Pumpkin picking has been a family tradition in our house for as long as I can remember. It started with carting Isabelle around the field in a wheelbarrow, perched on top of whichever pumpkin she’d chosen (always the biggest one that she could find). Fast forward to now, and she’s almost 16, still coming pumpkin picking with us, although these days it has to be followed by a trip to a scare attraction.
The carving has grown up with us too. What started as a wonky triangle-eyed face has become an ambitious, slightly extravagant and very competitive family event, with everyone involved and nobody willing to admit their pumpkin came second.
So whether you’ve got a toddler who’ll want to ride in the wheelbarrow or a teenager you’re trying to tempt away from their phone, I’ve rounded up the best pumpkin patches around Greater Manchester for 2026, with dates, prices and which ones suit each age.
Before you go: most patches ask you to book ahead, especially at weekends and during October half term. Details below were correct at the time of writing, but always check the venue’s website before you set off.
1. Dunham Massey Farm Ice Cream, Altrincham
Best for: a relaxed, low-cost trip (with ice cream!)
Opening from 26 September, this Altrincham favourite charges £6 per car (or per group if you walk in). New this year is a Spooky Maze, alongside seasonal ice cream flavours, pizza, toasties, hot drinks and autumn gifts, with street food vans at weekends and in the school holidays. A lovely one to combine with a walk around the National Trust estate next door.
2. Brookheys Farm, Dunham Massey
Best for: a proper farm feel with a tractor ride included
Brookheys opens its patch on October weekends and needs booking. Entry is £5.50 for adults and £4.50 for children, with under-18-months free, and pumpkins are paid for separately by size, from about £1 for little munchkins up to £15 for big carvers. Your ticket covers the maize maze and a tractor and trailer ride from the car park to the field and back, plus farm animals, a scavenger hunt and photo spots.
3. Cockfields Farm, Ashton/Oldham border
Best for: a full day out, and a quieter toddler option during term time
Cockfields’ pumpkin festival runs on selected dates from 3 to 31 October, with tickets from £14.95 (under-1s £5.95). There’s a big outdoor patch plus a mini indoor patch aimed at toddlers on term-time days, along with tractor rides, a fairground carousel and, new for 2026, a spooky walk-through and Halloween show.
After dark option: from 23 to 31 October (5–8pm on selected dates) the patch is lit with festoon lights, with live music, food stalls, a spooky disco and roaming Halloween characters. Every ticket includes a free pumpkin, and it’s pitched as magical rather than scary, so it suits all ages.
4. Reddish Vale Farm, Stockport
Best for: younger children (our top pick for little ones!)
If you’ve got younger children, this is the one we’d recommend. There’s so much packed in beyond the pumpkins that it easily fills a whole day, and it’s pitched perfectly for little ones who want the Halloween fun without anything too scary.
We have such happy memories of Reddish Vale from when Isabelle was younger. She’d make a beeline for [the animals / the play area] before we’d even reached the pumpkin patch, and [the magic show / the tractor ride] was always the highlight of her day. It’s a proper full day out, and we always went home with tired, happy kids (and a very muddy pumpkin).
Reddish Vale’s Halloween Festival runs from 10 to 31 October, with child tickets including a pumpkin to pick and carve. There are animals, outdoor play, fairground rides, Halloween games and a witch and wizard magic show, with the Spooky Express tractor ride available at extra cost. It’s set inside Reddish Vale Country Park, so bring wellies and make a walk of it.
Evening option: Moonlit Pumpkin Evenings on 17, 24 and 25 October (5–8pm) start from £11, with pumpkins bought separately or a family ticket including two pumpkins for £47.50. There are also Sanderson Sisters–themed nights on 30 and 31 October. Perfect if your family are Hocus Pocus fans.
5. Smithills Open Farm, Bolton
Best for: a traditional, not-too-commercial Halloween
Pumpkin picking runs on 17–18 October and daily from 24 to 31 October, at £6 per pumpkin. Farm entry, from £11.50, is separate and covers the Halloween activities in half term week: a spooky sweet hunt, a decorated farm, staff in fancy dress and a children’s fancy dress competition. Get the kids’ costumes ready!
