Children will be able to enjoy a frightfully fun programme of activities this October half-term as Love Basingstoke Presents returns to the Top of the Town.

Spooktacular fun on offer for children aged between two and 16 years-old includes potion making, pottery painting, slime workshops, trails and dinosaurs. Activities will take place between 11am and 3pm every day from Monday 28 October to Friday 1 November.

On Monday 28 October, visitors can take part in the Frightfully Fun Fling Fest where they will be able to toss a ghost into a grave and throw foam axes at targets. For those feeling creative, Artful Kids will be running craft workshops to make squash monsters, masks and lanterns while Brick People will be running Lego workshops. Routine Riots will be hosting some ghostly face painting fun and Pop-Up Play will set up a Witches’ Supermarket role play. 

Children can get creative on Tuesday 29 October, with sessions to paint a special pottery creation which will be fired and can be collected at a later date. Children can also make and colour their own jar of slime to take home. Spaces for these activities are limited and anyone wanting to take part should book a place on the Love Basingstoke website.

Visitors will also be able to explore textured walls and fossils as part of a pop-up caving experience on Tuesday, artist Lizzy P will be on hand to decorate trick or treat bags, while the inept (Miss) Fortune sisters will be flying into Basingstoke to provide spooky comic buffoonery in the Any Witch Way walkabout in the Top of the Town.

On Wednesday, budding magical beings can practice their craft with Sarah Thomas Lane who will be running a special school for witches and wizards and artist Louise Hight will be running a craft session for children to make their own magic wand.

See Scents will also be on hand to help visitors make their own magical, fizzing potions, perfect for a boo-bubble bath. Local favourite Junk Jodie will also be running special Halloween make-and-take craft sessions.

Not easy to miss, six giant dinosaurs will be roaming free around the Top of the Town on Thursday. An inflatable giant Dino Dome with a 360-degree film screen will captivate visitors taking them on a Jurassic journey and travelling back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Visitors can also explore War Memorial Park as part of Basingstoke Voluntary Action’s pumpkin trail. Maps will be available from The Orchard before 2pm.

Bringing the half-term programme to a close, carve out some time for Jack O'Lantern’s Story Time: A Spooky Adventure which will take visitors around War Memorial Park on Friday 1 November. Junk Jodie will also return with Diwali arts and crafts and anyone looking for more action should check out the Gaming Van in the Top of the Town and Pop Up Laser Tag in War Memorial Park, all between 11am and 3pm.

Cabinet Member for Sports, Leisure and Culture Cllr Kerry Morrow said: “There are so many free activities to help families get in the Halloween spirit and the chance to try something new this half-term. From exploring a Jurassic world, making wands, potions and slime to arts and crafts, gaming and trails – there really is something for everyone.

“Whether you want to search for pumpkins in War Memorial Park, learn how to be a witch or wizard or fancy something a bit messier, please visit the Love Basingstoke website and social media channels to help plan your days and check for any last-minute changes.”

As well as the Love Basingstoke Presents activities taking place at the Top of the Town, there will also be lots of creepy fun at The Malls on Wednesday 30 October. Children can take part in free activities including a Halloween lantern workshop and may bump into the funny dancing skeletons who will be walking about. Arachnophobes may wish to avoid The Malls on Thursday 31 October when Arachnobot, a giant spider, will be weaving his way around the shops.

To find more information about all these activities, make bookings or to find even more ideas for half term fun, residents should visit www.LoveBasingstoke.co.uk.