29 awesome new attractions every parent needs to know about (2023)

Bristol Light Festival is back in 2023, and remains free and open to everyone. The gorgeous festival fills the city with light and colour, showcasing Bristol as a vibrant, playful and creative city. We love the sound of Amigo and Amigo's giant, interactive Trumpet Flowers; and Swing Song, a light-up musical swing – perfect for kids (and big kids!) of all ages.
When: 3-12 Feb 23
Where: throughout the city of Bristol
**FREE**

Squirrels, are you ready? Hey Duggee Live is touring for the first time ever, and here’s your chance to join in! Thisvibrant, interactive theatre show is bursting with music, puppets and barrels of laughs. Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show features Duggee, the Squirrels and many more of your favourite characters... Betty wants to make costumes, Happy wants to sing, Tag wants to make music, Norrie wants to dance, Roly wants jelly and they all want YOU to join them at the Clubhouse!There is so much to do, but luckily Duggee has his Theatre Badge. A-Woof!
When & Where: on a UK Tour until Aug 23

Join an outdoor trail at Basildon Park National Trust property to find colours, shapes, and patterns in the natural world around you this February half term. See if you can find something stripy, create a shape with sticks and leaves, and go cloud watching! Follow the trail sheet and find the prompts along your way. Then look out for the wild play area for little ones next to the stableyard; and other den building areas out on the estate.
When: 4-26 Feb 23
Where: Basildon Park, Lower Basildon, Reading RG8 9NR

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Head below the streets of London for an exclusive underground walk along the 100-year-old Mail Rail tunnels. You can discover the tunnels, tracks and platforms, exploring parts of the railway that aren’t accessible on the Mail Rail ride alongside an expert guide. Visitors need to be aged 12 and over, and have to wear a high visibility jacketand a hard hat for the walk.
When: 7, 21 and 28 Feb; 14, 21 and 28 Mar 2023
Where: Postal Museum, 15-20 Phoenix Place, London WC1X 0DA

Visit an incredible interactive art show at the Towner Eastbourne art gallery this February. Play Interact Exploreis a new exhibition of interactive artworks developed in collaboration with community groups in Eastbourne and Brighton. It promises to be a lively, exciting and curiosity-filled space designed to help you take part in playful exploration through making.  
When: 7 Feb-5 Mar 23
Where: Towner Eastbourne, Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne BN21 4JJ

Don't miss the Southbank Centre's annual festival for children aged 0 – 11 and their grown-ups: 11 days jam-packed with more than 100 events, 50% of which are completely free. You can find the very best children's theatre, comedy, music, literature, poetry, dance and, most importantly, full-on fun for families this February. Look out for fun for under-5s including Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’sTales from Acorn Woodon stage; a modern retelling ofRapunzelby BalletLORENT; and the return ofYolanDa’s Band Jam, a daytime rave with the world’s youngest DJ. Plus, dinosaurs, magic, astronomy, hip-hop, comedy and more.
When: 8-18 Feb 23
Where: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

Visit Grey's Court in Henley-on-Thames this February, and tell a story inspired by the natural world around you. Who will your main character be? Where do they live? And what will they do today? Follow the trail sheet and find story prompts along your way to create a story inspired by your walk through the grounds. Trails cost £2 each from visitor reception, which includes a trail sheet and prize. Be ready for muddy paths! Then head to the children’s play area nestled in the woodland. It’s near the Cowshed tea-room, perfect for some well-earned refreshments after a long day of play.
When: 11 Feb-5 Mar 23
Where: Grey's Court, Rotherfield Greys, Henley-on-Thames RG9 4PG

Head to Canons Ashby this February and March for a brilliant Paw Prints and Poo Trail! Bring your young nature detectives to Canons Ashby in Northamptonshire, and look around the outdoor spaces for nice and nasty nature clues. What creatures live nearby, and how can you tell? Dress for the weather and remember your wellies!
When: 11 Feb-26 Mar 23
Where: Canons Ashby House, Canons Ashby, Daventry NN11 3SD

Eight spectacular pieces of artwork will be on display both outdoors and inside the iconic Battersea Power Station this winter. Look out for the huge, lit-up bath plug, hoping to inspire us to think about the importance of clean water, and reduce water wastage; and the massive Slinky, aiming to encourage playfulness. The installations will be switched on from 8am until 11pm daily.
When: Until 5 Mar
Where: Battersea Power Station, Circus Road West, Nine Elms, London SW11 8AL

There's a fantastic new Willow Maze coming to Trentham Monkey Forest this February half term. Can you escape the maze? Have a giggle at the funny rhymes designed to help you find your way out. How long will it take you? Then enjoy the rest of your day monkeying around with the 140 free-roaming Barbary macaques living as they would in the wild.
When: From 18 Feb 23
Where: Trentham Monkey Forest, Trentham Estate, Stone Road, Tittensor, Stoke-on-Trent ST12 9HR

