27 things to do in and around Cardiff this half term

Cardiff Family life

 

What have you got planned with your little ones over half term? If you’re struggling for ideas of things to do, here’s a ready-made list of events in and around Cardiff for you. There’s so much going on, the only problem will be fitting it all in! Do let me know if there’s anything I’ve missed. I’ll be updating this list when I hear of things, so do check back regularly.

Please note, all events are subject to change and it is advisable to check all details with the venue.

Come say hello on my Cardiff Mummy Says Facebook page or tweet me on @cardiffmummy

 

*THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE

 Sing-a-long Frozen, St David’s Hall, Cardiff

Monday 16th February, 11am, 3pm & 6pm

Just on the off-chance you haven’t seen Disney’s Frozen enough times, here’s your opportunity to dress up, learn some actions and heckles and sing-a-long to the on-screen lyrics with hundreds of other Frozen fans.

Family Interactive Matinee, National Dance Company Wales, The Dance House, Wales Millennium Centre

Tuesday 17th February, 2.30pm

A chance for children aged 7+ to dance on stage with NDCW’s dancers, ask questions, learn excerpts from the company’s current repertoire, and watch And Then I Stop, performed by the NDCWales Associates, a group of aspiring young dancers, who train with the company at weekends.

 

 

If Only Rosa Could Do Magic, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff

Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February, 11am and 3pm

Theatr Iolo present this tale of Rosa, a young girl who has as many toys and as much candy as she could wish for, yet with no friends to play with, and her parents always away, she is still sad so creates her own dream world filled with dragons and frogs and parents who have time to be with her. Suitable for ages 5-9. Clown workshops are also available after the show; numbers limited and pre-booking essential.

 

 

The Mavron Quartet Half Term Family Concert, The Gate Arts Centre, Keppoch Street, Cardiff, CF24, 3JW

Tuesday 17th February, 1pm

A chance to introduce youngsters to live music as the Mavron Quartet present an interactive performance as part of their ongoing family concert series. Families and children of all ages are invited to explore a wide range of music and activities led by members of the quartet and experiment with musical ideas.

For more information, call 029 2048 3344

*CINEMA

Paddington (PG), Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff

 

Friday 13 February – Thursday 19 February

The mischievous bear from Peru stars in his very own feature film, as he arrives in London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington station, he’s taken in by the lovely Brown family and tries to learn the human ways of doing things.

For more information, call 029 2030 4400

 

Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots, Odeon Cinema, The Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay

Saturday 14th to Thursday 19th February, various screenings available

The cheeky piggy and her family star in their first 15-minute, never-seen-before adventure on the big screen, followed by a handful of classic favourite episodes. Everyone pays children’s prices at the Odeon. (You can read our review of Peppa Pig The Golden Boots here.)

 

Kids’ Club: Nativity 3 (U), The Book Of Life (U), The Penguins of Madagascar (U), Odeon, The Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay

Saturday 14th to Sunday 22nd February, see website for full details of screenings

Tickets are £2.50 per person as part of Odeon’s school holiday and weekend kids’ club.

 

Movies for Juniors: The Book of Life (U), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No Good Very Bad Day (PG), The Boxtrolls (PG); Cineworld, Cardiff

Friday 13th to Thursday 19th February, see website for times of showings

The central Cardiff cinema hosts special screenings during half term mornings, with tickets for children and adults costing £1.50 per person.

 

Kids’ Cinema Club, St Donats Art Centre, Vale of Glamorgan

Monday 16th-Friday 20th February

A different film every morning for juniors, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Jungle Book, Maleficent, Tangled and The Box Trolls. Tickets are £2.50 per person for adults and children.

 

 

*OUTDOORS AND WILDLIFE

Plant Hunting Week, Dyffryn Gardens, St Nicholas, Vale of Glamorgan

Saturday 14th-Sunday 21st February, 10am-3pm

029 2059 3328

This half term, youngsters are invited to take part in plant-hunting activities, including Dyffryn Gardens’ regular Make It Monday and 50 Things Wednesday taking on a plant-hunting theme. Normal entrance fees apply but the activities are free.

 

 

Stick Day, Bute Park Education Centre, Bute Park, Cardiff

Wednesday February 18th 11am and 3:30 pm

Stickman is a well-loved children;s picture book by Julia Donaldson, and following a reading of the book, families will explore the park looking for sticks before creating a stickman of their own back at the centre. |The event is free but you need to book in advance. Suitable for age three plus. Wellies essential!

