Wondering how to occupy the kids over the mid term and keep your sanity? I've listed the best events and activities in Dublin, including those that are free! All events can be found on my Events Calendar.
Date | Fri 15 - Sun 17 Feb
Cost | From €15.00
PERFORM will be an unmissable event featuring stars from stage and screen who will be sharing secrets in specialised workshops, taking part in meet-and-greets with fans and entertaining attendees on the PERFORM main stage. With over 170 workshops and masterclasses and seminars held throughout the weekend featuring leaders in their field, there will be something for all the family. The entrance is €15 for a standard ticket, which gets you in and access to watching all the stages, into the stalls and to Meet and Greets. There are extras for certain workshops, but people don’t have to attend those if they don’t want to!
Date | Sat 16 Feb @ 11:00am + 2:00pm
Cost | €11.50/€8.50 (20% off for members)
Find out more about composing for film - perfect for children aged 5-7 with an interest in music and film. Part of Fantastic Flix at The Ark. Join musician and performer Morgan Cooke as he guides you through this fun class for young musicians. Together, you will explore and create an soundtrack to short film Micilín Muc from the IFI Irish Film Archive. At the end of the workshop, there will be a live performance of your soundtrack for your friends and family.
Date | Sat 16 Feb @ 1:30pm-2:30pm | Sat 23 Feb 1:30pm-2:30pm | Sun 24 @ 3:30pm-4:30pm
Cost | €7.00
Designed especially for children this brand new tour will showcase some of the cemetery's most entertaining stories. This Mid-Term, bring the whole family to hear fascinating tales of torpedoed ships, assassinated parrots and graverobbing galore. From the RMS Leinster to poisonous Yew trees, bring the history of Glasnevin Cemetery to life with this family friendly tour. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Date | Sun 17 Feb @ 11:00am-1:00pm
Cost | FREE
Learn about the Chinese art of manhua 漫画 by creating your own comic book inspired by Pigsy 猪八戒 from the infamous Chinese tale, the Journey to the West 西游记. You will design, draw, colour and bind your comic books while learning about this interesting character.
Date | Sun 17 + 22 - 24 Feb @ 12:00pm + 2.00pm
Cost | From €15.00
Your kids can don their lab coat, goggles and get stuck into the strange and squishy world of slime! This kids' workshop is designed to make learning about climate action & sustainability an interactive & lasting experience for all ages. Kids will take a closer look at environmental science (think slime, goo, jelly balls & seaweed!). They will play, pop & stratch their self-made slime to discover how we can use these unusual materials to save the planet (think edible water bottles & sustainable packaging)! Ages 6-14. Booking essential.
Date | Sun 17 Feb @ 11:30am-1:30pm
Cost | FREE
At the National Gallery drop-in workshops, children and their parents/guardians/carers are encouraged to work together on creative projects. Drop-in and stay for as long (or as little!) as you wish. Suitable for children of all ages.
Date | Sun 17 Feb @ 12:30pm-1:15pm
Cost | FREE
Join The National Gallery for a special tour designed for children and their guardians, parents and carers. Their aim is to make the artworks fun and engaging for kids, and to welcome families and visitors of all ages and encourage them to feel comfortable in the Gallery. All welcome; no booking necessary.
Date | Sun 17 Feb @ 1:00pm-4:00pm
Cost | FREE
Dinosaurs are taking over Collins Barracks for a special open day! Drop-in on the day to visit the temporary exhibition, Jurassic Skies, and meet with scientists, artists and storytellers to discover more about when dinosaurs took to the air. Activities on the day include a hands-on look at real dinosaur fossils, bird feathers and bones. Check out www.museum.ie for full programming details. No booking required.
Date | Sun 17 Feb @ 3:00pm-4:00pm
Cost | FREE
During these free sketching workshops for families we invite you to explore and respond to our collection and temporary exhibitions through discussion and drawing. Bring your own sketchbook or avail of the drawing materials provided. Free, no booking required, although places may be limited. Suitable for ages 6yrs+.
Date | Sun 17 Feb @ 3:00pm-4:00pm
Cost | €7.95
A family friendly stand-up comedy gig for kids! Bringing top comedians with silly jokes to make you giggle, grin and laugh out loud. MC for the afternoon is RTE's Bridget & Eamon star, Sharon Mannion, joining her is Kevin Gildea (Comedy Cellar) and Paul Tylak (Dublin Comedy Improv).
Date | Tue 19 – Fri 22 Feb @ 10.30am + 2.30pm
Cost | €16/€14* (20% off for Members)
Make your own Lego movie in this practical workshop with Brick Flicks. Part of Fantastic Flix at The Ark. All you need to bring is your favourite Lego character to cast as the star of your film. With plenty of hands-on learning and simple demonstrations, you will work in small groups to create a set, storyboard and plan for your movie, which you will then film, edit, and record using iPads. Ages 8-10.
Date | Tue 19 Feb @ 11:00am-1:00pm
Cost | €22.00
Celebrate the colours, textures and sounds of Spring during this four day art camp for 1-3 year olds with artists Frances Coghlan and Ashleigh Downey. Fee €22, booking through eventbrite.ie
Date | Wed 20 - Thurs 21 Feb @ 10:00am-2:30pm
Cost | From €30.00
An interactive programme about the animal world in Dublin Zoo and beyond. Suitable for teens, between 13 and 16 years, who are interested in animals or careers working in zoology.
