The school holidays require precise planning, so here are all the dates you need to know and activities you need to do.
It feels like we’re never more than a few weeks from the school holidays coming around, so it helps to know when they are. It also helps to have a go-to list of activities to make those half-term breaks fly by and the summer shutdown a breeze. We’ve rounded up all the dates you need for this school year below, and coupled them with a list of amazing things to do with the kids in Leeds during the school holidays.
When the school holidays are on
Here are all the key dates you need to know for when the school holidays take place in Leeds over the next year.
- Summer Holidays – Wednesday 24th July 2024 to Friday 30th August 2024
- Autumn Half Term – Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November 2024
- Christmas Holiday – Monday 23rd December 2024 to Friday 3rd January 2025
- Spring Half Term – Monday 17th to Friday 21st February 2025
- Easter Holidays – Monday 7th to Monday 21st April 2025
- May Bank Holiday – Monday 5th May 2025
- May Half Term – Monday 26th May 2024 to Friday 30th May 2025
- Summer Holidays – Wednesday 23rd July 2025 to Friday 29th August 2025
What you can do to entertain the kids
But what will you get up to on those breaks together? There are loads of amazing activities for the school holidays in Leeds…
Leeds Discovery Centre
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During the school holidays, Leeds Discovery Centre comes alive with activity. Every Wednesday during the break, they open up their doors to families for a whole host of cool hands-on events so your little ones can explore history and get crafty. This is your chance to get up close to exhibits that aren’t on display to the general public, with a series of sessions that have a different theme, from sports to Easter eggs, headwear to African textiles.
Leeds Discovery Centre, Carlisle Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1LB. Free entry.
The Royal Armouries
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Home to over 4,500 awe-inspiring exhibits from the UK’s national collection of arms and armour, the Royal Armouries Museum is the perfect choice for days out during the school holidays in Leeds. There are five jam-packed floors of galleries to explore, taking you from Henry VIII’s combat armour from 1520 to an incredible rare example of a mail and plate elephant armour. Come the break, they often have themed weeks full of activities as well as jousting tournaments.
The Royal Armouries, Armouries Drive, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1LT. Free entry.
Driftstop
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Your little ones can unleash their inner drifter with a trip to Driftstop, the only indoor electric drift karting experience in Leeds. They’ll get behind the wheel for 15 or 20 minutes, zooming around a racetrack kitted out with cool lighting and sound wave production – and if you want to, you can join in the fun too, with special family packages for groups of four with two pizzas to share. That’s not all, they also have a bunch of arcade games to play on afterwards!
Driftstop, 16-18 Merrion Shopping Centre, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8DB. Prices start at £10 for 15 minutes, £15 for 20 minutes or £80 for a family of four for 20 minutes with pizza.
Arcade Club
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There are few better ways for the whole family to spend the school holidays in Leeds than with a trip to Arcade Club. This is a gamer’s dream, for both young and old. There are three floors teeming with games, from retro arcade classics to the latest virtual reality systems. Pac-Man to FIFA, Mario Kart to Crazy Taxi, there’s a little something for everyone in here. Why not go head-to-head with the kids on a racing game, before they try out the pinball machines?
Arcade Club, Unit 3, Abbey Retail Park, Savins Mill Way, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS5 3RP. Prices start at £9 for children, £17 for adults or £43 for a family of four.
Craftea
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Meanwood’s got the coolest little secret for a school holiday boredom buster. This is Craftea, from the same folks who were behind the Imagination Station, a play and craft cafe made for families. You can grab a cup of locally-sourced coffee and a slice of cake in the dining room, while the kids can have a ball in amongst all the toys – the castle is a favourite! They also run a programme of events all year round, from crafting workshops to play sessions.
Craftea, 232 Meanwood Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS7 2AH. Free entry.
Clip ‘n Climb
The school holidays in Leeds are the perfect chance to introduce the little ones to something new, so why not try climbing? Clip ‘n Climb is fit for the whole family, with its clip-on safety system, specially designed grips and colourful walls coming together to make sure the little ones are in safe hands. There are 32 unique climbing routes to scale and build up your confidence on – once you’ve worked up an appetite head to the on-site Woodpeckers Diner for a bite.
Clip ’n Climb, Unit 3, Tristram Centre, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS12 6BF. £15 for all climbers or £12.50 for toddlers with a non-paying climber.
Jackrabbits Pottery
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One of the best school holiday activities in Leeds for creative souls will take you to Jackrabbits Pottery. This is a paint-your-own pottery studio – all you have to do is take your pick of over 130 ready-made pieces of clay-based joy. They have everything from piggy banks to mugs and animals, just choose your favourite. Then they’ll get the paints out, so you can colour them as you see fit. You might just find you’ve got a budding pottery artist on your hands!