 

I Spy… Nature: Spring Flowers, National Museum Cardiff

Tuesday 17th to Friday 20th February, 11am, 1pm, 3pm

As well as exploring the museum’s usual exhibits – from dinosaurs and natural history to art galleries and ceramics, youngsters can learn to identify our native wild flowers, discover their importance to wildlife and do some seed planting of your own!

This family workshop is free but places are limited and must be booked at the Information Desk. The museum is closed on Mondays.

 

 

Cone feeders, Cwmcarn Forest, Cwmcarn, Crosskeys NP11 7FA

Monday 16th February, 12pm-3.30pm (3 sessions)

Cwmcarn Forest is a wildlife haven on the site of a former mining area. The Forestry Commission started planting trees on the site in 1922 and it is now a peaceful forest with impressive views. The cone feeders event allows you to make your own bird feeder using pine cones from the forest.

Cost is £1 per child, suitable for ages 4 and up, and booking is essential.

 

Bird seed picture feeders, Cwmcarn Forest, Cwmcarn, Crosskeys NP11 7FA

Wednesday 18th February, 12pm to 3.30pm (3 sessions)

Youngsters will have the chance to design their own picture using bird seed to help our feathered friends.

Cost is £1 per child, suitable for ages 4 and up, and booking is essential.

 

 

Apple bird feeder stations, Cwmcarn Forest, Cwmcarn, Crosskeys NP11 7FA

Friday 20th February, 12pm to 3.30pm (3 sessions) This workshop will help you create your own apple feeding station for your garden birds. (Hammers will be used!).

Cost is £3 per child, suitable for ages 4 and up, and booking is essential.

 

Focus on Birds of Prey, Cardiff Castle

Monday 16th February, 11am

A chance for visitors to get up-close to the castle’s resident hawks and owls.

Tickets cost £2 per person in addition to normal admission or a valid Castle Key.

 

 

Tropical Encounters, Cardiff Castle

Tuesday 17 February, various time slots available

From mongoose and meerkats to snakes and lizards, this is your chance to meet and learn about a wide range of exotic animals and reptiles

Tickets cost £3 per person in addition to normal admission or a valid Castle Key. Book by calling 029 2087 8100 or in person at the castle’s ticket office.

 

Half Term Events, Greenmeadow Community Farm, Cwmbran

Saturday 14th to Sunday 22nd February

From ferret racing and cuddle corner with the petting animals to arts and crafts, there’s a full programme of events every day of half term at Greenmeadow.

For more information, call 01633 647662 or visit www.greenmeadowcommunityfarm.org.uk/

TV AND FILM CHARACTER EVENTS

Meet Peppa Pig, Ewenny Garden Centre, Bridgend

Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th February, 2pm-4pm

Peppa will be meeting and greeting her young fans and posing for photos with them. Children may also like the free glitter tattoos and balloons. Just a warning to parents, that there will be themed Peppa merchandise to buy too.

 

Peppa Pig Treasure Hunt, Hamleys, St David’s 2, Cardiff

Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th February, 12pm-4pm

To celebrate the release of Peppa Pig The Golden Boots, Hamleys are hosting a Peppa Pig for Treasure Hunt. Everyone taking part will receive a personalized Golden Boots Certificate. There will also be Peppa Pig themed story time at 1pm & 3pm

 

Hamleys Big Hero Workshop, Hamleys, St David’s 2, Cardiff

Wednesday 18th February, 12pm-4pm

Your chance to take a selfie with a giant-sized model of Baymax from Disney’s latest animated adventure, Big Hero 6. This will be followed by a Big Hero workshop, with free balloon modelling and fun arts and crafts. The Hamelys team will be on-hand to teach you how to become a hero, just like the Big Hero 6.

Barbie Princess Power Movie Screening, Hamleys, St David’s 2, Cardiff

Friday 20th February, 12pm and 2pm

Hamleys are celebrating the release of Barbie’s new movie, Barbie in Princess Power with an exclusive screening. They will also be giving out 25% discount vouchers to spend on selected Barbie products at Hamleys Cardiff! To reserve a place for the screening, visit the Hamleys Cardiff Facebook page.

 

Celebrity Couples Treasure Hunt, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay

Saturday 14th to Sunday 22nd February

14 February, 2015 to 22 February, 2015

Track down the famous celebrity couples in this children’s treasure hunt – and be in with a chance of winning £20 to spend on ice cream or other treats at Cadwalader’s. Pick up your entry from Zia, Taylors, Polka Dot, Smiles or Fabulous Welshcakes.

 

*CREATIVE

Home Sweet Home, The Glanfa Foyer, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay

Monday 16th to Saturday 21st February.

