Breeze in the Park
Are you ready to have some fun this summer?! Breeze in the Park is back to bring family fun to a park near you this summer holidays!
With 29 events plus 7 relaxed events, all jam packed and ready to bring the sun, fun, chills and thrills to your holidays!
Expect sports, games, arts and crafts, interactive play, food, entertainment and, of course, their famous inflatables. Plus, much much more!
The events, which are aimed at 0 to 19-year-olds, will run as two separate sessions on the days. With the first session taking place from 12pm to 2:30pm and the second session running from 3pm to 5pm.
Along with the regular sessions, 7 of the events throughout the summer will also be hosting relaxed opening sessions for children and young people with additional needs. These sessions will run from 11am to 12pm and will have additional staff, donkey feeding, petting, and riding opportunities and children’s entertainment. They will also have minimal queuing, reduced crowds, and designated parking for families.
Tickets for Breeze in the Park are 50p per child and must be pre-booked in advance. Fast track on inflatables and entrance to the events with a Breeze Pass…the best accessory for this summer giving you discounts, giveaways, offers and early access to many venues and events!
Book your tickets now and avoid disappointment.
Kirkstall Abbey – Birds, Bees Bats and Bugs
Celebrate summer at Kirkstall Abbey during the school holidays with our birds, bees and butterflies trail. Dotted around the ruins will be a range of butterflies, bees and birds for you to find. There will also be themed activities popping up throughout the holidays.
Don’t miss our informal audio guide which takes you through key parts of the abbey and uncovers histories of its former inhabitants.
Closed on a Monday.
‘My LEEDS Summer 2023’ FREE Family Events
Leeds Bear Hunt
Leeds Bear Hunt will bring the magic of Michael Rosen’s iconic children’s book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, to life with a blaze of colour and creativity.
From 1st July 2023, more than 50 giant Bear sculptures will hide in plain sight for ten weeks on the streets and within the parks of Leeds, highlighting iconic spots and hidden gems, whilst engaging with our local communities. Pick up a map and activity pack from the Bear Cave in Trinity Leeds for £1
APP STORE LINK PLAY STORE LINK
Looking for even more fun?! On Thursdays and Sundays, John Lewis are running Teddy Bear Picnics for £5pp, with a drink, snack and Leeds Bear Hunt activities. Click here to read more.
Leeds City Museum – Teddy bear Trail
Look high and low around the museum for our cuddly teddy bears and see if you can spot them all!
Bring your favourite bear to join in too. Don’t miss the Leeds Bear Hunt public art trail around the city centre while you’re here!
FREE Summer Activities at Middleton Park
Love Exploring App
Love Exploring is a FREE fun way for families to get active and explore their local area.
Simply download the Love Exploring app onto your smartphone and select Leeds; then click on the local trail or game you want to start and you’re off!
Find out more and download the app here
FREE Dino Discovery Trail at the White Rose Shopping Centre
From 31st July-3rd September, experience a centre-wide installation designed to inspire dino fans of all ages.
Head to the totems by the entrances or the Customer Service Centre by New Look to collect your map, before setting out on a quest to find all 11 beasts. From fan favourites like the diplodocus and stegosaurus to the king of the lizards itself, the tyrannosaurus rex, there are plenty of impressive models to spot and snap a selfie with.
What’s more, the centre will host a number of Dino Days throughout August, including special performances and the chance to get up-close and personal with a variety of dinos, from the giant T-Rex and mighty Spinosaurus as well as a selection of colourful raptors, all while learning fun, fascinating facts from years gone by.
White Rose’s free Dino Days will be hosted in The Village from 11am – 5pm on the following dates, and guests can drop in with no booking required:
Royal Armouries Museum – Action Packed Summer
This summer is going to be a full-on action-fest as we showcase our most exciting and popular combats, demonstrations and dramas. Every day will be different and who knows which characters and heroes from history you’ll meet on your visit. Plus there will be 2 FREE horse shows daily.
Free daily horse shows 11:00 & 14:00
Watch free horse shows in our outdoor arena, and see our expert historical horse riders demonstrate skill-at-arms. Two shows daily 11:00 and 14:00
Visit the stables and meet the horses and their grooms.
Admission is free but please pre-book your tickets to guarantee your visit.
FREE Summer Activities in Hunslet (Healthy Holidays)
Free kids activities via the Healthy Holidays Leeds Program at The Involve Centre in Hunslet this Summer Holiday. Booking required.
