12 Liverpool City Region events you can enjoy with the kids in 2023

It can seem a bit of a let down once Christmas is over and you’ve celebrated the New Year.

But before you get gloomy, get your diaries out and get ready to have a great 2023, because there’s loads going on in the city region for families who want to get out and about, starting with these top events and attractions.

Chinese New Year 

The celebrations for Chinese New Year are huge in Liverpool with much of the action taking place around the historic archway in Chinatown and on January 22 – it’s the Year of the Rabbit – the streets will be decorated with Chinese lanterns, the dragon and unicorn will parade through the streets, and there’ll be a programme of performance along with Chinese food stalls, art workshops, activities and the funfair, from 11am to 5.30pm. Bring The Fire will provide the grand finale and there’ll be a projection show at the Bombed Out Church. Keep up to date here.

Disney On Ice presents Discover the Magic at M&S Bank Arena 

There’s more than a little Mickey magic in the city when Disney’s favourite mouse arrives with all his fabulous friends for an on-ice adventure. It promises world-class skating, high-flying acrobatics and unexpected stunts with Mickey and other favourites including Tinker Bell, Moana, Belle, and Elsa, in a spectacular show filled with song, mystery and enchantment. It’s on from Thursday, March 16 to Sunday, March 19.

Go wild at WWT Martin Mere 

There’s always loads going on at the Burscough wildfowl and wetlands centre with acres of adventure-filled fun, from the wonderful wildlife there is to see to activities like pond-dipping and den building, and its canoe safari and Wild Walk course. There’s also events held there throughout the year like, from February 11-19, the North West Puddle Jumping Championships.

Easter Family Day at the Races 

Taking place at Haydock Racecourse on Saturday, April 3, there’s a schedule of jump racing along with entertainment and family fun for the kids. There’ll be facepainting, a fun fair, balloon modelling, and tons more Easter-related fun – maybe even an egg hunt! Book here.

Dive in to Wild Shore 

Liverpool’s favourite Aqua Park returns to the dock from Friday, May 5 to Saturday, October 28, with an inflatable water obstacle course complete with huge free-fall slides, trampolines, rafts, barriers and more; and family fun gets even better with Stand-Up Paddle Boarding, Pedalos, and Mini Port Boats.

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 

The city’s getting ready to host the world’s biggest song contest on behalf of last year’s winners, Ukraine, and we can’t wait for it all to start. It’ll be hosted at the M&S Bank Arena from Tuesday, May 9 to Saturday, May 13with a series of competitions leading up to Saturday’s Grand Final – including two Family Shows on Thursday and Saturday afternoons – with tons of other events around the city and in what will be known as the Eurovision Village. We’re already giving this one ‘dix points’ for the excitement and anticipation alone. Get the latest here.

Liverpool Pretty Muddy Kids 2023 

Race for Life Pretty Muddy Kids is the brilliant muddy obstacle course just for the little ones (there are adult races in Liverpool and across the region, and kids’ events elsewhere too) being held in Sefton Park on Saturday, July 8. They can tackle a host of obstacles, crawl through the mud pit and have fun with their mates and, at the same time, raise money for life-saving research for Cancer Research UK.

Bad Dad at Bombed Out Church

Who doesn’t love a bit of open air theatre, especially at the Bombed Out Church? This production sees David Walliams’ ‘Bad Dad’ being brought to life by Heartbreak Productions on Sunday, July 9 and there’ll be plenty of laughs as Frank and his father Gilbert struggle to escape the clutches of the local crime lord in order to clear Gilbert’s name.

Jurassic Live at Liverpool Empire

Join Jurassic Live for a roarsome adventure with the award-winning dinosaur show. There’s a brand-new show for 2023 with mind-blowing special effects, professional puppeteers, and the awesomely realistic dinosaurs in this 90-minute full stage production.

Southport Air Show 

Recognised as the North West’s largest air show, Southport Air Show has moved from July to September this year – Saturday and Sunday, September 9-10 – but while the date’s changed, the excitement hasn’t: there’ll be a spectacular air display with jets, fighters, bombers, helicopters and aerobatic aircraft, as well as a whole host of ground activities for the whole family to enjoy.
https://britishairshows.com/southport-airshow

British Musical Fireworks Championship

Oktoberfest 2023 Family Day

The seaside favourite is clearly one of the places to be in September! Southport’s British Musical Fireworks Championship will be back with a bang in Victoria Park too, with some of the most spectacular fireworks you’ll ever see. The fireworks are fired to music to create a spectacular show in the fiercely-contested pyrotechnical competition. The festival runs for three nights from Friday, September 23 to Sunday, September 25, and you can buy a full weekend ticket or just pick a night. 

While the grown-ups can enjoy beer and food from Bavaria during Oktoberfest, there’s a more chilled day on Sunday, October 1, with entertainment to keep the kids happy. You can expect facepainting, cartoon characters, music workshops, wrestling, funfair and more in the fabulous big top at Sefton Park Cricket Club.