Egg hunts are just the beginning. We’ve found the family adventures that will actually make the holidays feel like a holiday.
Easter 2026 is shaping up to be a genuinely brilliant one for families. Spring is doing its thing, lambs are arriving on schedule, and across the country, some of the UK’s best attractions have pulled out all the stops with events that go far beyond a soggy egg hunt in a car park. We’re talking safari-style sleepovers, sushi-rolling masterclasses for eight-year-olds, free craft workshops, afternoon teas on double-decker buses, and a medieval castle with a carrot patch trail. Yes, really.
The trouble, of course, is choosing. Two weeks stretches ahead of you like a gift and a challenge in equal measure, and the sheer volume of “egg-citing” events can make your eyes glaze over faster than a hot cross bun. Lucky, then, that our editors have done the legwork (and the Googling, and the calling, and, in several cases, the tasting) so you don’t have to.
From wild animal parks in Kent to free film screenings in Covent Garden, here are twelve of the very best things to do with kids this Easter, tried, tested and genuinely recommended.
Easter with kids at a glance:
Best for a luxury family stay: The Reserve at Chester Zoo
Best free day out: Covent Garden’s Scenes of Spring
Best for toddlers: Willows Activity Farm, Herts
Best value wildlife day: Howletts Wild Animal Park, Kent
Best kids’ afternoon tea: Peppa Pig Easter Bus Tour, London
Best for adventure seekers: North Yorkshire Water Park
Best for bookworms: Tales & Teacups at DoubleTree by Hilton, London
The Reserve at Chester Zoo, Chester, Cheshire
Best for: A luxury safari-style Easter escape Dates: Easter events from 28 March to 19 April
If you’ve ever wanted to wake up feeling like you’re on safari without the jet lag, The Reserve at Chester Zoo is it. The UK’s newest luxury safari-style lodge resort is particularly magical at Easter, when the zoo is bursting with new life and the spring breeding programmes are in full swing.
The Really Wild Egg Trail is the standout here: giant decorated eggs dotted around the zoo, each one resembling a different species, from colourful birds to extraordinary mammals. Follow the clues, uncover surprising animal facts, and earn a chocolate treat at the finish line (there’s always a chocolate treat, thank goodness). The Reserve also runs its own Easter scavenger hunt, plus ranger talks and interactive sessions where kids can learn about the zoo’s conservation work. It’s educational, it’s beautiful, and the lodges themselves are genuinely lovely. Don’t miss it.
Book/info: https://www.chesterzoo.org/accommodation
Covent Garden’s Scenes of Spring, London
Best for: A free, open-air day out with big-screen magic Dates: 31 March to 12 April
Here’s one for families who want a cracking day out without spending a fortune. Covent Garden transforms its Piazza into a free, open-air hub of Easter activity with a big screen showing everything from Wonka and Peter Rabbit to Chicken Run and Paddington in Peru. The Boat Race screens live on 4th April, and in the lead-up to the Laurence Olivier Awards on 12th April, you’ll get film adaptations of Mamma Mia!, The Greatest Showman and Wicked For Good. Piper Heidsieck will be popping up alongside the screen with champagne (for the grown-ups, obviously).
And because no screen time is complete without sugar, expect pop-ups from Crêpe Salut (Nutella and strawberries, bacon and maple syrup), Crumbled London (warm fruit crumbles with ice cream and custard) and Waffle Wands (fluffy waffles drowning in chocolate and fruit toppings). We’re already planning our route.
Book/info: https://www.coventgarden.london
North Yorkshire Water Park, East of Wykeham, near Scarborough
Best for: Active families who want an outdoor adventure Price: Varies by activity
Just six miles from Scarborough, this is the kind of place where kids come home so tired they sleep for twelve hours straight (every parent’s dream, frankly). The park has a brilliant mix of land and water activities: the Warrior and Wipeout Aqua Park inflatables, complete with slides and climbing walls, are the headline act, but the Adventure Wood with archery, axe throwing and a zip line gives it a proper woodland-adventure feel.
