50 family-friendly events in and around Cardiff for Easter 2016
The schools in Cardiff break up this Thursday 24th March for the two-week Easter break, returning on Monday 11th April. If you’re looking for ideas to keep your little ones entertained over the Easter weekend and the holidays, here are more than 50 fantastic ideas, many of them free.
Events are split into the following categories: Easter-themed events; Other family events; Creative, Theatre and Performance; and Cinema. Clicking on the name of the event will take you to the company’s website for more information.
All events are subject to change. Please check details with the venue beforehand.
Also, the World Half Marathon will be taking place in Cardiff on Saturday 26th March, so this may affect accessibility around the city.
This guide has once again been produced in association with the lovely people who run the restaurants at House of Fraser Cardiff, House of Fraser Cwmbran, the café at Wilkinsons in Swansea and Festival Park Shopping Centre in Ebbw Vale
During the Easter holidays, they will be running their brilliant offer where you can buy a child’s meal for just £1 with every adult meal purchased, from Good Friday 25th March until Sunday 10th April. See in store for full-details.
All the restaurants are family-friendly – and House of Fraser in Cardiff has a brilliant kids’ corner, packed full of toys to entertain your little ones, including building bricks, easels, abacuses and even a slide.
EASTER THEMED EVENTS
Cardiff Castle
Good Friday 25th March – Sunday 3rd April
Hunt for the clues around the castle to solve a puzzle and claim your prize. Normal admission fees apply or a valid Castle Key plus £1 per trail including prize.
(On Saturday 26th March the castle will open at 4.30pm, last entry at 6.30pm and will close at 7pm.)
Cardiff Castle
Easter Sunday 27th March and Easter Monday 28th March, 10am-5pm
Usual entry fees apply or free with a Castle Key.
Meet The Knights with The Warwick Warriors and see them in combat; plus egg rolling, egg decorating and egg and spoon races. Egg decorating must be pre-booked with a charge of £5 for one adult and one child; £2.50 per additional person.
Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan
Good Friday 25th-Easter Monday 28th March, 11am-3.30pm
Follow the clues around the gardens in the hunt for chocolate eggs. Normal admission prices apply, plus £2 per hunt.
Tredegar House, Newport
Good Friday 25th-Easter Monday 28th March, 11am-4pm
Follow the clues around the gardens in the hunt for chocolate eggs. Normal admission prices apply, plus £2 per hunt.
FREE Easter Eggstravaganza
All Nations Church, Sachville Avenue, Heath, Cardiff
Saturday 26th March, 10.30am-12.30pm
Egg hunt, arts and crafts, games and more at this free family fun day.
Rhondda Heritage Park
Good Friday 25th and Saturday 26th March, 10.30am-4pm
Lots of family fun including a traditional Easter egg hunt, children’s funfair rides, arts and crafts including face painting, a children’s play area, plus a mobile petting farm on the Saturday.
FREE Egg Hunt
National Museum Cardiff
Good Friday 25th–Easter Monday 28th March 2016, 11am-4pm
A spring-themed treasure hunt to help families explore the museum. Free.
Cosmeston Lakes
Good Friday 25th-Easter Sunday 27th March, 10am-3.30pm
Collect a map at the visitor centre, explore the park to answer 10 questions and claim your prize.
Entry to Cosmeston is free but the hunt costs £3 per child.
Ready, Eggy, Go – Little Green Fingers Workshops
Pugh’s Garden Village, Radyr, Cardiff
Saturday 26th March, 2pm, Easter Monday 28th March, 2pm and 3pm
£6 per child, must be pre-booked
This Easter themed workshop will include a chance to meet fluffy chicks thanks to Egg Seeds, an award-winning community project), a chance to make an Easter bunny bonnet to take home with you, plus an Easter egg hunt, which will see youngsters matching wild burd eggs with the correct wild bird. You can read our review of a previous Little Green Fingers workshop here.
St Fagans National History Museum
Good Friday 25th-Easter Monday 28th March, 11am – 2pm
Solve the riddles and follow this family trail around the site, and claim your eggciting prize. Suitable for children 4+; £2.50 per child (entry to the museum is free).
Tredegar House, Newport
Tuesday 29th March-Sunday 10th April, 11am-4pm
Various Easter activities around the house and gardens, included in the usual admission price.
Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenafon
Tuesday 29th March–Friday 8th April, 11am-4pm
The Mini Miners Quest will help families explore Big Pit and discover more about the museum. Complete all the answers to claim an Easter treat. Entry to the museum is free but a small charge will apply for the quest.