Jackrabbits Pottery, 633A Roundhay Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 4BA. Prices are based on the items you choose to paint, ranging from £8 to £44.
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
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A farm is always a popular day out with the kids in Leeds, but how about one just minutes from the city centre? Meanwood Valley Urban Farm brings the countryside to the suburbs with all manner of amazing animals to meet. There’s everything from cows and alpacas to rabbits and turtles, alongside a medley of ever-changing interactive outdoor activities including the Silverwood Adventures Family Forest Community, complete with hot drinks and marshmallows.
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm, Sugar Well Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS7 2QG. £3 for adults, 50p for children or free for under 2s.
Leeds City Museum
Credit: Leeds Museums & Galleries
You’re never short of fun things to explore with a trip to Leeds City Museum. Spread across four jam-packed floors of exhibits, it takes you from the history of Leeds to the pyramids of Egypt and back. The Ancient Worlds Gallery reveals the remains of Nesyamun, a 3,000-year-old mummy, but if you want to get closer to nature, check out the Life on Earth Gallery, which shows off a selection of their collection of 800,000 animals, vegetables and minerals.
Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8BH. Free entry.
Gravity
It’s time to get your school holiday bounce on in Leeds with a trip to Gravity. This is an epic trampoline park where the kids will have a great time burning off all that extra half term energy. The open jump sessions mean they can bounce and dance their way across the trampolines for 60 minutes. Or they can go all out in the Ultimate Wipeout session, where members of your party battle it out in a head-to-head competition – who’ll come out on top?!
Gravity, Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Kirkstall Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS4 2DG. Prices start from £11.95 per person.
Tropical World
You’ll find Tropical World in the middle of the sprawling 700-acre Roundhay Park. So after you’ve explored the rolling fields, massive lakes and fun-filled playground, head inside to discover a tropical paradise. There’s so much to see, starting with the Butterfly House before you meet marine life in the Aquarium, critters in Creature Corner and exotic life in the Rainforest Canopy. The Desert House and Creature Cavern complete your jam-packed day out!
Tropical World, Princes Avenue, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 2ER. £8.40 for adults, £4.20 for children between 3 to 15 and free for under 3s.
Thackray Museum of Medicine
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You can delve into the awesome, gory world of medicine with a trip to Thackray during the school holidays in Leeds. If you’re feeling brave, why not take a spin around the Victorian streets of Leeds to a 19th-century operating theatre, all faithfully recreated as it would have looked and worked back then. But it isn’t just gore, there are a flurry of child-friendly exhibitions that will teach your little ones about everything from pregnancy to pandemics.
Thackray Museum of Medicine, 141 Beckett Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS9 7LN. £11.95 for adults, £8.95 for children aged 5 to 16 and under 5s for free. Tickets are valid for repeat visits for 12 months.
Kirkstall Abbey & Abbey House Museum
You can get two Leeds attractions in one go with Kirkstall Abbey and Abbey House Museum, perfect for school holidays. First off, the historic ruins of the iconic Cistercian abbey are a must-visit, offering an awe-inspiring look into history surrounded by sprawling grounds, perfect for a picnic on a nice day. Once you’re done, pop over the road to Abbey House Museum to discover what life was like in Victorian Leeds and check out centuries-old artefacts.
Kirkstall Abbey, Abbey Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS5 3EH. Abbey – free entry for Leeds residents with proof, otherwise £5.80 for adults and £2.90 for children aged 3 to 18, free entry for under 3s. Museum – £6.80 for adults, £3.30 for children aged 3 to 18 and free entry for under 3s.
Stockeld Park
Credit: Stockeld Park
Stockeld Park is definitely one of the best places to visit for school holiday activities in Leeds. Enjoy a spot of live theatre or go all out in the indoor soft play, zip across the roller skating rink or spin around the go-karting track. Wait, there’s more – Playhive is one of Europe’s largest indoor playgrounds and there’s no better place to get lost than The Magical Maze. And come the holidays, they always have a programme of special themed events too.
Stockeld Park, Wetherby Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS22 4AN. Tickets start from £18 per person, under 2s go free.
Leeds Central Library
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There are few more beautiful buildings in Leeds than the Grade II-listed Leeds Central Library, but as good as it looks, you’ll want to visit for all the things to do here. They have over 250,000 books to get lost in, they also run a programme of fun, educational events from storytime sessions to art workshops, theatre productions and coding lessons, with even more during the holidays. Then you can dip into the Tiled Hall Cafe for a cake and a cuppa when you’re done!
Leeds Central Library, Calverley Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3AB. Free entry.
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