If you want to extend the fun, ten cosy camping pods sleep between two and six guests, making this perfect for a full-on Easter staycation. Bring waterproofs. Trust us.
Book/info: https://www.northyorkshirewaterpark.co.uk
Willows Activity Farm, Near St Albans, Hertfordshire
Best for: Toddlers and young children who want to meet baby animals Dates: Easter Eggstravaganza 28 March to 6 April; Jemima’s Jamboree to 12 April
Willows is a 500-acre farm park and this Easter it’s running two events back-to-back, which is clever planning for anyone whose kids have a two-week holiday to fill. The Easter Eggstravaganza brings newborn lambs (65 and counting, with more arriving daily), kid goats, baby bunnies and spring chicks. There’s an Easter Garden egg hunt, an Easter Grotto with twelve springtime displays (ideal for your Instagram, let’s be honest), and the kind of wholesome, muddy-boots atmosphere that makes you feel like a really good parent.
From 7 April, Jemima’s Jamboree takes over with more spring-themed fun. The piglets and rabbits will be out to meet visitors too. Honestly, we dare you not to fall in love with a baby goat.
Book/info: https://www.willowsactivityfarm.com
Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, County Durham
Best for: Families who want history, crafts and gorgeous grounds Price: Family Explorer Ticket from £60 (2 adults, 2 children)
Raby is one of England’s finest medieval castles, and at Easter it goes all in: an Easter Food and Craft Market, Easter afternoon teas, a special trail in the Plotters’ Forest woodland adventure playground (featuring a mischievous rabbit, naturally), complimentary tractor and trailer rides across the Deer Park, hands-on craft activities in the yurt, and an Easter wreath workshop for anyone feeling creative. There’s also a Little Eggsplorers trail inside the castle and a carrot patch trail at High Force Waterfall, which is part of the Raby Estate.
The combination of the stunning grounds, the castle tours, and the sheer variety of activities makes this one of the best all-round family days out in the North. Come hungry, leave happy.
Book/info: https://www.raby.co.uk/raby-castle/
Howletts Wild Animal Park, Kent
Best for: A wild Easter on a budget Price: Kids’ tickets just £10 (28 March to 19 April, book online)
Children’s tickets at just £10? For Kent’s original wild animal park? We’ll be the ones to say it: that’s brilliant value. Young explorers can follow the free Egg-citing Easter Trail, helping Lekedi the baby gorilla (now almost four months old and already charming visitors) find gifts for his friends. There’s a Craft Mine where kids can make Easter-themed enrichment items for the actual animals, plus seasonal snacks and gelato dotted around the park.
The real showstopper, though, might be the Animals of the Ice Age exhibition: life-sized prehistoric giants including a mammoth, a saber-toothed cat and the Megatherium, an elephant-sized sloth. The trail is flat and buggy-friendly, which is a detail that earns our eternal gratitude. Book those £10 tickets now before they vanish.
Book/info: https://www.howletts.co.uk
Templeton Garden, London
Best for: A refined Easter Sunday treat Dates: Easter Sunday, 12pm–3pm
For something a little more serene, this charming townhouse hotel is hosting Easter egg hunts (12–1pm) and Easter egg painting (12–3pm) on Easter Sunday. It’s the kind of gentle, beautifully curated experience where kids can get creative in an enchanting setting while the grown-ups enjoy the calm. Activities are open to hotel guests and diners at Pippin’s, the hotel’s restaurant, so you could combine it with a lovely lunch. Register your interest in advance to secure a spot.
Book/info: https://www.templetongarden.com
Sticks’n’Sushi Battersea, Kids’n’Sushi Easter Masterclass, Battersea Power Station, London
Best for: Mini foodies aged 8–12 Price: £40 per child; 5th April, 10am–11.30am
This one is for the kids who’d rather roll maki than roll eggs. Led by expert chefs at the Battersea Power Station restaurant, children learn to make Kappa hosomaki (cucumber) and Pink Alaska uramaki (salmon, avocado, cream cheese and lumpfish roe), before crafting a playful Easter Bunny out of sushi (yes, seriously). Each child gets soft drinks, plus a goody bag with a certificate, bandana, rolling mat, chopsticks, a chocolate fish and a Japanese numbers and phrases sheet. It’s creative, it’s delicious, and it’s the kind of thing kids talk about for months.
