The lavender rows of Epsom’s best-known farm are taking on a decidedly spookier look this month, as the Mayfield Lavender Halloween trail opens for October.
Malice Returns: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is the second chapter in the farm’s Alice in Wonderland-inspired series, following last year’s debut event, and it runs until Saturday, October 31 — taking in the autumn half-term.
For most of the year, Mayfield Lavender is famous for its sweeping summer fields, when visitors stroll between the purple rows, cut their own stems and browse the farm shop. The Secret Lavender Garden on Reigate Road — close to Epsom and a short hop from Croydon — has become a fixture of the south London countryside calendar, with the Glasshouse Café welcoming visitors all year round.
Run by the Maye family and set against the North Downs fringe of the capital, the farm draws crowds from across London and Surrey each summer at the height of the bloom. Beyond the fields, the site includes a nursery, a shop selling lavender oils and gifts, and café spaces that keep it busy long after harvest.
October, though, brings a different kind of harvest. Pumpkins, hay bales and a ghost train take over the site, and the scent of lavender gives way to woodsmoke and hot chocolate.
The adventure begins at the garden’s red telephone box, where the character Malice meets a Sorcerer and discovers his Book of Spells. After ignoring warnings to leave the magic alone, she unleashes chaos across Lavenderland — and visiting families are recruited to help restore order.
The route winds through the Lavender Straits, dressed for autumn, and a string of themed set-pieces including the Sorcerer’s Laboratory, a spooky graveyard, Sleepy Hollow and the Mad Hatter’s maze. Along the way there are spell-themed challenges, games and sensory activities, plus encounters with the Queen of Hearts, playing-card soldiers, skeletons and the Grim Reaper.
The Wonderland thread runs through the whole experience, from the playing-card soldiers to the Mad Hatter’s maze — a nod to the literary inspiration behind the series, now in its second year.
Guests enter through a Halloween garden of pumpkins and hay bales, passing the Looby Loo ghost train, and can explore a pick-your-own pumpkin patch as part of the family-friendly trail. New this year are evening sessions, with atmospheric lighting transforming the site after dark.
The after-dark slots offer a more atmospheric take on the trail once the light fades, while daytime remains firmly family-focused — the event is billed as gentle spookiness rather than full fright-night fare, with games and sensory stops to keep younger visitors entertained between the bigger set-pieces.
Owner Lorna Maye said the event was back by popular demand, promising mischief, gentle spookiness, tricks, treats and immersive family-friendly fun from October 10 and throughout the half-term — encouraging visitors to grab a wheelbarrow and pick their perfect pumpkin.
The event runs daily from 10am to 7pm, with timed arrival slots throughout the day. Standard tickets cost £9.25 for visitors aged four and over, while peak tickets are £10.25; children aged under two go free. Admission includes entry to the Secret Lavender Garden, the pumpkin patch and the Malice Returns trail, although pumpkins are sold separately. With timed entry in operation, booking ahead is advisable for half-term week and the evening sessions.
Food and drink are available from the Airstream Café, serving hot chocolate, hot dogs and seasonal treats, while the Glasshouse Café gets an autumnal makeover for the season.
It is one of a crop of seasonal days out within easy reach of the capital: heritage railways are laying on Halloween trains and autumn events, the West End is offering its own spine-tingling Halloween treat, and pumpkin lovers should note that Dalston’s pumpkin lantern festival has been scrapped for 2026.
