Rhyme times, toddler sessions, stay and play and everything else that genuinely works with a pre-schooler in and around Blackpool.
Six miles of lights along the prom from the big switch-on night to early January. Drive it, walk it, or catch a heritage tram through the middle of it, which is the version kids remember.
The Clubhouse marks 25 years of Room on the Broom with a Halloween dance party and the chance to meet Witch. Costumes encouraged. It is included in normal admission, which is from £12 a child.
The last of Blackpool's three free championship nights, with Germany's Haupt Feuerwerke firing from the beach in front of the Tower at 7.30pm, during the Illuminations. The prom and tramway close between the piers, so get there early and park well back.
A Halloween trail round the aquarium with challenges, a pumpkin patch and a reward at the end, plus Serafina the Sea Witch at weekends and in half term. Included with admission. Separate, scarier After Dark evenings run on 24, 25, 30 and 31 October for older children.
The park stays open until 9pm for Halloween. In the day it is normal rides, Nickelodeon Land (rides 10am to 5pm) and a free family Halloween maze. From 6pm the scare zones and mazes take over the North Park, which is not for small children, so plan to leave before dark.
Blackpool's light art festival turns ten, with around 30 illuminated artworks, projections and installations on a free trail round the town, including a giant rotating marble run and a colour-changing dandelion. The Carnival Magic puppet show in the Tower Ballroom on 26 October costs under £5.
An evening Halloween party in the Tower Ballroom with a monster magic show, a UV show, a fancy dress competition, prize games and a DJ. It runs until 11pm, so pick your moment to leave with the little ones.
Blackpool's traditional bonfire on the fifth, a club fundraiser with a £6 gate and no advance tickets. Simple and cheap. No glass, alcohol or sparklers allowed in.
The Pleasure Beach panto for 2026 is Aladdin. Seats are from £12 for restricted-view side blocks, £18.50 to £22.50 for block seating, or £25 a head at a table.
A walk-through grotto by the Pleasure Beach Arena: decorate a bauble, collect reindeer food and a magic key, meet Santa, get a gift, then one ride on Alice in Wonderland and a hot chocolate. Two adults go free with each child and a third is £5. It is at the Arena end off Watson Road, not the main park gates.
In late November the Pleasure Beach puts its fireworks on at 5pm rather than 10pm, so it is dark enough for a proper show while small children can still be home at a sensible hour. Several big rides close early that evening for the safety zone, the Big One and ICON among them.
A festive session for 0 to 4s at Blackpool's museum of fun, with fake snow, Christmas sensory play and a hand-bell dance party. Free, but you must book, and tickets only open on 12 November.
The Grand's panto, recommended for ages 3 and up, with Lisa George from Coronation Street as the Spirit of the Beans and Steve Royle as Silly Simon. It has strobe, smoke, pyrotechnics and loud bangs, all toned down for the relaxed performance on Sunday 27 December at 5pm if you have a child who hates noise.
Santa sets up a grotto inside the aquarium and every child gets a Christmas gift. It is an add-on, so each child needs a SEA LIFE ticket for the same day, which makes it a good use of a wet December Saturday you were going to spend there anyway.