The Lost Gardens of Heligan in St Austell are preparing to celebrate autumn in style this October with two weeks of seasonal events. Running from 18th October to 2nd November, The Spirit of Harvest promises a mix of harvest traditions and spooky folklore just in time for Halloween.
A Celebration of the Season
From Saturday 18th to Friday 24th October, the focus will be on the bounty of autumn. Visitors can discover vegetables, fruit, herbs, seeds, meat, flowers and even timber across the gardens and estate.
The week includes demos, tasters, and guided tours of both the gardens and the farm. Guests will also have the chance to try their hand at traditional skills such as onion stringing, seed saving and dried flower arranging.
For the first time, Heligan will showcase the fascinating process of charcoal making on the estate.
📷Autumn Adventures at The Lost Gardens
Folklore and Frights for Half Term
From Saturday 25th October to Sunday 2nd November, Heligan takes on a spookier theme. Families can enjoy potion and wand-making crafts before braving the Wise Witches of Nature trail, where stories of Cornish folklore reveal guardians of the natural world entwined with harvest traditions.
The trail finishes with toasted marshmallows over a fire pit. Extra highlights include donkey and goat walks as well as ponies in paniers, an ancient harvest technique once used to move produce across the land.
Extra Activities Across Both Weeks
Running throughout the fortnight will be daily corn dolly workshops, as well as apple pressing demonstrations on weekends. Visitors can also admire an impressive display of harvest produce.
📷Cleaning the pumpkins before their staring role in the Heligan Harvest
Essential Details
Location: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, St Austell, Cornwall
Dates: 18th October – 2nd November
Prices: Adult garden admission from £28 / Child admission from £12.50 / Family admission (2 adults and up to 3 children) from £75.50
Tickets: can be purchased here
Did you know? The end of harvest and Halloween are inextricably linked. The Celts believed that at the end of harvest, the veil between the world of mortals and spirits was temporarily dissolved. This ancient belief was the origin of Halloween.
📷Devon & Cornwall Longwool Sheep
📷Half term – Marshmallow toasting (2)
📷Heligan Produce – ©Heligan Gardens – James Stephens
📷New Sculpture – Lowarnes – 2025
📷Productive Gardener Lydia in the Apple Store
📷The best of the Productive Gardens
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📷Harvest delights
📷Harvest in the Melon Yard
📷Heligan Harvest Display 2023
📷Rare Breed Heligan Residents
📷Autumn Golds
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📷Harvest Apples
📷Harvest Apples
📷Pumpkins
📷The Big Draw
📷Craig and Yoko add the final touches to the Heligan Harvest display
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