It’s almost that time of year. The kids are bouncing off the walls from having too much egg-shaped chocolate and parents across the UK are already counting down the days until school starts back up again.
We’ve pulled together the most egg-citing school holiday activities happening in and around Manchester, so you can be sure to keep the little ones (and the big ones) entertained this Easter.
Manchester days out for the Easter holidays 2023
Did somebody say Easter Egg Hunt? On Saturday 8 April, The Black Friar is hosting an interactive morning of fun, complete with a kid’s DJ, tombola, face painting and plenty more. The event will run from 10am-2pm. Tickets are priced at £3 for adults and £2 for children and all proceeds go directly to children’s cancer research at Kidscan.
Is your child a young writer in the making? Take a trip to Victorian novelist Elisabeth Gaskell’s House where Easter activities will include bonnet-making, card-making, a garden trail and dressing up. They’ll be happening from 11am-4.30pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 2 to 16 April (excluding Sunday 9 April). Entry is £7 for adults and free for children under 16.
Enjoy all the fun of the fair as the Trafford Centre’s Spring Escape event returns for another year. Get your heart racing with thrilling rides, be amazed by Gandeys Glitterati circus and enjoy food and drink from pop-up vendors. It’s open until 4 June. Tickets to the Spring Escape are £2.50 and admission to the circus is £9.99.
Get your zen on and celebrate the Festival of Blossom at an outdoor hatha yoga session under the trees at Quarry Bank. Unwind as instructor Jeanie Davies takes you through the one-hour session. Classes are available on various dates throughout April and May, designed to suit all ages and abilities, and are free to join with a pre-booked ticket.
Journey down the (Easter) rabbit hole at an Alice in Wonderland-themed city-wide egg hunt. Book your ticket and head to the Corn Exchange this Easter holidays to collect your iPad and picnic hamper, full of everything you need to complete your adventure. After your safety briefing, you’ll be given your task and the wonderland clock will start ticking – solve the riddles within 90 minutes to succeed.
Tickets are £15 per two players, and under-eights play for free. Anyone under the age of 16 must have an adult accompanying them. Games are available to play every day between 10am-8.30pm.
Read on for some top ideas of where to go in Manchester and beyond in the Easter holidays:
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Manchester City Centre
The Corn Exchange Manchester
The historic Corn Exchange Manchester was built in 1837 and stands in what is known as the Medieval Quarter – one of the oldest areas of Manchester City centre. Originally the Corn & Produce Exchange, the building was used as a gathering spot for thousands of traders throughout the region.
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Book Now Bury
East Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway has a long and rich heritage, stretching all the way back to when the first trains steamed into Bury in the 1840s.
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Book Now Manchester City Centre
Immersive Gamebox Manchester
Put down those phones, switch off your screens, and, er, stand in front of another one . . . but this time in your own personal gamebox at Immersive Gamebox in Manchester Arndale.
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Green Quarter
Kickair
Kickair, an “indoor freestyle park” behind Victoria Station, is the kind of place that fills kids (and big kids) with glee.
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Stockport
Lyme Park
Lyme Park is a huge estate with a Medieval herd of red deer, stunning views and a handsome Regency house.
Now a National Trust property, Lyme Park has something for visitors of all ages. Jane Austen fans may know it best as Pemberley, the home of Mr Darcy, where he emerges dripping wet from the lake in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
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Oxford Road
Manchester Museum
Manchester Museum reopens on 18 February 2023 following a £15m transformation to make it more inclusive and more imaginative in how it tells its stories.
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Spinningfields
Manchester River Cruises
Want to fall in love with your city all over again? Take a boat tour from Manchester River Cruises, and you’ll see its iconic views from a new and surprising perspective.
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Book Now Manchester City Centre
National Football Museum
Where else but footy-mad Manchester to house the National Museum of the UK’s favourite sport? Explore the history of the beautiful game inside the unusual-looking Urbis building next to Manchester Victoria train station.
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Salford
Ordsall Hall
Ordsall Hall is a piece of Tudor history just a short walk from the contemporary comings and goings of Salford Quays. Please note: it’s closed on Bank Holiday Monday.
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Spinningfields
People’s History Museum
The People’s History Museum tells the story of the development of democracy in Britain. It’s the only museum in the UK that focuses on the revolutionaries, reformers, workers, voters, and citizens who believed in ideas worth fighting for, like equality, social justice and co-operation.
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Trafford Park
Play Factore
Play Factore is like a super-sized version of the traditional indoor play centre.
It’s enormous; crawling through tunnels, clambering through spider nets and zipping down slides is only the start of it. One of the highlights of the huge play frame is the big red slide – the biggest indoor slide in the UK. There is also a toddler area with mini slides, soft play and sensory lights for age-fives and under.
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Book Now Prestwich
Treetop Trek Manchester
If you’re looking for a fun way to get outside and get active, try Treetop Trek Manchester at Heaton Park. It’s a chance to feel the breeze on your face and face your fears on a high-rope aerial adventure in the woods.