Stages 4 Ages · Halloween
Halloween Ghost Race
Nurseries, settings, individuals, families and childminders can all take part. Register free, create your ghost and share it with supporters. Each entrant type is ranked separately for prizes.
Race finished
Thank you to every nursery, family, childminder and supporter who took part. Registration and boosts are now closed. Results will be shared here once they have been reviewed and approved.
How does the Ghost Race work?
New to the Ghost Race? Watch our quick video to find out how to enter, create your ghost and join the fun!
Register your ghost
Free to enter for nurseries & settings and individuals, families & childminders. Each entrant type is ranked separately for prizes.
Free Halloween activity & recipe pack
Every registered entrant receives the pack free — no boost purchase or paid membership needed. Supporters get it too, as a thank-you, with their first confirmed boost. It's a gift, not a prize.
Registration has closed
Already registered? Check your statusSupport a ghost
Find a nursery, family or childminder and add boosts to their ghost. Each boost moves it closer to the finish line — and your first boost comes with our free Halloween pack by email.
See the final trackThe race has closed
Ready, set… ghost!
Closes Friday 30 October · 6pm UK time
Leaderboard
| Rank | Ghost | Boosts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kester Cracker Jacks PreschoolSt. Neots | 85 |
| 1 | Garry | 10 |
| 2 | Cracker Jacks Day NurseryEaton Socon | 8 |
| =2 | Christine | 0 |
| =2 | Emma | 0 |
| =3 | Little ExplorersLondon | 0 |
| =3 | Little LearnersBaby Steps Pre-school | 0 |
| =3 | MariAshford | 0 |
| =3 | Tiny BearsPeterborough | 0 |
Find a ghost
Campaign dates
- Registration closes
- Friday 30 October 2026 at 18:00 (UK time)
- Boosts open
- Wednesday 14 October 2026 at 11:31 (UK time)
- Race closes
- Friday 30 October 2026 at 18:00 (UK time)
Boost prices
£0.50 per boost. Bundles: £2, £5, £10.
Prizes
Nurseries & settings
1st place
50 parent goodie bags · 50% off Stages 4 Ages membership for 50 parents for 3 months · one free course (course to be confirmed)
2nd place
20 parent goodie bags · 50% off Stages 4 Ages membership for 25 parents for 3 months · one free course (course to be confirmed)
3rd place
10 parent goodie bags · 50% off Stages 4 Ages membership for 10 parents for 3 months · one free course (course to be confirmed)
Individuals & childminders
1st place
3 months' free Stages 4 Ages Full Membership · one free Stages 4 Ages course · two goodie bags
2nd place
1 month's free Stages 4 Ages Full Membership · one free Stages 4 Ages course · one goodie bag
3rd place
50% off Stages 4 Ages Full Membership for 1 month · one free Stages 4 Ages course
Each entrant type is ranked separately. Only confirmed paid boosts count towards race positions and prizes. Prizes are arranged after approval, never issued automatically. The free pack is a separate gift.
Who can take part
The Ghost Race is open to UK nurseries, pre-schools, childminders and other registered early years and childcare settings. Registration is free. Each site registers separately and is listed under its own name. A member of staff who is authorised by the setting must register it. We review every registration before the setting’s ghost appears on the race, and we may decline duplicate or ineligible entries. Approved settings receive a free Halloween activity and recipe pack to share with their parents. No boost purchase or paid membership is needed.
Individuals, families and childminders can also enter in their own category. You enter one ghost under a public display name of your choice. Your full name, email and postal address are used only to run the competition and deliver prizes, and never appear publicly.
If there's a tie: If settings tie, the prizes for the tied places are split between them according to the arrangements approved by Stages 4 Ages (for example, two settings tied for first share the 50 goodie bags, 25 each). For the individual / childminder category, how tied places are settled will be confirmed by Stages 4 Ages before results are announced.
Where the money goes
Paid boosts help support ongoing free parent resources and webinars from Stages 4 Ages.
FAQs
Campaign terms
The Stages 4 Ages Halloween Ghost Race 2026 is a free competition with two categories: nurseries / early years settings, and individuals / families / childminders.
Each approved setting can enter one personalised ghost. Parents, families and supporters can purchase optional boosts to help their chosen setting climb the leaderboard.
The race closes on Friday 30 October 2026 at 6pm (UK time), with results announced on Saturday 31 October 2026.
Winners are determined by the highest number of valid, confirmed boosts at closing. Refunded, reversed or fraudulent transactions will not count towards final results.
Each category is ranked separately. The three highest-placed entries in each category will receive that category's advertised prizes, subject to the published prize and tie arrangements. Membership prizes refer to the Stages 4 Ages Full Membership and are arranged with winners after results are confirmed; nothing is issued automatically. Individual entrants' postal addresses are used only for competition administration and prize delivery.
Supporters who buy boosts receive the free Halloween activity and recipe pack by email as a thank-you. Buying boosts does not subscribe you to marketing.
Stages 4 Ages reserves the right to investigate suspicious activity, disqualify fraudulent entries and make reasonable adjustments where necessary to protect the fairness of the competition.
Participation is subject to these terms, the published eligibility criteria and the Payment and Refund Rules.
Payments and refunds
Boost purchases are optional and processed securely through Stripe.
Boosts cost 50p each, with bundles of 4 for £2, 10 for £5 and 20 for £10.
Boosts are credited only after successful payment confirmation. Failed, cancelled or duplicate transactions will not result in additional boosts.
If a payment is refunded or reversed, its associated boosts will be removed from the official total.
For duplicate charges, payment errors or refund requests, please contact support@stages4ages.com. Refunds will be handled in accordance with applicable consumer law and the circumstances of the transaction.
Payments must be completed within the published competition period to qualify. Any payments confirmed after the closing time will be reviewed against the official payment timestamp.
Your statutory consumer rights are not affected.