Don’t miss our pick of what’s on and things to do with kids around Ireland this month, from virtual events to family fun days!
We have listings below for an amazing mix of family and kid-friendly events taking place around Ireland. They include plenty of free options, and ideas to introduce the whole family to a variety of cultural events, music events and festivals, open days, classes and much more.
With many events now taking place virtually, to help you enjoy what’s on offer for you and your family to enjoy, we have included online events that children and families can enjoy alongside outdoor and socially distanced events too.
What’s On: Oct 2021
Wexford Spiegeltent Festival
Dates: October 21st to 31st
From its inaugural year in 2012, Wexford Spiegeltent Festival has grown to be one of the biggest and most successful multi-genre festivals in Ireland.
Set in the beautiful surroundings of the Paradiso Spiegeltent, the Festival has a unique atmosphere, blending the Olde Worlde feel of the Spiegeltents with the best in popular entertainment.
The line up for 2021 includes The Coronas, Wild Youth, Hudson Taylor, Des Bishop, The Academic, Neil Delamere, Glen Hansard, and more.
Bubble, Boil & Trouble at National Museum of Ireland
Dates: Until October 31st
Celebrate Halloween by unleashing your inner witch or wizard at a special pre-recorded online art workshop from National Museum of Ireland.
Find out how to make your very own crafty, colourful potions from home! Spoooooky costumes highly recommended, but not essential. You can send in your spellbinding creations to share online at educationcb@museum.ie
Luke’s Deadly Dinosaur Workshop at Wexford Arts Centre
Date: October 23rd 2021
Calling any young Dinosaur enthusiasts out there – are you ready for a journey back through time? The Dino-Day workshop is a fun and interactive step into prehistory, highlighting some of the most wonderful, wicked and weirdest dinosaurs ever to have lived.
Using a mixture of models, 3d printed replicas and real fossils, we will demonstrate just how these amazing animals lived, fought and evolved. With fun, music and a visit from a very special baby Tyrannosaurus named Reggie, this is a great experience for anyone fascinated with the coolest animals the world has ever seen!
Suitable for ages 5-12. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Little Artists’ Club
Date: Saturdays until December 4th
Little Artist Club at Wexford Arts Centre is coming back! The new classes for 4-7 year olds will be bursting with activities to inspire your little artist.
Classes will keep young minds engaged and little hands busy as they work with glitter and glue, pom-poms and feathers, coloured papers and shapes – all materials children love to work with. In a fun environment, the activities will encourage children’s creativity whilst developing their fine motor skills.
For more information and to book a class, click here.
Saturday Art Club
Date: Saturdays until December 4th
Saturday Art Club at Wexford Arts Centre gives older children (aged 7-11 years) the opportunity to learn about the technical aspects of art-making while working with a team of professional artists.
This season children will paint, draw and create mixed media pieces. Taking a close look at the work of famous artists, children will discover what the artists made and how they worked; taking inspiration to create their own pieces in response.
For more information and to book a class, click here.
Spirit of Halloween at Rediscovery Centre
Date: October 23rd 2021
Join in at the Rediscovery Centre for two free Halloween workshops as part of Spirit of Halloween Festival!
Aimed at children 6-12 years old. You can choose to attend one or both workshops, however the Rediscovery Centre will not be responsible for your child between these two workshops.
- 11-12.30pm: Halloween Arts and Crafts workshop
- 3-4.30pm: Bat Workshop
For more information and to book free tickets, click here.
Halloween Spooktacular at Irish National Stud & Gardens
Dates: October 23rd to 31st from 11am-3pm
This Halloween, the Irish National Stud & Gardens will hold its annual Halloween Spooktacular! Dress up in your costume and each day there will be spooky crafts, trick or treat magic shows, scary storytelling and much more!
All the regular attractions are still available, including an opportunity to meet the Living Legends team, join guided tours, take the fairy trail route or travel along the stepping stones in the Japanese Gardens for hours of outdoor fun. This is a full day out so allow 4/5 hours to really make the most of it.
All Halloween events are included in the admission prices. Pre-booking on the website is essential.
Halloween 2021 at Birr Castle Demesne
Dates: From October 23rd to 31st 2021
Birr Castle Demesne in Offaly promise tricks and treats for all the family this Halloween, including;
- Halloween Pumpkin Trail
- Family Quest
- The Gallery Challenge
- …and a few more surprises along the way!
The Treehouse Adventure Playground and Courtyard Cafe will also be open daily.
Tunnel of Terror at Johnstown Castle
Dates: October 23rd to 31st 2021
Johnstown Castle is back open, but the resident ghosts are none-too happy! They’ve had the Castle all to themselves and cruel Cromwell and other devilish ghouls want to keep the Castle closed, but luckily there are some good ghosts who will lead a spook-tacular family tour to help get rid of the ghastly ghouls for good!
