What's On For Families In Norfolk This Easter 2019!

What’s On For Families In Norfolk This Easter 2019!

If you were tuned into BBC Radio Norfolk’s airwaves last night you may just have heard my tones coming at you with my very best edit of what’s on for families in Norfolk this Easter! Once again I was doing my very exciting guest spot on the Sophie Little show and chose the very best of the best from budget days out and family favourite to things which are absolutely fancy free this Easter holidays in Norfolk!

Do go to the BBC website and download last night’s show (I’m told I have a very different voice on radio and my husband very kindly keeps pointing out that I certainly have the face for it – once that man latches onto a joke he sticks with it) but just to recap you can read below all the information I gave on the show – there’s something for everyone from tots to teens and a couple of little offers you can take advantage of too!

Happy Easter everyone – I’ll be seeing you back on the radio after the break I hope but for now, here’s my radio face next to the glorious Sophie’s (it was all me that needed the black and white)!

WHAT’S ON NORFOLK?!

An absolute plethora for all ages – my edit is the best of the best!

FREE:

Finding a freebie is a bit like seeing that shining needle in the proverbial haystack – once you’ve exhausted the usual parks, beach days and treasure hunts in the garden (doesn’t have to be chocolate OR Easter Sunday) and the kids are driving you bonkers with their cabin fever yet your purse says a big fat no, don’t fear… There’s much to be had!

10th of April – 9.30 – 3.00 – FREE Family fun day in Anglia Square complete with a bouncy castle, safari trail and a balloon modeller
All Year – The Norfolk Wildlife Trust hosts a gaggle of exciting family days which are either FREE or extremely inexpensive. Activities include rock pooling, pond dipping and for this holiday their Easter Eggventure trail. Check out their website What’s On and Events page for more details!
28th of April – 1.00 – 5.00 – Find Where’s Wally In The Daffodils is being hosted at the Stody Estate, holt in support of the Benjamin Foundation. Under 12’s are free and anyone else turning up in Where’s wally garb will gain FREE entry to the beautiful 14 acre dramatic spring gardens – purchase home made teas to support the charity which supports children and adults facing challenges.
All year – The Sainsbury’s Centre for Visual Arts host Studio Sunday on the first Sunday of every month including the 6th of April from 1.30 – 3.30 where you will meet an artist and enjoy a morning of creating. They also hold Story Pot on Saturdays every week at 10.30 – 11.15 where again an artist will greet you for the session of discovery. Both events are FREE and non bookable but arrive at reception on a first come, first served basis.
10th and 11th and 17th and 18th of April – 10.00 – 4.00pm – Join the Intu Chapelfield Family Club for Free this Easter (and this holiday be entered into a draw to win a Playmobil Easter Egg) then you can enjoy their FREE activities which happen throughout the year but for this holiday include tea party workshops with an Alice in Wonderland theme. These sessions are on a first come, first served basis.
All year – Visit the Millenium Library at the Forum which has a brand new space for children to play and read and right now the Dipple and Conway sponsored Go Go hare is on display for Easter as part of her travels around Norfolk!

BARGAINS:

They say there’s no such thing as a FREE lunch and though I’ve proved that wrong putting your hand in your pocket is inevitable in the holidays so when we do it then it certainly removes a bit of the sting to find a bargain – Here’s some goodies!

All Year – Norfolk Museums – Buying an annual pass for the ten museums in this fleet (including The Castle in Norwich which has a Vikings theme for Easter, Time and Tide in Great Yarmouth which is currently hosting a medieval exhibition and Gressenhall Farm and workhouse who have their ‘once upon a time’ library open for the holidays) will cost a family of two adults and AS MANY CHILDREN AS YOU WANT TO TAKE WITH YOU, under £100! This is probably the most mega deal for families in Norfolk as that’s days out for every single day of the year if you so choose! I recommend this pass to even holiday makers as imagine a week’s holiday in the caravan where the entertainment cost is so little for the WHOLE family for the WHOLE week! Trust me these museums are ace and actually, the price is worth it for Gressenhall with it’s amazing working farm AND fabulous playground (which is due to be made EVEN better – you heard that first here – very soon) alone!
Daily – The Vue Cinema – Mini Mornings, usually just for the weekend, are on daily throughout the holidays where the kiddos AND adults can see relatively new releases like Mary Poppins Returns for just £2.49 a ticket!
Various – Check discount websites like Groupon for mega deals in the county – At the moment there’s offers to be had on The Bowling House, The Play Barn, Surlingham and High Altitude!

EASTER SPECIALS AT THE FAVES:

Now these guys might cost a tiny bit more but I never recommend anything I don’t think is worth the entry price and have regularly written about, storied and Instagrammed about these places who all, for Easter, have gone all out!