Become a resident of Cardiff’s smallest suburb with your chance to make your very own cardboard home, as part of a giant art installation at Wales Millennium Centre’s foyer. An estate agent will be on hand to help you pick a flat-packed house, before you decorate it in your own style. The community will have its own councilor and postman, and there’s even a local radio station and notice board too.

For more information call 029 2063 6464 visit www.wmc.org.uk

Miri Meithrin, Pentwyn Leisure Centre

Tuesday 17th February, 2pm-3.30pm, £3.50 a baby/child

Youngsters can play on a bouncy castle, take part in arts and crafts sessions, and join in with singing and music from Hei Do Ho. This Welsh language event is open to non-Welsh speaking parents too.

For more information, call 029 2068 9888 or email marirhys@mentercaerdydd.org

Preparing for Pancake Day, National Museum Cardiff

Sunday 15th February 2015, 11am -1pm & 2pm -4pm

This free family event is a demonstration on how to make delicious pancakes ahead of Shrove Tuesday.

 

Art Cart, St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff

Monday 16th to Friday 20th February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm

As well as the chance to visit more than 100 buildings depicting Wales’s past, this half term, visitors can take part in free arts and crafts sessions suitable for all the family. There is no need to book these drop-in sessions.

 

Tudor Herbs & Hygeine, St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff

Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm

Suitable for families, this free event will see visitors helping a Tudor herbalist concoct Tudor pomanders, washballs and sweetbags.

 

The Architecture of Space, Artes Mundi 6 at National Museum Cardiff

Saturday 14th to Saturday 22nd February, 11am, 1pm & 3pm

Families are invited to celebrate the final week of Artes Mundi 6 – the UK’s biggest contemporary art prize – by taking part in constructing an exciting, collaborative artwork that explores materials and space.

The workshop is free but space is limited so you need to book at the Information Desk.

 

Carnival Craft Day, The Cardiff Story, The Hayes, Cardiff

Wednesday 18th February, 10am-3pm

Little ones can get creative with glitter, paint and all sorts of other crafty materials as The Cardiff Story hosts its carnival craft day. You can drop in at any time, at a cost of £1 per child.

 

*HISTORICAL

Half Term: Roman Soldiers, National Roman Museum, Caerleon

Monday 16th to Friday 10th February, 11am-3pm, last entry 2.30pm

Back in Roman times, men of 18 would have started their army training before being posted anywhere in the Roma Empire, which stretched from North Africa to Northern England. This is a chance to meet some Roman soldiers in costume, go marching with them and practice your sword fighting. Cost is £2 per child and there is no need to book.

 

Court Sessions in the Manor, Llancaiach Fawr Manor, Nelson, Treharris, CF46 6ER

Tuesday 17th to Friday 20th February

See history come to life in this re-enactment of how 17th century justice was administered at this beautiful manor house restored and furnished as it would have been in 1645. Normal admission prices apply.

 

 

Tools and Woodcarving Demonstrations, National Museum Cardiff

Monday 16th to Friday 20th February, 12-1pm, 2-3pm

This free family event demonstrates how our ancestors made their wooden objects and the tools they worked with.

 

 

Lunchtime Family Talk: Archaeology in Performance, National Museum Cardiff

Wednesday 18th February, 1.05pm

Do stories set in the past tell us more about the period when they were written than they do about the period in which they’re set? With the National Museum’s archaeologists having recently commissioned two operas, Peter Morgan Barnes explains how archaeological discoveries are being shared with wider audiences through the medium of theatre, film and drama in an entertaining talk, accompanied by slides and musical snippets. The event is free but must be booked at the Information Desk .

 

*SCIENCE-BASED

Awesome Engineers – Lego Workshops, Rumney Methodist Church, Cardiff, CF3 3HD

Tuesday 17th February, 9.30am-4pm

These 45-minute workshops are suitable for children aged 6 to 12, offering the chance to create a Lego machine that will support the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills they are learning at school. Places must be booked in advance. There is a waiting area for parents, with Duplo for other siblings to play with.

 

 

Starman and His Dog, Star Tours and Bubbles And Blasts, Techniquest, Cardiff Bay

Saturday 14th to Sunday 22nd February

As well as the usual 120-plus exhibitions, the hands-on science centre offers three shows at a small cost in addition to regular entrance fees. Starman and his Dog is suitable for under 7s and offers an introduction to space and some of the most famous constellations), Star Tours is for over 7s and offers a close-up look at some of distant galaxies and exploded stars, while Bubbles and Blasts is suitable for ages and involves making larger-than-life bubbles.

For more information, call 029 2047 5475 or visit www.techniquest.org

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