Every October, farms right across Northern Ireland turn their fields orange. Here are ten of the best pumpkin patches — the ones worth loading the wellies in the car for.
What "pick your own" means — you wander the patch, choose your own pumpkins straight off the ground, and most places will carve them for you or lend you the tools. A ticket usually includes a pumpkin per child, plus trails, animals and play.
Book ahead — this is the big one. Nearly every patch here is timed-ticket, pre-book only, and the good weekend slots sell out days in advance. Book the moment tickets go live (usually mid-to-late August) rather than turning up on the day.
Prices are a rough guide. Farms set fresh prices each year — treat the figures below as "about", and always check the official page (linked on every entry) for this season's dates and cost before you travel.
Dress for a field. These are working farms in October — think wellies, warm coats and a change of socks. A dry, bright day is gold; a wet one is still good craic if everyone's wrapped up.
Quiet sessions. Several patches now run calmer, sensory-friendly sessions for children with additional needs — The Ark and Woodview both do. Ask when you book if that suits your family better.
Beat the queue for pumpkins — the best-shaped pumpkins go early in the month and early in the day. Go on an opening weekend morning if you're fussy about the perfect carving pumpkin.
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The Ark Open Farm Pumpkin Patch
Newtownards, Co Down · around £16–19 · book ahead
The best-organised pumpkin day in the country, and the one that sells out first. Out on the Ards Peninsula, a short hop from Belfast, the Ark hands the whole farm over to Halloween for October: pick your pumpkin and have it carved for you, toast marshmallows, make slime, meet the creepy-crawlies in the Animal Encounters Barn, and follow the Halloween Trail and Fairytale Forest through the fields. Every child's ticket comes with a pumpkin, a barrel ride and a sweet treat at the end, and there's a calm quiet session for families with additional needs.
Half a dayAround £16–19 · under-1s freeTimed tickets — sells out first, book early
Dundonald, Belfast · around £5.50–£17 · book ahead
A Belfast institution — Northern Ireland's only open dairy farm, family-run for over 35 years, and just fifteen minutes from the city centre. Its Halloween takeover hands the little ones mini wheelbarrows to trundle round the patch, then piles on a Broomtastic Disco, a Haunted House, a witch to meet, the Spooky Sisters' Sweet Shop and all the usual Streamvale animals and tractor rides. Gentle, well-run and pitched squarely at younger children — the safe first pumpkin patch for a toddler.
A big, jam-packed day in the foothills of the Mournes. Mountpanther runs its pumpkin patch in three-hour slots crammed with things to do — pick and carve your pumpkin, follow the spooky trail, dance at the outdoor disco, enter the fancy-dress competition — and it all sits on top of the farm's usual llamas, meerkats, themed Play Village, go-karts and jumping pillow. If you want maximum value from a single ticket, this is the one, and the Mourne backdrop is hard to beat.
3-hour slotPaid entry · see site3-hour timed slots — arrive on time
The proper farmer's patch for the west. Fulton's grows over nineteen different types of pumpkin and squash, so this is the place to come if you want something beyond the standard orange globe — knobbly ones, pale ones, giants. Alongside the fields there's an indoor spook tunnel, an animal corner, a Witch House, refreshments and picnic areas. Down-to-earth, family-run and a genuine pick-your-own where the pumpkins are still on the vine when you choose them.
2–3 hoursPaid entry · see sitePre-book timed tickets
Pumpkins with a sea view. Pickie Fun Park on the Bangor seafront runs its patch through late October, and the clever part is the ticket: you collect your pumpkin, then get free unlimited use of the Pickie attractions — the famous swan pedal boats, the little train, the play park. There's no carving station here, so it's picking and playing rather than carving. A brilliant all-in-one if you're combining pumpkins with a seaside afternoon.
Half a dayPaid entry · see siteTimed tickets, pre-book · no carving
The adventure-farm take on Halloween, and the pick for families with older kids who'd be bored of a toddler patch. The Jungle's "Hallowe'uns" event bolts pumpkin picking onto its outdoor activity site: a haunted haycart ride out to the homegrown pumpkins, a Halloween disco, and the woodland and adventure play it's known for. More thrills than cutesy — great for primary-age and up who want a bit of a scare with their pumpkin.
Half a dayPaid entry · see sitePre-book · best for older kids
Belfast's lakeside patch. Let's Go Hydro — better known for its water park and glamping — clears space each late October for a "Spookfest": stroll the autumn patch, pick your own pumpkin to carry home or carve on site, and take in the trail and Halloween set-dressing around the lake. Handy for south Belfast and Lisburn, and an easy add-on if you're making a bigger day of it at the resort. Pre-booking online is essential.
1–2 hoursPaid entry · see sitePre-book online — essential
The gentlest, most magical one for very little ones. Colin Glen — the forest park under Black Mountain in west Belfast — sets a Pumpkin Forest along its Gruffalo Trail, so toddlers get to hunt for the Gruffalo, the Mouse and the Fox among the trees, pick a pumpkin, search for mini-beasts and stop for photos with the storybook characters. Low on scares, high on wonder, and wrapped in genuinely lovely woodland. A safe bet for under-fives.
1–2 hoursPaid entry · see sitePre-book · best for under-5s
The most photogenic patch in the country. Maxwell's near Castlederg leans full American — big styled backdrops, food cabins, a maize maze, a friendly-monster meet-and-greet, family music, go-karts and giant marshmallow toasting, with a proper you-pick pumpkin field at the heart of it. It's also dog-friendly, which many patches aren't. Come for the photos, stay for the day.
Half a dayPaid entry · see sitePre-book · dog-friendly
The relaxed, no-fuss option. Woodview, a family-run garden centre just outside Armagh, grows its own apples, pears, vegetables and pumpkins, and lays on one of the best pumpkin displays in the country — often with no booking needed, so it's the patch you can do on a whim. Add a coffee shop for warming up and autism-friendly days for a calmer visit, and it's an easy, gentle, budget-friendly pumpkin stop for the whole family.
1–2 hoursDisplay free to browse · pay for pumpkinsOften no booking — check the days
Got a toddler? Streamvale, Colin Glen's Gruffalo walk or Woodview — gentle, low on scares, big on wonder.
Older kids who want a thrill? The Jungle NI's haunted haycart or Maxwell's American-style patch will win them over.
Want the whole day in one ticket? Mountpanther, The Ark and Pickie pack picking, play and animals into a single visit.
Keep exploring
These pumpkin patches — and about 2,000 more family days out across Northern Ireland — are on our free map, with full guides, live events and what's-on near you.
