Having fun with family at Easter is important for several reasons. Firstly, Easter is a time of celebration and joy and spending time with loved ones can help to enhance the festive spirit. It is a great opportunity for families to bond, make memories and enjoy quality time together.
Additionally, participating in fun Easter activities can also help to create a sense of tradition and family identity. Families can develop their own unique traditions for Easter, such as hosting an annual Easter egg hunt or baking special Easter treats together. These traditions can help to strengthen family relationships and create a sense of belonging.
We have created this list to inspire you to do some things outside of the house this Easter and others can be done at home for little or no cost.
Get Crafty
Arts and crafts are one of the best budget activities that kids love to take part in, with Easter being an excellent opportunity to get creative! One fun Easter crafting activity you can try is egg painting. Simply hard-boil eggs and allow them to cool completely. Then get out your paint and paintbrushes and have the kids decorate them however they wish. As a bonus activity, take the family on a walk to go egg rolling. Head up your nearest hill and roll your eggs down it - the egg which is last to break wins.
Easter Events at EPIC
EPIC museum in Dublin is hosting several events over the Easter holidays. One of our favourites is this “Family Funday: Explorers Family Tour”. It takes place on 10th April 2023 between 11am - 12.10pm and is appropriate for children aged between 6 and 12 years.
Get ready for an exhilarating, action-packed adventure with our thrilling ‘Explorers Family Tour’. Dive into a world of wonder and excitement as you embark on an interactive journey filled with word games, artistic endeavours, and collaborative challenges that bring the whole family together.
Unravel the mysteries of Ireland's captivating emigration history as you navigate through EPIC's mesmerising digital and sensory galleries. Prepare to be amazed and inspired as you and your family transform into creative artists, ingenious designers, and master problem-solvers.
Ideal for families with children aged 6-12, this one-of-a-kind family tour combines entertaining games, immersive sensory experiences, and delightful drawing activities to ensure an unforgettable encounter with history. Discover the magic of learning together in this fun-filled, engaging, and hands-on adventure. Cost: Adult €19.00, Child €9.50 and you can book here. For more information on other events visit www.epicchq.com/whats-on.
Easter Egg Hunts
An Easter egg hunt is a must-do activity for the Easter holidays. It’s not that hard (or expensive) to hold an Easter egg hunt in your own home or garden. All supermarkets usually sell miniature wrapped eggs, perfect for an Easter egg hunt. These can then be hidden around your home and garden. Great hiding places outdoors include low tree branches, plant pots and garden beds, whilst inside conceal them under chairs, tables and toys or behind decorative items such as cushions and photo frames.
The Easter Bunny in association with Dunnes Stores, Limerick and Dublin
Head down to The Jetland Shopping Centre Limerick or the ILAC shopping Centre, Dublin where your family can travel down the rabbit hole to meet the Easter Bunny in his magical home. Each visit includes meeting the Easter Bunny and having a lovely photoshoot with a professional photographer and a chocolate egg for each child.
The cost is €8 per child, adults and infants go free. Photos can be viewed and purchased directly after your visit. The Easter Bunny will be in both Jetland Shopping Centre, Limerick – The ILAC Centre, Dublin until 8th April. Book online now at www.easterbunny.ie.
Movie marathon
What better way to enjoy your Easter chocolate than in front of a great movie? However, taking your whole family to the cinema, buying or renting a new movie or purchasing a new streaming subscription can be expensive. Luckily, we can rely on TV channels such as the RTE, BBC and Channel 4 to provide us with free entertainment across the Easter period.
Free films showing across the Easter holidays this year include Raiders of the Lost Ark on Easter Saturday at 2.50pm, The Tooth Fairy on Easter Sunday at 1.25pm or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade at 6.15pm, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at 7.15pm Easter Monday all to run on RTE2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is at 5.35pm Saturday BBC1. The Sound of Music is at 1.50pm on Easter Sunday and the adaptation of Charlie Mackesy's 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' is on Easter Monday BBC1 at 6pm.
Easter Trail at Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford
If you’re planning a trip to the Sunny South East, you need to take part in the Easter Trail around the Museum and Gardens at Johnstown Castle. Running from Saturday, April 1 to Sunday, April 16, there is plenty of fun to be had as you hunt for clues, find out the bunnies' identity and claim your eggcellent prize! You might even bump into the Easter Bunny along the way. There are indoor and outdoor trails, both of which your child can take part in, and they will receive 1 egg altogether. See here for more information.
