School Holidays 2024 Wakefield

Bawtry Paintball Fields is Europe’s biggest outdoor activity centre, voted Europe’s Best, and the UK’s highest rated on Trip Advisor with over 1500 5-Star reviews!

Looking for a family day out, an awesome birthday, stag or hen party, or a fantastic team build event – BPF has something for everyone. Our lovely little café serves hot and cold food and drinks, ice cream and slush all day, so you can stay fuelled and relax in one of our picnic areas between activities.

Attracting groups of all ages from 6yrs+, BPF offers a huge variety of outdoor activities in the beautiful 720 acre woodland setting of Bawtry Forest. Activities include; Target and Zombie Archery, outdoor Laser Combat, Rifle Shooting, Tomahawk Axe and Knife Throwing, Junior ‘low-impact’ Paintballing, a 53ft Climbing Wall, Paintball Mini-Tank Battles, a huge Tree-Trek and Zipline Park with 50ft leap-of-faith, and of course regular Paintballing. BPF is also home of the infamous Predator!

Our award-winning paintball and laser combat game zones are like something out of a Hollywood movie. Props include real Lynx, Wessex and Huey helicopters, 42 ex-MOD armoured vehicles, tanks, castles, and a tree-top fortress.

All activities can be booked online at bawtrypaintballfields.co.uk, or call our friendly team on 01302 868841

Crumbs and Crafts

Wed 27 December- Sunday 7 January

It was the week after Christmas and across the workhouse, not a creature was stirring… well, apart from the mice.
Father Christmas has packed up his sleigh for another year, but he’s left leftovers from his festive treats all over our museum! Can you join our crew of Thackray felines and hunt out the crumbs before our resident rodents eat them all up?

Throughout the school holidays join us for a host of crafts and activities exploring all things festive food and celebration. Suitable for all the family and free with your museum ticket.

CLOSED ON NEW YEAR’S DAY

Have a ROARRRRSOME holiday with the Love Exploring app!

Using Augmented Reality and GEO-Location, The Love Exploring app has brought dinosaurs to parks across the district, ready for families to discover this school holiday!

Find dinosaurs at:

• Dando Way, Ackworth
• Upton Country Park
• The Green, Airedale
• Smawthorne Park, Castleford
• Coppers Lake, Crofton
• Walton Colliery Nature Park
• Anglers Country Park
• Purston Park, Featherstone
• Fitzwilliam Country Park
• Carr Lodge Park, Horbury
• Haw Hill Park, Normanton
• Illingworth Park, Ossett
• Green Park, Ossett
• Valley Gardens, Pontefract
• South Kirkby Green
• Lofthouse Nature Reserve
• Southern Washlands, Eastmoor
• Newmillerdam
• Pugneys Country Park
•  Betty Eastwood Park, Crigglestone
• Wrenthorpe/Alverthorpe Meadows

DOWNLOAD THE LOVE EXPLORING APP HERE

Press “Wakefield” and then select “Games”

Tip – make sure you’ve got a full phone battery!

This experience is similar to Pugrassic Park at Pugneys – read our review from Nov 2019

Available 18th November to 7th January 2024

Skate for £5 per person at the 10am session Monday – Saturday!

This festive season, Tingley Garden Centre is thrilled to introduce a BRAND NEW, enchanting addition to our winter wonderland – AN ICE RINK!

Get ready to bring your whole family together for an unforgettable experience that will fill your hearts with Christmas cheer.

Christmas is all about spending quality time with your loved ones, and our ice rink is the perfect place to do just that. Gather your family and friends and make cherished memories on the ice!

For more information and to book your tickets CLICK HERE

Saturday 9th December 2023

Meet our special sweet Santa in his liquorice grotto and receive a Christmas gift!

Children of all ages and their grown-ups are invited to join us at Pontefract Museum for our very special Liquorice Santa drop-in day.

The Liquorice Santa drop-in day is a chance for friends and family to come together in the heart of Pontefract Town Centre to discover some amazing facts about Pontefract’s ‘sweet’ history and enjoy a memorable festive day – and it is all FREE!

There will be a range of festive fun crafts and activities around the Museum to bring you Christmas cheer.

No booking required, although plan ahead as it will be busy! Santa and activities will be at the Museum 10.30am – 3:30pm.

5 Salter Row, Pontefract WF8 1BA

Christmas Storytelling

Every weekend (Saturday & Sunday) until Sat 23 December
Free, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm & 2:30pm

Join Peggy and Frank as they chats about Christmases past and host parlour games in Parkinson’s Yard.

 Makers’ Shed

Every weekend (Saturday & Sunday) – from 2 – 23 December
Free, 11:30am – 5pm

Get crafty this Christmas and make your own wrapping paper and Christmas decorations.

 Caphouse Creators Christmas Special  (7–12-year-olds)

Sun 3 December
£5 per child, pre-bookable

Construct your own personalised Christmas crackers and their crafty contents in this hands-on, festive workshop.

 Wacky Wednesday Christmas Special (under 5 year-olds)

Wed 13 December
£5 per child, pre-bookable

Play and learn with your pre-schoolers through Christmas-themed interactive storytelling, activities, singing and crafts. Oh and if you’ve been good, a very special guest may be swinging by to say hello..!

 Home Education Workshops (7–13-year-olds)

Wed 13, Thu 14, Fri 15 December
£7 per child, pre-bookable

Nothing is more thoughtful than a handmade gift. See some handmade presents that were passed through generations of coal miners, whilst making your own personalised creations using authentic materials such as stained-glass resin, clay and wood.