The spook-tacular family tour, led by some good ghosts such as Sir John Esmonde, will take visitors through the dungeons to banish the evil ghosts for good!
The tour must be booked online in advance and takes approximately half an hour and the ticket includes entry to the Estate and the Irish Agricultural Museum.
Magical Plants Guided Tours at National Botanic Gardens
Dates: October 23rd to 31st 2021
Kids! Bring your families along to find out how to use plants for potions and spells, poisonous plants to murder your evil enemies and even some rarely seen invisible plants!
For more information and to book free tickets, click here.
Samhain 2021 at Marlay Park, Rathfarnham
Dates: October 23rd and 24th
SAMHAIN, the annual Haunted Walk spookfest, is back in all its gory glory in Marlay Park on Saturday October 23rd and Sunday October 24th 2021.
Dress your worst, in the most frightening clothes you can find and join this Haunted Walk in the forest as all the ghouls and goblins come back to life after their year’s break. But there is no rest for the wicked because SAMHAIN is on for two days this year Saturday October 23rd and Sunday October 24th from 4.30pm to 9.30pm each day.
Remember SAMHAIN is an outdoor event, so warm clothing is recommended. The walk is approx. 1.7km long on a path suitable for buggies and wheelchairs. The 4.30pm walk each day at Samhain will be tailored to suit people with special needs. This means that music and sound effects will be quieter, special effects and lighting will be softer and the number of visitors will be limited in comparison to other entry times in order to reduce queuing times.
Tickets are free of charge and each ticket admits 6 people. Book your tickets from dlrevents.eventbrite.ie
Waffles the Witch’s Tricks & Treats
Date: October 25th
Join in with Waffles at the An Táin Arts Centre in Dundalk, Co Louth as she conjures up a ton of fun in this spellbinding show.
Kids and adults help Waffles perform magic tricks and cast spells, turning Pancake the cat’s frown upside down. Waffles weaves together magic tricks with a narrative about the importance of being happy and working together.
Fun for the whole family! Suitable for ages 3 – 8 years.
Tickets €7 each or €30 for a family ticket. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Halloween Witches Walk at Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens
Dates: October 26th to October 31st from 11am to 4pm
It’s starting to get spooky at Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens! Join in for a Halloween Witches Walk, an outdoor self-guided family trail suitable for children (8 years and under) which will follow a one-way system through Fota Arboretum & Gardens.
Tickets can be booked on the day, priced €5 per child and adults are free. Don’t forget your costumes!
Teddy’s Halloween Adventure
Dates: October 26th
Sammy Ragdoll wants to take her best friend Eddy the Teddy to a Halloween party but he’s feeling a bit frightened.
Join in the fun with Eddy the Teddy and Sammy with puppets, mime and singing lots of fun entertainment for all the family.
Suitable for ages 0-6. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
The Canterville Ghost
Dates: October 26th
The Canterville Ghost is based on Oscar Wilde’s story for children. The story tells the tale of an American family who move into a haunted house in England. The ghost doesn’t scare the family and, indeed they play tricks on the frustrated ghost. Their teenage daughter Virginia takes pity on the ghost and they become good friends.
Suitable for ages 5-10. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
The Animal Crackers Family Challenge
Dates: October 26th at 3pm
Do you like animals, art, quizzes and having fun? If so, this event is for you! In association with Dublin City Libraries Citywide Reading Campaign, the Hugh Lane Gallery will host the Animal Crackers Family Challenge with award-winning children’s author Sarah Webb and illustrator Alan Nolan.
Hear all about some of Alan and Sarah’s favourite animals and draw an exotic animal with Alan. Plus play some of their favourite animal-themed games, like Alive, Extinct or Just Plain Stinky, and Animal Record Breakers.
Suitable for ages 7+. For more information and to book free tickets, click here.
Online LEGO Animation Workshops
Dates: October 26th to 28th at 2pm
From the comfort of your own home this mid-term, learn how to make your own mini LEGO movie in this live online workshop from The Ark!
With plenty of hands-on learning and simple demonstrations, Createschool will take you on a journey from having a cool idea to making it into an awesome spooky movie. You will learn the different elements of stop motion animation as well as how to create a set, storyboard and plan for your movie, which you will then film, edit, and record.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Stop Motion LEGO Animation Workshops
Dates: October 26th to 30th
This mid-term, learn how to make your own mini LEGO movie in this in-person, practical workshop for 8-12 year olds at The Ark!
All you need to bring is your favourite LEGO character to cast as the star of your film.
