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Leeds Young Film Festival 2023 (LOW COST)
1st-7th April
Leeds Young Film Festival is back this Easter holidays at the Carriageworks Theatre. Join us from the 1st – 7th April, where you can find a whole week’s worth of movies and movie related activity.
The 1st of April is Harry Potter day! Watch the first 3 Harry Potter movies and dress up in your best wizarding outfit.
Plus we are launching our very first Movie Club, a chance for children to come and see films at the cinema with their friends, their siblings or even on their own – with the Leeds Young Film team to look after them.
As part of Movie Club, children will get a chance to talk about the film they’ve watched and tell us what they thought. They’ll also get a workshop in our Animation Station, with professional animators Dawn and Zoe where they can get hands-on with Lego or plasticine and create characters for a collaborative animation.
For more details and tickets on Leeds Young Film Festival and Movie Club, visit leedsfilm.com
Teeny Tiny Animal Trail at Leeds City Museum (FREE)
1 – 16 April
Find the miniature 3D models of some of our favourite animals in the museum. Where are the panda, sloth and their friends hiding? Free family trail, suitable for playgroups and holiday club visits too.
Kids Crafts at Leeds City Museum (FREE)
4, 5, 6 April 10am-12pm
Get crafty in the main hall of the museum. We’re venturing into an imaginary world of museum animals trying to escape the display cases. Maybe you’ll create a sneaky snake, a boisterous bumblebee or an agile otter? On the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we’ll be creating pictures of animals as they try to escape the museum cabinets…. Free, drop in between the times advertised. If you’re a holiday club/playgroup please get in touch by email to let us know you’re visiting.
Leeds City Museum Easter Activities
Easter Family Fun at M&S Archive (FREE)
Monday 3rd to Thursday 6th April, and Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th April.
Come and explore the exhibition and try our trail to claim your pack of Percy Pigs!There’ll be free squash, biscuits and hot drinks for the grown-ups and a picnic room – so why not bring your lunch with you?Our new-look, family-friendly exhibition tells the story of over 135 years of history on the high street.Strike a pose in our new dressing-up collection, go shopping in the Penny Bazaar and get creative in the Design Studio.Booking Details: No need to book, just drop in – it’s all free!
Pop-Up Circus at Briggate (FREE)
1st -15th April
Try your hand at a variety of circus skills offered daily.
LeedsBID, in collaboration with The Yorkshire Circus and Open Source Arts, will set up its own big top in the city’s main pedestrianised area, giving kids of all ages a chance to watch a variety of circus acts and try out some of the skills for themselves, at no cost.
Medieval Easter at Royal Armouries
Join us for an action-packed Medieval Easter (1 – 6 & 11 – 16 April). Museum admission is free.
Let’s Set Sail Lego Adventure (FREE)
Join Leeds Libraries on a Lego Adventure, remembering famous pirated thoughout history, building ships on wheels, designing main sails and more! Free family-friendly event recommended for children aged 5+. All children must be accompanied by an adult. This event takes place at various venues across the city.
Pumpkin Sowing at Temple Newsam (FREE)
5 April 1pm – 3pm
Join us for free pumpkin sowing the walled garden during the Easter school holidays. Sow your pumpkin seeds and come back to carve them in October, just in time for Halloween!
Take one of them away to plant at home and leave one for the gardeners to plant and grow at Temple Newsam.
Silly Sheep Round-Up at Kirkstall Abbey (FREE)
1-16th April
Bring along the whole family for a baa-rilliant Easter Holiday activity at Kirkstall Abbey.
The Cistercian monks who lived and worked at the Abbey in its heyday loved their sheep and so do we. But our sheep don’t just come in white – look around the ruins for rainbow, gingham and polka dot flocks! See if you can spot them all in this fun family trail.
