Everything there is to do in Brighton this half term

Brighton is, like always, buzzing with family activities this half term. Read on to find out more about keeping the kids happy over the Halloween holidays.

Events are presented in date order.

myminidisco 10 year special

Komedia, October 26 1.30pm-4.30

This is a family friendly disco with free snack packs, face painting, halloween fancy dress and chart classics.

Babies go free. Adult and children’s tickets cost £9 but family ticket- covering a family of four - are available for £30.

To book tickets and for more events at Komedia, visit their website.

North Laine Trick or Treat Lane

October 26 and 27 from 12-4pm

Shops along Brighton’s North Laine have banded together to offer a safe, scare-free day-time trick or treating trail.

Children will be invited to dress up as their favourite Halloween characters and go trick or treating along a variety of community shops, including Happyology, Oliver’s, Joy, Toby Tiger, Present in The Lane and many more.

Participating in the trick or treat trail is free, but, for more information about the event and the community which surrounds it, visit their Facebook event page

Meeting Anthony Horowitz

Brighton Dome, October 27 from 11.30am. Doors will open at 10.45am

To celebrate the release of the new Alex Rider book- ‘Alex Rider: Secret Weapons’, prolific children’s author Anthony Horowitz will be leading a lively talk about his passions and inspirations with writer Elly Griffiths.

Tickets cost £7.50 and can be booked online.

To find out more about Anthony Horowitz, his book and the upcoming talk, visit the event’s website.

Cosmic Classroom- Inflatable Planetarium

Friends Meeting House Ship Street, October 28

Learn more about the universe and humanity’s place in it with the Observatory Science Centre’s mobile Planetarium, which will be showing full dome films and tours of the universe, helped out more than a little bit by a team of live presenters. The dome has a mix of seating, and will be screening in different 40 minute slots throughout the day.

Guests will also get the chance to browse a pop-up science shop, complete with a range of toys and science themed gadgets.

Tickets will be available on the door but, to find out more, click here.

“When I’m 64 Writing” Workshop

Fabrica, October 28

An exhibition which will invite young people aged 7-12 to write letters to their older selves, imagining what life might be like when they are older. The exhibtion will confront themes of aging and ageism in this inclusive event which caters for all ability levels.

Again attendance by parents is welcome by not essential.

Attendance is free, but spaces are limited and can be booked over the phone, or online.

Drag Queen Story Time

Brighton Dome, October 29 from 11am to 2pm

Meet Aida H Dee, the UK’s premier drag queen with ADHD as she reads a variety of children’s classic stories with energy and enthusiasm. More than just bring classic stories to life, Drag Queen Story Time hopes to present an open, supportive space in which children can present as they wish and where dress-up is real.

Tickets cost £7 for adults, and £5 for children and concessions. It is also possible to buy a family ticket- which covers 2 adults and 2 children, for £22

To book tickets, visit the Brighton Dome website, here

Change Makers

Fabrica, October 29 from 2-4pm

Children aged five to eight are invited to Fabrica, Brighton’s leading centre for contemporary art, to investigate art the changes or fades over time. Children will get the chance to work with plants, salt and dough as they explore their creativity together. Parents are more than welcome to participate in the activity, but doing so is not essential.

Tickets cost £4 per child and are available here.

The Detective Project

Middle Street Primary School October 29

Guided by a police inspector and a teacher, children will get the chance to investigate a crime scene, working with a team to interview witnesses, analyse messages and take fingerprints.

This event is suitable for children aged 7-11 and takes place in workshops throughout the day.

Tickets cost £6. To buy one, and to book an appropriate slot, click here

Genius Brighton: An introduction to Hacking with Python and Minecraft

Middle Street Primary School, October 30

Children are invited to learn the basics of the word’s most important programming language- Python- in a two hour coding workshop and use them to hack the popular computer game Minecraft. The workshop will also teach children how to set up the programme on computers at home, allowing them to continue to practice and develop their computer coding skills.

The workshop, which is recommended for children aged 8 and up is led by Physicist Andrew Riley-Watson, who has a PHD from the University of Sussex.

the workshop will take place over a number of different two hour sessions throughout the day. Tickets cost £15 per child. To learn more and to book tickets, click here. British Airways Pumpkin Competition

British Airways i360 viewing tower, Midday, October 30

The British Airways viewing tower is on the hunt for all the spookiest pumpkins visitors can provide across four age categories- 5-8, 9-11,12-15 and 16. To take part, participants must bring their finished pumpkins to Wests Beach bar and restaurant in the viewing tower by midday on October 30 itself, with the winners being announced later that day.

Entries must be designed to include a battery operated tea-light as no candles are allowed in the pod.

Winning entrants will have their creations on display throughout the viewing tower. First place in each category will recieve annual passes to the BA i360 worth up to £120, whilst runners up will receive passes worth up to £60.

The eventual pumpkins on the pod display, featuring all the carved pumpkin entires will be available on-deck from October 31 to November 3.

Participation is free.

Sealife Brighton Halloween Spookfest

Sea Life Brighton from October 29- November 3.

There will be three shows each night. One at 4.30pm, another at 5.30 pm and a third at 6.30 pm.

Kids will get the chance to visit the sea life centre after hours for an evening of Halloween themed workshops, arts and crafts and shows. Special highlights include a Halloween dress up competition and a special appearance from the Sea-Witch Mermaids. All proceeds from the event will go towards the Sea Life Trust Charity.

Adult tickets cost £25 and tickets for children aged 3 to 14 cost £20. Under threes, however, go free.

To book tickets in advance and to find out more about events at the Sea Life Centre, visit their website.

Halloween at The Brighton Open Market

The Brighton Open Market, on October 31 from 1pm to 4pm.

A free drop in Halloween event featuring awards for the best halloween costumes, arts and crafts workshops, spooky story-telling and live music.

To find out more about this year’s Hallooween offerings, visit their Facebook Page.

Build a Fossil Free Brighton

The Walrus, Ship Street on October 31

Join Ivy Kids and children’s magazine Aquila to help imagine and design a Fossil Free carboard.In celebration of the recent release of The Big Book of Science Ideas, the event hopes to help children use scissors, glue, cardboard and creativity to imagine a zero-emissions Brighton. They’ll be asked to think about how people will get around, how they’ll transport goods and how they’ll entertain themselves in a world without coal, gas and oil, all as part of a wider conversation about the dangers of climate change.

This is a free event, but spaces are limited and there are different time slots throughout the day. To find out more, and to prebook a space, click here.

Pocket Science Fair at the i360

British Airways i360 tower from Friday November 1 to Sunday November 3 at 11am and finishing at 5pm

Hands on science games and experiments are sure to keep the little ones stimulated and active this half-term. All children must be accompanied by an adult and the activities are recommended for children over seven.

Children under seven are also welcome, however, and can attend free of charge.

For children aged seven or older, tickets cost £4 per child.

To find out more, and to book tickets, click here.

Veteran Car Run

Brighton Seafront- Sunday November 3

The longest running motoring event in the world. Starting in London and finishing off in Brighton, the motorists will stop off at Crawley and Preston Park along the way. Though entries for the event have long since closed, spectators are more than welcome.

To find out more about the history of the Veteran Car Run, and to sign up for next year’s event, click here.

Fake News! a Kid-friendly introduction to critical thinking

Middle Street Primary School, November 3

A two-hour workshop on critical thinking to help kids tell the truth from the lies in today’s always ambiguous political climate.

This talk is generally considered suitable for children aged 8 and up, but the organisers are flexible.

Tickets cost £15 per child and are available here.