Half term starts: Emmetts' children's fairground opens, Kentish Opera sing HMS Pinafore, the Oaks seconds host Dover, and the clocks go back on Sunday.

Kent schools break up for half term on Friday, and the weekend is built for families. The children’s fairground opens at Emmetts Garden, and the Halloween trails at Hever, Riverhill and Chartwell all run all weekend.

For grown-ups there is a Met Opera screening of Macbeth on Friday and Kentish Opera’s HMS Pinafore on Saturday. Remember the clocks go back an hour at 2am on Sunday.

This weekend in Sevenoaks at a glance. Friday 23 October: schools break up, the Emmetts Garden fairground opens, Met Opera Macbeth at 7pm and the Fleetwood Mac Story at the Stag. Saturday 24 October: HMS Pinafore at 2.30pm, Sevenoaks RFC 2nd XV at home to Dover at 3pm, a Gruffalo film at Knole and the two town markets from 9am. Sunday 25 October: clocks go back at 2am, Meet the Beekeepers at Chartwell, Fallen Angels at the Stag at 4pm and Swanley Sunday market. All weekend: Riverhill Pumpkin Festival, Hever Halloween, the Gruffalo at Knole and Chartwell's ghost hunt trail.
Graphic by Sevenoaks Online
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Friday 23 October

  • Half term begins. Kent’s autumn term 1 ends today, and the holiday runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. (Kent County Council, school term dates)
  • Emmetts Garden children’s fairground. Rides for ages 2 to 8 open today at Ide Hill and run for ten days to 1 November. Rides start at 10am and the last ride is at 3.30pm. A wristband is £10 a day, bought on the day at the visitor centre, or £12 with the Fun-Gus trail, which is £3 on its own. (National Trust, Emmetts children’s fairground)
  • Met Opera Live in HD: Macbeth. Verdi’s opera is screened at The Space, Sevenoaks School, from 7pm to 10pm. Tickets are £18.50, £17 for concessions and £10 for children and students. (Sevenoaks School, Macbeth)
  • The Fleetwood Mac Story is at the Stag at 7.30pm. (The Stag, book The Fleetwood Mac Story)
  • Cal Halbert: 100 Impressions in One Hour is also at the Stag, at 8pm. (The Stag, book Cal Halbert)
  • Knole attic tour, 11.30am to 12.15pm. You need a tour ticket and an Outdoor and Tower ticket, and booking is essential. (National Trust, Knole attic tour)

Saturday 24 October

  • Kentish Opera: HMS Pinafore. A concert performance of Gilbert and Sullivan at The Space, Sevenoaks School, 2.30pm to 5pm. Tickets are £24, or £9 for students and under-18s. (Sevenoaks School, HMS Pinafore)
  • Rugby. The 2nd XV are at home to Dover at Knole Paddock, kick-off 3pm. The 1st XV, who the club says have won four from four, are away at Worthing. (Sevenoaks RFC, fixtures)
  • Gruffalo film and playtime at Knole. A screening with squash and a biscuit, from 10.30am to 11.45am. It runs again on Sunday. Normal admission applies and booking is essential. (National Trust, Gruffalo film screening)
  • Saturday markets. Bligh’s Market and the High Street market outside the Chequers both run from 9am to 4pm. (Sevenoaks Town Council, Markets)
  • P!nk-!sh, a P!nk tribute show, is at the Stag at 7.30pm. (The Stag, book P!nk-!sh)
  • No Sevenoaks Town game. The Oaks have no game this Saturday after beating AFC Croydon Athletic 2-1 on Wednesday night. Their next match is at Horley Town on 31 October. (Football Web Pages, Sevenoaks Town fixtures and results)

Sunday 25 October

All weekend

  • Riverhill Pumpkin Festival. Carve a pumpkin in the grotto and follow the pumpkin trail, 10am to 4pm. Yeti spotting in the Chestnut Woods runs from 2pm to 4pm. There is no charge on top of entry, which is £14 for adults, £7.50 for children aged 4 and over and £39 for a family. No booking is needed. Our Riverhill guide has more. (Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, daily calendar)
  • Halloween half term at Hever Castle. Included with admission:
  • a Mad Scientist’s Trail, which closes at 4pm
  • a goggles craft, 11am to 4pm
  • Dr Frankenstein’s show at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3pm
  • face painting, noon to 4pm, at £6 a child

Castle and gardens tickets are £25.50 for adults and £14.05 for children online. (Hever Castle, Halloween half term fun) - The Gruffalo at Knole. The Gruffalo Art Adventure is open from 10am to 5pm, last entry 4.30pm, until 1 November. It is included with admission: an Outdoor and Tower ticket is £6 for adults and £3 for children. Pre-booking is essential. (National Trust, The Gruffalo Art Adventure) - We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt at Chartwell. A free family trail, 10am to 4pm, with admission. No booking is needed. (National Trust, We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt) - Pikachu Art Adventure at Ightham Mote, 10am to 5pm, with nothing extra to pay on top of admission. (National Trust, Pikachu Art Adventure) - Films at the Stag. Wildwood (12A), Forgotten Island (PG), Ghosts: The Possession of Button House (PG) at 4.45pm and Street Fighter (12A) at 8.15pm show every day. Saturday’s 1.15pm Wildwood is subtitled. (The Stag, what’s on)

Planning your weekend

Trains. Southeastern’s engineering map shows revised services through Orpington, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge on Saturday and Sunday. There are revised services through Swanley, Otford and Bat and Ball on Sunday. Check before you travel. (Southeastern, engineering work map, 19 to 25 October)

Hastings line. Buses replace trains between Tonbridge and Wadhurst from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Tonbridge’s trains to London run as normal. (Southeastern newsroom, Hastings line half term) Our Hastings line story has the detail, and our train times page has the regular service.

More ideas for the week are in our October half term guide, our Halloween events guide and what’s on this month.

Sources

Image: Autumn tints at Hever Castle. Photo by David M Clark, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph and Wikimedia Commons. Graphic by Sevenoaks Online.