Days Out · Co. Kildare

Pick your own scare level at Kildare Farm Foods this midterm

The Halloween Farm Spooktacular runs 25 to 31 October, and its smartest idea is letting families decide how frightening the day gets.

Anyone who has brought a four-year-old to a Halloween event knows the risk. One jump scare too many and the rest of the day is a write-off. Kildare Farm Foods has built this year’s Spooktacular around that problem, and it is the detail that makes it worth a look.

Two trains, two rollercoasters, your call

Both headline rides run in two versions, and families choose on the day. The train is either the Farm Shop Express, billed with no scares, or the Spooky Train, which is not. The virtual rollercoaster splits the same way: a trip with Dash through the jungle, or the same character’s run through a haunted pumpkin farm.

Because the choice is made on the day rather than at booking, a group with a nervous five-year-old and a bored eleven-year-old can split the difference without buying separate tickets.

Maize, pumpkins and a costume prize

The newest attraction is a maze cut through maize planted in spring and now standing over seven feet, which the farm reckons will defeat a fair share of adults as well as children. The pumpkin patch lets visitors pick one to bring home for carving, included in the ticket.

There is a best-dressed competition too, and the prize is unusually good for a fancy dress contest: a family pass to the farm’s Santa’s Christmas Adventure 2026. Worth some effort on the costume.

The open farm, Tractor Café and farm shop stay open throughout, so the ticket covers the animals and the usual activities alongside the Halloween programme.

Getting there, and two things to check

The farm sits about five minutes from exit 13 on the M7, beside Kildare Village.

Two details are worth a phone call first. The €16 is quoted without saying whether it is per person, per child, or whether accompanying adults pay separately. And neither the event page nor the farm’s visitor information gives age guidance for the spooky versions of the train and rollercoaster, which is the thing most parents will want to know.

Worth noting on dates: the farm’s standard hours have it closed on Sundays and bank holidays, and Monday 26 October is the October bank holiday. The published Spooktacular hours list both Sunday 25th and Monday 26th as open 9am to 5pm, so the event week clearly overrides the usual schedule. Ring +353 45 526774 or email [email protected] to settle the pricing and age questions before booking for a group.

Source: Kildare Farm Foods — Halloween Farm Spooktacular event information  |  Published 3 October 2026