Bromsgrove Halloween Light Trail Sat 31 Oct: Map, Lit 6pm

Bromsgrove District Council’s Halloween Light Trail at Sanders Park is on Saturday 31 October 2026, from 5pm to 10pm, and it is free. The gates open at 5pm, but the council says the trail itself “awakens at 6pm, when darkness falls”, so 6pm is the time to aim for if the lights are what you are going for.

Updated 9 October: the council has now published its FAQs. There is no public parking at the park on the night, only blue badge spaces; Wilsons Funfair, street food and a bar are confirmed; and there are strobe and flashing light warnings.

Updated 18 October: the council’s 16 October announcement names two of this year’s attractions: a floating “Twisted Twins” projection and a “Ghoul Glow Gateway Walkthrough”. It says the blue badge parking is at the Kidderminster Road entrance, and asks everyone else to park elsewhere, use public transport or walk.

Updated 23 October: the “Click here for our map” link on the council’s event page currently opens a map for Redditch’s trail at Morton Stanley Park on Saturday 24 October, not Sanders Park. No Sanders Park map has been published yet. The council’s own details for Bromsgrove are unchanged: Saturday 31 October, 5pm to 10pm, lit from 6pm, free.

Updated 30 October: the council has now published the Sanders Park trail map, replacing the Redditch one. The trail is a one-way route, marked on the night, and it passes an open pond where visibility is poor, so keep hold of small children. The park’s extended car park reopened on 26 October, but on the night it is still blue badge only.

The essentials

• Date: Saturday 31 October 2026
• Gates: 5pm to 10pm, with the trail lit from 6pm
• Where: Sanders Park, Kidderminster Road, B61 7JP
• Cost: free entry. Rides, food and some activities cost extra
• Booking: none mentioned. The council’s page has no tickets or booking link
• Parking: blue badge holders only at the park. Everyone else parks in town and walks
• Dogs: the council advises leaving them at home
• Run by: Bromsgrove District Council. Questions go to events@redditchbc.gov.uk, the shared events team with Redditch

What is on the trail

The council’s event page describes “glowing pathways, spooky-themed zones, dazzling projections, pumpkins and mysterious live characters”, with new themed zones for 2026. Its trail map asks visitors to follow the marked one-way route and stay on the path, and warns that the route goes round an open pond “where visibility is reduced at night”. The map also lists seasonal crafts, artisan stalls, street food and walkabout characters for photos, some at extra cost.

Around the trail:

• Wilsons Funfair is coming to the park with rides
• Street food: pizzas, burgers and pork baps, with vegetarian options, plus desserts, ice cream and hot chocolate
• A fully stocked bar
• Artisan stalls and photo spots

The council says to bring both cash and card, as not every trader takes both.

It pitches the night as family-friendly and “suitable for young children”, with “gentle scares”. Costumes are encouraged.

Before you go

• Bring a torch. The council says the park “will be cloaked in darkness” off the lit paths and asks people to keep to them.
• Flashing lights warning. The trail has strobe lighting, flashing lights and loud audio effects, and the council says it “may not be suitable for those with photosensitive epilepsy or other medical sensitivities”.
• Dress for the weather. The council’s own advice is to wrap up for “a cold, rainy night”. It has not said the event would be called off in rain.
• Leave the dog at home. Crowds, noise and surprises, in the council’s words, could make it “a little too hair-raising for pups”.
• Toilets: public, portable and accessible toilets on site.
• Lost children and first aid: both points are near the park’s main entrance, and the event information point doubles as the lost and found child point.

Parking: town centre car parks, not the park

The council’s FAQ is plain: “Only accessible parking is available at Sanders Park.” There is a limited number of blue badge spaces, and the council suggests arriving early for them.

Everyone else is told to use:

• Asda car park
• Morrisons car park
• the town centre car parks

There will be parking restrictions on Kidderminster Road outside the park, and the council asks people to be considerate of residents in the side streets.

