We look ahead to this October half-term with a round up of the best family friendly activities in the city and beyond.
Halloween in Brighton is very special. In our neighbourhood alone I reckon around a quarter of the houses in each street decorate the house in preparation for trick or treaters. Supernatural folkloric characters and stories inspire children’s imagination (more than Christmas I would argue) with the opportunity to dress up outrageously and confront our fears head on.
Or it’s the free sweets from strangers – only ever tolerated at this time of year. Yes, sadly, Halloween is probably most popular because of the sweets. My youngest declared she prefers Halloween to Christmas because of the free sweets and the fact she’s allowed to eat quite a lot in one go.
There’s a fine art to getting half-term right. Balancing work, kids club plus throwing in a couple of family days. Then you have to reign in the budget because even if you’re staycationing in the city, it can all rack up in cost. So we’ve scoured the events listings to get the most of the week in our community event calendar, below is just a highlight of what is going on.
For all the little Harrys and Hermiones out there, Bird Studios are running spell-tastic Wizarding Week work shops. Your child will have fun with drama, dance and song, going from Script to Stage in just 6 days with ‘The Little Shop of Horrors’. Visit their website to book a place. Call on 01273 699902 or email info@birdstudios.co.uk to book.
Horror at Frankenstein Castle (Family Edition) – The Dukebox Theatre
There’s a creepy mystery brewing at Frankenstein Castle. Victor
Frankenstein has disappeared from the castle laboratory on the night of a big storm. You and the kids will have one hour before the lightning strikes to bring The Creature to life. Solve the riddles to help Igor with his mission! £10 for a full price ticket. Visit their webpage to book.
Everyone has gone Snow Dog bonkers and rightly so. Their very lively presence across the city has done more for community cohesiveness than large glass doughnuts in the sky. But don’t forget to visit the Snow Pups primary school children decorated which can be found in the city libraries and museums. Not only was this an innovative way for children to practice their craft and creative skills but also explore school identity all for a good local cause, The Martlets Hospice.
Brighton Photo Biennial
The programme for the city’s seventh edition of a nationally recognized photography festival has many events for families with children of all ages. This year’s theme is Beyond the Bias – Reshaping Image. With smart devices which all appear to have cameras now, it’s a perfect opportunity to engage your young ones with the creative side of photography but also how to have fun with it.
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