Summer holiday family friendly events
Finding things to keep the whole family entertained during the school summer holidays can often feel an impossible task but with Experience Salisbury here to help, there will never be a dull day!
Our What’s On guide is packed with family friendly events for all ages to enjoy. Here are some of our top picks:
Fayre on the Square
Make sure the family tries the nine-hole mini golf course in Salisbury’s Market Place this summer. It’s part of Fayre on the Square and is open from 10am until 9pm (last entry to play is 8:20pm) every day. There are also street vendors there if anyone gets peckish!
Salisbury Bear Hunt
Make sure to keep a look out when you’re in Salisbury this summer because there are 100 teddies hidden in shop windows across the city centre! The annual even raises money for the Save the Children's Children's Emergency Fund and all you need to do is find the teddy bears, write their names on a form and return it to the Salisbury Information Centre by 30th August. A fun and easy way occupy the family over the summer. Click here to find out more information, including where to pick-up a form.
Let's Go Build Salisbury!
Help build Salisbury in miniature! To mark 801 years of the cathedral, the plastic brick experts have worked out the plans to build replicas of the historic buildings in Salisbury and will be helping visitors to Salisbury Museum to reconstruct medieval architecture in miniature form. Drop in for families all day on August 3rd.
Flock
Flock is an interactive show at Salisbury Arts Centre where Sports Day meets Sheep Trials! It draws on age old traditions of playground and street games, encouraging people to play together. With the sheep on the loose only the shepherds and their wayward dog can prevent the chaos – can you help too?! 7th August.
Ghost Tour
Seek out the spooky side of Salisbury on a city Ghost Tour! Join the group as they search for Salisbury’s secretive ghosts and listen to spine chilling tales of hauntings and gruesome happenings from the city’s past, from tales of witches and wizards to the violent death of the Duke of Buckingham. Tickets can be bought from the Salisbury Information Centre or online.
Picnic in the park
Lots of family fun is to be had at Picnic In The Park. Pack a picnic and head to Castle Meadows in Wilton for an afternoon and evening of fun, entertainment and live music. There will also be street food, a bar, stalls, bouncy castle and kids rides as well as a car boot sale. 7th August.
Outdoor cinema experiences
Salisbury Racecourse has the perfect family movie as part of their outdoor cinema events this year – Disney's Lion King! It’s the live action remake from 2019 that will be shown on 15th August and Abba’s Mamma Mia! On 14th August.
Then, later in the month, The Lost Cinema hosts three outdoor screenings at Salisbury Cathedral. Bridesmaids, Moulin Rouge and Jurassic Park run over three nights from 27th August.
Stonehenge Kids' Dig
All budding archeologists should head to Wiltshire's World Heritage Site this summer! A visit to Stonehenge will give kids the opportunity to unearth the past in special Stonehenge sandboxes. Artefacts from across the centuries are ready to be excavated, giving children the chance to learn more about the history of Stonehenge through the things that have been left behind.
The Whale
In the grounds of Salisbury Arts Centre you will be able to help save a turtle and whale from a deluge of plastic. Learn more about the sea and how to protect the creatures that live in it during this free show. It takes place with the help of an 18 metre sperm whale! You really have to see it to believe it. Take a look on August 14th.
Climb a monolith
The monolith climbing wall is back at Salisbury Museum this summer. It was in 2019 that the Wiltshire Outside Learning Team last brought their huge climbing wall to the doorstep of the Museum and visitors of all ages experienced climbing a monolith the same height (24 feet) as the Sarsens stone at Stonehenge. This only suitable for those who can fit into a harness and climb a 24 feet high rock! Have a go on 17th August.
Grow
On 21st August you’ll find the lively, energetic and vibrant dance theatre duo, Kapow, in the grounds of Salisbury Arts Centre. They’ll be putting on a free show for the whole family that revolves around the garden. Grow is a playful and touching celebration of the power of nature to rejuvenate, take over spaces and grow through the cracks. It leaves all ages feeling uplifted and inspired to get outside and gardening!
Boscombe Down Aviation Collection Model Show
The perfect event for those who love all things aeronautical. You can find the model show in Hangar 1 of Old Sarum Airfield. 10am to 4pm on August 22nd.
The Wind In the Willows
Award-winning theatre company, Calf2Cow, brings to life the classic story of The Wind In The Willows. See it this summer in the spectacular surroundings of Arundell’s garden (as seen above) in the Cathedral Close. Be whisked off to the world of ratty, mole and toad in this mesmorising re-telling. Head down to the river bank on August 26th!
Taste Salisbury
Join us for the inaugural Taste Salisbury! Ten days of foodie festivities are to take place across the city centre from 27th August to 5th September 2021. There will be events and special promotions throughout the week, culminating in the Salisbury's Foodie Sunday on the final Sunday (5th September). From pizza making to world street food menus – you'll find something for everyone here.
Salisbury Parkrun
For families that like to exercise together, there is Salisbury Parkrun. There is a weekly free 2k timed event for junior runners (4-14 years old). Join them every Sunday morning at Churchills Gardens. If your family is slightly older, then the adult event is every Saturday.
There is so much to see and do in Salisbury this summer we couldn’t fit it all here, but you can find the full events calendar on our What’s On pages. And, if you have an event you would like us to mention, please let us know by submitting your details here.