As the school year slowly comes to a close, there is just one half-term break left until the big one arrives – the Summer Holidays. And while the older students use this half-term to revise for their exams, it’s also the time to relax with friends and family! So, whether you’re a local looking for a day out, or visitors making a stay of it, we’ve rounded up our top picks to help you plan a memorable start to the summer for everyone to enjoy – read on for our recommendations!
A real highlight for this May half term is the long-awaited return of the Norwich Games Festival. After a four-year hiatus, the Norwich Games Festival returns to celebrate games of all kinds with everyone of all ages and ability! Whether you’re a have-a-go hero or a seasoned hobbyist gamer, this Festival is a must-visit.
There are over 75 events across these three days, ranging from retro arcade machines and groundbreaking VR to live gameshows, quizzes, and even talks from industry professionals passing on their advice on how you can make a career in the gaming industry yourself! And best of all, over half of these events are completely free to attend, so everyone can get involved and enjoy a fun-filled day out without breaking the bank.
Highlights for the thrill-seeking gamers in this year’s festival include ‘XIST VR’ (Thursday, May 30 – Saturday, June 1), which lets groups of up to four try their hand at a range of virtual reality video games. Whether you’re defending your planet from alien invaders in giant robot mechs, or entering a fantastical medieval world, you’ll find the immersive game for you. Or roll back the years with ‘Norwich Retro Gamers’ (Thursday, May 30 – Saturday, June 1) as they give you a selection of classic games from the 80s and 90s to play on iconic home computers such as the Sinclair Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari VCS, and much more.
You can even take part in one of this year’s 28 careers-based events to understand how you can further your dream career in this creative industry, like meeting the award-winning and independent Dlala Studios, known for Disney Illusion Island, Battletoads, and more, for a demo of their games and a chat with the team (Thursday, May 30). Equally, you can also join Russ Blackney for a professional development 1:1 to get advice and guidance on CVs, portfolios, using social media to increase reach, interview techniques, and a wealth of other topics to further your development into a gaming career (Thursday, May 30 – Saturday, June 1)! Whatever you’re looking for, this year’s Norwich Games Festival has it, and it’s going to be amazing.
Norwich Games Festival at The Forum Norwich
This May half term at Holkham, there is tonnes to keep you busy, including a celebration of all things that can fly! So, it really is the place to be for a great outdoor adventure in the beautiful Norfolk countryside – for everyone!
Start your time at Holkham with ‘Up, Up & Away’ in the gorgeous Walled Garden (Sunday, May 26 – Wednesday, May 29, 10am – 5pm, £7 per adult and £5 per child). Here, you can watch in amazement as hawks, kestrels, and falcons from Fens Falconry soar through the skies overhead (and even get the opportunity to see these birds up close!), take part in some hands-on science experiments with Wild Science, enjoy arts and crafts activities as you create your own flying bunting, follow Carl’s Bubble Mania through the park, solve riddles in the Mystery Creature Trail, and even sit back and listen to some amazing tales from Holkham’s Storyteller! And that’s just the start of half term at Holkham…
To round off your visit this half term, there’s also plenty of exciting activities to enjoy with ‘School Holiday Fun at Holkham’. We’d recommend letting the children’s imaginations run wild as they explore the adventure play area or explore Holkham as a family with their range of cycle hire trails! And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, why not tackle the climbing, swinging, and zipping on their Ropes Course? For those more interested in the nature and wildlife at Holkham, the Tractor Trailer Tours are perfect for sitting back, watching deer, and taking in views, while the nature trail lets you amble around Holkham Lake while learning new facts on the way! There is a lot more on offer at Holkham, which can be found on the Holkham website!
Did you know that butterflies use their feet to taste? Or that just one honeybee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers in a single day? How about the fact that moths are actually the largest pollinators? Well, if any of those facts took your interest and taught you something new, you’ll love learning even more about our wonderful and whacky pollinators at Pensthorpe’s ‘The Power of Pollination’ May half term event!
Based out in Fakenham, Pensthorpe is the perfect way to venture out into nature – there’s over 700 acres with a reserve and five different gardens! And this May, they’re adding to the fun with a fun, interactive trail where you can uncover facts and crack clues about the environment’s smallest (but hardest-working) critters! There will also be FREE bee crafts, pond-dipping, flamingo talks, bee and butterfly themed treats in the café, and so much more, and best of all, it’s all included in the price of Pensthorpe’s general admission (£14.95 per adult and £13.95 per child aged 3-16)! It’s a brilliant day out for the whole family – reconnect with nature and book your tickets on the Pensthorpe website!
For an exciting day out in Norwich with friends and family, you don’t need to look any further than Castle Quarter. There is truly something for every taste, so you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to deciding what to do first! Will you opt for a round (or three) of mini golf to see who comes out on top? You absolutely cannot miss a visit to Retro Replay to play on decades worth of arcade machines and games consoles. And if all else fails, you can never go wrong with some classic ten-pin bowling and enjoying the arcade at Superbowl! Plus, nothing is stopping you from mixing and matching these activities throughout the day! As you can imagine, it’s all incredibly fun.
And to make a half term visit to Castle Quarter really special, for one day only, they’re bringing alpacas, miniature horses, tortoises, and much more to Castle Quarter Gardens for free (Wednesday, May 29, 12pm – 4pm)! So, if you or anyone you know is an animal lover, you definitely don’t want to miss out.
No half term is complete without a trip to the zoo, and we’ve got just the place to visit this May. You’ll find Amazona Zoo in Cromer, North Norfolk, is one of the most unique zoos in the country where families can discover masses of South American wildlife! No, really, there’s over 200 tropical animals at Amazona Zoo, from the cuteness of tapirs to the elegance of flamingos, the fierceness of their jaguars, and so much more!
There’s even ‘Jungle Tumbles’ for under-12s, which is their indoor soft play area equipped with slides, ropes, bridges, tunnels, and interactive toys (with comfortable seating for the parents!), and the Jungle Café, which overlooks the flamingos beautifully – you could easily feel like you’re in South America sat here! So, for a day out like no other zoo, you really do need to pay Amazona Zoo a visit. Tickets cost £16 per person and £12 per child and can be purchased online or at the gate!
Feeding the Squirrel Monkeys at Amazona Zoo
Who doesn’t love a bit of friendly competition? Seeing who comes out on top out of your friends and family is the perfect way to spend a day (unless you come last!). To find out who the best really is, there’s few places better than Mulligans.
The highlight at Mulligans is really their 18-hole crazy golf (£11 per adult, £8.75 per under-16, £32 for a family of 4). It has unique, brilliantly designed courses all individual from one another, which will see you go from bouncing your ball of drums to launching it up a giant pinball machine! It’s unlike any other and truly good fun for everyone. But the fun doesn’t start and end with their crazy golf! There are also classic games with modern twists like their shuffleboard, electro-darts, ping pong, arcade machines, and even beer pong for the adults!
Activities are best booked online to avoid disappointment, and some even come with special deals like their weekday special, which for £25 gets you a game of golf and pizza for 2 people! But please do note that Mulligans is an over-18s venue from 8:45pm, so get your bout of family fun in early on!
