Pumpkin Valley at Hertfordshire Zoo

Pumpkin Valley is not a separate ticket. It is folded into a normal day at Hertfordshire Zoo, so the pumpkins sit alongside the animals rather than replacing them, and a family who were going to visit the zoo anyway during half term get the October event at no extra cost.

New for 2026 is the Pumpkin Shack, where visitors choose and buy their own pumpkin to take home. The pumpkin itself is paid for separately, but everything else in Pumpkin Valley is already covered by the day ticket.

October timings matter more here than at most venues. Last paid entry falls in the middle of the afternoon, with members given a slightly later cut-off, so a tea-time arrival will not work and the day is best planned around a morning or early afternoon start. Tickets cannot be refunded or transferred either, except where the zoo judges the site inaccessible or unsafe because of the weather.

Buying online saves ten per cent, because an extra ten per cent is added to tickets bought at the gate on site. Ticket prices also include a ten per cent donation to the zoo. Carer tickets are free with supporting documents, and infants under two do not pay at all.

Parking is free. Blue Badges need to be displayed in the vehicle on arrival, and unmarked bays are used for Blue Badge holders during peak season. If you would rather not drive, the zoo is a short distance from Broxbourne station, which also makes it one of the easier October days out to reach from London.