May Half Term is fast approaching, and as these posts are proving popular, I thought I would pull together a list of what’s taking place around Torbay and South Devon. This May Half Term sees some big events like Brixfest and the Torbay Airshow taking place and you can find out more about them below.
Hope you have a fab May Half Term and if you try out any of these activities I would love to hear about it.
The Secrets of our Geopark Quest! – Occombe Farm
Date: Saturdays 27 May to Sunday 4 June 2017
Time: 10 am to 3 pm daily
Price: £2.50
This half term holiday discover the secrets of Torbay and follow the quest to unearth the hidden natural story. Start at the Occombe Farm Kiosk, where you can pick up the trail. Please note, the nature trail and orchard will be shut off to all those not attending the trail.
Meet the Occombe Farm Animals
Date: 31 May to 2 June 2017
Time: 10 am to 11 am
Price: £2.50
Meet the Occombe Farm animals and get a taste of what it’s like to feed and care for them! In these special hour-long sessions, you will get to meet the Occombe Farm animals in a small group and say hello to all your favourites. These sessions are very popular so you will need to book, which you can do here.
Kids Holiday Club Wild Geopark – Occombe Farm
Date: 1 June 2017
Time: 8.30 am to 5.30 pm
Price: £40
Age: 7 to 12 year olds
Explore the wilder side of Occombe with a day of fun, outdoor activities. These include firecraft and simple campfire cooking, den building down in the woods, team challenges and many more! Bring a packed lunch and plenty to drink; lunch will be supplemented with campfire goodies including marshmallows and popcorn.
Slime and Scales – Paignton Zoo
Dates: Saturday 27th May to Sunday 4th June 2017
Time: 10 am to 6 pm
Price: Usual admission
Hop on down to Paignton Zoo this May Half Term and celebrate all things slimy and scaly by taking part in their Cold-blooded Creatures Trail. You will be able to make your own frog mask to take home, as well as Giant Tortoise talks daily at 3.30pm and become a Crocodile Swamp Explorer, daily at 11.15 am. Also why not take part in the edible bug-challenge! There will also be face painting, daily animal talks and more!
May Half Term Fun at Kents Cavern (including Fossil Trail)
Date: Saturday 27th May to Sunday 4th June 2017
Time: 10:30 am to 4 pm
Price: Usual admission
Join the quest to find the missing fossils which have been lost around the site. You may have to look closely in the woodlands, dig deep in the excavations area and search in the cave system. Piece together lost items around the cave and find out who may have left them to win a prize!
Other activities include:Palaeo-Table, where you will learn about Stone Age artefacts and even handle some; Pouch Making, make a leather pouch and scavenge through the woods for resources that might help you survive the Stone Age; Stone Age Pendant, make and decorate your own Stone Age necklace.
Alice in Wonderland at Kents Cavern
Dates: 29 May – 2 June 2017
Time: 6 pm
Price: Adult – £15, Child (8-15) – £12
Not suitable for children up the age of 8
Step through the looking glass and take part in Butterfly Theatre’s adaptation of; Lewis Carroll’s famous Alice in Wonderland underground in the caves at Kents Cavern. Enjoy this promenade performance telling the enchanted tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Pirate Beach Bonanza! – Living Coasts
Dates: Saturday 27th May to Sunday 4th June 2017
Time: 10 am to 5 pm
Price: Usual admission
Bring your little Buccanners to Living Coasts this May Half Term for some swashbucklin’ pirate fun! Meet Mac the Pirate Penguin and discover our Pieces O’Eight hidden treasure competition. Also take part in the Pirate fancy dress competitions, and if you visit dressed in your best pirate costume you could win a great prize! Simply gather at either of our penguin talks at 10.30am or 2.30pm where the winner will be chosen. Don’t forget to follow the Shipwreck Trail as well. You can pick up a sheet from the main entrance.
Dates: Saturday 27th May to Wednesday 31st May – main activities below:
Saturday 27th May – Grand Firework Display – starting at 9.50 pm at the Inner Harbour
Sunday 28th May – Dragon Boat Challenge – first race at 10.30 am
Monday 29th May – Childrens Day – 11 am to 3 pm
Tuesday 30th May – Brixham Heritage Trail – throughout the day
BrixFest is a fab local festival and it enters 2017 in its sixth year having firmly established itself as one of Brixham’s leading festivals. For a small fishing town they certainly know how to put on one of the biggest firework shows. Best viewing of these is had from the inner harbour (it’s loud!), but thanks to the natural shape of the harbour you can see the Fireworks from as far away as Torquay on a clear night!
The Dragonboat Challenge returns to BrixFest this year. For another year, teams will battle it out on the Breakwater for the right to be called BrixFest Dragonboat Champions!
We love Childrens Day, which takes place at Breakwater Beach. Go along and enjoy the petting zoo, facepainting, drama and theatre workshops. As well as all this there will be street performers, arts and craft activities, build-a-boat, and so much more: all for FREE for both locals and visitors alike! This day is extremely popular and the car parks can get very busy. In the past we have got the bus over and walked to the Breakwater. It is lovely walk and I highly recommend it.
