Half-Term in West Sussex
If you are looking for things to do with the kids in half-term, this is the right place to start. West Sussex schools take three half-term breaks a year, roughly five school days each, in October, February and late May. Every one sparks the same search: what are we actually going to do. This page answers that. It is the evergreen hub for every half-term in the West Sussex school calendar: it holds the dates, indexes the dated activity guides, points to the practical evergreen ones (soft play, playgrounds, free days out), and flags the handful of things worth sorting before the week arrives.
Half-term at a glance
Next half-term: May 2026, Monday 25 to Friday 29 May (opens on a bank holiday). Book ahead: Fishers Farm Park (required), Go Ape Goodwood (recommended). Walk up: Arundel Castle (open 1 April to 1 November, closed Mondays). Free scheme: HAF — summer 2026 booking opens Monday 8 June 2026, 9am. Rainy day: indoor soft play (under-eights) or a hands-on museum (older children). Teenagers: Go Ape, Chichester Festival Theatre, Pallant House Gallery.
When are West Sussex school half-terms?
These are the West Sussex County Council recommended dates for 2026 and 2027. Academies, voluntary aided schools, and independent schools set their own dates, so check with your school if you are cutting it fine on travel plans.
| Half-term | Dates |
|---|---|
| May half-term 2026 | Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May 2026 |
| October half-term 2026 | Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026 |
| February half-term 2027 | Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027 |
| May half-term 2027 | Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027 |
| October half-term 2027 | Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027 |
Source: West Sussex County Council school term dates.
Top Tip: May half-term 2026 opens on a bank holiday. Monday 25 May is the Spring Bank Holiday, so expect venues to be open but busier than a typical mid-week day, with bank-holiday pricing in some places. If your week has flexibility, a mid-week day is usually the easier choice.
Half-term by type
Half-term breaks down into a few reliable shapes. Pick the one that fits your family this week and jump to the relevant guide.
Outdoor and active
West Sussex sits inside the South Downs National Park and has a strong spread of country parks and destination playgrounds. For a full-day adventure, Fishers Farm Park at Wisborough Green runs a dedicated half-term programme and fills up during peak season. For free outdoor energy, the country parks at Tilgate, Southwater and Buchan all work for a full morning. Our guide to the best playgrounds in West Sussex covers the destination parks that handle half-term crowds without feeling overrun. For longer walks in the South Downs, see our South Downs family walks guide.
Rainy day and indoor
Sussex weather does not cooperate on command. For rainy-day reliability, indoor soft play is the honest answer for under-eights, and our soft play and indoor activities guide covers the venues that handle a wet half-term afternoon. For a wider set of wet-weather ideas across ages, our rainy day activities guide collects the county's best indoor options in one place. For older children, museums with hands-on elements work better. Fishbourne Roman Palace, Amberley Museum and the Weald and Downland Living Museum all have enough indoor cover to save a wet day.
Free and budget-friendly
If half-term is landing in a tight week, plenty of the best West Sussex days out cost nothing. Beaches at West Wittering, East Head and Climping are free all year. Parham's deer park, Goodwood's public footpaths and the South Downs Way are all free to access. For a full list, see our free things to do in West Sussex guide.
The other route to free half-term activity is the Holiday Activities and Food programme, covered in its own section below.
Coast
The five-week summer holiday tends to dominate coast days, but half-term weeks can be the better call. West Wittering, Climping and East Wittering are quieter out of peak season, parking is easier, and low tide on a mild May or October day can be genuinely excellent. Our best beaches in West Sussex guide covers each of them with postcodes, parking and facilities. Check tide times before you set out: the beach is much larger at low tide, and that changes the day for toddlers and dogs.
Teenagers
Teenagers need more specific bait than "a nice walk". Go Ape at Goodwood opens for February half-term and weekends through spring, then runs full season from April. Different tree-top courses suit different ages, from a junior course through to the full Tree Top Adventure: check the age and height rules on the Go Ape site before booking. For more high-energy options, our adventure activities guide rounds up the best across the county. For older teenagers, Pallant House Gallery in Chichester and the contemporary programme at the Chichester Festival Theatre are both worth considering. Neither feels like being dragged around by a parent. For a longer list of teenager-friendly ideas across the county, see our things to do with teenagers in West Sussex guide.
