Latest news with #familyactivities
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Here's what you need to know for Les Grands Feux fireworks festival in Ottawa-Gatineau
Get ready for les Grands Feux! Julie Moffat tells us about the new activities this year and what else to expect. Fireworks are set to light up the sky over the Ottawa River for six nights during the 28th edition of Les Grands Feux du Casino-Lac-Leamy. The international fireworks festival kicks off on Wednesday night with 'The Grand Opening,' and shows will be held on six nights until Aug. 16. 'A lot of amazing fireworks,' Julie Moffatt, president and CEO of Les Grands Feux, told CTV Morning Live on Friday. 'A lot of food, local food, to experience on site, a lot of family activities and, also, DJs live right before the fireworks and right after on Saturday nights.' Fireworks during the international festival are launched from a barge on the Ottawa River against the backdrop of Parliament Hill. The main site for the festival is the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., while the fireworks will be visible from several locations in Ottawa and Gatineau. 'It's really worth it to come on site because then you really get to feel the experience and the music,' Moffatt said. 'There's a lot of smaller fireworks happening closer to the water, so it's really worth it to come on site.' Moffatt says there is a site at the Canadian Museum of History dedicated to families, called 'The Magical Forest.' 'The idea is to just create magic for our families.' Here is what you need to know for Les Grands Feux Schedule Here is the schedule for Les Grands Feux du Casino Lac-Leamy: July 30: The Grand Opening, called Electro. 'Les Grands Feux are kicking off in style with an explosive performance where fire, sound, and light collide in pure sensory overload,' Les Grands Feux said on its website. 'For the very first time, DJs will perform live during the fireworks with an original electro creation tailored to match every burst in the sky.' Aug 2: Japan – 'A Dream Journey to Japan' Aug. 6: Australia – 'Sparks Across the Sound' Aug. 9: Mexico – 'Bueno Onda' Aug. 13: Canada – 'Reignite: A Symphony in the Sky' Aug; 16: The Grand Finale – 'TV Series' 'This grand spectacle features an original soundtrack created by two Gatineau-based artists, Mathieu Donais and Julien Boivin Provost,' Les Grands Feux said. 'A heartfelt tribute to our country, this performance lights up the sky with powerful, delicate, and emotional fireworks.' The fireworks The pyromusical show starts at 9:15 p.m. each night. It's a 25 minute show of dazzling fireworks and exhilarating music. Tickets For tickets to watch Les Grand Feux du Casino Lac-Leamy, visit Viewing locations The main viewing location for Les Grands Feux is at the Canadian Museum of History. You can also see the fireworks from Major's Hill Park and Parliament Hill, but you will not be able to hear the music. Alexandra Bridge The Alexandra Bridge will be temporarily closed to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists during Les Grands Feux du Casino Lac-Leamy. Public Services and Procurement Canada says the bridge will be closed at the following times during the fireworks on July 30 and Aug. 2, 6, 9, 13 and 16: Pedestrians and cyclists: 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Vehicles: 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to use the centre lane between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Yahoo
Free summer activities offered at towns' parks
Parks across North East Lincolnshire are to host free family activities, including pond dipping, wildlife walks, bug hunting and butterfly counting, officials have said. Sessions will be held from 25 July to 31 August as part of Love Parks Week - a national initiative organised by Keep Britain Tidy to celebrate the importance of green spaces. North East Lincolnshire Council's ecology team will lead the activities. Councillor Henry Hudson, portfolio holder for the environment, said: "If you don't go along to your local park very often, or you fancy seeing one of the other parks in the town that you haven't visited before, then please go along to these events." Hudson added: "We have some beautiful and historical parks that truly feed the soul, and our new coastal ranger will be on hand to give you an insight into the importance of the environmental impact these green spaces bring to our region. "The summer holidays can be difficult for parents to find ways of entertaining their children, but these free events will be great fun and a little bit educational too." The following activities are planned: 25 July, 10:00 - 12:00 BST, at West Marsh Country Park, Grimsby: wildflower walk, bug hunt and butterfly count 25 July, 13:00 - 14:00 BST, at Grimsby in Bloom, Duke of York Gardens: pond dipping and butterfly count 28 July, 10:00 - 12:00 BST, at Pilgrim Park, Immingham: tree aging, bug hunt and butterfly count 29 July, 10:00 - 12:00 BST, at Cleethorpes Boating Lake: pond dipping and butterfly count 30 July, 10:00 - 12:00 BST, at Cleethorpes Country Park: pond dipping and butterfly count 31 July, 10:00 - 12:00 BST, at Ainslie Street Park, Grimsby: bug hunt and butterfly count Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices More on this story Public asked to count butterflies Related internet links North East Lincolnshire Council
