There's loads of family events happening at Tate Liverpool this February half term

February at Tate Liverpool brings a whole host of activities and events to fill your half-term with fun.

Their studio will be transformed by kids of all ages into a painted paradise just like the gallery’s free Vivian Suter display in our free Painted Dens workshop.

Canvas dens will be created by the children using their hands, feet, and brushes to decorate white canvasses, making them into structures they can sit, hide, and play in. Free drop-in sessions run throughout half-term, Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 February, from 13.00 to 16.00.

Families can also be dazzled by the gallery’s Op Art in Focus display and create colourful geometric patterns using the free Make and Create Station, or blast off into the gallery and explore the Constellations display with a free rocket backpack filled with arty activities, both every day from 10.00 to 16.50.

Kids can eat for free in the Café when an accompanying adult buys a main course from the seasonal menu. Valid for children aged 12 or under, for one child eating with one accompanying adult.

Later in the month, Medical Mavericks with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital comes to Tate Exchange. From Monday 17 February to Sunday 1 March, encounter a series of short animations created by patients of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital about three pioneers of modern medicine.

Visitors will be able to watch a documentary film, see the sets and models from the animation process, and take part in a series of workshops. Working in partnership with multimedia charity Twin Vision, children and young people have studied the lives of Dr. William Duncan, Sir Robert Jones and Frances Ivens, all of whom made a significant contribution to the development of modern medicine and have a strong connection to Liverpool.

For more grown up kids, from Monday 3 to Sunday 16 February, Tate Exchange presents Seeing with an Experts Eye: with Liverpool Hope University, with activities designed for visitors to become more aware of how they look at works of art. Visitors can wear a pair of portable eye-tracking glasses and view a series of artworks in the gallery from the Tate Collection. Guided by staff from Liverpool Hope University’s Psychology Department, the glasses use a system that tracks what the viewer likes or dislikes by revealing heat maps of eye movements.

On Friday 28 February the gallery will be open after hours for Late at Tate Liverpool: Regeneration. Enjoy an evening of art, workshops and music curated by the Tate Collective Producers from 17:00 to 22:00. Catch up with friends, create clay sculptures in free workshops, and enjoy street food in the café along with DJ sets by Dayzy and rapper Blue Saint and live music by Neo-Soul band Nuage.

Plus, there’s the chance to see Theaster Gates: Amalgam after hours with a valid ticket. Students who attend Liverpool John Moores University, University of Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University, Edge Hill University, City of Liverpool College and Birmingham City University get free entry into the exhibition. Just show a valid student card. Those aged 16-25 can sign up for a free Tate Collective account and get £5 exhibition tickets plus discounts in the shop and café.

There’s always something for families to do at Tate thanks to the Clore Learning Space on the first floor of the gallery. This interactive family space is currently hosting Sculpting Conversations, which has been designed and produced by artist Sarah Marsh to be a calm, relaxing space for families and young people to explore and play with sensory materials and start conversations. The monthly Quiet Hour on the first Saturday of every month from 10.00 to 11.00 makes the gallery more autism-friendly and accessible for families with additional needs.