 4pm. Children search the Welly Walk for autumn treasures and “spooky surprises”, with themed crafts through the week and a prize for finishing. No booking; normal admission applies for non-members, currently £18 adult, £9 child (5 to 17), £45 family, and under-5s are free. Packwood is on Packwood Lane, B94 6AT, two miles east of Hockley Heath (National Trust, Packwood House).

Forest School, Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens. The gardens list a Forest School session on Saturday 24 October, the first day of the holiday, priced £8 to £12. The gardens open Wednesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 4.30pm (Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens). Nothing else is yet listed for half term there.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, The Core Theatre. STAMPS’ Solihull premiere of the musical runs Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 October, so the final Saturday falls on the first day of the break. Better suited to teenagers than small children (The Core).

Solihull Hospital Charity Firework Display, Knowle. Sunday 1 November, gates 4.30pm, fireworks 6pm, at Silhillians Sports and Conference Centre, Warwick Road, Knowle, B93 9LW. Adults £8, children £3 (with an adult), under-3s free, NHS staff and club members £6. Tickets are not available on the door (Solihull Hospital Charity). Every other display in the borough is on our Solihull fireworks page; the Round Table’s big Tudor Grange Park display has still not announced a 2026 date.

What’s on: grown-ups at The Core

The Core Theatre’s half term week is aimed squarely at adults (The Core, what’s on):

  • Monday 26 October: Hong Kong Cinema, Unidentified Murder, a Cantonese comedy with English subtitles.
  • Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 October: Think Floyd, playing The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.
  • Thursday 29 October: The Opera Boys featuring Paul Potts, billed as their final tour.
  • Friday 30 October: Funny to The Core, the monthly comedy club, headlined by Milton Jones.
  • Saturday 31 October: Gracie, the Gracie Fields story, in the Studio, and AD Concert Band’s fiftieth anniversary concert in the main house (The Core).

What is not happening

Solihull BID’s Spooktacular has dropped out of its diary. The BID’s 2026 events diary listed a Spooktacular for Saturday 31 October when it was first published in January. The version updated on 18 September lists only the Jingle Bell Jog on 13 December and the Festive Feast market from 15 to 22 December after the September food festival (Solihull BID, 2026 events). If a Halloween event returns to the town centre we will add it here.

Touchwood’s events page carries no half term programme yet, and Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens has not listed a Halloween event.

Getting about that week

Late-evening Avanti West Coast trains from Euston will skip Birmingham New Street from Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October, with buses from Birmingham International, because of engineering work (National Rail). Solihull’s road closures that week are on our roadworks page, and charges at the council’s car parks are on our parking in Solihull guide.