The Sun
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Ultimate UK guide to everything you can do for FREE in the school summer holidays… from tennis lessons to cinema tickets
THE summer school holidays are nearly here but keeping the kids entertained can be a challenge - and expensive. A new study found parents spend as much as £1,000 a week on their children during the six-week break but there is a wealth of free family activities across the country that promise a brilliant summer without breaking the bank. From sport classes to screenings and festivals, there are hundreds of free opportunities to try. Here's our pick of the best... 1. Free government-funded clubs The Government's Holiday Activities Fund (HAF) provides for completely free holiday clubs across the UK, run by local authorities. The clubs are targeted at children who have ever been eligible for free school meals in their schools, but there is discretion for 15% of the places to go to other children who would benefit. Councils are expected to provide a minimum of 16 days of provision, and you may need a code or letter from your child's school to get a place. Check online or ask your child's teacher if you think you may be eligible. 2. Tennis lessons for beginners Get the kids healthy and into a new sport with free tennis sessions. Barclays is sponsoring free group tennis sessions that can be booked on the Lawn Tennis Association website while you'll find more free sessions at Tennis For Free. 3. Art and sculpture trails Track down painted rabbits in Ipswich or colourful guitars in Manchester with a Wild in Art trail. These public displays of large-scale sculptures come with apps and maps so you can spend the day finding them all. Check out the Wild in Art website to find one near you. 4. Outdoor cinema pop-ups Go to the cinema for free with pop-up screenings of popular movies. Everyman is hosting outdoor screens in Kings Cross and Watford while Screen on the Green runs a similar outdoor experience in the middle of Newcastle. There is no one website that details all free screenings so the best place to look is local Facebook and council sites. 5. F un in the forest Forestry England runs free trails (some with paid-for activity packs), as well as summer activities in forests up and down the country. Download a Wallace & Gromit themed walking trail or find one of their free 'disc golf' courses at six forest sites including Hamsterley in County Durham or Salcey in the East Midlands. You can pay to hire special discs, buy your own set to play for free, or get started using a frisbee you've got at home and buy a proper set if you get hooked. Get a Blue Peter badge & meet Bluey... one mum's top tips for a great value summer Lavania Oluban has recently published a journal for families to record their days out, called The Amazing Adventures of Me. Here, the Birmingham-based mum and teacher shares her top tips for making the summer holidays great fun and, importantly, great value. Plan ahead Start with your diary, Lavania says. Ask the children what big days out they want to do. Put those in first, and then fit cheaper events around them. 'You know six weeks is coming up. It's a lot of time to fill, so plan ahead.' Look for deals and vouchers Whether its Merlin tickets with Sun Club, or 2 for 1 days out if you travel by National Rail, there are plenty of deals available to take down the cost of days out, Lavania says, so always search for a discount. One top tip she has is to get your children applying for a Blue Peter badge. There are lots of ways to get one of these by meeting specific criteria and each one gives free child entry at lots of different attractions. 'The badge arrives in the post and you've got time for summer if you apply now,' she says. 'I keep my son's in the glovebox in the car so we can use it at any time.' Scrutinise every noticeboard Local days out are often advertised on physical noticeboards, so make a habit of reading them whenever you walk past, Lavania says. Whether it's an animal sanctuary with an open day, or a local county show where your children can enter a baking competition, all these days out are free or very cheap. 'Take photos of interesting possibilities on your phone when you see them,' she suggests. Hit up the shopping centre The summer months are quieter for shopping malls, so they often increase footfall by offering free children's activities. 'They will have days when a mascot like Bluey is there,' she says. 