5th – 22nd of April – BeWILDerwood – Join Cedric and his Bunny Burrow Eggspedition this Easter for all the usual BeWILDerwood magic (Tom Blofeld, author and owner brings his story books to life with his enchanted hideaway) of zip wires, storytelling, slides, craft, den building, mazes, tree top walkways, face painting and MUCH more as well as all their Easter magic. No hidden costs here include even the face painting and chocolate treats for the season!
6th – 22nd of April – Pensthorpe Nature Reserve – This place is simply stunning with its nature reserve full of wildlife and on top there’s beautiful gardens, animals and pond dipping as well as the most extensive indoor AND outdoor play areas! Take wellies or swimming costumes depending on the weather as the water play is immense! Their Easter Eggstravaganza, Eggucational activities and Egg-tastic crafting activities will make it a fortnight of Egg-cellent fun!
8th – 22nd of April – Roarr Dinoasaur Park – We love Roarr and the place is literally bursting at the edges with fun things to do both indoor (amazing soft play) and outside! The high ropes are open for Easter and with the parks, trails, farm, go karts and plenty more to boot (roll on summer and water splash play too) this is a fun packed day out at the best of times however for Easter they are offering a host of characters from Alice in Wonderland to entertain by having tea with the mad hatter perhaps or maybe looking inside a bottle to see what you might find! The Eggcellent Easter here promises decorated woodland trails and loads of fun!

WHEN IT COMES TO TEENS:

School holidays can be an awkward time for the parents of teens knowing their medium sized people no longer wish to be in their company at all times but not quite trusting them to go it alone for long. So… What can they do?!

All year – The Vue Cinema – I mentioned the Vue Cinema for families earlier but actually their regular priced tickets are just £4.99 all day every day for any show making a trip to the movies the ideal pocket money fodder for teens – let them know that if they sign up for Super Mondays they can go on the first day of the week for just £3.99 – BARGAIN!
All year – Bamboozled Escape Room – Brought to you by the creators of the famous PrimEvil the Bamboozled Escape Room challenge is perfect for teens to get them laterally thinking with their friends on how to break free from this locked up fun before the clock runs out!
22nd – 28th of April – YouFit Gym, Holiday inn, Norwich – Teens aged 16+ can go and enjoy all the facilities on offer at YouFit including the swimming pool, gym, classes, sauna, steam and jacuzzi for absolutely FREE so long as they take part in the fitness challenge the club is competing in for charity Greenfingers alongside sister clubs in Ipswich and Colchester. See their website for more information!

THEATRE DHARLING:

You know this is my bag baby and whether it’s joining in or watching there’s much on offer this holiday!

Various – The Norwich Puppet Theatre – Workshops for ages 5+.
Various – The Norwich Theatre Royal Stage 2 – workshops for ages 7+.
10th – 18th of April – My First Circus, The Littlest Mermaid at The Garage, Norwich – Various performances including relaxed – Immersive theatre for ages 2-6. Wonderfully inventive and so inviting – we love this company!
17th – 20th – The Sound of Music at The Norwich Playhouse – Evening performances and a Saturday matinee. join the talented youngsters of the Norfolk Youth Music Theatre (including Florence who is playing Marta Von Trapp) to see this wonderful show and perhaps give your little ones a taster for joining the company for another performance.
16th – 20th of April – The Worst Witch at the Norwich Theatre Royal – Book fast, this show’s going to be a fave with the kiddos!

WHAT ABOUT THE TOTS:

We all know that the big kids are catered for in the holidays but when it comes to preschoolers the break can seem long and bleak with all the regular clubs and playgroups shutting down and nothing much on offer that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg! Here’s a few tips!

All year – YouFit Swimming – We just spoke about YouFit Gym for the teens but did you know that swimming here is absolutely free for 5 and unders meaning a swimming session when paid for with the adults will probably be much cheaper than going to a community pool. This place is warm and friendly and the perfect size for family fun!
All Year (Easter Special Offer) – Gymboree – Based at Notcutts Garden Centre in Norwich Gymboree is wide open for the holidays and with their unlimited classes offer within their membership it makes it super value. joke on my Instagram that it’s expensive middle class fun but believe me this place is worth every penny and when you go three or four times a week for both classes and free play gym sessions it almost pays for itself! Year round you can enjoy your first lesson for FREE but this Easter, if you say you heard it from me, they will give you FREE membership joining fee and your first month half price!
11th of April – 10.00 – 2.00 – The Day Feed – This pop up play cafe at the Willow Centre is hosting its last cafe for the season on the 11th of April so make sure you make it in time to see their greatness or you’ll have to wait until the summer! Join Sophie and her team for fun play with their extensive toy collection and yummy treats including vegan cakes and delicious sandwiches! follow @TheDayFeed on Instagram for more information.
All year – Tots Town – Whymondham – Tots Town is open for sessions (bookable) throughout the holiday with their indoor small world play excitement. Become a Doctor at the hospital, a star of the stage or simply peruse the aisles in the superarket. A wonderful play for the imaginations and Raffie LOVED building their wall in the construction area at a party this week so we will definitely be back to take advantage of their 3 sessions for £15 offer instead of £6.50 a pop!

KIDS EAT FREE:

My final category is all about the food and while I thoroughly recommend making picnics (they’re not packed lunches in the holidays – tell yourself that) it’s nice to take a break from the cooking from time to time and if the kids can eat FREE or cheaply all the better. I highly recommend checking websites as lots of big chain restaurants offer this deal in the holidays but ones I know to be running in Norwich are…

Easter Holidays – Giraffe – For Intu Family Members (FREE to join)!
30th of March – 28th of April – Yo Sushi!
All year – Bella Italia – Kids eat for £1!
All year – Sunday – Friday 4.00 – 6.00pm – Mambo Jambos!
All year – BeWILDerwood food outlets – Amazing food at brilliant prices!
All year – The Silver Darlings Cafe at Time and Tide Museum, Great Yarmouth – Glorious food and all with kids meals costing between £2.50 and £3.80!