FREE Hunt The Hare
National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Newport
Saturday 19th March-Sunday 10th April 2016
10am-5pm Monday to Saturday, 2-4pm Sunday.
A Spring trail hunting hares around the museum and garden. Entry to the museum is free but the trail will cost £1 per child.
FREE Egg and Soldiers!
National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Newport
Friday 25th, Saturday 26th, Monday 28 March, 11am – 4pm.
Eggy crafts to make and take home, plus visit the soldier in the barrack room. Free.
National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Newport
Easter Sunday 27th March, 2-4pm.
An Easter egg hunt around the museum and garden. Entry to the museum is free but the trail costs £1 per child.
The Cardiff Story
Wednesday 30th March and Wednesday 6th April, 10am-3pm
£1 per child
Easter holiday family-friendly craft sessions. Entry to the museum itself is free (read our review here) but the craft sessions cost £1 per child.
Cwmcarn Forest
Saturday 26th March, sessions 11am-2pm
Age 4+, £5 per child
Make an Easter bunny or egg using air-dried clay. Various sessions, must be pre-booked
Cwmcarn Forest
Sunday 27th March, sessions 10am-4pm
Age 4+, £4.50 per child including gift. No need to book.
Follow the clues to work out who is stealing all the eggs and claim your reward.
Cwmcarn Forest
Wednesday 30th March, sessions 10.30am-2pm
Age 5+, £4.50 per child, booking advisable
Make eco-friendly seed bombs for your garden, wrapped up in a decorated egg box.
Cwmcarn Forest
Thursday 31st March, sessions 10.30am-2.15pm
£2 per child, ages 3-5, booking advisable.
Little ones can create an Easter chick plate, getting messy with paints and feathers.
Cwmcarn Forest
Friday 1st April, 9pm
Adults £2.50, children £1.50, booking advisable
A chance for older children to see the little creatures come to life as night sets.
Cwmcarn Forest
Saturday 2nd April, 10am-3pm
Adults £5, children 10+ £3, booking advisable
A nine-mile walk through spectacular countryside and historic landscapes, learning more about the local area.
Cwmcarn Forest
Monday 4th April, sessions 10am-2.15pm, booking advisable
Ages 5+, £4 per child
Create a unique Easter gift with hidden treats inside.
FREE Solar Observations with Dark Skies Wales
Cwmcarn Forest
Monday 4th April, 10am-1pm, free
The team from Dark Skies Wales will help you take a safe and close look at the surface of the sun, using specially adapted solar telescopes.
Cwmcarn Forest
Tuesday 5th April, sessions 10am-2.15pm
Ages 5+, £5 per child, booking essential
Decorate a flower pot using various craft items and plant a spring flower inside.
Party Fizz Easter Parties
Christchurch Scout Hall, Lake Road North, Cardiff
Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th March
£7.50 for one child, £10 for two or more siblings
Party Fizz Liz presents her famous annual Easter parties, filled with seasonal action songs, dancing, and fun. Limited spaces still available – these events sell out fast!
Thursday 31st March, 10am, Bethel Baptist Church Hall, Whitchurch
Friday 1st April, 10am, Heath Citizens’ Community Hall
£7, plus £2 per extra walking sibling, must be pre-booked
Easter-themed songs, musical games, disco lights bubbles and more for walking tots to four years of age.
Easter Eggstravaganaza
Llancaiach Fawr Manor, near Nelson
Good Friday 25th and Easter Monday 26th March
The 17th century manor will be hosting springtime and activities suitable for families. Activities only admittance – £5 per child, first adult free, additional adults £1 or included in usual entry fee.
Easter Egg Hunt, Caerphilly Castle
Easter Trail, Castell Coch, Tongwynlais
Easter Egg Hunt, Blaenavon Ironworks
Sunday 27th March, 11am-4pm
Cadw monuments in South Wales and beyond will be hosting Easter events for families; the events are free but usual entrance fees apply. You can read more about our trips to Castell Coch and Caerphilly Castle, plus our role as Cadw Blogger Ambassadors, here.
Cookstars Children’s Easter Craft and Cooking Workshop
Good Friday 26th March, 10am-11.30am, Pentyrch
Ages 3-13, £15 per child, must be pre-booked
Children will make Crème Egg-topped cakes to take home in an Easter box, as well as Easter pom pom decorations, and an Easter egg hunt.