Date | Wed 20 - Fri 22 Feb @ 10:00am-3:00pm
Cost | €30.00
Giddy Studios run a gorgeous art camp on mid term breaks and school holidays. Come and enjoy some creative arts and crafts projects and of course lots of pottery painting too! Perfect way to get a break from screen time and make new friends in a lovely environment! Projects include pottery painting, foam clay, beads, fabric etc. On 1st day of each camp week glazed pottery project is done. All others days have acrylic pottery projects. Each of the days are themed. Pottery will vary from the image attached – you can always be assured that the quality of the projects is of equal value.
Date | Wed 20 - Thurs 21 Feb @ 10:00am-2:30pm
Cost | From €30.00
Balally Players Theatre Co. presents Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Adapted by Jo Clifford and directed by Brian Molloy. A beautifully simple adaptation of one of Dickens’s best-loved novels, bringing it thrillingly to life for the stage.
Date | Wed 20 Feb @ 2:30pm-3:30pm
Cost | FREE
Join Collins Barracks for a mid-term Art workshop for families exploring the Jurassic Skies exhibition - learn about the Archaeopteryx, an animal known from fossils dating from the Jurassic age, approximately 150 million years old and create a creature of your own design! Booking required. Art materials provided.
Date | Thurs 21 Feb @ 10:00am-2:30pm
Cost | From €30.00
Fun, educational one-day workshops that harness springtime activities. Suitable for children aged 6 -12 years.
Date | Thurs 21 + Fri 22 Feb @ 11:00am-12:15pm
Cost | €8.00
To coincide with the Venice Carnival, artist Serena Alberigo will be leading mask-making workshops during the schools' mid-term break in spring 2019. This workshop is specially tailored for children aged 4+. The children will also enjoy a guided visit to the exhibition Canaletto and the Art of Venice.
Date | Thurs 21 + Fri 22 Feb @ 11:00am-12:15pm
Cost | €10.00
To coincide with the Venice Carnival, artist Serena Alberigo will be leading mask-making workshops during the schools' mid-term break in spring 2019. This workshop is specially tailored for children aged 8+. The children will also enjoy a guided visit to the exhibition Canaletto and the Art of Venice.
Date | Thurs 21 Feb @ 12:00pm + 2:00pm
Cost | FREE
Are you the height of a beaver? Are you as long as a moose? Join zoologist Catherine McGuinness to learn how we measure animals and guess their sizes. You might be surprised by your animal height! No booking required, places limited and allocated on a first-come basis 15 minutes before tour starts. Not wheelchair accessible.
Date | Sat 23 Feb @ 10:00am-10:15am
Cost | From €20.00
Calling all Dinosaur-exploring families. Come on a journey of discovery to Zoorassic World and look back in time at reptiles that lived on this planet long ago and see some of those living today. Meet Stan, our full-size Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, and learn all about this fearsome predator. Learn about the missing link that connects birds and dinosaurs. Step inside Dinosaur Discovery to carry out your very own dinosaur dig. Using specialist tools, you will uncover fossils that once belonged to these ancient reptiles.
Date | Sat 23 Feb @ 11:00am-12:pm
Cost | €16/€14 (20% off for Members)
Meet the King who has banned feelings and colours from his Kingdom in this fun and interactive workshop for 3 to 5 years olds and their grown-ups. In partnership with First Fortnight. The King finds feelings confusing so he says no one can laugh or cry when he’s around. Feelings of happiness, sadness or anger are not allowed. He wants everything and everyone to be grey and gloomy all day long - so he’s banished colours as well Be part of a group of brave, young adventurers who decide this can’t be right, so go an a mission to collect the missing feelings and colours and bring them back to the Kingdom.
Date | Sat 23 Feb @ 1:30pm-2:30pm
Cost | €11.53
Do you have a fussy eater in your house? Or even a great eater? Or just a bored child?! Well bring them one and all to the lovely Super Natural Food Market in Dublin for an hour of healthy, smoothie making fun. They love showing children that healthy food can be fun, not to mention tasty! So bring them down, you can grab a coffee and have a browse around the organic market and they'll do all the work! Suitable for children from age 3-7 approx.
Date | Sat 23 Feb @ 3:30pm-4:30pm
Cost | FREE
Pop into the Museum and have a chat with their Museum Educators who will have an array of replica artefacts and raw materials, which you can pick up and examine. Discover how humans cleverly used antler, wood, and clay in centuries past - long before there was plastic! No booking required. Located in the Prehistoric Ireland exhibition, Ground Floor. Wheelchair accessible.
Date | Sun 24 Feb @ 3:00pm-4:00pm
Cost | FREE
Join an introductory tour to learn about the history of Collins Barracks, from the 1700s to the present day and its transition from Barracks to Museum, taking in some of the highlights from the Museum's military history or decorative arts exhibitions. Admission free, places allocated on a first-come basis 15 minutes before tour starts.
For a full list of family friendly events, please visit www.dublincitymum.ie/events
Also see my recommended best indoor and outdoor activities plus parks and playgrounds, and beaches for families on www.dublincitymum.ie