London Half-Term Kicks Off for Millions of Schoolchildren This Week

The autumn half-term holiday started on Monday 19 October 2026 for pupils in a number of London boroughs, including those operating an extended two-week break running through to Friday 30 October — a longer-than-usual window that encompasses both the traditional half-term week and extra days added to align with the late-October half-term calendar. Across London, museums, galleries, parks, theatres and family attractions ramped up their programming to meet the surge in family visitors. Highlights of the half-term offer for the week of 19 October included: the new Hokusai woodblock print exhibition opening at Dulwich Picture Gallery; a British Museum exhibition on Korean art and history; the recently opened Absurd City immersive experience at Westfield London; HorrOctober screenings at the Prince Charles Cinema; Halloween markets and events at venues including the Natural History Museum; and various half-term shows at the National Theatre and regional venues. The week also marks the final lead-in to the clocks going back at 2am on Sunday 25 October. Londonist noted that the volume of half-term events in October 2026 is one of the richest in recent memory, reflecting increased investment by cultural venues in family programming following post-pandemic recovery.