Mountain View Ranch, Caerphilly
Good Friday 25th-Easter Monday 28th March
Easter egg trails, rabbit petting, Gruffalo story, archery and campfire and marshmallows are among the activities on offer over the Easter weekend. Also open every day during the holidays, with activities to be confirmed. You can read our review of Mountain View Ranch here.
OTHER FAMILY EVENTS
St Fagans National History Museum
Thursday 24th-Easter Monday 28th March, free
Celebtate the start of spring with the arrival of new lambs in the lambing shed, plus follow on the museum’s website via #lambcam
FREE Whitchurch Easter Monday Fun Day
Whitchurch Common, Cardiff, 12-4pm
Easter Monday 28th March
A family fun day, including stalls, donkey rides, children’s inflatables and rides, refreshments, party mascots and much more. Entry is free but some attractions will incur a charge.
FREE Treasures and Adventures Family Workshops
National Museum Cardiff
Tuesday 29th March–Friday 1st April, 11am, 1pm & 3pm
Find out more about archaeological treasures and adventures and create something inspired by your visit to the exhibition. Workshops are free, as is entry to the museum, but places are limited so book at the information desk on arrival. Entrance fees apply for the Treasures and Adventures exhibition itself.
Miniature Railways and Tramways
Heath Model Railway, Heath Park, Cardiff
Sunday 27th and Monday 28th March, 1pm-5pm
Cardiff Model Engineering Society open their doors over the Easter weekend. The whole family can go for rides on miniature steam, diesel and electric trains, plus a tram. Entry is £1.50 per person and each ride is £1.50 per person. Under 3s are free.
Margam Park
Easter Monday 28th March, 10am-5pm
Special events prices apply – adults £6, children £4, family (2+2) £19
A family day of entertainment including circus workshops, Philleas Fopp and Montague Dandy – the Victorian Juggling Gents, Pirate Pantomine, Proffessor Potts the Victorian Explorer, Meet Mr Bubbles.
Cardiff Castle
Friday 1st April, 10.15am-3pm, pre-bookable sessions
Children can learn to sword fight under the guidance of The Warwick Warriors, with sessions for 5-9 year olds (from £7.50), and over 10s (£10).
Cardiff Castle
Saturday 2nd-Sunday 3rd April
Armour, archery and combat displays from The Warwick Warriors, plus a spell-binding storytelling session. Combat displays: 12pm & 3pm; archery: 2pm (weather permitting).
Normal admission fees apply or free with a valid Castle Key.
Create With Cadw: Lego and Minecraft workshops
Caerphilly Castle
Easter Monday 28th March-Friday 1st April, 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm
Age 7+, £8 per child, pre-booking essential
Two hour workshops will see children build huge castles with Lego, animate amazing stories from Wales’s past and give historic structures a Minecraft makeover.
National Museum Cardiff
Wednesday 30th March, 1.05pm
Discovering Giants, Tyrants and Super-snails: how Wales’ National Museum matters to Africa’s tropical rainforests, a talk by Dr Ben Rowson. The workshops are free, as is entry to the museum, but places are limited so book at the information desk on arrival.
Meet The Birds
Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay
Easter Monday 28th March, 12pm-4pm
Owls, hawks and falcons will be in display at The Red Dragon Centre with opportunities to handle the birds for a small donation to Falconry UK.
My First Vegetable Patch
Pugh’s Garden Village, Radyr, Cardiff
Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th April, various sessions available
£5 per child, must be pre-booked
Little ones will be introduced to the idea of growing their own vegetables and guided through planting a variety of vegetable seeds, which you can then take home to nurture (with an offer on grow bags to grow them in if desired)
Wyvale Garden Centre, St Mellons, Cardiff
Monday 4th-Friday 8th April
Kids’ crafts, gardening and baking fun for little ones. Workshops on offer include: Enchanted Garden; Give A Gnome a Home; Sweet Tweets; Plant a Gobstopper Tomato. Times and prices vary.
CREATIVE, THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE
The Legendary Adventure of Litla the Brave
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
Tuesday 29th-Friday 1st April, 10,30am; Saturday 2nd April, 1pm
Age 6+, £7 per person
This family show includes puppetry, music and outrageous characters, as little Litla sets out for the empty house at the edge of the forest in a race against time to save her friend.
FREE National Dance Company Wales: Free Family Interactive Matinee
Dance House, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay
Saturday 2nd April, 10.30am
Free, but must be pre-booked
A fun, engaging and creative way to join and learn more about dance. Families will get the chance to dance on stage with our dancers (not obligatory!), ask questions, learn excerpts of the company’s show and see a performance of Tuplet, a witty and rhythmic dance.
