7 fun family ideas for May Day Bank Holiday weekend

Don’t speak too soon, but the sun seems to be making an appearance and, with any luck, it’ll be staying out throughout the May Day Bank Holiday weekend.

There’s never any shortage of things to do across the Liverpool City Region, with parks and green spaces and beaches galore, and loads of great attractions (it is Comic Con Weekend in the city after all with a star-studded line-up including Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, and Andy Serkis!).

But if you’ve got young people to entertain, there are some other special family fun May Day events that might take your fancy too…

Tudor May Day Weekend at Speke Hall

You can have a go at archery and pomander making, watch fighting displays, learn about Elizabethan life and see Tudor folk dancing on the North Lawn if you celebrate the May Day Bank Holiday with the Tudors at the National Trust favourite in Speke. There’s fun every day from Saturday to Monday, May 4-6, between 10.30am and 4.30pm, and highlights include entertainment from James the Jester on Saturday and Sunday, and traditional English country dancing from the Galliard Folk Dancers on Monday.

Find out more here.

The Annual Duck Race at WWT Martin Mere

Don’t get in a flap if you’re stuck for things to do over the weekend, head to WWT Martin Mere for the wildfowl and wetlands centre’s annual duck race on Bank Holiday Monday. You can colour in a rubber duck in the craft room for £3.50 and enter it into it into the duck race for free (normal admission applies – members go free). The craft room’s open from 10am and there are races at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm – and a £25 shop voucher prize for the winners.  That’s on top of all the usual activities like pond dipping, the wild walk, and the canoe safari and, until Sunday, June 2, nature fun with CBeebies’ Bing.

Find out more here.

Family Fun Day at the Spitfire Ainsdale

There’s a great free family fun day at the Spitfire on Monday, May 6, and the action starts in the Kenilworth Road pub at 12 noon. There’s a meet and greet with Stitch and Chase, a bouncy castle, glitter tattoos, and an animal road show.

Find out more here.

National Museums Liverpool

There’s always plenty going on at National Museums Liverpool, especially for those with little people in tow, but what’s definitely worth a mention this weekend is the new Bees: A Story of Survival Exhibition which starts at the World Museum on Saturday, and is a stunning exploration of bees and their essential relationship with the natural world. You can immerse yourself in a soundscape that connects you to a live beehive, and discover through sculpture, projection and sound the wonder of these tiny creatures and how we can support their survival. There are special performances and great craft workshops throughout the opening weekend.

* Check opening times as some museums and galleries are closed on certain days.

Find out more here.

Liverpool ONE

As well as everything from great meal deals to the heritage and nature trails and so many great places to go to – Gravity MAX, Escape Live, Junkyard Golf, On the Green, and more – there’s some fantastic entertainment at Liverpool One throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. There’s fantasy fun as Comic Con takes over Liverpool ONE with pop-up performances all over the venue; on Saturday, May 4, Halo-inspired characters by Fireteam Ascension will march around the site in all their military sci-fi glory, and on Sunday, May 5, a Cosplay Parade invites visitors to put on their best costumes and be part of the spectacle.

Plus Leap Dance Festival will be at Liverpool ONE on Monday, May 6 from 12 noon with outdoor performances from burlesque and breakdance to contemporary dance and a ceilidh.

Find out more here.

The Makers Market – Royal Albert Dock

The Makers Market will be bringing its brilliant mix of artisan crafts, food and drink, and music to the Royal Albert Dock on Sunday, May 5, between 11am and 4pm. Expect art, craft, delicious street food, a variety of drinks, gorgeous coffee, and music from some of the best makers, bakers and creators across the north west.

Find out more here.

Mini Maestros – Everyman Street Café

Mini Maestros music sessions start at the Everyman Street Café from this Saturday, May 4 until Saturday, July 6. They’re interactive, multi-sensory music sessions for children aged 0-5 – and their grown-ups – with percussion, signing and dance. There are two sessions, at 10.15am and 11.15am from £10 each and £45 for five, so get along on Saturday mornings and enjoy making music.

Find out more here.

Find even more events across the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend here.