Leeds Markets Summer Holiday Events
Leeds City Council Youth Service South, South East Young People’s Activity Days
A day of free family fun for all at areas across South & South East Leeds throughout August. Follow the events on the Facebook page here.
Healthy Holidays
Healthy Holidays is for primary and secondary aged children who are eligible for free school meals. The council and our partners provide a fantastic range of clubs, activities and events. These are run by schools, community hubs and voluntary groups all with a healthy nutritious meal included, throughout the school holidays, for free.
Activities vary and can include sports and swimming, outdoor pursuits, dance, arts and crafts, as well as visits to attractions like Temple Newsam, Lotherton Hall, and much more. Find more information here.
Kirkstall Valley Explorers
A range of summer holiday activities Monday- Friday from the Kirkstall Valley Development Trust. Lots to keep kids busy and off their screens for a few hours. Plus lunch is provided for kids and adults each day.
Gecko Arts Club
Gecko Arts Club is a series of FREE creative 4-day long workshops for children and young people aged from 11 to 17yrs old over the summer holidays. This project aims to encourage children and young people in Bramley, Armley and Kirkstall as well as the wider Leeds area to not only get involved in creative activities but to develop their confidence, specific artistic skills, initiative, and to build community.
Gecko Arts Club is run by We Belong Here CIC, an arts organisation that works with local communities to create public art projects in Leeds. Follow them on Instagram @webelonghereuk
Leeds Owl Trail
Enjoy a walk around Leeds City centre taking in the landmarks and heritage whilst also spotting some unique owl’s. Each owl informs you of why it is there and gives you a brief snapshot of what it has seen in its lifetime. Download and print your free map (or you can buy one for £1 from the art gallery shop). Read more+
Tiny Tetley Studio
Open Wednesdays-Sundays, the Tiny Tetley Studio sits on the second floor of the Tetley and is an artist-designed play space. Children can get creative as they spend time in this immersive environment, where they can touch, climb and slide! Head to the Tetley website to sign up for a Free Family pass. Perfect for under 5s.
Leeds Art Gallery
TBC
Other Free Child Friendly Activities in the City Centre
Merrion Gardens
Join Pop Up & Play on Saturdays in August (5, 12, 19) for Arts & Crafts in the Park from 11am-3pm
Enjoy a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, Play & Crafts on 2nd August from 12-3pm
Briggate
Reach new heights with the Herd Farm climbing wall on Saturday 26th August from 10am-4pm
Take park in interactive workshops and performances by Wrongsemble and The (Not So) Big Bad Wolf on Sunday 31st July from 10am-4pm
The Light
Grab a bucket and spade at Leeds City Beach from 23rd July – 5th September, open from 10am-5pm
Free and Low Cost Places to see animals
Hope Pastures rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes horses, ponies and donkeys. They also provide the opportunity for people to meet the animals and learn about them and how to look after them. You can visit everyday free of charge 10am to 3pm. The visitor centre is open at weekends and bank holidays providing refreshments.
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm is a working farm with a wide variety of animals, market gardens and woodland walks. Also visit the cafe, farm shop, and adventure play area for under 12’s. Accessible site, toilet facilities. Open daily, small admission charge.
A family run farm, providing an excellent farm shop. You can take a walk around the outside animal area and feed the animals (£1 per person), they even have Alpacas!. There is also an indoor sandpit and small play area (£2 per child) with ride-ons and Little Tikes slide etc for children. There is lots of free parking and a special picnic area.
Meet the wonderful team of donkeys – they love to meet new people and you can discover their unique characters and stories. They have a good value cafe,great play area inside and out . Themed events run throughout the year including grooming days and interactive sessions. Open 365 days a year from 9am until dusk. Admission and parking are free.
Selling great Yorkshire Produce, with a Deli counter and Butchers Shop. Hot drinks available. Courtyard seating area. Visit the animals of the farm, and buy a bag of animal feed for 70p at the shop.
Leeds Libraries
TBC
Play areas
We have a number of fantastic free playgrounds around Leeds, have a look at these blogs!
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
Free and Low Cost Days Out within an hour’s drive of Leeds
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!
We also have lots of ideas for other free activities on the website, including:
Our Summer Holiday Activity and Events Page has loads of ideas of one-off events and if you fancy a day out we have 10 ideas for day trips within an hours drive of North Leeds here.
Why don’t you join the 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 summer without costing a fortune.
Hope you have a great summer!
* Information correct at time of publishing, please check all events/activities before travelling in case of last minute changes.