Mad Hatter themed stay at Cork’s Imperial Hotel
Cork’s Imperial Hotel is transporting guests to a Wonderland this Easter with their latest innovative offering inspired by the Lewis Carroll’s novel ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Guests can search for the white rabbit and his signature pocket watch which may be hiding amongst the impressive floral displays festooned throughout the hotel’s ground floor. Take pause to puzzle out a riddle or two at the impressive photo-wall which is designed for any would be ‘Mad Hatters’ to strike a pose at during their stay.
Join in the slightly bonkers fun of a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party with a themed afternoon tea prepared by the hotel’s talented pastry team (and for mum and dad, the Mad Hatter signature cocktail will go down a treat!). For more information on the Mad Hatter themed package, visit www.imperialhotelcork.com/madhatter.html.
Visit free museums or galleries
Many museums and galleries offer free entry. This makes visiting them an affordable way to give children an educational and culturally enriching experience, which is fun for all the family. During the Easter holidays, many museums and galleries organised events for children to explore.
Easter Treasure Trail and Family Weekend, Killruddery, Co. Wicklow
This Easter, round up your little chicks and make your way to Killruddery for this year’s Easter Treasure Trail and Family Weekend, once more in aid of the DSPCA. An event not to be missed, on the 9th and 10th April, children big and small can eggs-plore the beautiful grounds of Killruddery with a special Easter themed treasure trail and family activities. With prizes to be won, spring stories in The Orangery, baby animals to greet, traditional garden games and much more – enjoy a fun-filled weekend this Easter, all in the name of a very worthy cause. With tickets available from €13.50, advance booking for this event is essential and can be done by visiting the Event Programme of Killruddery’s website here for more information.
Baking
Baking is a great activity to entertain and spend quality time with your children. And with all that leftover Easter chocolate, baking chocolate treats can be very cheap. The best budget recipe to bake over the Easter period is, of course, Easter nest cakes.
For this, all you will need to do is melt chocolate and pour over your choice of cereal. Separate your mixture into cake cases then top with some mini eggs. A yummy and simple recipe that is easy for children to help make.
‘Easter Bunnies Family Fun Break’ at Killashee Hotel, Co. Kildare
Renowned for its warm welcome, this newly refurbished four-star hotel has designed a programme of activities to keep children of all ages entertained along with relaxing options for the adults. The ‘Easter Bunnies Family Fun Break’ includes a two-night stay in a spacious luxurious deluxe room with two queen size beds, full Irish breakfast both mornings, a three-course and a Killashee Easter cookie and goodie bag for each child on check in. You will create endless family memories as you dive into the fun-filled family activities exploring the 55 acres estate with a mini explorer bug hunt kit to discover the fairy forest trail, the Butterfly Gardens and the playground with its very own zipline. Take a dip in the children’s swimming pool or make full use of the leisure centre, 25 metres swimming pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. The hotel also has a magical playroom filled with great toys for little people and a great selection of boards games for all the family to enjoy. For further information and to book visit www.killasheehotel.com.
Easter Trail at HMS Caroline, Belfast
The Easter-themed trail on the HMS Caroline is a must if you and your family are heading to Belfast. The trail focuses on Blucher the rabbit, who lived on board the famous ship as her mascot during the First World War! If you’re visiting between Friday April 7 and Monday 10 April, there will be lots of extra surprises for the whole family to enjoy. From bunny-themed arts and crafts with Jim Russell, Captain Puppet performances by Jo Britland, sea shanties with Sailor Dan, storytelling sessions with Squiggles and Giggles, face-painting by Magical Masks as well as a host of other family-led crafts, games and activities, it’s not to be missed. For more information, click here.
Get active
After consuming lots of Easter treats, your children are likely to be full of energy that requires burning off. The best way to do this is by getting active. Going outside is a great way to get active, as well as enjoy the fresh air and be at one with nature, all for free! Take your kids to the local park for a bike ride or a sports game, go on a walk to spot spring wildlife or pop to the playground. Any way that you can get the kids outdoors is great for their physical and mental health.
Great Rabbit Runaround, Hillsborough Castle & Gardens, Co. Down
If you’re heading to Down for the Easter weekend, you have to visit Hillsborough Castle & Gardens for the Great Rabbit Runaround. A host of loveable Easter rabbits have returned to take over the 100-acre grounds, but can you find them all? You will get to run free in the fresh air of the spacious gardens as you discover fun facts, complete the challenges, and find out about Easter and spring traditions along the way with the help of the resident bunnies. You’ll also see thousands of tulips bloom across the gardens as part of Spring Spectacular. After your exploring, you’ll be rewarded with a chocolate lolly when you finish the trail, supplied by local quality chocolatiers Fosters Chocolates. For more information on this fantastic day out, see here.
