There are over lots of free family events and activities in the North East during the Easter school holidays and over Easter Bank Holiday weekend. So there should be plenty of time in April to enjoy some quality family time with all of these free family days out, events and activities.
And to make our pennies go further why not check out our A-Z of FREE family days out in North East England and also our A-Z Annual Family Passes in North East England too.
Free Family Fun this Easter in North East England
The City is Where We Are Going
Open every day during the Easter holidays 10am - 6pm
BALTIC, Gateshead
You are invited to discover an alternative landscape where the structures of urban development become the stuff of play. Explore a maze, build a tower, climb a sculpture and reclaim the city as a space for fun. At BALTIC on Level 4, it is open daily, suitable for aged 3-13 but everyone welcome. No need to book, just drop-in. We went along to a special preview at Baltic. which you can read about here.
Easter Metrognomes at intu Metrocentre
8 Apr 2019 - 20 Apr 2019
Intu Metrocentre
What would you like to be when you grow up? Do you have dreams of driving a fire engine or race to the rescue as a paramedic? Join the Metrognomes at intu Metrocentre in Gateshead from 8 April to 20 April for another jam-packed show as they learn about the emergency services! Easter holidays at intu Metrocentre.
* Weekdays: 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6:30pm*
Saturdays: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm
Sundays: 12pm, 2pm, 4pm
(*No show at 6:30pm on Friday 19 April)
Easter Fun at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
Monday 8 – Monday 15 April
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Sunderland
Little Inventors: Unleash your inner Leonardo
Monday April 8 & Wednesday April 10
11am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3pm
If Leonardo da Vinci was alive today, what inventions do you think he would be making? Create and draw your own invention ideas with the help of Little Inventors. Free but suggested donation £3. No need to book – just drop in.
Little Inventors Makers Day
Friday, April 12, 11am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3pm
Create your own invention ideas and have a go at making them into 3-D models with Little Inventors and a team of volunteer makers. Free but suggested donation £3. No need to book – just drop in. All inventions drawn, created and built will be showcased on the Little Inventors website: www.littleinventors.org
Horses, Horses, Horses!
Monday, April 15, 2019 11am – 12.30pm & 1.30pm – 3pm
Leonardo da Vinci made many drawings of horses during his artistic career as preparation for his paintings and sculptures. He loved horses and so do we, so why not enjoy a day of drawing horses, including magical unicorns and winged horses. Free but suggested donation £3. No need to book – just drop in.
Families are also welcome to visit the Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing exhibition during their visit for £2.50 per adult. Under 16’s go free.
Hatton Gallery, Newcastle
Children’s Holiday Workshop: Spring Collage
Tuesday 9 April 10.30am-12.00
Come along and make your own colourful collage based on the colours, plants and animals of Spring.
Make a mini art book and box
Tuesday 16 April 10.30am-12.00
Make your own collaged mini art book and box inspired by our exhibitions.
Make Yourself an Artist – sketches
Wednesday 10 April - 1.30-3.30pm
Make sketches and notes from the Bacon | Gallagher exhibition and Hatton Collection exhibition. This event is for 11-18 year olds. Free but please phone 0191 277 8877 to reserve a place.
Make Yourself an Artist - Mixed media
Wednesday 17 April 1.30-3.30pm
Create a mixed media artwork based on the Bacon | Gallagher exhibition and the Hatton Collection exhibition. Free but please phone 0191 277 8877 to reserve a place. This event is for 11-18 year olds.
Easter 'Egg' Trail at St. Mary's Heritage Centre, Gateshead
Tuesday 9 – Thursday 18 April, 10am – 4pm
St. Mary’s Heritage Centre, Oakwellgate, Gateshead
Keep the kids entertained whilst at St Mary's with a fun Easter trail. Find the clues and solve the puzzle for a small prize. Free, drop in
Monday Closed
Tuesday 10:00 16:00
Wednesday 10:00 16:00
Thursday 10:00 16:00
Friday 10:00 16:00
Saturday 10:00 13:00
Sunday Closed
Wonderland Fun at Manor Walks
Wednesday 10 April until Friday 12 April 10am to 3pm
Manor Walks, Cramlington
Fall down the rabbit hole at Manor Walks this Easter with an array of Wonderland fun for all of the family to enjoy. Little shoppers are invited to a special tea party in Centre Mall on Wednesday 10th April until Friday 12th April. Each day, from 10am to 3pm, children will be able to take a seat at the Mad Hatter's table and meet, greet and be entertained by Alice and and her friends.
After a spot of tea, children can enjoy playing with giant chess boards and playing cards, before taking a selfie with the characters from Lewis Carroll's much loved story at a special photo wall with themed props. Children can also take part in Alice in Wonderland themed events including making and decorating clocks and face painting on Friday 12th April only.
Easter fun at Manor Walks
Monday 15 until Thursday 18 April 10am to 3pm
Manor Walks, Cramlington
The fun doesn't end there, as from Monday 15th until Thursday 18th April children can join in with Easter themed colouring in and crafts between 10am – 3pm.
Good Friday at Manor Walks
Friday 19th April
Children can turn detective by finding hidden eggs on a hunt through the shopping centre to complete the missing word to win an Easter treat.
Puppetry for Children Day, Ouseburn, Newcastle
Saturday 13 April, 11am - 4.30pm
Ouseburn, Newcastle
A day of free and ticketed children's puppetry events in the Ouseburn, including shows, workshops, outdoor theatre and activities for all the family.
