For when the forecast falls apart in and around Liverpool. Everything here is under a roof, or has enough indoor space to be worth the drive anyway.
Fancy dress, a dance floor and party music a fortnight before the main event, with the usual park rides included. The warm-up for Ottersghoul later in the month.
The toddler-sized Halloween week: a ghost train, a craft workshop and a not-too-scary show with Jack and Sally, pitched at children still too small for the main event.
Jack Skellington's Halloween Town takes over the park for half term: a 25-minute live show six times a day, a pumpkin parade twice daily, and the go-karts, soft play and adventure golf included. Marshmallow toasting, Trick or Treat Street and the VR ride cost extra.
An opportunity for 16-24 year olds to plan, create, produce and organise events and activities
The Everyman's actor-musician panto, loud, local and played live like a rock gig, this year doing Beauty and the Beast. It opens mid-November and runs to 16 January, so a November weekday or a January date is easier to get than a December Saturday matinee, several of which are already marked selling fast.
A Christmas experience at Otterspool running on selected dates from 28 November through to Christmas Eve, including both November and December weekends plus 21 to 24 December. Popular weekend slots sell out early, so booking ahead is worth doing.
Father Christmas and Buddy the Elf do stories and songs in the Town Hall, every child gets a turn to tell Santa their wishes and goes home with a gift. Sessions are capped at 20 children and run 45 minutes to an hour, which is the right length for the small ones. One adult goes in free with each child ticket.