Free events & budget-friendly days out with the kids this summer
Looking to keep the kids entertained this summer without breaking the bank? Whether you're hoping to fill the six-week holiday with exciting adventures or just need a few go-to activities on standby, I’ve rounded up the very best free and bargain things to do with the kids across the UK.
From outdoor cinemas and hands-on museums to free tennis sessions, butterfly spotting, and craft-filled days at IKEA, there’s something here to keep every age group happy, and your wallet intact!
Free outdoor cinemas
There’s tonnes of outdoor cinema events on throughout summer showing films for both adults and kids.
Leicester Square - family blockbusters and sporting broadcasts
London Bridge - showing Lion King, Despicable Me, Wicked sing along
Canary Wharf - showing Encanto, Matilda, Wicked
Leeds - lots of animated films for kids such as Encanto
Wales - showing The Greatest Showman, Mamma Mia, Moana 2, Grease
Free kid-friendly museums
Looking for a fun (and educational) day out? These brilliant museums across the UK are not only packed with hands-on exhibits and interactive zones for kids but they're completely free to visit too!
The National History Museum London has free family trails and interactive galleries like an earthquake room
The National Railway Museum in York where you can climb inside trains, play areas and watch science shows
The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester has imaginary playgrounds, early-years zones and live experiments
World Museum Liverpool has a planetarium, bug house, and live animal talks
The Young Museum of Childhood has just reopened recently with all new play-led galleries
Coventry Transport Museum has sit in cars, free ‘mini motorist’ sessions and hands on stem workshops
Universal Credit reduced tickets this summer
Several top attractions are offering heavily discounted entry for families claiming Universal Credit, making unforgettable days out a little more affordable.
London Zoo is offering £3 universal credit tickets to help people who may find cost a barrier to visiting
Edinburgh Zoo is also offering Universal Credit tickets for just £7 per person
You can get tickets for £1 to the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre if you’re claiming Universal Credit. The tickets have to be bought in advance and you can get up to 6 tickets per household.
Other free and cheap days out
Free IKEA days
IKEA always host tonnes of free Family Member activities throughout the summer holidays such as hot air balloon crafts, wall hangings, play dough modelling, treasure hunts, face painting, story telling and more!
Butterfly Hunting
Not only is this a fun and free activity for the kids but you can teach them about contributing to help the environment too. The Big Butterfly Count runs from 18th July-10th August and all you have to do is download the butterfly chart, pick an area, and watch for 15 minutes to see how many butterflies you can count!
Free tennis
With Barclays you can play tennis for an hour for free! They run weekly on Saturdays and Sundays at 10am around parks across the UK. You don’t need any experience, a partner or equipment as it’s all provided and the best thing is any age can go!
Outdoor trails
Folkstone is a good one as its the UK’s largest urban outdoor exhibition! The Forest of Dean is another great one to put on the list as they’ve got 18 sculptures to look at on the trail.
Free yoga
At Park Yoga there are free classes running in parks on Sunday mornings from May to September! It’s completely free to attend and there is no need to book you just need to bring something to stand on!
Visit the library
Anyone can join their local library - for free - to borrow books or use their kids areas. They often run free weekly events like summer reading challenge events, arts and crafts sessions and Lego or coding clubs, as well as baby and toddler rhyme time.
Free swimming
Make yourself aware of the local outdoor pools near you to add to the list of free things to do on a sunny day! Bude Sea Pool in Cornwall and Shoalstone Pool in Brixham are both completely free to go in!
Free pets workshops
Pets at Home is offering free workshops in-store for kids 4+ from 19th July - 31st August. Each session lasts up to 45 minutes and teach kids about responsible pet ownership. Kids get to leave with a certificate and sticker!
Free festivals and carnivals
Notting Hill carnival is one of the world’s largest street carnivals on the August bank holiday and entry is completely free. There are over 45 free festivals and carnivals in the UK this summer too so have a look to see which ones are local to you!
Do you have any other ideas? Drop them in the comments – let’s help each other out this summer!