 Heritage Walk

Thu 21 December
Free, 10am, pre-bookable

Enjoy a festive ramble? Fascinated by local heritage? Combine the two by joining our friendly guide in this 2-hour circular walk around the Museum. Discover shadows of the industry hidden in the landscape that may surprise you!

 Makers’ Shed

Wed 3 – Fri 5 January
Free, 11:30am – 3:30pm

Get set for the year ahead and use printing to create 2024 calendars.

Festive treats are available from the Café and there will be chance to catch up on your Christmas shopping at the Museum Shop.

Other activities also include our Nature Trail, Blacksmiths Demonstrations, Horsekeeper talks and much more!

PLEASE NOTE: THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED MONDAYS & TUESDAYS

National Coal Mining Museum, New Road, Overton, WF4 4RH

27 Nov 23- 27 Jan 24

Consider yourself one of the family at Leeds Playhouse this festive season for Lionel Bart’s award-winning musical, Oliver!

Based on the novel by Charles Dickens, Oliver! follows the story of a small boy with a big heart as he journeys from a desolate workhouse to the paved streets of Victorian London in search of love and a place to call home.

Featuring memorable songs such as ‘Food, Glorious Food’, ‘Oom Pah-Pah’, ‘I’d Do Anything’ and the angelic sounds of ‘Where is Love?’, Oliver! is a heart-warming theatrical masterpiece suitable for all.

James Brining directs this timeless large-scale musical following the spectacular success of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The Musical.

A Leeds Playhouse production by special arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh. Lionel Bart’s Oliver!. Book Music and Lyrics by Lionel Bart, freely adapted from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Production licensed by Music Theatre International.

BOOK TICKETS NOW

For information on places to see Santa including Santa Experiences, Santa Grottos, Free Santa Visits and Breakfast with Santa please visit our dedicated Places to see Santa Page

2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 16th & 17th December 2023

Are you booked on to Pugneys Light Railway Christmas Wonder Ride? This is one of our FAVOURITE festive events!

The Pugneys Light Railway Christmas Wonder Ride is back for 2023 and a ride on this little train is definitely on our Christmas list. We love visiting Pugneys after the sun has gone down, wrapping up so warm and toasty and always treating ourselves to a hot chocolate to keep the cold at bay.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

The Christmas Wonder Ride is perfect for your children to enjoy in the run up to Christmas. Look up to see the stars and see if you can spot Santa testing out his sleigh ahead of the big day. See if you can spot any Reindeer hiding in the woodland. Or any Robins hopping around tree branches.

For those who haven’t been to Pugney’s before, find out more about one of Wakefields most favourite country parks HERE.

Don’t miss out on the amazing Pugney’s Christmas Train.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW

Suitable for toddlers

Stockeld Park, off the A661 Wetherby Road, LS22 4AN.

7th -14th January 2024

Collection of Christmas trees in WF1, WF2, WF3, WF4, WF5, WF6, LS26, LS27 & S75

Minimum donation of £15, proceeds go to Wakefield Hospice

BOOK HERE

This festive season, you can choose from THREE FESTIVE events at Whistlestop Valley:  “Tea with Santa”, “Simply Santa” or “The Santa Express.”

Tea with Santa

Get ready to experience the ultimate festive treat this Christmas, with our brand-new event TEA WITH SANTA ✨

We are excited to invite you and your little ones, to join us for a magical afternoon. Filled with delicious treats, Christmas wishes and a scrumptious afternoon tea!

It’s the perfect opportunity for your little ones to meet the main man in red and make unforgettable memories!

Your ticket includes:

-An allocated time slot for a delicious afternoon tea in the café, where Santa himself will visit each table for a good old chat and to hear your all-important Christmas wishes ✨
-Each child will receive a gold coin from Santa to spend inside his toy shop🎁
-A unallocated steam train ride to Cuckoo’s Nest throughout the day 🚂

When booking, you are booking a table for 4. We regret that we can only accept whole table bookings even if there is less than 4 of you.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

Simply Santa and Santa Express

 Simply Santa and The Santa Express feature a trip aboard the heated carriages hauled by one of our steam locomotives; transporting you to the North Pole!

Whilst at the North Pole, you will have a one-on-one meeting with the big guy himself inside his cosy grotto, filled with sacks of presents for the good girls & boys. Santa’s cheeky elf will be causing Christmas chaos at the Shelley North Pole – will you spot them?!

There’ll be a complimentary edible festive treat and drink for everyone plus the opportunity to make up a bag of magical reindeer food to take home with you and write out your Christmas wish to hang on the magical Wishing Tree. You’ll also be able to have a Yuletide whizz around the duck pond on our ride-on miniature train at the front of Clayton West Station.

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What’s included.

SIMPLY SANTA includes:

• Return steam train ride to Shelley North Pole
• Individual family meeting with Father Christmas
• A gift for all children over 12mths (under 12mths have the option of selecting a gift or not when booking)
• Opportunity to make up a bag of magical reindeer food to take home
• Christmas Crafts
• Opportunity to write your Christmas wish and hang it on the Wishing Tree
• Edible festive treat for all guests over 12mths
• Meet Father Christmas’ cheeky elf
• The outdoor playgrounds, covered jumping pillow & Clayton Flyer miniature ride-on railway
• The Firebox café and gift shop will be open
• The Turntable ice cream parlour will be open at the North Pole

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THE SANTA EXPRESS includes:

• Everything included in Simply Santa plus:
• 25 minute Christmas Elf Show at Clayton West (drop in, not allocated)
• Tram platform rides at the North Pole

Visitors are welcome to arrive earlier than their train departure and stay until facilities close.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

Park Mill Way, Clayton West, Huddersfield, HD8 9XJ