Kirkstall Forge Easter Trail (FREE)
Monday 10th April – Friday 14th April
Pirate Bonnie at Leeds Libraries (FREE)
Bonnie is a girl with fire in her belly. A fire fuelled by the tall tales about legendary pirates and their swashbuckling adventures. Pirates who voyage to lands over the horizon with questions to be answered and treasures to be found.
Bonnie invites you to step on board, feel the rush of wind in the sails as she recounts the tales and sings to songs of pirates of old. She was born to rule the waves and hunt for treasure but on this latest quest, she knows she must write her own legend; The Adventures of Pirate Bonnie.
Free event recommended for children aged 3-7. Read more here.
Masks and Masquerade at Leeds Discovery Centre
5 April 10am – 12pm, 1pm – 2pm
Join to us this Easter to find out why people wear masks and how different cultures use them for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment. You will then have the opportunity to take a tour of our museum object store where we keep over 1 million artefacts.
Tours and workshops are FREE. Booking is ESSENTIAL. To book your place, call 0113 378 2100 or email discovery.centre@leeds.gov.uk
Sport in Leeds at Leeds Discovery Centre
12 April 10am – 12pm, 1pm – 2pm
How heavy is a boxers belt? When and why did they start putting studs into rugby boots? Just how battered does a wheel guard get during wheelchair basketball? Explore our rich sporting collections and find out more about the history of sports in Leeds, as well as sharing your own sporting stories.
Tours and workshops are FREE. Booking is ESSENTIAL. To book your place, call 0113 378 2100 or email discovery.centre@leeds.gov.uk
Burrowing Bunnies Easter Trail at White Rose
From 31st March to 16th April, families are invited to find eight mischievous bunnies hiding around the centre. Free trail maps are available to collect from the Customer Service Centre, on the Ground Floor near New Look, and can be returned and traded in for an Easter treat and a pair of adorable ears after each bunny has been located and ticked off the map.
Easter at the Pit: The Wild Escape (FREE)
1-16 April
At the National Coal Mining Museum, Sparky the canary has escaped from the mine! Make a model of Sparky and see what exciting plants and animals he discovers as he flies through the site.
Flying Scotsman Centenary Celebration (FREE)
1-23 April
Bring the family for this rare chance to see Flying Scotsman at the National Railway museum, the perfect day out for young and old.
See stunning Flying Scotsman up close in North Shed alongside stories that have made it the most famous steam locomotive in the world and a brand-new Virtual Reality immersive experience.
Tickets are limited, please book in advance to avoid disappointment
National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York YO26 4XJ
National Science & Media Museum, Bradford (FREE)
The National Science and Media Museum allows you to explore the science and culture of image and sound technologies and the impact they have on our lives.
Alongside many events, festivals and temporary exhibitions, there is also the permanent gallery called Wonderlab. Here you can touch, try and photograph your experience as you wander through 20 amazing exhibits. You can get lost in mirrors, make art using light and even travel through a laser tunnel.
There are also three cinema screens, including an IMAX theatre.
Entry to the museum, exhibitions and permanent galleries is free. You may need to book tickets for some of the special events. Some arcade games have a small charge and there is a charge for cinema and IMAX tickets.
Opening times: Open 10am – 5pm daily
See the Science and Media Museum website for more information
Enjoy unlimited bus travel all day with First Bus great value group tickets!
Up to 5 people can get unlimited travel across all of West Yorkshire on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays with our FirstDay Weekend Group ticket for just £6.00. Put your parking money towards treating your little ones and get out and about with First Bus! Download the First Bus App from your app store to buy your ticket and plan your journey.
Travelling during the week? Up to 5 people can get unlimited travel across all of West Yorkshire Monday – Friday (after 9:30am) or on bank holidays with our FirstDay Group ticket for just £8.75!
You can see the full list of Easter activities and days out ideas HERE.
Why don’t you join our North Leeds Mumbler Chat Group where you can share reviews of days out/activities and get ideas from others.
Hopefully, some of these ideas will help you entertain the children this Easter without costing a fortune.
Hope you have a great Easter holiday.