With plenty of hands-on learning and simple demonstrations, Createschool will take you on a journey from having a cool idea to making it into an awesome spooky movie. You will learn the different elements of stop motion animation as well as how to create a set, storyboard and plan for your movie, which you will then film, edit, and record.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Hullabaloo Children’s Arts Festival
Dates: October 27th to 30th
The 15th annual Hullabaloo Offaly Children’s Art Festival takes place this October with a great programme of events for families. There will be a mix of live, online, pre-recorded workshops and shows over four days.
Enjoy art, storytelling, animation, film, musical theatre, dance, paper folding, craft and much, much more. Hullabaloo! stimulates curiosity, originality and confidence.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Dublin Brick Show
Dates: October 30th and 31st
The Dublin Brick Show will have some amazing original models, including:
- Ireland and UK’s biggest LEGO Death Star
- Avengers tower
- Zombie attack
- Kirwan castle (1.2 x 3m, over 200,000 pieces)
- Avengers mosaic (8ft x 8ft)
- Hard to find, UCS and exclusive LEGO sets.
Kids can also enjoy a free LEGO play area, free face painting, free speed build competition, treasure hunt, master builder competition, chill out area, colouring table for younger kids, and a sensory area. And if that’s not enough, there will also be some vendors selling LEGO.
Tickets are priced €9 per child, €13.50 per adult and €38 per family (2 adults + 3 children). For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Screening of The Addams Family at UCH, Limerick
Date: Sunday October 31st 2021 at 3pm
Get set for a family date to watch The Addams Family at University Concert Hall, Limerick.
This perfectly spooky and hilarious movie is the perfect choice for the afternoon, and is a classic that the whole family will enjoy.
Tickets priced from €5 and can be booked online here.
Upcoming Events
The Science of Wandavision
Date: November 8th
Visit the magical, scientific world of WandaVision with the Superhero Scientist Barry Fitzgerald!
In early 2020, the Disney+ series WandaVision arrived to much-deserved adulation. The series features one of the MCU’s favourite couples – Wanda Maximoff and Vision – as they settle into life in a small town. But all is not as it seems, and Wanda’s world is built on puzzlement and magic.
And there’s a lot of science to explore here. You’ll get the answers to questions like ‘What is the science behind Wanda’s magic?’, ‘Is it possible to build a synthetic digestive system for Vision?’, and ‘Could someone really run as fast as Pietro Maximoff?’
For more information and to register for tickets, click here.
The Science of Sweets
Date: November 10th
Join Gastronaut and TV presenter Stefan Gates, who has written and presented dozens of shows for BBC1, BBC2, BBC4, CBBC and Channel 5.
Stefan has put together a fabulously entertaining yet educational look at the Science of Sweets for the Cavan Monaghan Science Festival.
For more information, click here.
Don’t miss our pick of more fun Science Week events for families!
Creative Careers Day
Date: November 11th
Join the Apollo Project team in a special digital event live from the National Gallery of Ireland.
Creative Careers Day gives young people the chance to hear from creative professionals from all backgrounds and learn about the logistics of what they need for certain careers, listen to stories and ask questions. Most importantly, it is a day for them to be inspired and encouraged to pursue their creative goals.
The speaker line up for 2021 will be announced soon. Previous speakers include street artists, comic book illustrators, graphic designers, film industry professionals, and even the CEO of Tropical Popical nail salon.
Tickets are FREE but booking is required. Booking opens on October 4th. For more information, click here.
Constellation Inspiration: Online Music & Science Workshops
Date: November 13th
Discover amazing star constellations visible from Earth such as Ursa Major and Orion and learn about the vastness of distances in space. Find out about the Golden Record – a really special collection of music and sounds from Earth that was placed on the Voyager space craft over 40 years ago and is still travelling through space.
Inspired by these and other wonders of the universe, you’ll get to create your own out-of-this world music in response. You might even compose a music track for your own Golden Record!
Led by musicians Anita Mahon and Bryan Jardim who are both passionate about space, this workshop will ignite your fascination for science and music in one.
Suitable for ages 7+. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Live Ice Cream Making Workshop
Date: November 13th
Join Anyone4Science in a live ice-cream making workshop for Science Week 2021.
Anyone 4 Science likes ice-cream making for a very unusual reason. The reason is because we can make our very own freezers! In fact, you can make your own freezer, too!
Join in on Zoom for this workshop to learn interesting facts about this frozen treat and most importantly a salty secret, that will show you how people used to keep their food cool during the summer months centuries before electricity was invented.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Giraffe Habitat Challenge
Date: November 13th at 3pm
Dublin Zoo is calling on you to participate in the virtual Giraffe Habitat Challenge. This innovative workshop tasks budding young designers to try their hand at designing a new giraffe habitat.
