Family things to do in the North

Shekina Rose, Families Editor

The summer holidays are here and as always the north is packed with activities to keep families entertained, whatever the weather. Whether you’re into theatre, science, music, or quite simply love just chilling out in a sandpit, we’ve got you covered.

Young scientists who love bogies – doesn’t everyone? – will want to head down to the Science and Industry Museum for the Summer of Senses, and more museum fun includes The Cat that Slept for a Thousand Years at Manchester Museum.

Babies (and their grownups of course) who like to have a little dance and enjoy some music that isn’t Wheels on the Bus, will enjoy Baby Band Music Festival in Leeds, and music-lovers in Manchester are in for a treat with Manchester Day, this year all themed around music.

Looking to see some family theatre over the holidays? Head to the much-loved tale of A Squash and A Squeeze at The Lowry, as well as the infamous, fabulous SIX at Palace Theatre.

Bit strapped for cash this summer? Good news is, many of the museums are free entry. Enjoy stories and arts and crafts at the Summer of Stories at Z-arts, or visit Lotherton Hall where a packed programme of holiday activities awaits. See more free family things to do in Manchester here.

Our top picks

The Elmer Adventure at Storyhouse

The Elmer Adventure, 8–9 July 2025, From £15.50 - Book now

Bold, bright and brilliant – a show about being yourself, having fun, and the importance of friendship.

Baby Band 2025

Baby Band 2025 at Lotherton Hall and Estate, 20 July 2025, From £0.00 - Book now

The Baby Band Music Festival returns to Leeds for its third glorious year. Great vibes, great music, amazing for little ones and their grownups too!

A child playing in some colourful ribbons
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Summer of Senses at the Science and Industry Museum

Summer of senses at the Science and Industry Museum at Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, 19 July–31 August 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Brilliant bogies and snotty science lovers rejoice! This summer sees a packed programme of fascinating yuck and mucuss-y stuff.

Mother and daughter wearing ear defenders in small intestine in Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You Summer of senses at the Science and Industry Museum
Science and Industry Museum

Manchester Day 2025

Manchester Day, 27 July 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Clear your calendar and warm up those vocal cords this July – Manchester Day is back and this year it’s all about music.

A Squash and a Squeeze at The Lowry

A Squash and A Squeeze at Lowry, Manchester, 5–24 August 2025 - Book now

Enjoy a delightful dose of farmyard chaos as the much-loved tale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler makes its way from page to stage in a fantastic musical adaptation for children and their grown-ups.

A Squash and a Squeeze at The Lowry
Image Credit Suzi Corker

A Lotherton Summer Holiday

A Lotherton Summer Holiday at Lotherton Hall and Estate, 19 July–31 August 2025, From £0.00 - Book now

Get ready for six weeks of fun, including a whole host of children’s entertainment, crafts, activities, a sandpit, a family trail – and most importantly a cafe with lots of delicious coffee options for parents.

A Lotherton Summer Holiday image of a child reaching for bunting
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

SIX at Palace Theatre

Six at Manchester Opera House, Manchester, 9 September 2025–28 March 2026, From £15.00 - Book now

Tudor history gets another glow-up as the internationally acclaimed musical sensation SIX returns to Manchester and its going to be fabulous!

Six at Palace Theatre
Image supplied by ATG Tickets

Summer of Stories at Z-arts

Summer of Stories at Z-arts, Manchester, 29 July–23 August 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Enjoy four weeks of storytelling and arts and crafts, with a different theme each week, inspired by the Z-arts’ amazing Adventures in Wonderland experience.

Summer of Stories
Z-arts

The Railway Children at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

The Railway Children at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, Bradford, 16 July–7 September 2025, From £10.00 - Book now

Steam-powered storytelling at its very best and perfectly staged for Bradford 2025, this much-loved classic is pulling into the station in spectacular style this summer.

The Railway Children at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
Courtesy Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Image credit: Guy Farrow

Circus School at Leeds Market

Circus School at Leeds Market at Leeds Kirkgate Market, Leeds, 29–31 July 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Enjoy juggling, plate spinning, and even stilt walking at the Leeds Circus School this summer.

Circus School at Leeds Kirkgate Market
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

African & Caribbean Food Fest 2025

African & Caribbean Food Fest 2025 at Leeds Kirkgate Market, Leeds, 23 August 2025, Free entry - Find Out More

Foodies rejoice – Leeds’ favourite African and Caribbean Food Fest is back with Harmony of Colours, a celebration of cuisine, culture, and community.

Africana and Caribbean Food Fest
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Grandad Anansi at Z-Arts

Grandad Anansi at Z-arts, Manchester, 2–4 October 2025, From £5.00 - Book now

Experience an inspiring and heartwarming story of family, love, being brave, and letting go.

