Foxes Farm at Eight Ash Green ran its last pumpkin patch in 2025. East Bergholt, Otto's, Cobbs Farm and Hasty's open in October: dates, prices, booking.

Colchester’s own pick-your-own pumpkin patch has gone. Foxes Farm at Eight Ash Green, which opened what it calls Essex’s first Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patch in 2015, picked its last pumpkin after the 2025 season and has turned the land over to pickleball, a gym and dog walking fields. Four patches within reach of the city are open this October, and the zoo’s Trail of Terror runs on seven nights.

The quick answer

Foxes Farm is not running a pumpkin patch in 2026. The nearest open patch is The Pumpkin Patch East Bergholt, off the A12 at junction 31: no booking, children free, over-16s £2.50, open from Friday 9 October. Otto’s near Braintree needs a pre-booked slot; Cobbs Farm near Maldon is free to enter; Hasty’s in Clacton runs its Pumpkin Week from 22 to 30 October. Halloween itself falls on Saturday 31 October, the day after half term week ends.

Is Foxes Farm pumpkin patch open in 2026?

No. The farm’s own blog post, The End of Pumpkin Season, published on 27 July 2026, says Guy and Emily French first grew pumpkins on the Halstead Road farmland in 2007 and opened the Pick Your Own patch in 2015. After what it calls a bumper 2025, “we picked our last pumpkin”. The reason given is that a six-week October attraction is hard to run alongside a working farm, so the same land now hosts an indoor pickleball court, a pay-as-you-go gym, private dog walking fields and commercial units. The farm’s about page confirms it grew pumpkins “right up until 2025”.

Some listings and holiday sites still show Foxes Farm, or a “Pumpkin Patch Nights” at the same Eight Ash Green address, as open for 2026. The farm itself says otherwise, so do not drive out to Halstead Road for pumpkins.

Pumpkin patches open near Colchester in 2026

All dates and prices are from each farm’s own website, checked on 3 October 2026.

Pick your own pumpkins near Colchester, October 2026
PatchOpenEntryBooking
The Pumpkin Patch, East Bergholt CO7 6QU9 to 11 Oct, 16 to 18 Oct, daily 23 to 31 Oct, 10am to 4pmOver-16s £2.50, under-16s freeNot needed
Otto's Pumpkin Patch, Cressing CM77 8DL3 and 4, 10 and 11, 17 and 18 Oct, daily 23 to 31 Oct, 9.30am to 5pmTicket price shown at bookingEssential
Cobbs Farm, Goldhanger CM9 8BQ10 and 11, 17 and 18 Oct, daily 23 to 31 Oct, 10am to 4pmFreeNot needed
Hasty's Adventure Farm, Clacton CO15 1AGPumpkin Week, 22 to 30 Oct£12.25 adult or child, £7.85 toddlerOnline or at the gate

The Pumpkin Patch, East Bergholt

The Harris family’s patch is on Hadleigh Road, opposite Elm Road and the primary school, and its FAQ page gives the 2026 dates as Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October, Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October, then every day from Friday 23 to Saturday 31 October, 10am to 4pm. There is a £2.50 entry fee for over-16s; under-16s are free, parking is free and there is no booking. From the A12, leave at junction 31 for East Bergholt, turn left, then take the first right into Hadleigh Road. The farm says it grows more than 30 varieties, and there is a bale fort, a straw bale mountain with a slide, a swing and a coffee van.

Otto’s Pumpkin Patch, Cressing

Otto’s is on a family farm at Long Green, Cressing, beside Braintree Freeport, and describes itself as about a 20-minute drive from Colchester. It opens 9.30am to 5pm on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11, and Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, then daily from Friday 23 to Saturday 31 October. Booking is essential, in 30-minute arrival slots, because parking space is limited. Pumpkins and squashes cost £2 to £12; friendly dogs on leads are welcome. The entry price is shown in the booking system rather than on the site. Facilities are basic: a portaloo and a drinks van in a field with no running water.

Cobbs Farm Pumpkins, Goldhanger

The Bunting family’s Cobbs Farm is on Maldon Road, Goldhanger, between Colchester and Chelmsford. Entry and parking are free, there is no booking, and pumpkins cost £1 to £15. It opens Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, then daily from Friday 23 to Saturday 31 October, 10am to 4pm. Dogs are not allowed in the patch, only on a lead in the car park field. The farm says 10am to 11am and after 3pm are quietest, and Saturdays the busiest.

Pumpkin Week at Hasty’s, Clacton

Hasty’s Adventure Farm on West Road, by Clacton airfield, runs its Pumpkin Week from 22 to 30 October. A Pumpkin Week ticket is £12.25 for an adult or child and £7.85 for a toddler aged 1 to 3, with under-1s free and a £1 booking fee per ticket online. It covers the farm park, Halloween mini games and a Little Ghost and Pumpkin trail. Picking a pumpkin is a £4 add-on; a £10 Premium Pumpkin Experience adds help carving it, a potion and a goody bag. For adults, a Pumpkin and Prosecco Night on Friday 23 October, 6pm to 8pm, costs £20 and includes picking and carving a pumpkin, s’mores and a glass of Prosecco (over-18s only). Hasty’s is on the number 4 and X76 bus routes.

Halloween scares in Colchester

  • Trail of Terror at Colchester Zoo: 16, 17, 23, 24, 28, 30 and 31 October, a 1.5-mile evening scare route with a road train ride. £26.50 on 16 and 17 October, £28.50 on the peak nights and £30 on 31 October, pre-booked for a set arrival time. The zoo admits no one under 5, does not recommend it for under-12s, and under-16s must be with an adult. Food outlets are card only.
  • Dark Castle Tours: after-hours tours of Colchester Castle’s darker history on 16, 22 and 28 October, £12.95, for ages 15 and over.
  • Halloween Sip and Sing: Saturday 31 October, 6pm, about two hours, in the Mercury Theatre’s Creative Engagement Space, 18+ (Mercury Theatre).
  • Rollerworld Skate and Scare: Saturday 7 November from 11am at Charter Hall, Halloween-themed skating with a best dressed competition and beginner zones; the evening session is an 80s v 90s disco.

For younger children: half term

Daytime Halloween events for families are on our Colchester October half term page: the zoo’s Shriek Week (24 October to 1 November, included in zoo entry), the Castle’s Spooky Castle Trail and Spooktacular Family Fun Night on 29 October, the Hollytrees Spooky Dino Hunt and free Spooky Stories at the Natural History Museum.

Getting there

All four farms have parking on site. For the Castle and the Mercury, the Priory Street and St Mary’s car parks are closest: tariffs are on our parking in Colchester page, and road closures on the roadworks and travel page. Bonfire Night follows on Thursday 5 November: see Colchester fireworks.

Sources

This page will be updated as farms announce changes. Weather can close a patch at short notice, so check the farm’s own page or social media before you set off.