Children will hear from zookeepers, engineers and sustainability experts from Dublin Zoo’s sustainability partner SSE Airtricity, while working with a Dublin Zoo educator to design a new giraffe habitat.
This one-hour programme is suitable for children aged 9-12. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Alice and the Wolf
Date: November 16th
Barnstorm’s Alice and The Wolf at glór, Ennis is a beguiling new production for audiences (9+ years), directed by Philip Hardy.
Alice spends virtually all her time in Wolf Wood. You know, the world’s deepest, darkest online game. Why not? Her dad isn’t around, her mother’s gone to Canada to meet a lumberjack and her best friend’s dumped her for a YouTube star.
But what happens when the people you meet online come looking for you in real life? Who can you trust, and who is the Big Bad Wolf? This re-telling of the Little Red Riding Hood story is a digital fairy tale that’s deliciously funny and full of dangerously dark twists.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Wonderfest Children’s Book Festival
Date: November 17th to 21st
After the success of last year’s online book festival, WonderFest is back, featuring a wealth of Irish talent, including Oliver Jeffers, Niamh Sharkey, Eoin Colfer, Muireann Ní Chíobháin, Chris Haughton, Judi Curtin, Derek Landy, Ashwin Chacko and Tarsila Kruse.
With 24 events in total, featuring 64 artists, you can join the innovative live events from the comfort of your own school or home, making it accessible for all.
The theme for this year’s festival is the importance of creativity in children’s lives and many of the writers and illustrators will be exploring this theme.
All events are LIVE (with some pre-recorded elements) – giving children and adults all over Ireland (and the world!) the chance to interact with some of their favourite Irish writers and illustrators.
To see the full programme of events and book tickets, click here.
St John Ambulance Online Workshop
Dates: November 19th at 7.30pm
As part of Healthy Ireland, Fingal libraries have partnered with St John Ambulance Ireland to offer a free online workshop.
St John Ambulance Ireland believes everyone should have immediate access to first aid, no matter where they are or what they are doing at the onset of illness. This workshop includes a demonstration of CPR and AED use, how to recognize heart attacks or stroke and management of severe bleeding.
All teens and adults welcome.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Cork Christmas LEGO Show
Dates: November 20th and 21st
The Cork Christmas LEGO show includes:
- Original and hard to find LEGO models
- Huge LEGO play area
- Free speed build competitions
- Free face painting
- Colouring table for younger children
- Vendors
- and sensory cool down area.
Santa will also meet every child – keep an eye out as he gets up to have fun with the kids.
All children will also receive a LEGO polybag to take home.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Early Years Workshop: Fallen Forest
Dates: November 30th
In the Fallen Forest all the trees have lost their leaves and the branches are bare. But nature is only sleeping: little seeds and big roots are buried deep down within the earth, resting through the cold winter so they’re ready to emerge in spring.
Come explore the Fallen Forest with your grown up, discover all the colours and patterns of the forest. Make marks and curious designs with the fallen leaves, create your own squiggly roots and come dig for hidden seed treasure!
Suitable for ages 2-4 years. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Tracks in the Snow – The Henry Girls
Dates: December 4th and 5th
One of The Ark’s most popular music shows is back for a limited live run this Christmas! Follow the heavenly harmonies of The Henry Girls into an enchanting world of winter!
From sparkling icicles to wolves in the forest, the joy of sledding at high speed or the wonder of the Aurora Borealis on a frosty night, discover the magic and mysteries of the festive season.
And just what did make those tracks in the snow? Find out as the band’s playful humour and trademark folk and trad melodies celebrate some of the things we love to see and do when the world turns white.
Suitable for ages 4+ years. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Early Years Workshop: Little Bird
Dates: December 7th
It’s oh so cold this time of year but the birds are still outside looking for food on the hard cold ground and in the frosty air. In this 45-minute workshop you’ll hear the tale of a hungry little Robin who needs your help. Learn how to make a special bird feeder for Robin and his friends to hang in your garden or window box.
Search for worms in the sensory garden or make a branch full of berries to keep our little friend fed. With the help of your grown-up, you could make your own feathered friend to take home and keep cosy all winter long
Suitable for ages 2-4 years. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
St John Ambulance Online Workshop
Dates: December 10th at 7.30pm
As part of Healthy Ireland, Fingal libraries have partnered with St John Ambulance Ireland to offer a free online workshop.
St John Ambulance Ireland believes everyone should have immediate access to first aid, no matter where they are or what they are doing at the onset of illness. This workshop includes a demonstration of CPR and AED use, how to recognize heart attacks or stroke and management of severe bleeding.
All teens and adults welcome.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
About the Author: Michelle