'Or a free outdoor trail'. You can check the website of your local centre to see what is going on. Pick your own A trip to the strawberry picking farm can be fun and provide you with food for the week. 'Lots of them have fun activities like Maize Mazes too and they aren't expensive,' Lavania says. If you don't know of farms near you try the for a list, and always check first whether there is fruit ready to pick before visiting. 6. Library r eading challenges and games Get the children reading with the free challenge run by the Reading Agency and available at most UK libraries. Librarians will issue your children with a collector folder, and they can earn stickers and rewards for reading books, while they may also run other free activities. More details available here. 7. Local museum craft days London and other national museums are often free to enter and run free or extremely cheap craft days for children in the summer holidays, many of which you can book in advance online. My dream pool was £40,000 so I DIYd my own 18ft version in February all for this summer heatwave - it's saved me £37,000 As well as the big free museums, check out smaller local galleries and follow them on Instagram to see what they're offering, for example the National Archives in Kew, which runs a Time Travellers club with bookable sessions is free to visit with a small charge for its craft activities, while the Science & Industry Museum in Manchester offers bookable exhibitions. Which Museum is the best source for free galleries, shows and exhibitions near you. 4 8. Geocaching Make a walk more exciting with the free geocaching app, which encourages you to find small 'caches' containing plastic toys and other tokens and leave some for others. Just download the app from and find caches near you. 9. Festivals and open days Expensive festivals can take a huge bite out of your budget, but there are free local events in many areas of the country. Check out the Eventbrite website for free options near you. Setting the filters for free family events will let you see what's going on in your area and allow you to apply for free tickets. 10. In-store workshops Many companies offer free workshops for kids to tempt you in during the holidays. Try your local Pets at Home for free pet owner classes with a certificate or sign up for Apple Camp on the tech company's website for free movie-making classes. Other companies to check for free kids' workshops include Hobbycraft, the Lego Store and Hamleys. 11. Farm visits Many city farms are free to visit year-round while others hold bookable open days where children can feed and pet animals and learn about their care. Check your local websites for details or for free farms near you or try animal sanctuaries such as the Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary, which is also free. 12. Get girls moving Nuffield Health offers free girls fitness classes run by expert instructors. You can book at if you have a Nuffield gym near you. 'My son wants to go to Harry Potter World... apart from that it's all about free days out' Natalie Ormond, 43, plans the summer holidays carefully to ensure she can get through the six weeks with her sons with her finances intact. 'I definitely do look for a lot of freebie things because obviously it's a long time and all of the paid-for things, like bowling and days out and stuff, add up if you're doing that every day,' says the Leeds-based mum-of-two. Natalie, who runs a children's gift business called Smallkind, says most deals and discounts dry up in the summer holidays, so she searches hard for free activities for sons Jesse, 11, and Noah, 8. 'We've got into geocaching which is free and lots of fun as it takes you very random places, or we'll have a day with a theme and a trail,' she says. 'So, once it was spotting owls on buildings, and that definitely gives the boys something to concentrate on while we're out and about. 'We do things like library tours - four libraries in a day with a picnic and walk in between them, and then we rate the libraries! Or we do the same with bookshops if the kids have any book tokens to spend.' Ormond, who is married to lawyer Owen, says that she's got pickier over the days out she will spend on, because she is so often disappointed. 'I think when the boys were younger, sometimes I was so desperate for somewhere to go that I ended up spending quite a lot of money. Now, if I'm going to spend a lot of money on a day out, I want to know that it's a good place. 'So, I've got a lot more selective. We've sort said to the boys for this year, they can give us a couple of ideas each of places that they'd like to go, and we'll try and do that. So, my oldest really wants to go to Harry Potter World and the younger one to a theme park – but mostly it will be free days out.' 13. Get up high Visiting London? Taking a trip up the Shard or on the London Eye will cost you dear but there are several viewing platforms that allow you to see the city for nothing at all. Horizon 22 is the highest viewing platform you can visit for free, and you can book in advance at Horizon 22 or get walk up tickets on the day. Other options include the Sky Garden and the Lookout at 8 Bishopsgate, all of which are bookable in advance. 