PROFESSOR AMBROSE MERRYWEATHER & HIS FABULOUS FOSSILS
OUSEBURN FARM 11am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm
Professor Ambrose Merryweather, a respected Professor of Paleontology, will be perambulating Ouseburn Farm in his Victorian bath chair. He looks forward to meeting passers-by and revealing to them his rare collection of Fabulous Fossils… Pause to gaze on in amazement at his animated ammonites, singing skulls and dancing dinosaur.
DON QUIXOTE
OUSEBURN FARM 12pm, 2pm, 4pm
Join the most famous knight in all of Spain to learn for yourself how to dress, how to fight, and most importantly, how to love like a knight! An interactive performance for children and their families.
THE MEANDERTHALS
OUSEBURN FARM 12.30pm, 3pm
Two fantasy walkabout characters carry their enormous loads humming to themselves. Their roving, blinking eyes view the passers by with interest, and occasionally they issue a gigantic sneeze. When they slow to a halt they are spurred on by the little disgruntled passengers stowed away in the luggage.
Great North Museum, Newcastle
Tuesday 9 April – Thursday 18 April
Great North Museum
Join in the fun this Easter for fun, family-friendly activities at the Great North Museum: Hancock. All events free and drop in unless otherwise stated. Donations welcome.
Tuesday 9 April - Space Day
See one of the new planetarium shows and follow our space trail around the museum (admission charges apply to the planetarium).
Wednesday 10 April - Ancient Greeks Day
Learn more about life in Ancient Greece with our object handling session and gallery trail.
Thursday 11 April Animal Encounters
Join the experts from Animal Story to meet real animals and learn about the wonders of the animal kingdom.
Tuesday 16 April - Foam Print the Natural World
Create your spring inspired design in foam using different mark making tools.
Wednesday 17 April - Dinosaur Day
Why not bring your toy dinosaur to the museum and take part in a fossil handling session?
Thursday 18 April - Birds of Prey
Enjoy free-flying falconry displays on the museum lawn.
Easter Holiday Fun at Stephenson Railway Museum
11 April to Monday 22 April
Stephenson Railway Museum, North Tyneside
Make and Take Thursdays (11 & 18 April)
Craft activities for youngsters on both Thursdays during the Easter holidays, plus heritage train rides.
Throw back to the Fifties - Sunday 14 April, 12 noon - 2pm
Relive the rocking 1950s with North East of England's premier Rock 'n' Roll outfit, The Baldy Holly Band, plus a Rockabilly DJ and Fifties hairstylist. Heritage train rides in 1950s’ carriages.
Good Friday, 19 April - Fish 'n' Chips
from Codrophenia and heritage train rides.
Easter Sunday, 21 April & Easter Monday, 22 April
Ride the Easter Eggspress and follow the Easter Egg Trail (50p) around the Museum to win a mini chocolate egg and be entered into a prize draw for a chocolate hamper. Please note that train tickets are valid for only one ride.
Animal Encounters - The Prince Bishops Shopping Centre
Thursday 18 – Saturday 20 April 10am – 4pm
Durham City
Animal Encounters arrive at Prince Bishop Shopping Centre this Easter with their exotic petting zoo. Join 30+ creatures, for 3 unforgettable days of hands on animal experience that all members of the family will enjoy. Ideal for children of all ages!
You'll get to learn all about the different types of animals in a fun and educational way. What could be more memorable than meeting a Giant Tortoise, some Crested Geckos, an African Bull Frog and an African Pygmy Hedgehog, all in the same day! (To name just a few)
Visitors will get to see a whole host of amazing creatures from reptiles to insects, mammals to birds and invertebrates to amphibians from all over the world. As well as Easter chicks, rabbits and possibly even some baby ducklings! Go wild, get hands on and encourage their natural interest in wildlife and the natural world around us.
No need to book, just turn up and enjoy. Animal Encounters will be located within the Prince Bishops Family Fun Land area inside the M&Co Store.
Penshaw Bowl
Thursday, April 18
Amphitheatre at Herrington Country Park, Sunderland
Prepare to be bowled over by Family Fun this Easter!
The Penshaw Bowl Sunderland’s much loved free Easter event, has a wealth of ‘egg-citing’ opportunities for Easter family fun. The event, which has changed its date from Good Friday back to Maundy Thursday, will once again take place in the Amphitheatre at Herrington Country Park.
In addition to the traditional egg rolling contest, families can enjoy a jam-packed day out by taking part in a range of activities aimed at all ages. Try your hand at kite flying, visit the craft market or join SAFC’s Foundation of Light in a round of inflatable foot darts.
The free egg rolling competition is open to all children aged nine and under and will be officially opened by Her Right Worshipful, The Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Lynda Scanlan. The traditional egg rolling contest is free and will be arranged into two-time slots of 1pm and 3pm. The contest will be open to all children aged 9 and under, please note that the contest will begin with the Age 3 and under category and work up through the ages. Visitors are asked to come along with their pre-decorated egg, clearly marked with the child’s name and age, 15 minutes before their reserved time slot.
Ryhope Engines Museum Steaming weekend and Classic Car Show
Friday, April 19, to Monday, April 22
Ryhope Engines Museum
Ryhope Engines Museum will be hosting its Easter Steaming weekend along with a Classic Car show over the Easter Bank holiday weekend.
Osprey Watch at Kielder
20 Apr 2019 - 21 Apr 2019 / 27 Apr 2019 - 28 Apr 2019
Saturday 10:30 to 17:00 & Sunday 10:30 to 17:00
Behind The Boat Inn, Kielder Forest Park, Northumberland
Join in to observe the beautiful Kielder ospreys. You can see all the action close up through a live camera feed and even spot the birds on their nest using high powered telescopes with trained volunteers.
Whatever you and your family get up to over Easter hope you enjoy the holidays!
Deb x
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