Head to the brand new Lightroom in London to see a remarkable new art exhibition by the always-brilliant David Hockney. Lightroom’s vast walls and revolutionary sound system have been used to create an art show dedicated to Hockney's 60-year long career. You'll hear Hockney explain his processes at the same time as witnessing him him experimenting with perspective, capturing the passing of time in his polaroids and the joy of spring on his iPad. This show will take you from LA to to Yorkshire, and up to the present day in Normandy, pushing the possibilities of new media, and inviting us to look more closely, more truly and more joyously at the world around us.
When: 22 Feb-4 Jun 23
Where: Lightroom, 12 Lewis Cubitt Square, London N1C 4DY

Ad Gefrin, a brand new £10.4m visitor experience and distillery and one of the biggest ever investments in rural north Northumberland, opens to families in February 2023. As well as showcasing the contemporary crafts, arts and produce of Northumberland, Ad Gefrin will use immersive technologies to bring to life the 7th-century Kings and Queens of Northumbria and the story of their Royal Palace, which has been excavated at Yeavering only 4 miles away. It'll be the perfect place for anyone learning about the Anglo Saxons at school!
When: Opening 25 Mar 23
Where: Ad Gefrin, South Road, Wooler NE71 6NJ

Museum tours not for you and your older kids? Want to have a little fun with history instead? Introducing Calke Unlocked – an irreverent, behind-the-scenes house tour at Calke Abbey. It's high-energy, loads of fun, interactive and just a little bit naughty. Our unique tour leaders are experts in the obscure and collectors of hidden stories. Together, you'll uncover behind-the-scenes snippets, share scandalous secrets and back stories, and explore the un-stately home. Booking is essential. Please note this is fast-paced experience and involves lots of stairs; best for kids aged 14 and over
When: Until 25 Feb 23
Where: Calke Abbey, Ticknall, Derby DE73 7JF

Opening in spring 2023, Sea Lanes in Brighton aims to be the new National Open Water Swimming Centre for the whole UK. At the heart of Sea Lanes is a swimming pool, which will be accessible to all. The pool provides much-needed swimming facilities in Brighton and acts as a gateway for those looking to gain the confidence to swim in the sea. It'll also be training hub for open water swimming events, triathlon, sea safety and lifeguard courses. It'll be the perfect place to introduce your little ones to the joys of open water swimming.
When: Opening spring 23
Where: Sea Lanes, Madeira Drive, Brighton BN2 1EN

Fans of the National Railway Museum in York are in for a real treat in 2023, as a brand new gallery called Wonderlab, will open at the site. The new gallery will feature 18 interactive exhibits with an engineering theme, plus two specially commissioned art installations, designed to inspire the next generation of engineers.
When: Opening spring 23
Where: National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York YO26 4XJ

Big news for fans of the Jumanji films! There's a new Jumanji-themed land coming to Chessington World of Adventures in Greater London this spring. The land will include an iconic and unmissable Jaguar shrine, standing 55ft tall and keeping a watchful eye over all who enter. Expect drama, excitement, challenges and more from the world's first theme park based on the Jumanji films.
When: Opening spring 23
Where: Chessington World of Adventures, Leatherhead Road, Chessington KT9 2NE

Roll up, roll up! There's a brand new museum coming to Blackpool this spring 2023. Called Showtown, the all-singing, all-dancing museum for the whole family will celebrate Blackpool's role as the greatest seaside resort in the UK. The museum will be full of exhibits that get right to the heart of what’s wonderful about Blackpool: circus, shows, magic, illuminations, dance and all the joy of being beside the seaside. We can't wait to visit!
When: Opening spring 23
Where: Showtown, Palatine Buildings, Promenade, Blackpool FY1 4TQ

The world's biggest children's play park is coming to Northumberland, and we think your kids are going to love it! Lilidorei is based at Alnwick Gardens in Northumberland, and is essentially a huge, magical Christmas village, full of goblins, elves, pixies and dwarfs. Costing £15m, the forest clearing features earthy wooden houses with immersive soundscapes, zip wires, slides and climbing walls connecting each area. The idea for the park was dreamt up by Jane Percy, the Duchess of Northumberland and the name 'Lilidorei' means 'the children's adventure with play at its heart'. It all sounds very exciting!
When: opening spring 23
Where: Lilidorei, Alnwick Gardens, Greenwell Road Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1HB

Head to the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth for an even bigger and better visitor experience from spring 2023. Anyone with an interest in Tudor history will love '1982 – Dive the Mary Rose', the new attraction at the ever-fascinating museum. The new theatre show tells story of the finding, excavation, and recovery of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's historic warship, through the smells, sounds and movement of the operation, with visitors given 3D glasses to really help immerse you in the incredible story of this amazing ship.
When: Opens spring 23
Where: Mary Rose Museum, Main Road, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth PO1 3PY