Margam Park
Thursday 31st March, 11am, 12.15pm, 1.45pm, 3pm
£3 per child
Learn about wildlife at the park and make a mask of your favourite creature.
Margam Park
Thursday 31st March, 11-11.30am, 1.30-2pm, 2.30-3pm
Celebrating the centenary of the birth of the renowned Welsh writer, NTP Library Services present storytelling sessions in the castle, featuring some of Dahl’s best-loved stories. Dress as your favourite Dahl character, with a prize at the end of each session for the best costume.
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
Saturday 2nd and Tuesday 5th April, 11am & 2pm, English performances
Monday 4th April, 11am & 2pm, Welsh performances
Following sell-out performances last year, Theatr Iolo preset this imaginative and heartwarming show for 3-5 year olds and their families that delves into the world of childhood imagination. You can read our review of last year’s show here.
FREE Paper Aeroplanes
Foyer, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay
Saturday 2nd-Sunday 3rd April, 11am-4pm
Free
Help Wales Millennium Centre transform its foyer into a paper aeroplane installation, with concords, jets, helicopters and planes.
FREE Playground Games
Foyer, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay
Saturday 2nd-Sunday 3rd April, 11am-4pm
Free
A chance to play some old-fashioned games including hopscotch, dominoes and tiddly winks.
Hetty Feather
New Theatre, Cardiff
Wednesday 30th March-Sunday 3rd April (various performance times and ticket prices)
Adapted from the best-selling children’s story by Jacqueline Wilson, Hetty Feather comes to Cardiff via a West End sell-out season and an Olivier Award nomination. Join Hetty as she escapes from The Foundling Hospital and finds herself in all kind of adventure as she searches for her real mother.
Tiddler and other Terrific Tales
Sherman Cymru, Cardiff
Thursday 7th April, 2pm and 4.30pm; Friday 8th April, 11am, £9 per person
Some of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s best-loved titles are woven together with live music, puppetry and colourful characters, as Tiddler, Monkey Puzzle, The Smartest Giant in Town and A Squash and a Squeeze are brought to the stage. Suitable for children aged 3+ and their families.
FREE Get Creative Weekend
Sherman Cymru, Cardiff
Friday 1st-Sunday 3rd April
A bumper weekend to celebrate Wales’s creativity, led by BBC Cymru Wales, Arts Council of Wales and What Next? Family friendly activities include an afternoon of free activities related to Tiddler and Other Stories (theatre show as above), from 12-4pm; plus tours of the Sherman Theatre backstage and theatre spaces on Saturday 12pm-4pm (free but needs to be pre-booked).
Cwmcarn Forest
Thursday 7th-Saturday 9th April, 7.15pm
Age 8+, £14 adults, £12 children
This promenade performance will see audiences exploring the woodland, in this theatrical re-telling of a dark and mysterious modern classic. There are two options available: walkers, which is a route of 2-3 miles, and the longer 4-5 miles for runners.
Star Tours (7+) / Space Hunters (under 7s) / Bubbles and Blasts (all ages)
Techniquest, Cardiff Bay
Good Friday 25th March-Sunday 10th April
As well as over 100 interactive science shows, school holidays and weekends also see three family-friendly shows bringing science to life. Usual entrance fees apply. Bubbles and Blasts is free while the other two have a small cost, or free to members.
CINEMA
I’m focussing here on cheaper weekend and holiday screenings, rather than the big films.
Chapter Arts Centre, Family-friendly screenings
Sunday 20th March-Thursday 7th April, The Jungle Book
Saturday 19th March-Wednesday 6th April, Pinocchio
Sunday 27th-Tuesday 29th March, Labyrinth
Monday 28th March, The Railway Children
Friday 8th-Sunday 10th April, The Railway Children
Odeon Cinema, Red Dragon Centre Cardiff Bay
The 10am weekend and half term showings are £2.50 per person. Films to be announced; films are usually a few months old rather than new releases.
Cineworld, Cardiff
The 10am weekend and half term Movies for Juniors showings are just £1.75 per person. Films to be announced; films are usually a few months old rather than new releases
Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie
Good Friday 25th March-Saturday 2nd April
Monday 4th-Friday 9th April
The Riverfront, Newport
Holiday cinema showings at £2.50 per person.
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For more ideas on local family-friendly days out, see the Cardiff section of Cardiff Mummy Says.
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