Easter Fun Break at Hotel Kilkenny
Enjoy a Kilkenny City break filled with Easter fun at Hotel Kilkenny with their staycation package which includes accommodation, full Irish breakfast each morning, dinner, plus full use of the health and fitness club and pool along with full free access to the kids’ clubs and family swimming facilities. The Kids Club at Hotel Kilkenny offers a wide range of activities, which are guaranteed to keep any four to a twelve-year-old, entertained with Lego building challenge, foozeball knockout, disco/karaoke night, quiz night, arts & crafts and board game nights. The kids’club is open every day during school holidays.
Hotel Kilkenny has also partnered with some of the county’s activity providers and cultural sites, enabling visitors to conveniently book their stay and activities all in one place at the best rates available through the team at Hotel Kilkenny via adventureescapes.ie. Local activities include visits to Castlecomer Discovery Park, a visit to the National Reptile Zoo or Nore Valley Park where there is a variety of animals to see. For more information see www.hotelkilkenny.ie.
Emerald Park, Co. Meath
Emerald Park is Ireland’s only theme park and zoo which recently reopened bigger and better than ever before. Head there over the Easter holidays where you can enjoy all the usual great fun rides along with two new junior rides. There are also some exciting new zoo arrivals to the park, all very welcome additions. Cú Chulainn, Dino Dash, World of Raptors and all the family favourites are ready to greet visitors young and old over the Easter break. Tickets for Emerald Park are available now on the Emerald Park website at emeraldpark.ie.
Easter Extravaganza Family Package at The International Hotel, Cork
The Cork International Hotel has teamed up with Leahy’s Open Farm in Cork to launch a special Easter Family package. The two-night stay includes family passes to the popular East Cork tourist attraction as well as a host of Easter-themed activities at the hotel. The hotel’s Family Concierge team have compiled an exciting schedule of activities from Easter egg hunts and bunny visits to Easter crafts and bunny bowling.
The package includes a two-night stay in a spacious family room, breakfast and an Early Bird Dinner for a family on one evening with a dedicated kid’s menu. The offer also includes a delicious Family Easter chocolate-themed afternoon tea on one afternoon. There will also be a special delivery from the Easter Bunny on Easter Sunday morning. For more information please visit here.
The English Market, Cork City
If you do decide to visit Cork with the family over the Easter holidays, make sure you build in time to visit the English Market. You will find a wonderful array of sweets and Easter-themed treats in The Chocolate Shop including milk chocolate hedgehogs from Michel Cluizel Chocolatier and Lorge easter eggs filled with 5 or 12 chocolates, in addition to half-shell eggs also filled with an array of handmade treats.
Stop by The Roughty Foodie to enjoy local or Irish produced delicacies or simply wander around the stalls in the market and meet the traders at the English Market. Open 8am-6pm, Monday to Saturday (closed on Sundays & Bank Holidays). For more visit here.
Cook a Sunday roast
Roast dinners are synonymous with the Easter weekend, but taking your kids out for a roast dinner can prove costly. Instead, encourage them to cook a roast at home with you. Older children can get involved with peeling the potatoes, whilst supervised younger children can help with seasoning and mixing. Make it fun by offering a prize for the best roast potatoes or a reward for helping out.
Easter Egg Hunt Trail at Brigit’s Garden, Galway
If you’re heading to Galway this Easter, you must check out Brigit’s Garden for a traditional Easter Egg Hunt from April 11 until April 16. There is a Mini Hunt for younger children, while older children can enjoy the Mighty Hunt around the Gardens. Follow the egg clues around the trail and solve the Easter-themed puzzle before you go to Reception to get your reward! Every child receives a little chocolate egg as a prize. For a fun family day out, book your slot here.
Easter games
From Pin the Tail on the Bunny to Egg Tosses, there are a variety of Easter-themed games for families to enjoy over the Easter holidays. Invite your children’s friends around for a mini Easter party. Winners can receive a mini chocolate egg for their efforts.
Easter Egg Hunt at Castle Adventure Open Farm, Co.Donegal
If you’re looking for a fun-filled day in Donegal, look no further as you can take part in an Easter Egg Hunt at Castle Adventure Open Farm! You will also get to meet the Easter Bunny as well as take part in many more activities from Saturday April 8 until Monday April 10. To book your ticket, click here.