Which town car park

The council does not name specific town centre car parks for the night. Its separate page on the Sanders Park car park works lists the nearest ones with walk times to the park: St Johns Street (B61 8QY), about nine minutes’ walk, then Recreation Road South by Asda (15 minutes) and Parkside (16 minutes). Every public council car park gives the first 30 minutes free; full tariffs are on our parking in Bromsgrove page.

That same works page still lists Stourbridge Road as an option. Ignore it: it closed for good on 24 September.

The park’s own car park reopened fully on the afternoon of Monday 26 October after the extension, the council announced on 28 October, with 23 more standard bays, 3 more disabled bays and 6 parent and child bays. On the night of the trail that does not change much, because the event FAQ limits parking at the park to blue badge holders.

The park itself

Sanders Park was awarded Green Flag status in the 2026 round, alongside Lickey End Recreation Ground. The scheme is run by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under contract from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and is meant to mark well managed parks and green spaces.

The council manages more than 20 parks and play areas across the district.

Sanders Park is also one of the two sites in the council’s current skatepark consultation, with St Chad’s Park in Rubery. We covered that separately: the skatepark refurbishment consultation.

What it means for you

• Saturday 31 October: arrive from 5pm, but the trail is at its best from 6pm when it is lit. It is free, with no booking mentioned.
• Do not drive to the park unless you have a blue badge. Park at Asda, Morrisons or a town centre car park and walk; St Johns Street is the closest at about nine minutes.
• Bring a torch, cash and a card, and leave the dog at home.
• Anyone with photosensitive epilepsy should know the trail uses strobe and flashing lights.
• For the rest of the week, see Bromsgrove October half term. Bonfire night is a week later: Bromsgrove fireworks.

Related

• Things to do in Bromsgrove: Sanders Park and the rest of the district’s days out.
• Parking in Bromsgrove: every council car park, what it costs and the 30 minutes free rule.
• Bromsgrove roadworks and travel: what is shut this week and what is coming.

Sources

• Bromsgrove District Council, Sanders Set for Spooky Saturday, 16 September 2026, for the date, the 5pm to 10pm times, the free entry, the new themed zones, the “transformed after dark” description, the thousands of visitors claim and the quote from Cllr Shirley Webb.
• Bromsgrove District Council, Halloween Light Trail Sanders Park event page, posted 8 September 2026 and read again on 9 October, for the 5pm to 10pm times, the trail lighting at 6pm, the postcode, free entry, the trail description, Wilsons Funfair, the food and bar, cash and card, the torch, strobe, clothing and dog advice, the blue badge only parking at the park, the Asda, Morrisons and town centre car parks, the Kidderminster Road restrictions, the information, first aid and toilet provision, and the events@redditchbc.gov.uk contact.
• Bromsgrove District Council, Halloween Light Trail map, read 30 October 2026, for the one-way route, the pond warning and the activities.
• Bromsgrove District Council, Sanders Park car park extension opens in time for Half Term, 28 October 2026, for the 26 October reopening and the new bays.
• Bromsgrove District Council, work to begin on Sanders Park car park extension, 29 July 2026, for the start of the extension works.
• Bromsgrove District Council, Sanders Park Car Park Works, read on 9 October 2026, for “will be completed around early October 2026” and the nearby car parks with postcodes and walk times, still including Stourbridge Road.
• Bromsgrove District Council, Off Street Parking Order 2026 consultation for the removal of Stourbridge Road car park.
• Bromsgrove District Council, our car parks for the first 30 minutes free rule.
• Bromsgrove District Council, Green For Success At Bromsgrove Parks, 16 July 2026, for the 2026 Green Flag awards to Sanders Park and Lickey End Recreation Ground, the Keep Britain Tidy contract and the 20 parks figure.

Details confirmed with Bromsgrove District Council’s own published pages on 30 October 2026. Check its event page before you travel in case of late changes.