Pop over to your local museum or gallery to celebrate Welsh Museums Festival for greener hwyl!

After a wet and windy start to half term, families are being invited to discover their local museum, where many are celebrating Calan Gaeaf, the Welsh Halloween, in ways that are kinder to the planet.

More than 60 museums and galleries are taking part in this year’s Welsh Museums Festival, which runs until Sunday 1 November. This year, the festival has encouraged participating museums and galleries to develop more sustainable activities and events. From nature trails that celebrate the autumn season to crafts made from seeds, scrap fabric and recycled materials, there are plenty of ways to enjoy Calan Gaeaf that are kinder to the planet.

Dr Ken Griffin, President of Museums Federation Cymru, which organises the festival, said: “It’s been lovely to see so many trying new ideas, from willow lanterns to bat boxes. Above all, it’s the perfect time to discover your local museum.”

Heledd Fychan, Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport, has welcomed “the Festival’s approach to celebrating Halloween in a greener and more sustainable way.”

The festival’s free bilingual Halloween resource, available at most of the participating museums and galleries, points out that around seven million Halloween costumes are thrown away in the UK every year, the equivalent of every person in Wales binning more than two. Its tips for families include:

• Wear a greener costume. Make a spooky mummy from old fabric, or a witch’s cat from black clothes and homemade ears. You could also find a pre-loved costume and pass it on afterwards.
• Drop the glitter. Glitter is made from tiny pieces of plastic that can wash into rivers and seas. Decorate with dried flowers, seeds and leaves instead, or make your own sparkle with sand, sea salt or sugar and food colouring.
• Eat your pumpkin. Don’t bin the inside of your carved pumpkin. Turn the flesh into soup, or roast the seeds for a crunchy snack.

Greener events near you

Whether it’s a nature trail through autumn leaves or a Halloween craft made from scraps, here are some of the ways to enjoy the season at your local museum before everyone returns to school.

North Wales

• Storiel, Bangor: Natur by Morgan Elwy, a musical drama about how the way we live affects the planet and its wildlife. Ages 6+, booking essential (Thu 29 Oct).
• Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, Llanbedrog: Paned i’r Blaned, a relaxed chat in Welsh about environmental action, with cake, for speakers at every level. Free (Sat 31 Oct, 10am).
• National Slate Museum, Llanberis: a nature trail around the historic Quarry Hospital, spotting trees, plants and animals. Free, daily until Sun 1 Novemeber
• Brambell Natural History Museum, Bangor: Small Beasts, needle-felt creatures inspired by nature and the museum’s specimens. Free, ages 8 to 12, booking essential (Sat 31 Oct).

Mid Wales

• Ceredigion Museum at the Bandstand, Aberystwyth: bat box demonstrations and crafts from natural materials(Wed 28 Oct), and spooky makes and pumpkin-stuffed flatbreads with Ein Cegin (Thu 29 Oct). Free.
• y Gaer, Brecon: Trick or Trails, a hunt for bats, spiders, owls and other misunderstood wildlife, plus crafts using sustainable materials. Free, daily until Sun 1 Nov.
• TimeScape Rhayader and CARAD: spindle spinning and natural dyes (Fri 30 Oct), and crafting bees and bugs (Sat 31 Oct). Free.

West Wales

• Parc Howard Museum, Llanelli: Garlic, Pumpkins and Vampires with Adam yn yr Ardd, following a pumpkin from seed to soup to compost, then planting garlic to take home. £5, book ahead (Fri 30 Oct, 11am).
• Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea: Cardboard Memory Houses, frames for family photos made from recycled materials. Ages 5+, £3, booking essential (Wed 28 Oct).
• Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea: an autumn leaf trail inspired by Dylan Thomas’s poetry. Daily.
• Museum of Land Speed, Pendine: make a ghost or witch from a toilet roll (Sat 31 Oct, 11am).

South Wales

• Torfaen Museum, Pontypool: Spooky Scrap Ghosts, reusable decorations made from scrap fabric (Wed 28 Oct), and appliqué pumpkins (Fri 30 Oct). Free.
• Museum of Cardiff: Halloween zines made from recycled materials with Flossy & Boo. Free drop-in (Thu 29 Oct).
• Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil: spooky seed mosaics. Children free (Fri 30 Oct).

Full details, times and booking information are at www.museumsfestival.wales. Some events need to be booked in advance.