The Brunel Museum, Rotherhithe, London
Best for: A free creative workshop with real educational substance Dates: 28 March to 12 April, 10.30am–3.30pm daily
Free entry, free workshops, and genuinely interesting content? The Brunel Museum delivers all three this Easter with its Upcycling Flower Making Workshops. Using newspapers and recycled materials, families create colourful upcycled flowers while learning about the decorative arts of the French Revolution period. This is the last opportunity to see their French Revolution display, so there’s an added sense of now-or-never. The workshops are drop-in, daily throughout the holidays, and children under 16 go free.
It’s the kind of quietly brilliant London gem that locals guard jealously. Consider yourself in on the secret.
Book/info: https://thebrunelmuseum.com
Peppa Pig Easter Afternoon Tea Bus Tour, Central London
Best for: The ultimate first afternoon tea for little ones (ages 2–7) Price: From £65 per person
All aboard for what might be the most joyful 90 minutes in London this Easter. Brigit’s Bakery’s Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour takes families on a vintage double-decker Routemaster through Central London, past Big Ben, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, all while tucking into a themed afternoon tea that will make small faces light up. Think Freddy Fox’s egg and cress sandwiches, Rebecca Rabbit’s carrot cupcakes, and Granny Pig’s mini scones with clotted cream and jam.
For Easter, there’s an egg-stra special edition with an Easter egg hunt activity sheet, sing-along songs, interactive games on built-in tablets, and limited-edition Easter travel cups to take home. Every child also receives a Peppa Pig activity book. And yes, there’s a licensed bar on board for the grown-ups (prosecco, anyone?). We took the tour twice. That should tell you everything.
Book/info: https://b-bakery.com/london/bus-tours/peppa-pig-easter-bus-tour
Tales & Teacups at DoubleTree by Hilton London; West End, Bloomsbury, London
Best for: Bookworms and budget-friendly family treats Price: £9.95 per child (aged 12 and under)
At under a tenner per child, this brand-new afternoon tea experience is almost absurdly good value for central London. Launched in partnership with Macmillan Children’s Books for the UK’s National Year of Reading, Tales & Teacups invites little ones to swap screen time for story time in the hotel’s Writing Room restaurant in Bloomsbury. The star of the show is the Book Butler, a roaming trolley library that brings titles by Julia Donaldson, Marcus Rashford and Rod Campbell straight to your table.
Children tuck into a classic afternoon tea with a literary twist while browsing the books, and the whole thing feels wholesome and relaxed in exactly the way you want a family outing to feel. Perfectly positioned for families visiting West End theatres or the British Museum, this is the ideal pit-stop to refuel and recharge. Don’t sleep on this one.
Book/info: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/lonwedi-doubletree-london-west-end/
Easter Afternoon Tea at Drayton Manor Resort, Tamworth, Staffordshire
Best for: Combining theme park thrills with teatime treats Price: £18 children (includes afternoon tea AND theme park entry); £22 adults
Here’s a combination that genuinely made us do a double take: a proper Easter afternoon tea and theme park entry for £18 per child. Drayton Manor’s Easter Afternoon Tea is served with fresh scones, seasonal sweet treats and all the Easter-themed fun you’d expect, plus a cookie decorating station where kids can go wild with sprinkles and icing. The Easter Bunny will be hopping by for photos and cuddles, and afterwards you can head straight into the park for the rides, Thomas Land, and the 15-acre zoo.
Adults pay £22 (with the option to add a theme park ticket for just £15), making this genuinely one of the best-value Easter family days out in the Midlands. Book by emailing events@draytonmanor.co.uk or calling 01827 255995.
Book/info: https://www.draytonmanor.co.uk/hotel/offers-packages/easter-afternoon-tea
Happy Easter, everyone. Now go book something brilliant before the kids ask you what’s for lunch again.
