With the school Easter holidays fast approaching and the weather getting warmer, families will have plenty of options to keep their little ones entertained this April.
The Easter holidays, according to Lincolnshire County Council’s term times, run from anywhere between April 1 and April 19, allowing children to have two weeks off school during this time.
There have been a series of events and activities organised across Lincolnshire to keep families entertained this April, from quirky dragon hunts to art installations and active sports days.
Here are some of the best things you can get up to in Lincolnshire this Easter holidays:
Lincoln City Safari
The event will take place between April 13 and 24, 2022. | Photo: Lincoln BIG/City Dressing
Wild animals are about to take over Lincoln this Easter, but thankfully they are just artificial grass sculptures on a Lincoln BIG-organised fun-filled safari trail.
Arriving to transform the city between April 13 and April 24, the Lincoln City Safari trail will see animals of all shapes and sizes appear at numerous locations, including the Waterside, St Marks and the Cornhill Quarter.
It will be completely free to access and families are invited to post selfies with the animals, using #LincolnSafari and tagging @LincolnBIG on social media.
Luke Jerram’s Gaia installation at The Collection
Luke Jerram’s touring art installation ‘Gaia’ has arrived at The Collection Museum in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A touring art installation of the Earth’s surface is currently on display at The Collection Museum in Lincoln, and will be until the end of May, so it could prove a perfect activity for the family.
The sphere is internally lit, measures six metres in diameter, and uses detailed NASA imagery to project the Earth into the real world. Each centimetre of the sculpture represents 21km of our planet, bringing us closer than ever before to the wonder of our world.
The Collection is asking visitors to ‘pay-what-you-decide’ for this exhibition, in a bid to make it accessible to as many people as possible.
Easter Extravaganza at Rand Farm Park
| Photo: Rand Farm Park
An immersive Easter experience will be held at Rand Farm Park over the holidays, allowing families to meet and greet the rabbits at the farm, create a chocolate egg, and take part in all the usual activities on offer.
It will start on April 1 and run until April 19, from 10am to 5pm each day. Adults pay £12.95, for children over two it will cost £15.95, while kids under two go for £3.
It is being promoted as the first of its kind in Lincolnshire, and with seasonal activities on display, it’s sure to be an unmissable event. Visit the Rand Farm Park website for more.
Funtopia
Coming to Greater Lincolnshire four times this summer. | Photo: Funtopia
Families in Grantham will be treated to action-packed inflatable thrills on April 13 in the form of touring festival Funtopia.
Designed for the young ones this Easter holidays, there will be interactive games, Nerf Wars, bouncy castles, trade stalls and a food court for all to enjoy.
Wristbands can be purchased at the gate, meaning there is no need to book, and it will cost £2.50 for adults, £10 for a child over 90cm, and kids under that height will go free.
Funtopia will be touring 55 dates across the summer this year, and to keep updated you can visit the Funtopia UK Facebook page.
Lucy the Dragon at Lincoln Castle
Early designs of the dragon sculpture which would be showcased at Lincoln Castle.
Lincoln Castle will play host to a mythical beast this April, as Lucy the Dragon lands in the city and makes the building her lair.
Originally planned for 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the large sculpture will be ‘crashing’ through the medieval walls and keeping an eye on Lincoln Castle activities from Saturday, April 2 until Sunday, October 9.
Entrance to the castle grounds is free, so you will be able to see Lucy in all her glory, but admission charges apply for activities such as the Medieval Wall Walk, Victorian Prison and Magna Carta.
Victorian Explorers Dragon Quest
| Photo: Lincoln Castle
Also at Lincoln Castle, this quest invites people to follow clues and solve the puzzle to help find dragons at the castle (no, not Lucy).
The dragon-themed Easter activity offers families the ideal opportunity to become a budding Victorian dragon hunter.
It will run from Saturday, April 2 to Monday, April 18, from 10am to 5pm each day and costing £2 per person from the Lincoln Castle website.
Countryside Lincs 2022
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It always promises to be a fun-filled family day out, and this year Countryside Lincs is no different, offering visitors the chance to ride in tractors, meet farmyard animals and get hands-on with arts and crafts.
Held at the Lincolnshire Showground, the annual event has something for everyone and allows people to get closer to the countryside roots of our county, as well as there being a number of action-packed displays – such as a BMX stunt show.
It takes place on Sunday, April 10 between 10am and 4pm, with under fives going free, children’s tickets costing £6.45, and adults going for £10.75. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Lincolnshire Showground website.
Lincs Inspire
Children in North East Lincolnshire are being encouraged to Hop To It this Easter. | Photo: Lincs Inspire
A series of fun events have been planned in North East Lincolnshire for the Easter holidays by Lincs Inspire, running leisure, library and arts activities while the children are off school.