6. Lancaster Park & Animal Farm, Chadderton
Best for: kids who want all the activities
Halloween on the Farm runs at weekends from 10 October, then daily from 23 to 31 October. Child tickets include a pumpkin, and there’s a carving area, Wizard School, a Halloween disco and fancy dress competition on top of the usual farm fun.
7. Jersey Girls Dairy, Bury
Best for: a short, sweet session with little ones
Running from 24 to 31 October, tickets cost £13 per child picker and include one pumpkin plus carving, with up to two supervising adults. Sessions last around an hour. The ice cream parlour on site makes a very good bribe for tired legs.
Which pumpkin patch is best for my family?
- Toddlers and younger children: Reddish Vale Farm is our top pick, with animals, play areas, a magic show and a pumpkin included in every child ticket. Cockfields’ mini patch on term-time days is a good quieter alternative.
- Older kids: Lancaster Park or Reddish Vale, where there’s plenty to do beyond the pumpkins.
- Teenagers: an after-dark patch like Cockfields or Reddish Vale feels less “little kid” and far more Instagram-worthy. Or do what we do and pair a daytime pick with a scare attraction in the evening.
- Evening magic: Cockfields After Dark or Reddish Vale’s Moonlit Evenings.
- On a budget: Dunham Massey Farm Ice Cream (car entry) or Brookheys, and pick a small munchkin pumpkin for each child.
Pumpkin picking with teenagers (yes, really!)
If you’ve got a teen who’s “too old” for pumpkin picking, don’t give up on the tradition. Just change the deal. In our house, pumpkin picking now comes as a package: a morning in the field, then a scare attraction later on, which has become Isabelle’s favourite part of the whole Halloween season.
A few things we’ve learned about Halloween with teens:
Let them choose the add-on. A scare maze, a horror film night or a spooky escape room makes the pumpkin picking part of their plan, not yours.
Check age limits before you book. Many scare attractions have a minimum age, often somewhere between 12 and 16, and some ask under-18s to be accompanied by an adult.
Go at dusk. The after-dark pumpkin events are far more appealing to teens than a sunny Saturday morning with toddlers everywhere.
Give them the big pumpkin. Some things never change.
Tips for a stress-free pumpkin picking trip
Book early. Half term slots sell out quickly, and some farms only take bookings online.
Dress for mud. Even on a dry day, pumpkin fields get churned up. Wellies and old clothes are a must, and pack a spare pair of socks for the car.
Bring a bag or box for the car. Pumpkins roll, leak and leave muddy marks on car seats.
Set a pumpkin budget before you go. Agree with the kids in advance (“one each, no bigger than your head”) to avoid a standoff in the field.
Check the pushchair situation. Fields are rarely buggy-friendly, so a sling or carrier is easier for babies. Or bring back the wheelbarrow!
Pick a pumpkin with a firm stalk. It’ll last longer, especially if you’re not carving until Halloween night.
The great family pumpkin carving competition
Carving night is when things get serious in our house. Everyone chooses their own pumpkin, designs are kept top secret, and the whole family gets involved, with results getting more ambitious (and more extravagant) every year. If you fancy starting your own family competition, here’s how we’d set it up.
Pick a theme. Film villains, “something that’s happened this year” or famous landmarks all push people beyond the classic face.
Set the rules. Decide on a time limit, whether stencils are allowed and what tools are fair game. Proper carving kits make a huge difference over kitchen knives, and they’re safer too.
Make categories so everyone can win. Scariest, funniest, most ambitious and “best effort” keeps younger siblings in the game against a determined teenager.
Judge in the dark. Light them all up outside and let a neutral judge decide. Grandparents and neighbours are ideal, and they’ll love being asked.
Don’t waste the insides. Roast the seeds with a little salt and paprika, and turn the flesh into soup or pumpkin bread.
For younger children, painting or decorating a pumpkin with stickers is a safer alternative that still earns them a place on the winners’ podium.
Have we missed your favourite pumpkin patch near Manchester? And does your family take pumpkin carving as seriously as we do? Let us know in the comments!
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