14. Play football with McDonald's McDonald's is offering free football coaching for 5 to 11-year-olds this summer. Look online to find a session near you and to sign up for sessions and find out about free football festivals at here. 4 15. Join a walking tour Visiting a new city? Check out free walking tours to make the most of it with older children. A lot of cities offer these tours with an expert guide in exchange for a donation. For example, check out this free Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh. Make sure you book in advance and – in this case – make sure your children bring a wand, or something similar to 'swish and flick'. 16. Visit a s plash parks or a lido If the weather warms up, a trip to a free splashpark or lido could be just the ticket. Free lidos include Swansea's Blackpill Park, while Shoalstone in Devon has a free seawater pool. Free splashpads include Splashlands in Welwyn Garden City, while many city council website have details of local offerings.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Playground to open outside heritage centre
A natural playground is being built in a country park after receiving £150,000 in funding. The new park is being constructed at the the Land of Oak & Iron heritage centre within the Derwent Walk Country Park in Gateshead. It has been designed in keeping with the area's natural surroundings and will include a wooden climbing frame, swings and a roundabout. Chris Watson, from Groundwork NE & Cumbria, which owns the centre, said the playground would allow more "family-focused" events to take place. "We host many wonderful events and activities at the centre, from seasonal children's trails and school holiday activities to music events, creative workshops and heritage talks," he said. "This new natural play park will be an exciting addition, which we hope will attract more families, and allow us to host more family-focused activities in the safe environment of the heritage centre." The Land of Oak & Iron promotes the local woodland as well as the area's heritage of British sword making and iron and steel production. Visitors were asked for their views on what should be added to the centre and a children's play park was the most popular recommendation. The playground's equipment will be installed in time for the school summer holidays in July and will be placed on top of turf, rather than synthetic flooring, to fit in with the natural landscaping. The £150,000 investment was provided through the government's Shared Prosperity Fund. John McElroy, cabinet member for environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said the playground would give more children access to green space and the "associated physical and mental health benefits this delivers". Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. New trail 'connects area's historic sites' Beams supporting woodland path damaged Land of Oak & Iron Groundwork NE & Cumbria
BBC News
05-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Natural play park being built in Gateshead country park
A natural playground is being built in a country park after receiving £150,000 in new park is being constructed at the the Land of Oak & Iron heritage centre within the Derwent Walk Country Park in has been designed in keeping with the area's natural surroundings and will include a wooden climbing frame, swings and a Watson, from Groundwork NE & Cumbria, which owns the centre, said the playground would allow more "family-focused" events to take place. "We host many wonderful events and activities at the centre, from seasonal children's trails and school holiday activities to music events, creative workshops and heritage talks," he said."This new natural play park will be an exciting addition, which we hope will attract more families, and allow us to host more family-focused activities in the safe environment of the heritage centre." The Land of Oak & Iron promotes the local woodland as well as the area's heritage of British sword making and iron and steel were asked for their views on what should be added to the centre and a children's play park was the most popular playground's equipment will be installed in time for the school summer holidays in July and will be placed on top of turf, rather than synthetic flooring, to fit in with the natural £150,000 investment was provided through the government's Shared Prosperity McElroy, cabinet member for environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said the playground would give more children access to green space and the "associated physical and mental health benefits this delivers". Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