Athletics, football, cycling and dance will be just a few of the things that you can take part in from Monday, April 4 to Thursday, April 14, along with free workshops with award-winning illustrator Martin Impey.
There are also free spaces available on some activities in receipt of benefits-related free school meals. This is part of the Holiday Activities and Food programme funded by the Department for Education.
This completely free trail will see a number of Easter bunnies placed in various locations across Boston, with those taking part filling in an answer sheet each time you find one.
Once you have completed the hunt and found all the bunnies, you can drop your answer sheets into Boston Borough Council, Municipal Buildings or The Stump, with entries being put into a prize draw.
It will run from Monday, April 4 to Monday, April 18, and for more information you can check the Visit Boston website.
South Holland Outdoor Festival
The festival takes place across the district this April. | Photo: SHDC
Running from Saturday, April 2 until Sunday, April 10, the festival will offer a wide variety of activities, including park runs, taster sessions, walking football and guided walks.
It has been organised by South Holland District Council’s communities team, with local community organisations, groups, clubs and businesses also taking part.
So whether it’s learning to play a brass instrument with the Holbeach Town Band, going on a nature lab day at Ayscoughfee Gardens, or attending a skating workshop at some of South Holland’s skate parks, the local community can be assured that there is something for everyone.
For locations and events information, visit the council website.
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An emergency road closure will be put in place for two hours in Stamford’s Red Lion Square on Wednesday as expert crews carry out road materials testing.
The critical work will take place on Wednesday, May 25 and the road closure in and around the square will be in effect from 10am until 12pm. A full route diversion will be signposted.
The roads will have to be closed because some of the materials testing will be carried out on the live northbound traffic lane in the area.
The route map for traffic whilst testing is underway. | Photo: LCC
Just last week a forty-year-old gas main was discovered during works to replace the old cobbles in Red Lion Square, which the county council said was likely to delay the completion of the £1.4 million project. The site team began the works but later identified the shallow gas main on-site that may need to be diverted.
Lincolnshire County Council will keep, and update, the cobbled square despite the mayor of Stamford previously calling on the authority to instead use tarmac. Local residents had previously reacted in horror when the traditional paving setts were repacked with patches of tarmac in 2020.
Red Lion Square in Stamford. | Photo: LCC
Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We are sorry for the inconvenience that these material tests will cause and for the late notice of the road closure in Red Lion Square.
“Our on-site team has uncovered questions about the road materials which need clear answers and these can only come about through these tests.
“Rather than postpone the works further we will close the road for two hours to carry out the tests and then resume to the original plan of works for the area. We are doing this to absolutely minimise the disruption to road users as much as possible.
“Whilst this situation is not ideal, we appreciate the efforts of all concerned. I want to thank everyone effected for their patience in this matter whilst we carry out these tests.”
Over 300 kilos of essential food was donated to Lincoln Foodbank at the opening night of the Hunchback of Notre Dame on Monday, and the show’s producers are offering a prize draw of free tickets to people who continue to help the cause.
The Starring Lincoln Theatre Company’s production of the classic Victor Hugo novel had its opening night at Lincoln Cathedral on Monday, May 23, and it will continue to bring shows to the legendary venue until Saturday, June 4.
The company called on ticket buyers to bring food donations with them to the cathedral for Lincoln Foodbank, and the results certainly did not disappoint.
Andrew Buhagiar, a 20-year-old student from Malta, stars in the production as Quasimodo. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Over 300kgs of goods such as UHT milk, sugar, tuna and tinned foods were collected at the cathedral, a brilliant start to Starring Lincoln’s target of four tonnes – which was achieved during performances of Oliver! in 2017.
The appeal has never been more necessary, with Lincoln Foodbank taking on more people’s needs than ever before, and it has even reached the stage where some of the Hunchback performers are relying on the use of the food bank.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Visitors are being invited to continue bringing food donations with them, with a collection point situated in the nave of the cathedral.
All donations are welcome, even from those without tickets to a Hunchback production, and anyone who brings something along will be entered into a prize draw to win a ticket to one of the shows.
A magical display inside Lincoln Cathedral. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Tim Marks, who plays Clopin in the Hunchback of Notre Dame said: “It is heartbreaking frankly that people in one of the richest countries in the world simply cannot afford food.
“We know the people of Lincoln have gone above and beyond before with their kindness and crikey we thank them for it, but the Foodbank has never been more in need of donations.
“We have friends, some of whom in the cast who are in need of the Foodbank’s services, so please bring what you can and in return we promise we will entertain you with an absolute stonker of a show!”