Book ahead: venues that sell out
Of the three most-asked-about half-term venues in West Sussex, one requires advance booking during peak weeks, one strongly recommends it, and one does not require it at all. Knowing which is which saves money and disappointment.
Fishers Farm Park (Newpound Lane, Wisborough Green, RH14 0EG). Advance booking is required during half-term. Non-members are told to book online to guarantee admission. The best prices are online, not on the gate. See fishersfarmpark.co.uk.
Go Ape Goodwood (Chichester, PO18 0QP). Booking online is strongly recommended. The homepage push is clear: "skip the guesswork and jump straight to availability." Walk-ins are possible if slots are free, so popular weekends and half-term slots are worth booking ahead. See goape.co.uk.
Arundel Castle (Arundel, BN18 9AB). Advance booking is NOT required for standard admission. Tickets can be bought online or at the ticket office on the day. Two things to know: the castle is closed on Mondays except bank holidays, and the season runs 1 April to 1 November, so the castle is closed for February half-term. See arundelcastle.org.
Top Tip: if you are planning May half-term 2026, the combined castle and garden ticket is the only option from 23 to 25 May. Garden-only tickets are unavailable over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.
Free and low-cost half-term: the HAF scheme
The Holiday Activities and Food programme is the largest free holiday-activity scheme in West Sussex, and it is worth checking eligibility even if you have not used it before.
Cost: free for eligible children. Eligibility: children receiving benefits-related free school meals (the benefits-based award, not the universal KS1 offer). Entitlement: up to 16 sessions across four weeks in summer (minimum four hours per session). Shorter programmes run for February, Easter and October half-terms. Summer 2026 booking opens: Monday 8 June 2026 at 9am. Contact: HAF@westsussex.gov.uk.
Over fifty HAF clubs run across West Sussex, including sports, camps, swimming, crafts, music and drama. Every session includes a nutritious meal. First-time users need their child's HAF code, which comes from award letters, the school office, or the HAF team direct. Full details on the West Sussex County Council HAF page.
For a wider view of holiday activity clubs across the county, including non-HAF options, see our holiday clubs directory.
This half-term's guide
Every half-term in the West Sussex calendar gets its own dated article: a proper activity round-up for that specific week. If you are planning a specific break, jump straight to it.
- February Half-Term 2026 in West Sussex: Monday 16 to Friday 20 February 2026
- May Half-Term 2026 in West Sussex: Monday 25 to Friday 29 May 2026
Spoke guides for summer 2026, October half-term 2026 and February half-term 2027 are in production. They will be linked here as they publish.
Practical links
The evergreen guides below are not half-term specific, but they are the ones families reach for most during a break. Bookmark whichever fit your week.
- Best soft play and indoor activities in West Sussex: indoor venues for rainy days
- Best playgrounds in West Sussex: destination parks that handle a full morning
- Dog-friendly days out in West Sussex: if the dog is coming too
- Free things to do in West Sussex: the full free-days-out list
- Holiday clubs directory: childcare-shaped clubs, HAF and paid options
Also worth knowing
The May bank holiday overlap. May half-term 2026 begins on a bank holiday (Monday 25 May). Most venues will be open, but pricing and crowds are likely to match a bank holiday pattern rather than a typical mid-week one. If you have flexibility, planning for the middle of the week rather than Monday is usually a quieter call.
Academy and independent school dates. WSCC dates are the recommended dates for local-authority schools. Academies, voluntary aided schools, and independent schools set their own calendars and sometimes differ by a week. Check with your child's school before booking anything non-refundable.
Booking windows open earlier than you might expect. HAF summer 2026 booking opens on Monday 8 June 2026 at 9am, and the 2026 round for other popular venues tends to go live weeks in advance. A few minutes spent checking venue and HAF booking pages in advance is usually enough to keep the week on track.
Dates confirmed against westsussex.gov.uk in April 2026. HAF details confirmed against the West Sussex HAF programme page. Arundel Castle and Go Ape booking policies confirmed from arundelcastle.org and goape.co.uk. Always check venue websites for the latest opening hours and prices before travelling.