Brixfest will also play host to a Live Action Day on Tuesday 30th May where visitors can follow the Heritage trail and experience re-enactments of historic events around the town by local groups, charities and organisations. They will be bringing history to life!
Powderham Castle – Pirates and Mermaids
Dates: Sunday 28 May to Friday 2nd June 2017
Time: 11 am to 4.30 pm
Price: Usual admission
Captain Jack and his pocketwatch crew bring the summer themes to a close before they all set sail. Come and see if they have managed to catch a mermaid! Themed sessions take place at specified times. Sessions run for approximately 45 to 60 minutes and are aimed for children between 5 -11yrs (and adults) of all ages.
The enchanted wood at Greenway
Date: Sunday 28th May
Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Price: £3 per child
Join the National Trust at Greenway’s enchanted woodland. Why not dress up as an animal, elf or fairy and drop into this day of woodland games, animal-themed crafts and activities led by the woodland folk at Greenway.
The craft activities are suitable for children over 3 years old. Please note that Greenway operates a car booking system, and all visitors wishing to bring their car must book in advance. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway or call 01803 842382 for further details and to book your car in.
Summer Half Term at Pennywell Farm
Date: Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2017
Times: 10 am to 5 pm
Prices: Usual admission
Pennywell have an action packed week of farmyard fun, animal antics, rustic rides and super shows to make a happy May Half Term. Pick up your map and activity planner, meet your Pennywell farmer for the day and then get going on all the different hands on activities like bottle feeding, goat milking, ferret racing and piggy cuddles. Additional entertainment from top class performers like Mr Phil, Poco Drom and Spangles the clown provide our two big shows every day.
Meet hundreds of very friendly animals, from the tiny mice and guinea pigs in the pets area to the giant of the Farmyard, the Shire Horse Fusilier. Crazy Golf, Croquet and four farm rides are all included in the admission price.
Fizzpop Science! – Woodlands Theme Park
Daye: Tuesday 30 May
Time: First activity starts at 10.30 am
Price: Usual admission
Fizz pop will be getting very busy and creative with their gooey slime making workshop, which is all included in the day ticket price. They will also take you on a journey of science investigation as you learn about friction. From rubbing your hands together to Dalek Plungers, you will learn how friction is helpful for us to ‘get a grip’.
Fizz Pop will then show you the best way to clear a table as they get someone up to help tidy up after breakfast, but that’s after they are made to wear an antennae and go on a spin! They will finish by showing how they can remove friction by adding blasts of air, allowing us to float a willing volunteer around the floor with their very own hover board!
Dates: Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th June
Time: Flights start at 2 pm
Price: FREE
The Airshow was a brand new event last year, and this year it plans to be bigger and better! Joining the RAF display teams will be The Tigers Freefall Parachute Display Team, world aerobatic competitor Gerald Cooper in his Extreme XA41, the Gyro Display, the Raven Aerobatic team, the Strikemaster, the Piston Provost and former British Female Aerobatic Champion Lauren Richardson in the Pitts Special.
Displays from the RAF will include the world’s premier acrobatic team the Red Arrows, as well as the Typhoon jet and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft – the Hawker Hurricane, Avro Lancaster and Supermarine Spitfire.
The two day show takes place on Paignton Green with the Bay providing a stunning natural amphitheatre for viewing the air displays and the perfect location for a large coastal airshow event. The action-packed flying programme will take place over two full afternoons on Saturday and Sunday alongside ground displays, entertainment, trade stands, fair rides, bars and catering within the event village on Paignton Green. Check out the website for the best way to get there.
And there we have it. 13 fab activities for you and the family to have a go at over this May Half Term holiday. Hope you have a great week and don’t forget to let me know if you try any of these out.
Have fun!
Jo
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Thanks for this Jo, lots of great ideas here, there is so much to do! I’ll make sure I link through to yours when mine goes live x
Thank you so much Steph, that would be lovely. X
Lots of great things on again in the region – too much to choose from !
What a great list. We are quite busy at half term but will definitely bear these in mind. My daughter would love the fossils and I love Brixham! #SharingtheBlogLove
We had a fleeting visit to Pennywell last year when you were down that way. Hairy roads to get to it as I recall. #sharingthebloglove
You have so much going on near you! Alice in Wonderful in the caves sounds wonderful, as does the firework display – so nice to see them outside of November! And I love an airshow – went to my first a few years ago thinking that I wouldn’t enjoy it but I had the best time! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
I’m not sure when we will next be in South Devon but these are great suggestions. Thank you for sharing them. #SharingtheBlogLove
These ideas are great. We often go on holiday to South Devon, so although we wont be there at half term, its good to get some ideas for places to visit next time. Love Greenway.
I love posts like this always so helpful. My Alice would love the Alice in Wonderland caves, she is obsessed with it. I will have to remember this for when she is older. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove