The 8 best pumpkin patches in and around Greater Manchester including Dunham Massey and Tatton Park

Halloween decorations are already on supermarket shelves, kids are back to school and, after an unseasonable heatwave, colder weather is on the way. So, whether you like it or not, it’s time to start thinking about half term and the October tradition of pumpkin picking.

There are more and more places in Greater Manchester these days offering pumpkin patch experiences that make a fun day out for both kids and adults.

Here are some of the best places in the region for pumpkin picking and the kind of activities they offer

Dunham Pumpkins

Around 30,000 pumpkins of various kinds have been planted this year at Dunham Pumpkins in Dunham Massey. As well as picking pumpkins, you can also check out the vintage tractors, go on a ride in the wagon train, bounce on the pumpkin bouncy pad and go on a spooky treasure hunt. You can also treat yourself to a wood-fired pizza, as well as a cider, apple juice and other refreshments.

Cockfields Pumpkin Festival

Cockfields farm in Tameside is inviting people to their annual Pumpkin Festival, which includes a wide variety of different pumpkins, which you can pick and also carve. You can also enter your carved pumpkin into a competition. There will be other forms of entertainment too, including a meet and greet with the farm’s large collection of animals and the brand new Halloween hayride tractor tour. Adult tickets are £15 and childrens’ are £20, and they must be booked in advance.

Tatton Park Pumpkin Patch

Tatton Park’s farm is offering pumpkin picking again this year. Pumpkins cost just £4 each on top of standard entry to the farm and parkland, which is 10% discounted if you book three days in advance.

Kenyon Hall Farm

Located outside Greater Manchester in Warrington, the Kenyon Hall Pumpkin Festival will run from 23 September to 31 October. Tickets must be booked in advance for just £2.95. This gives you access to the 15,000-strong pumpkin patch, as well as great opportunities for photos and a display of all the different varieties of pumpkins and squashes.

Reddish Vale

Reddish Vale farm in Stockport will also be bringing back its pumpkin patch for 2023, open from 7-29 October. As well as pumpkin carving and picking, the experience also features a ride on the Spooky Express (£2 per ride), games like archery and hoopla, witches and wizards show and dance, on top of all the other activities available at the farm year round like rabbit and guinea pig petting zoo, feeding the horses and bouncing pillows. The renowned Grandpa Greene’s ice cream will also be there.

Smithills Open Farm

Pumpkin picking at Smithills Farm in Bolton is back for 2023. It’s pram friendly and costs just £6 per pumpkin. From 21-29 October, there will also be a special program of activities for children, including a spooky sweet hunt and a fancy dress competition. Both the farm and staff will also be suitably dressed up for the occasion. On 28 October, there will also be an extra special evening event, that includes a tractor ride, a woodland walk, zombie barn and werewolf woods – supper is also included. Tickets must be booked in advance via the farm’s website.

Lancaster Park

Lancaster Park in Chadderton has so many things to offer as well as pumpkin picking and carving, it’s perfect for a full day out. There is a haunted house, a fancy dress competition, a petting zoo, a nature walk where you also get to feed the horses and other animals, a caterpillar ride, mini quad bikes, a digger sandpit, a pirate shootout game, play areas and there’s also an opportunity to give a tortoise a bath. Hot and cold food is also available. Tickets must be booked online in advance and cost £11 for adults, £14 for children and £6.50 for babies under 12 months.

Grange Farm Lowton

Grange Farm in Lowton, Wigan, is now taking booking for its annual pumpkin patch. Runnings on weekends in October, the festival includes a fun fair, the Maize Maze scavenger hunt, entertainment, as well as pumpkin picking and carving. There is also a fully licensed bar for the adults to enjoy.