Top Things To Do In Wakefield This May Half-Term

Transport yourself back in time at the vibrant Castleford Roman Festival! This free family fun day celebrates the town’s rich Roman heritage through interactive demonstrations, hands-on activities, and immersive experiences that will delight visitors of all ages. From witnessing skilled artisans at work to trying your hand at ancient crafts, games, and even an archaeological dig, this festival offers an unforgettable journey into Castleford’s captivating past.

📍 Castleford Town Centre
📅 Saturday 30 May, 10am – 4pm
🎟️ Free, drop in
🔗 More information

Be inspired by the pictures in Pontefract Museum‘s Picturing Pontefract exhibition. Solve riddles and puzzles to learn about Pontefract, then make your own jazzy jigsaw puzzle!

Please note: there will be a 30-minute facilitator break at 12:30pm to 1pm. You are still welcome to explore the museum and do other activities in this time!

📍Pontefract Museum
📅 Wednesday 27 May, 10:30am – 3pm
🎟️ Free, drop in
🔗 More information

Make a beautiful water colour postcard inspired by the plants that grow on and near Waterton’s Wall in this interactive art workshop for families. This workshop will be run by Helen Thomas, a local artist, painter and draughtsman based at The Art House.

📍 The Nest, Walton, WF2 6LL (location information can be found on the WallFest listing)
📅 Saturday 23 May, 1pm – 3pm
🎟️ Free, booking required
🔗 Booking and more information

Come on a family birdwatching walk with Joanne Lee of the RSPB and learn about the birdlife that exists in the area that was the first nature reserve in the world! The nature of the walk will take account of the weather forecast on the day.

📍 The Nest, Walton, WF2 6LL (location information can be found on the WallFest listing)
📅 Friday 29 May, 11am – 12pm and 1pm- 2pm
🎟️ Free, booking required
🔗 Booking and more information

Get ready for an explosion of fun and excitement at Farmer Copleys! Paulo’s Circus is coming to town with a spectacular show that will dazzle audiences of all ages. Where world record breakers meet mechanical marvels and the King of Clowns takes centre ring, the magic of circus is reborn. Welcome to The Zirkus!

📍 Farmer Copleys
📅 Thursday 21 – Sunday 31 May, various times
🎟️ £9 – £12
🔗 Find full dates, times, and booking information on the Paulo’s Circus website

Uh oh, the dinosaurs have escaped the park and are on the loose in WX again! Every day, little dinos can explore the (dinosaur) sand pit and take part in free colouring, while big dinosaurs can immerse themselves in the prehistoric world with a roar-some VR experience.

Join the Dino Film Club and watch classic dinosaur-themed family movies, take part in a slime workshop, stretch it like a t-rex at Pilates for kids and test your knowledge at the Roarsome Dino Quiz! Activities vary daily, but there’ll be something truly Jurassic happening every day.

📍 WX Wakefield Exchange
📅 Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 May, 10am – 4pm (WX is closed on Mondays)
🎟️ Free, drop in
🔗 Full dates, times and more information

Relax like a Roman with some brilliant board games! Make your own boards and counters in this fun drop-in activity at Castleford Museum. Discover how people in Roman Castleford had fun and get inspired for Castleford Roman Festival on Sunday 31 May!

Friday 29 May is an SEND relaxed session. SEND groups are welcome at all sessions, but these sessions are run for visitors who prefer a more relaxed atmosphere.

📍 Castleford Museum
📅 Tuesday 26 – Saturday 30 May, 10am – 3pm (Castleford Museum is closed on Wednesdays)
🎟️ Free, drop in
🔗 Full dates, times and more information

Step into The Doodle Lounge at The Art House this May half term, a joyous space where creativity knows no bounds! Designed for families to unwind and connect, it’s the perfect place to relax and get gloriously messy together! While grown-ups enjoy a coffee break, kids (and adults alike!) are free to fill the walls with colour, characters, and whatever their imagination dreams up. With pens, pencils, and doodle prompts ready and waiting, every mark is a chance to play and express.

