Half-term is in full swing, and if you are looking for something that leans into the season rather than fighting it, New Forest Wildlife Park has its Howl-O-Ween event running from 24 October to 1 November. It is a family-run park over near Ashurst, and the whole thing is built around the animals it keeps, so the Halloween theme is more about the wild side of things than ghosts and ghouls.
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The headline this year is the apex predator keeper experiences, which run from 24 to 31 October. They are billed as exclusive encounters with the park's large European carnivores: wolves, wolverines and lynx. You can book a 20-minute session with one animal for £100, or the hour-long 'Ultimate' experience with all three for £250. Both include admission on the day and PPE, and it is worth knowing that you do not actually enter the animal enclosures. There are a few slots a day — 10:00, 15:00, 15:30 and 16:00 — and booking is essential. There is an age limit of eight, with a free supervising adult included for anyone under 18, and each booking covers up to two people.
If you would rather keep things low-key, the park is running extra daily keeper talks that give you a chance to hear about the animals without the price tag. They cover the Asian short-clawed otters at 11:00, wolves at 11:30 and 15:30, the wolverine at 12:00 and 14:30, and the lynx at 15:00, with a barn owl talk at 14:00 if the weather plays ball. The wolverine is worth a mention on its own: Bodie is the only wolverine in Hampshire, and the park has also recently brought wolves back after its pack was lost in October 2024. Beyond that, there are Scottish wildcats, bison, mouflon, red foxes and four species of otter, including giant otters from the Amazon, among more than 260 animals across 40 species.
For younger visitors, there is a 'Trick or true' trail with clues about the animals, and completing it earns a small prize — the quiz sheet is £3, one prize per sheet. It is the kind of thing that fills the gaps between the talks and keeps smaller children occupied while you work your way around the park.
On the practical side, the park is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 through the autumn and winter, and it is worth aiming to arrive at least an hour and a half before closing. Admission is £17.95 for adults, £13.95 for children aged 3 to 15, free for under-threes, and £56.50 for a family of two adults and two children. There are also reduced rates for seniors, students, military personnel and visitors with disabilities. Getting there is straightforward: the park sits off the A35 between Southampton and Lyndhurst, with free parking nearby if you would rather cycle in. The Bluestar 6 bus runs between Southampton and Lymington with a stop at Ashurst, and Ashurst station is about two miles off, with trains from London and Poole every 40 minutes or so. It is a short trip from Southampton for a day that swaps the usual Halloween tricks for something genuinely wild.
Published Date
29 October 2026
