It’s school holiday time – with so much to do
SCHOOL’S out for another year and you find yourself with six weeks of summer holidays to fill.
Before you start worrying what on earth you’ll do to fill the time - don’t worry, we’ve got it sorted.
We’ve put together a list of fun days out and events to keep the whole family happy over the school summer holidays.
And because we know how expensive it is keeping the kids entertained, we’ve made sure it includes loads of free and cheap ones to make the most of too.
Here is a list of locations and events.
●●GMP MUSEUM OPEN DAYS
The Greater Manchester Police Museum is hosting open days every Tuesday and Thursday between July 24 and August 30.
The events, from 10.30am to 3.30pm, focus on different units within the police force from the North West Underwater Search and Recovery Unit to the Tactical Dog Unit and the North West Ambulance Service.
57A Newton Street, Manchester, M1 1ET.
●●WILD CHALLENGE AND BIG WILD SLEEPOUT, CHORLTON WATER PARK
Families are being encouraged to enjoy the great outdoors at Chorlton Water Park - and even spend a night under the stars. The venue is hosting a Wild Challenge on Saturday, July 28 where parents and kids can get involved in activities like bird box making, nature trails, face painting, den building and pond dipping. Tickets are £15 per family, with a £5 discount for RSPB members and the event runs from 1pm to 6pm. But if you want to see what the park’s like after dark, why not pitch your tent up for The Big Wild Sleepout.
Taking place on the same day and running until 10am on Sunday, July 29, there’ll be activities such as a bat walk, a family quiz, campfire singing and a dawn chorus walk. Tickets cost £50 for a small tent and £70 for a large tent with a £5 dis- count for RSPB members, and include entry to the day time event. Families need to take their own tent, camping gear and food. BBQs for food will be provided along with everything needed for activities.
For more details visit the event’s Facebook page.
Chorlton Water Park, Maitland Avenue, Manchester, M21 7WH.
●●FREE SUMMER FUN DAYS, NORTH MANCHESTER
There are free activities for kids at six summer fun days taking place at different venues across north Manchester.
The events - on the last Sunday in July and every Wednesday afternoon in August - will feature a wide range of sports and activities, inflatables, face painting, music, a climbing wall and more.
All ages are welcome and the fun days will run from noon to 3pm. There’s no need to book so you can just pop along on the day.
The full list of dates and venues:
Sunday, July 29 - Our Lady’s Sports Centre, Alworth Road, Higher Blackley, M9 0RPWednesday, August 1 - Harpurhey Park, Carrisbrook Street, Harpurhey, M9 5UX. Wednesday, August 8 - FC United, Broadhurst Park, Lightbown Road, Moston, M40 0FJ.Wednesday, August 15 - Boggart Hole Clough, Charlestown Road, Charlestown, M9 7DF.Wednesday, August 22 - Crumpsall Park, Ash Tree Road, Crumpsall, M8 5RX.Wednesday, August 29 - Smedley Playing Fields, Smedley Lane, M8 8XG.
●●NATIONAL FOOTBALL MUSEUM
With interactive objects, games and displays, the National Football Museum has lots of fun activities for kids of all ages. Free Comic Animation sessions are running every Friday throughout the school holidays. Children can be inspired by the iconic work of cartoonist Steve McGarry and create their own short animated clips to impress family and friends.
The free sessions, from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, offer kids an easy way to learn the basics of animation, taking inspiration from the museum’s new comic book display Playing for a Draw. The museum is free to enter but donations are welcomed.
For more information about events there visit www.nationalfootballmuseum.com .National Football Museum, Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens, Todd St, City Centre, Manchester, M4 3BG.
●●SUMMER AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
There is plenty of free fun at the museum over the school holidays where families can join in a summer celebrating the Year of Engineering.
There’s a special chance to meet engineers in action on Friday, August 3 and at a family weekend on August 25 and 26, families can explore engineering’s weirder side, test their own inventive and creative skills, and meet the people who help build our world.
Also, between August 3 and 19, Power UP is back! The annual ode to retro gaming makes a welcome return, bringing consoles new and old for two weeks of seriously pixelated fun.
Year of Engineering events, aimed at kids from five and above, run from July 21 to September 2. Although activities are free in some instances booking is required.