📍 The Art House
📅 Monday 25 – Saturday 30 May, 9:30am – 4pm
🎟️ Free, drop in
🔗 More information

Visit the National Coal Mining Museum this May Half Term for a fantastic family day out. Enjoy Horsekeeper talks and pony feeding, take a walk around the Nature Trail, make a bright and beautiful kite to take home, be transported through the centuries in the Time Tunnel and much more!

📍 National Coal Mining Museum
📅 Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 May, 10am – 5pm (the National Coal Mining Museum is not open on Mondays and Tuesdays)
🎟️ Entry and many activities free, some activities cost from £2.50 to £10 per family.
🔗 Full dates, times and booking information

Discover the story of Waterton’s Wall, the first nature reserve in the world – right here in Wakefield! Get crafty and make a pop-up nature reserve from paper and card. Choose and make animals and plants to live in your hidden nature world then use different pop up techniques to help it come to life!

📍 Wakefield Museum
📅 Tuesday 26 May, 10am – 3pm
🎟️ Free, drop in
🔗 More information

Discover Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Little Wild Wood – a natural creative play space, designed to inspire imaginations – somewhere for kids to connect to nature and sculpture at their level. Explore tunnels made from willow, tree stump stepping stones and raised wooden platforms, create your own dens and seek out the exciting sculptures.

📍 Yorkshire Sculpture Park
📅 Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm (YSP will be open on Mondays during Wakefield school holidays)
🎟️ Under 18s are free, 19-25 year olds £7, standard entry £10
🔗 Booking not required, but you can book on the YSP website.

📸 © David Lindsay, courtesy YSP

Fusing the mystery of magic with wondrous and miraculous feats of science. Hang on to your seats and experience a non-stop action packed interactive magical science show with experiments and magic that will capture the imagination. Join Top Secret as they go on a High Voltage Adventure!

Top Secret – The Magic of Science is a fast moving colourful magical science show suitable for the whole family filled with mystery, suspense, and lots and lots of mess!

📍 Theatre Royal Wakefield
📅 Tuesday 26 May, 2pm
🎟️ From £10 per person
🔗 Book tickets on Theatre Royal Wakefield’s website.

Transform yourself into a sculpture at The Hepworth Wakefield! Pick up an activity sheet from the learning studios to explore the galleries and draw Barbara Hepworth-inspired sculpture shapes. Back in the Clore learning studio make a wearable sculpture from colourful card and string. Bend and twist your shapes then thread with string to create 3D forms. Younger children can create pictures on the shape wall or join in with floor-level drawing and mark making.

📍 The Hepworth Wakefield
📅 Every day during the school holidays, 11am -4pm.
🎟️ Free with an exhibition ticket (exhibition entry is £13 / £11 / free for Members, Wakefield District residents and under 18s)
🔗 More information.

Beetles, bats, birds, butterflies and bees – can you find all the pollinators hidden around Pontefract Castle on the Pontefract Pollinators Trail? Answer the questions to complete the tremendous trail! Collect your trail sheet from the Gift Shop.

📍 Pontefract Castle
📅 Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 May, 10am – 3pm
🎟️ Free

Learn about the marvellous medieval herb garden at Pontefract Castle and discover the many different plants and flowers that grow there. Make a paper plant pot then plant some bee-friendly flowers in it to grow through the summer.

📍 Pontefract Castle
📅 Wednesday 27 May, 10am – 11am (SEND session) and 11am – 2pm
🎟️ Free, drop in (booking required for SEND session)
🔗 Book tickets for the SEND session of Plants for Pollinators on TicketSource.

Test your bug spotting skills and learn how to survey nature and join in a mini bioblitz. Discover what local organisations are doing to help nature thrive and find out more about beekeeping from Wakefield and Pontefract Beekeepers Association – you can even meet the bees!

📍 Pontefract Castle
📅 Thursday 28 May, 10am – 11am (SEND session) and 11am – 3pm
🎟️ Free, drop in (booking required for SEND session)
🔗 Book tickets for the SEND session of Discovery Day: Powerful Pollinators on TicketSource.