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October is a month filled with vibrant colours, cooler temperatures, and the perfect mix of cosy yet spooky vibes. As the days grow shorter and the leaves turn golden, there’s no shortage of activities to embrace the season. Whether you want get into the spirit of Halloween by seeing a scary play or test your skills in a horror themed escape room, October offers something for everyone. And don’t forgot about our annual Pumpkin Spectacular!

JQBID Pumpkin Spectacular

This year the JQBID Pumpkin Spectacular is taking place on Tuesday 29th October and will be bigger and better than ever as we are using more of the cemetery for the event. Family friendly activities will take place from 3:00pm until 5:30pm, and catacomb tours and pumpkin displays will take place from 5:30pm until 7:00pm as it starts to get dark!

Every year, lots of people come down to join in on the activities as well as to carve pumpkins with their friends and family – it’s a great opportunity for some friendly rivalry over who has the best pumpkin! Pre-order a pumpkin here to make sure you don’t miss out on the night.

Blue Orange Theatre

The Wicked Lady is a spine-chilling theatrical experience, brace yourselves for the ghost story experience of the year. Catch this play from the 25th October – 2nd November at 7:30pm with and extra showing at 4:00pm on Saturdays.

“Flickering from within the tree-line, a single lamp burns in one upstairs window of an otherwise long-abandoned house. The chilling disappearance of a young child is what leads to Alice Beaumont being thrown into this isolated place, shrouded in secrecy and troubled by rumours of a ghostly past. Does the house itself hold the secret or has Alice unlocked something even more unsettling?”

Stryx

This month at Stryx for Kids, Jemima Graham will invite participants to use kaleidoscopes to delve into different perspectives and discover play in everyday objects and materials. Create artwork using recycled materials inspired by observations. This workshop aims to spark curiosities about the aspects of hidden play in everyday objects. This event will take place on Saturday 5th October from 11:00am – 2:00pm and is free entry but booking is essential.

Escape Live

Are you good at problem solving? Are you good under pressure? Escape Live has a huge selection of themed rooms to test you. Get in the mood for Halloween and try Room 13 or Jack the Ripper. Their other escape rooms include Peaky Blinders, Sherlock Holmes and Time Machine. Invite your friends and family and see if you can escape within the time limit!

Pen Museum

The Calligraphy Classes with Sheila Smith costs £12 and will run from 12:00pm – 1:30pm and 2:00pm – 3:30pm on Sunday 20th October. In this class, you will be introduced to the art of italic script using an ‘edged’ metal dip pen.

Birmingham Open Studios

Now in their 8th year, Birmingham Open Studios allows artists and craftspeople of all experience to display their craft from their own homes or working studios. The public can view all of the artists’ work – for free – in the artist’s creative environment, giving them an insight into the artist’s lives and creative processes. Catch some of our JQ artists on the 5th and 6th October.

Birmingham Cocktail Weekend

This year they are putting on not one, but two, festivals. The Summer Edition festival has now taken place but don’t worry if you missed out, you can now take part in their Winter Edition from 24th – 27th October. Each participating venue is offering £5 cocktails and £4 mocktails. For the Winter Edition of BCW a handful of venues will be serving up a brand new option – an £8 signature cocktail and canapé pairing. Have a look at all the participating venues here.

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