Halloween fans rejoice! Socially distanced spooky tricks and treats for children and adults alike are coming to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire this October half-term. 

The UNESCO World Heritage Site's Halloween entertainment will feature a daily range of exciting activities, including spooky statues, scary stories, fire performers, ghostly train rides, tours – and even turnip carving! 

On Halloween evening, 31 October, Blenheim Palace will be hosting socially-distanced night tours for adults around its opulent state rooms, with lots of frights and things that go bump in the night. 

There will also be a daily range of family-friendly activities on offer in the Pleasure Gardens, which visitors can access by taking a ride on the Miniature Train through the Frightful Tunnel, to arrive at their spooky destination. Activities will include family spooky stories and creepy folk tales told along on a walk to the Formal Gardens. There will be a family-friendly walk, and an extra creepy walk for older visitors. 

Visitors will also have the chance to learn about the history of pumpkins and turnip carving, before decorating their own #terrifyingturnip, or taking one to carve at home. Why turnips, not pumpkins? Well, long before the pumpkin became the Halloween decoration of choice, people across Britain carved ghoulish faces into hollowed-out turnips and placed them near doorways to frighten away evil spirits. 

All that Halloween fun will get you hungry, so The Orangery Restaurant at the palace is serving up a special children's Halloween Afternoon Tea, served daily from 1.00pm – 4.00pm. Children can try 'Cheesy popcorn brains', 'Sausage mummy dippers with blood' and 'Devilled eggs', followed by a 'Ghost gingerbread biscuit', 'Twit-twoo owl cupcake', 'Eyeball jelly' and 'Chocolate waffle witch hat'.

“Blenheim Palace is a safe environment where families and social bubbles can celebrate Halloween and half-term with fun and spooky activities, both indoors and outdoors,” said Emily Hirons, Head of Operations. 

“As well as the opulent interiors of the palace, we have the wide-open acres of the 'Capability' Brown parkland and lots of walks to enjoy. The Pleasure Gardens Adventure Playground and the Pizza Café will also be open,” she added.

Blenheim Palace's Covid-safe measures include a daily cap on visitor numbers, cashless transactions, protective screens, and personal protective equipment for staff. Visitors can watch an explanatory video online prior to arriving on site, which clearly explains the new procedures. Extra temporary outdoor toilets with washing and hand sanitising areas have also been set up. 

• For more information on Halloween and October half-term activities, opening times and admission prices, visit www.blenheimpalace.com.

For more information please contact Sarah Runnacles at sarah@flamingo-marketing.co.uk

About Blenheim Palace 

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1704, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.  

Set in over 2,000 acres of 'Capability' Brown landscaped parkland and designed by Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, it was financed by Queen Anne, on behalf of a grateful nation, following the first Duke of Marlborough's triumph over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession.