Halloween at the campsitePumpkins, trick-or-treating and fancy-dress evenings, during the autumn half-term
The last holidays of the season are also the ones children look forward to most: the campsite is decked out with pumpkins and garlands, the water park stays heated to 30 degrees, and the beach takes on its autumn colours.
In October, the Bessin changes pace: the days are cool and bright, the beach empties, the tides uncover kilometres of sand. It's the moment Camping Portland has chosen to end its season with a flourish: during the autumn half-term holidays, from 17 October to 1 November 2026, the village lives on Halloween time, with workshops, contests, a sweet hunt and fancy-dress evenings, in heated cottages and around a covered water park. The children remember it for a long time, and the parents enjoy the calm of the late season.
The dates
Autumn half-term holidays- 17 Oct. → 1 Nov.in 2026
- 1 Nov.campsite closes in 2026
- 7 Nov.campsite closes in 2027
The Halloween activities programme is set out day by day below and displayed at reception; it may be adjusted depending on the weather.
The entertainment
On site, included- Workshopspumpkins, masks, decorations
- Huntfor sweets along the lanes
- Eveningsfancy dress, karaoke, music quiz
- Mini club, ages 5-12Monday to Friday, included
The activities are run by the campsite team and included in your stay, with no paid registration. The mini club welcomes 5 to 12-year-olds from Monday to Friday; at the weekend there are activities for the whole family, and there is something for teenagers every day.
Comfort
In the late season- 30 °Cin the indoor pools
- Heatingin every cottage
- Games roomfor rainy days
The indoor water park, the bar and the restaurant run until closing day. The pitches stay open, with heated washrooms, for families who prefer a tent or a van.
What happens during Halloween
Pumpkins, sweets and one big evening
It all starts with the decorations: pumpkins, cobwebs, skeletons and witches take over the paths, the beach hut and even the bar. On Thursday evening, the pumpkins prepared during the week go before the big vote for the finest; on Friday evening it is the turn of the best costume contest, followed by the Halloween party.
On Friday afternoon, the mini club children set off on the great sweet hunt, carrying the bag they made that morning at the make-up workshop. The evenings follow the same thread all week: the big horror game on Sunday, a music quiz, karaoke, the terrifying bingo on Thursday, and every day at 5 pm the mini disco.
The kids' club, included in your stay
The mini club welcomes 5 to 12-year-olds from Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 12 noon and from 2 pm to 4 pm, and it is included in your stay, with no paid registration. On Sunday, children come to discover it in the afternoon and sign up at 6 pm. During the autumn half-term, the whole programme turns to Halloween: a Halloween party and fun fair on Wednesday, pumpkins on Thursday, a make-up and sweet bag workshop on Friday morning.
The club has evening events too: the monster party on Monday, the pool party on Tuesday, Halloween movies on Wednesday. Teenagers have their own activities: a teens’ meet-up in the afternoon, teens’ nights on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and a teens’ happy hour on Friday.
Thirty degrees in the water, and heated cottages
Here Halloween is celebrated in a swimsuit as much as in fancy dress: the indoor pools of the water park stay at thirty degrees until the last day of the season, with an aqua gym session every morning and the pool game at noon. In the evening, you come back to a heated cottage, with its covered terrace for afternoon snacks and pumpkins halfway through carving.
Everything else about a late-season stay (what stays open, the exact dates, camping in a tent or van in late October) is on the campsite open in October page. And for outings around the campsite, our ideas are gathered in what to do during the autumn half-term in Normandy.
The Halloween atmosphere at the campsite
Pumpkins, spider webs and costumed entertainers: Halloween photos from Camping Portland.
Two weeks, the last of the season
The season ends on 1 November in 2026 and on 7 November in 2027: the autumn half-term holidays are therefore the last chance of the year to enjoy the campsite.
These two weeks are in great demand among families: if you're aiming for these dates, check availability from the start of the school year in September.