Budget Friendly Easter Family Fun in the North West

The Easter holidays are nearly here! While blue skies and Spring sunshine are no guarantee, we’re confident you’ll find plenty to keep the kids entertained in our handy round up of the best budget-friendly Easter family fun in the North West.

Easter Fun For Families in Lancashire

Little ones are sure to love the Easter Bunny Trail at Gawthorpe Hall, Burnley, and if the weather’s nice, you could even make a day of it with a picnic. The hall is also hosting Easter craft sessions for families too.

There’s a whole programme of events at the Horse + Bamboo in Waterfoot, Rossendale over the school holidays, including crafts, bubbles, robot fun and a special Eid event on Sunday 6th April.

Families in Harwood can catch the pop-up cinema taking place in Mercer Hall over the holidays with free screenings of Wicked and Peter Rabbit!

The Friends of Lytham Hall will be running their annual Family Fun Day on Easter Sunday. There’ll be an egg hunt, cake decorating, a bouncy castle and Easter crafts, plus stalls, games and more. Tickets are on sale from the 20th of March and cost £4.50 per child (adults go free).

Or why not join in with the free Eggsplore the Shore event taking place at Lytham St Anne’s? Head down to the beach on Monday 7th April and look out for the The Wildlife Trust tent.

Easter in Colne is back for 2025, with lots of fun, free events taking place in the town centre.

Judges Lodgings in Lancaster will be hosting an Easter Egg Trail and the opportunity to meet a Tudor cook and decorate your own egg.

Preston’s Annual Egg Rolling Event takes place on Easter Monday this year and is free to attend. As well as the egg-rolling contest, there’ll also be stalls, live entertainment, and an Easter Bonnet competition.

Easter Fun For Families in Greater Manchester

Get yourself down to the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester for free, hands-on family fun that’s educational too (but shhh, don’t tell the kids!) Or if it’s roar-some fun you’re after, catch one of the free talks at the Manchester Museum during the Easter break, like Dinosaurs: Myths, Legends and Facts.

There’s loads going on at Central Library this Easter including Greek Easter Crafts, a board games club, Italian Storytime, Lego fun and more! All events are free and there’s no need to book.

Funfairs will also be returning to Wythenshawe Park and Platt Fields Park during the Easter holidays.

Easter Fun For Families in Merseyside

Why not BEE different this Easter and join in the Grand Parade of the Bees? Setting out from World Museum, Liverpool at 3pm on Saturday 5th April, this short but sweet parade is free to watch and aims to celebrate the importance of pollinators. If you fancy joining in, you can even attend a workshop beforehand to craft your own bee-themed costume!

Tate Liverpool and RIBA North are hosting a free creative family workshop between the 29th of March and the 14th of April at Mann Island. You’ll have the chance to make shadow puppets and bring them to life or create your own characters for a whirling zoetrope.

You can also join in the Easter holiday family fun at Liverpool Cathedral or go on a Bunny Tail Trail at Royal Albert Dock.

Easter Fun For Families in Cheshire

Don’t miss the chance to get involved in Lambing Week at the farm at Tatton Park. Daily talks will be held in the lambing shed at 12pm and 2pm. Family tickets to the park start from £17 and include access to the gardens, mansion and farm, where you’ll find plenty of other egg-citing events going on, including an Easter egg hunt, musical storytelling and a family trail.

Take a family stroll at Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve between the 5th and 27th of April, and you can help Ranger Mark find the lost Easter eggs! Pick up your free map from the visitor centre. There’s a similar trail taking place at Tegg’s Nose Country Park, for just 50p per map, and if you bring your completed trail back, you’ll get 50p off any food or drink order.

Knutsford Bunny Hop will be taking place on Saturday the 19th of April this year, and as well as the popular trail, there’ll also be fun and games at the market hall and prizes for the best fancy dress (this year’s theme is Willy Wonka!)

Get scientific at Catalyst and find fun ways to help the Easter bunny hop to greater heights during one of the Help Him Hop Higher workshops taking place over the school holidays.

Easter Fun Further Afield

Whether you’re visiting family, getting away for a few days or just fancy exploring somewhere new, there’s loads going on this Easter outside of the North West.

Over in West Yorkshire, the Science and Media Museum in Bradford recently reopened after its big revamp, and entry is free. While Mirfield Community Centre is holding a free Easter Family Fun event on Wednesday 9th of April.

Or head to nearby Hebden Bridge in Calderdale on Easter Monday for the Hebden Bridge Duck Race! Tickets for a duck are just £1 each with all proceeds going to charity. There’ll also be food, live entertainment and stalls selling local produce, making it a fun day out for all the family.

If you’re planning on visiting the Lake District this Easter, there are Easter trails and family fun events taking place all across the region. Likewise, if you’re taking a trip to the Peak District, you’ll find no shortage of Easter events and activities to entertain kids of all ages.

Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme

Don’t forget to check out your local authority’s HAF offer too! Short for Holiday Activities and Food, the HAF scheme is aimed at children in receipt of free school meals or with special education needs (SEND) and offers a wide array of fun, free activities for school children of all ages during the Easter, Summer and Christmas breaks.

Happy Easter From Olive Branch!

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish a very Happy Easter to all those celebrating, and we hope that all our Olive Branch families have an eggcellent break, and lots of fun during the school holidays.

If you’ve been thinking about fostering and would like to find out more, don’t hesitate to get in touch for a friendly, no-obligation chat with one of the Olive Branch team.