Museum of Science and Industry, Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4FP.
●●THE WHITWORTH
Events for babies and older ones are running daily in the school holidays.
There’s sensory play for non walkers between 11am and 3pm between July 23 and August 31.
And on the same dates and times there’s Playtime where families are encouraged to explore the art of play.Have a wander and find games indoors and out, including the Whitworth Minecraft and a sand pit studio.
On Saturday, July 28, the venue will launch its own part in the Bee in the City Trail with an event between 1pm and 3pm. University of Manchester bee artist Kate EgglestonWirtz will be there offering bee related making activities.
Then Wednesday, August 1 is National Play Day and when, on top of the Playtime games and interventions, children can design and make their own kite with artist Harriet Hall to fly in the park. For more details about the activities offered visit the website . The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER.
●●SUMMER SCHOOL, MANCHESTER ART GALLERY
If you’ve got older children looking for something to do this summer then they can book on a free Creative Consultants Summer School at the gallery.
The event’s aimed at 14 to 19-year-olds and is running from 11am until 4pm from Tuesday, August 28 to Thursday, August 30.
Through a mixture of hands-on making, talking, and exploring the gallery, the aim is for the participants to get ‘to know each other better, get to know the gallery better and have lots of new weird and wonderful creative ideas to come away with’. The event is free and includes lunch. To take part email Kate Day for a sign up form on k.day1@manchester.gov.uk, or collect one from the gallery information desk.
Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3JL.
●●VIRTUAL HIDEOUT, NORTHERN WAREHOUSE
A new gaming experience for kids has arrived in Manchester just in time for the summer holidays.
Kids as young as six are invited to ‘experience the jaw-dropping technology of virtual reality’ at Virtual Hideout Manchester, which caters for novices, seasoned gamers and everyone inbetween.
The venue, on Deansgate Mews, plays host to a variety of cutting-edge games with themes including 360 immersive horror, shooting games, as well as sci-fi simulations with fantasies from Star Wars, Star Treck and Fantastic Beasts. If you’re partial to a puzzle, you can enjoy the escape room themed games; a family friendly option available for kids as young as six.
Each experience includes a trained game host, single headset and lasts one hour, with games best played in twos.Prices can start from £6 per person for a weekday slot, and rooms accommodate up to four people.
For more information and to book tickets, visit virtualhideoutmanchester.com/book
Virtual Hideout, Deansgate Mews, Great Northern, Manchester, M3 4EN
●●ANCIENT WORLDS AT MANCHESTER MUSEUM
The museum will soon be saying goodbye to its Ancient Worlds galleries for a while, but not before they inspire some fun over the summer. A number of workshops are planned for families to create their very own ancient worlds treasures to take home.
Each week there’ll be a guest artist, sharing with you their own favourite objects in the Ancient Worlds collections and an arts activity inspired by it.
Sessions run Monday to Friday between 12.30pm and 3.30pm.
The University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PL.
●●BURY’D TREASURE, BURY PARKS
Bury’d Treasure is a pirate adventure game that’s perfect for families to have fun together in Bury and it’s back this summer.
Anyone can play, it won’t cost a single gold coin and there’s loads of prizes to win. Loads of schools across Bury have signed the scroll to be part of Bury’d Treasure, but even if your child’s school hasn’t, you can still play along.
Trails and ready to be discovered every single day between now and September 2 , with seven different routes to explore. The trails are at: Clarence Park, Bury; Nuttall Park, Ramsbottom; Close Park, Radcliffe; Peel Tower, Holcombe Hill; Prestwich Clough; Phillips Park, Whitefield and Burrs Country Park, Bury
To start your adventure simply get a grown up to register on the website or smartphone app, pick your pirate, pick a walk, download and print the map, or follow the route on the app.
Visit the website more details.
●●BURY ART MUSEUM
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Taking themes from the paintings in the collection, the Gallery Explorer Boxes, costumes and colouring sheets provide an engaging way for families to enjoy the gallery.
These are free to use and available at all times, while other children’s classes and workshops start from £3 per child. Siblings under four go free. Sessions, from 10.30am to 12pm, are running on July 24, 26 and 31 and August 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28 and 30.
Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre, Moss Street, Bury, BL9 0DR.