Lancashire pumpkin picking: 9 events from October 2

Lancashire’s pumpkin season runs from October 2 to November 1, with nine family attractions offering everything from indoor picking and carving stations to dinosaurs and steam-train rides. Venues include Windmill Animal Farm, Farmer Ted’s, Mrs Dowson’s Farm Park and Samlesbury Hall. Most require tickets, while Bowland Country Park sessions start at £5.

Visit Lancashire’s 2026 roundup is aimed chiefly at families and children, although Mrs Dowson’s also plans an adults-only evening experience. Dates, prices and ticket arrangements vary by venue, so families will need to choose between full farm days, focused pumpkin-patch visits and shorter seasonal events.

Pumpkin festivals opening in early October

Farmer Ted’s has the longest confirmed run, with its Pumpkin Festival scheduled from October 2 to November 1. The child-focused programme combines a new Pumpkin Village with sorcery school, ghost stories, fancy-dress competitions, a scary maize maze and 12 animatronic dinosaurs. Each child aged over two receives a free pumpkin.

Mrs Dowson’s Farm Park follows from October 3 to 31. Its three-acre patch contains homegrown pumpkins, including 12 rare imported varieties, while admission also covers the wider farm and its animals. Pumpkin Nights, an adults-only experience featuring picking under fairy lights and a welcome Baileys hot chocolate, opens on October 18.

Greenlands Farm also runs from October 3 to 31. Visitors can take a wheelbarrow into a patch containing thousands of pumpkins, then use the carving station to make a jack-o’-lantern. Animal encounters, bouncy pillows, a play barn and a trick-or-treat trail are included among the wider activities.

Indoor picking, unusual varieties and farm animals

Windmill Animal Farm’s Pumpkin Picking Adventure takes place from October 10 to 31. More than 20,000 pumpkins will be displayed inside its Halloween Barn, creating a no-mud option that can operate regardless of the weather. Each ticket includes one pumpkin, with additional pumpkins available to buy on the day.

The Windmill ticket also covers farm animals, indoor attractions, outdoor activities and a ride on the farm train. Wheelbarrows are provided for carrying pumpkins.

Ridgeway Farm’s festival shares the October 10 to 31 dates but offers a more traditional outdoor patch, where wellies are recommended. Its 15 homegrown varieties include warty, goblin, white, blue, pink and fireball pumpkins. After picking, visitors can head to the autumn orchard barn for animals, carving and decorating stations, refreshments and seasonal photo props.

Thornton Hall Farm is planning a mud-free patch, carving area, animal encounters and indoor and outdoor play. Its final pumpkin-picking dates were still to be confirmed in the published roundup, while tickets were described as coming soon. The farm’s separate SPOOKS programme is due to include pumpkin picking among its Halloween activities.

A £5 patch, a steam railway and a haunted hall

Bowland Country Park begins its selected pumpkin-picking sessions on October 17. Prices start at £5 and include one pumpkin to take away. Some sessions will add hands-on Halloween crafts and potion making in the venue’s events space.

West Lancashire Light Railway offers a different seasonal outing on October 11. Pumpkin Sunday combines vintage steam-train rides using two engines with light refreshments served from the catering van and tearoom.

At Samlesbury Hall, Halloween Pumpkin Fest runs from October 26 to 30. The courtyard of the historic hall will be filled with pumpkins, while visitors can also take part in a pumpkin hunt and Halloween quiz. The Tea Room and Garden eatery will serve themed treats, and fancy dress is encouraged.

Booking details to check before setting out

Tickets are required for most of the listed attractions, and availability should be checked with each farm or venue. The Visit Lancashire roundup does not provide every session time, full venue address, individual booking link, transport note or accessibility detail, while prices beyond Bowland Country Park vary.

Families comparing dates have options across most of October: Farmer Ted’s opens first on October 2, West Lancashire Light Railway holds its single confirmed event on October 11, and the longest listed festival continues at Farmer Ted’s until November 1.

Source: Visit Lancashire Blog