Grandad Anansi
Lizzie Henshaw

YOU:MATTER at National Science and Media Museum

YOU:MATTER at National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, Until 22 February 2026, From £2.00 - Book now

Everything is connected but we rarely get a chance to really see it – YOU:MATTER is a spectacular audio-visual experience that playfully explores our place in the universe.

Seussical Jr – The Musical at Interplay Theatre

Seussical Jr - The Musical at Interplay Theatre, Leeds, 9 July 2025, From £15.00 - Book now

Join Leeds Youth Opera (LYO) as they bring amazing music and fabulous imagination to Leeds. 

Seussical Jr - The Musical A multicoloured tree in the style of Dr Seuss
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

2025 Banner Exhibition

2025 Banner Exhibition at People’s History Museum, Manchester, Until 29 December 2025, Free entry - Visit now

Enjoy a family-friendly journey through the history of activism at the People’s History Museum’s year-long Banner Exhibition.

A textile banner featuring text: 'Manchester Deaf Triangle Club, Lesbian & Gay Group', and different coloured hands doing sign language. 2025 Banner Exhibition at People's History Museum
Manchester Deaf Triangle Club banner, around 1985. On loan from British Deaf History Society.

Adventures in Wonderland at Z-arts

Adventures in Wonderland at Z-arts, Manchester, Until 11 April 2026, From £12.00 - Book now

Tumble down the rabbit hole and experience the most curious adventure, where the surreal and bizarre awaits!

Adventures in Wonderland at Z-arts
Image courtesy of Z-arts.

Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You at the Science and Industry Museum

Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You at Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, Until 4 January 2026, From £10.00 - Book now

Get ready for a sense-sational adventure packed with super-sized science and brilliant biology!

Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You at the Science and Industry Museum
Promotional Stills for Operation Ouch: Brains, Bogies, & You at the Science & Industry Museum - 13th February Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum.

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Manchester Barton Square, The Trafford Centre, Manchester, M17 8AS - Visit now

The ultimate indoor playground! LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is an immersive indoor attraction where iconic sites from Manchester’s skyline and other famous UK buildings can be enjoyed by both kids and adults.

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre

Discover and Explore at the Science and Industry Museum

Discover and Explore at the Science and Industry Museum at Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, Until 30 September 2025 - Book now

Whether you’ve half an hour or a full day, you’ll always find something new to discover at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum.

Discover and Explore at the Science and Industry Museum
State of Mind installation at the Science and Industry Museum. Image courtesy of Orbie Pullen Photography.

Outdoor Art Club at The Whitworth

Outdoor Art Club at The Whitworth, Manchester, Until 19 July 2025, Free entry - Visit now

Get your wellies on and enjoy fun and creative outdoor activities.

Toddler standing on grass with a paintbrush in hand turning to the right to look at the camera. He is wearing a navy blue rainsuit with a burgundy and navy blue long sleeved tiop underneath. He is standing in front of large cream coloured sheets that have been strung up on a washing line. The sheets have mud marks making on.
Fiona Jenkins

More families events

Get Outside with Bradford 2025: An image of a large man made pool with fountains in front of a historic building with a clock tower
Until
FestivalsBradford
Get Outside with Bradford 2025

Explore art in the moorlands, soundscapes through the glen and appreciate how the city has become totally transformed when you get outside with Bradford 2025.

Free entry
Africana and Caribbean Food Fest
FestivalsLeeds
African & Caribbean Food Fest 2025

Calling people of Leeds and beyond! The city’s favourite African and Caribbean Food Fest is back, and this year it’s turning up the heat with Harmony of Colours, a celebration…

Free entry
Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Spotlight on

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.

Take me there

Family things to do in the North

Manchester
Park
Platt Fields Park

Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield is steeped in history, the land having been acquired by the Platt family in 1225.

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Cumbria
Event venue
Penrith Old Fire Station

Main venue for Eden Arts, an artist-led organisation based in Eden in Cumbria creating projects around mass participation, local distinctiveness and digital engagement, from Picnic Cinema to The Winter Droving.

The MerseyMade building in Liverpool
Liverpool
Shop
MerseyMade West Kirby

In the MerseyMade shop you’ll find bottled gin from the likes of Turncoat Gin, Anfield Gin, Albert Dock Gin and Three Graces Gin. Yep, Liverpool REALLY likes its gin.

The Whitworth
Manchester
Gallery
The Whitworth

This much-loved gallery-in-a-park is open for business, showcasing some of the city’s finest contemporary and historic exhibitions.

Culture Guides

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

European Poetry Festival European Camarade
Literature Events in the North

From tongue-twisters to twisty page-turners, we have all kinds of spoken word surprises in the latest literature round-up.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.