If you’re looking for cracking ‘EGGscursions’ this Easter don’t despair, we’ve rounded free and cheap days out so you can have fun while still saving money during the school holidays
Easter can be ‘EGGstra’ expensive for families but there are lots of ways to make it extra ‘EGGciting’ without spending a fortune. From free egg-rolling competitions to ‘eggstraordinary’ events like puppetry festivals, there are lots of cracking adventures for families to enjoy this Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (April 18 – 21).
And it doesn’t matter where you are in the UK with The Mirror’s guide to the best free and affordable to do with the kids whether you’re in the North East or the South West.
North East
Take the family to the South Causey Inn in Stanley, County Durham for its Scarecrow Festival, running from Thursday, 17th April to Monday, 28th April where you can admire an array of quirky, handcrafted scarecrows made by the gardening team at South Causey Inn. From classic countryside characters to fun and imaginative designs, each scarecrow has its own unique design. Visitors to the hotel and restaurant trail are encouraged to snap a selfie with their favourite and enter a competition to win a meal.
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Or check out the Moving Parts Puppetry Festival in Newcastle from Saturday 19 to Sunday 27 April which will feature free and affordable puppetry events including workshops, films, talks and performances for adults, children, teens, and families. There is also the Toon Underground Parade on Saturday 19th April, which will feature 200 local residents and artists following two weeks of free parade workshops. Festival events will take place in different parts of the city and it’s best to check their website https://www.movingpartsarts.com for any last-minute changes before heading on out.
North West
Meet and Greet with Peter Rabbit and the Easter Fairy on Saturday, April 19th at the Heskin Hall Shopping Village. Enjoy an Easter hunt all around the shopping village in Chorley, Lancs collecting clues to find your eggs and following the footprints to meet special guests Peter Rabbit and the Easter Fairy. Each child will receive a gift from the special guests and grown-ups can take their own photographs too. Tickets cost £10 per child.
Meanwhile, the Flying Scotsman is coming back to the National Railway Museum in York from April 5 to 20. As part of its 50th birthday celebrations the world-famous locomotive will return to North Shed to take centre stage in the Flying Scotsman Story exhibition. The National Railway Museum is part of the Science Museum Group and tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. While this is a free event, be sure to book your free admission tickets in advance and save time queuing.
Central
Open from 3pm daily, Birmingham’s Thinktank Science Garden is suitable for children of all ages and is free to enter any day during the Easter holidays. The garden is packed with interactive and educational exhibits based on themes of engineering, mechanics and transportation. Kids will love having a go on the giant human-sized hamster wheel which reaches a speed of 30 revolutions per minute. The outside area is perfect for spending a sunny afternoon, but you do have to pay to get inside the Birmingham Science Museum with prices starting from £7.50 for children over 3.
At Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes under 12s get in free and there are loads of events taking place over Easter to keep them busy. Adults have to pay but one ticket costing £25 can be used as many times as you want throughout the year. The whole family can find out how the world’s first large-scale electronic digital computer and how it was used at Bletchley Park, discover how machines learn and how artificial intelligence works, and perform some programming with a Lego robot.
Wales
You could take the family on a trip to Trefriw Woollen Mills in Conwy Valley, North Wales to see how products are woven on a power loom and view the water powered turbine which generates electricity to power the mill on Monday April 21.
While you’re there you can also visit the smallest house in Britain for an admission fee of just £1.50. The tiny home was built in the 16th century and remained in use until 1900, when the tenant was a 6-foot-3-inch fisherman named Robert Jones. But the rooms were too small for him to stand up in fully and he was eventually forced to move out when the council declared the house unfit for human habitation.
London
From 24th March to 27th April, 2025, everyone is invited to find the scattered 2ft egg sculptures as part of a free-to-view trail called The Big Egg Hunt 2025 across iconic locations and landmarks. From historic neighbourhoods like Chelsea, Canary Wharf, Covent Garden and Marble Arch, to Battersea Power Station, The Barbican, The British Museum and The Royal Albert Hall, each landmark provides the perfect backdrop to witness an exhibition like no other whilst exploring the Capital.
Or for something a little smaller on Friday April 18, you can head to Elephant & Castle for an egg-citing day of Easter festivities or check out the Southbank Centre for spellbinding puppetry and lots of free fun over the Easter holidays. The Science Museum and the Natural History Museum in South Kensington are both free to enter. Little ones can take part in hands-on science experiments and explore space rockets any day of the Easter holidays.
South East
Sandwich is a district of Dover and you can have a free day out in Dover exploring the White Cliffs, visiting Samphire Hoe, enjoying the coastal scenery, or visiting Dover Museum. The Sandwich Medieval Centre is free to enter and there are demonstrations of everything from corn weaving through to printing. It’s a living history visitor centre, with regular demonstrations of medieval crafts and skills including blacksmithing, baking, boatbuilding, calligraphy. On Good Friday there’s a corn dolly display and demonstration where you can learn all about the dying craft.
Scotland
Day Time Spring Lambing Session at Monty’s Farm Park in Dumbarton, 45 minutes from Glasgow is a great day out for kids. For an entrance fee of X you can play, meet the lambs and celebrate the end of the Easter holidays at Shetland Museum and Archives, with a day full of free family fun on April 21. The museum is opening its doors for a special drop-in event designed to entertain and engage visitors of all ages.
South West
Bristol is buzzing all year round but head a little off the beaten track and the Frenchay Village Museum’s stories could keep kids entertained for hours. Or head to Weston-Super-Mare and celebrate Easter with a roar at the Pier! Bring the family for a Dinosaur Easter egg hunt, packed with fun activities like face painting, rides, and sweet treats—all for just £2 entry! The excitement runs from 5th to 21st April.
UK wide
Wherever you are in the UK, you can take your little ones to the cinema for less this Easter. At Cineworld, Movies for Juniors screenings has children’s tickets for £3.99. Meanwhile at Odeon you can watch a film for £2.75 during school holidays and weekends and Vue’s Mighty Morning’s run daily from 10am, with seats for £2.49 per person.
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