Inspired by our retelling of The Nutcracker, you’re invited to join us this October Half Term for a family adventure filled with spooky delights and sweet surprises!
The mischievous Rat Queen has crept out from the shadows of The Nutcracker’s story and into the streets of Taunton! Her cheeky rats have been busy stealing sweet treats (and a few nasty tricks) from the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy – and they’ve hidden them in shop windows all across town!
Can you help to retrieve the missing goodies? Follow the trail, identify what’s hiding at each location, and return to Taunton Brewhouse to be entered into a special prize draw.
The Rat Queen’s Trick-or-Treat Trail runs from Sat 25 October – Sun 2 November.
Where are the rats hiding?
1) Taunton Visitor Centre (TA1 1JD)
2) Tea Talker (TA1 1HX)
3) Hotel Chocolat (TA1 1HX)
4) Brendon Books (TA1 4ER)
5) Dough (TA1 4ER)
6) Taunton Library (TA1 3XZ)
7) Waterstones (TA1 3LU)
8) Oxfam Bookshop (TA1 1UG)
9) Rocket & Bird (TA1 1JR)
10) World of Bears (TA1 1SF)
11) 9|15 Coffee (TA1 1FB)
12) Taunton Brewhouse (TA1 1JL)
Before embarking on your journey, you will need to collect a trail map. You can pick up a physical copy from our Box Office from the week commencing 20 October or download a digital version here.
There will also be maps available from all of the participating businesses, including the Taunton Visitor Centre (the first location on the trail!). If you have trouble locating the maps/window stickers, please do speak to a member of staff who will be happy to help.
Win tickets to The Nutcracker
For a chance to win 4 tickets to The Nutcracker, please hand in your completed trail map to the Taunton Brewhouse Box Office by 4pm on Tuesday 4 November.
Upon completing the trail, you will be automatically entered into our prize draw and receive a free bag of chocolate coins (The Rat Queen’s favourite!). You can also email your answers and contact information to us at [email protected] with the subject line ‘The Rat Queen’s Trick or Treat Trail’.
The Nutcracker runs at Taunton Brewhouse from 2-28 December 2025. The winner will be chosen at random and notified by Friday 7 November. The winning tickets will be for one performance only and will be allocated by the Taunton Brewhouse Box Office team, subject to availability. Please note our Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm.
Illustrations by Tomasin Cuthbert.
The Rat Queen’s Trick-or-Treat Trail is kindly sponsored by Character Graphics.
