Many May half-term activities to enjoy in Ipswich

Published23rd May 2023

During the May half-term school holiday period (29 May – 2 June) there are plenty of activities to keep children entertained in Ipswich.

Whitton and Gainsborough Sports Centres will be running roller-skating, arts and crafts, bouncy play, and indoor basketball sessions.

Crown Pools and Fore Street Swimming Pools both have daily activities including Intensive Diving or Swimming Lessons, Sing & Splash and even Jet Ski Racecourse sessions. At Fore Street Pool there’s also the opportunity to complete the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ).

Dance camps with the Ipswich School of Dancing will run on Tuesday 30 May and Friday 2 June. These day-camps provide a safe environment for children to learn to dance, with a healthy lunch included.

All activities are available to book online from seven days in advance of the activity.

The Animals in the Art Gallery exhibition at Christchurch Mansion is a great place for families and friends to visit. You’ll see some familiar animals from Ipswich Museum’s collection on display in the Wolsey Art Gallery.

Visitors will enjoy artworks that reflect different animal habitats from woodland to coastal, gardens to urban, with many different animals featured in the pictures, sculpture, and ceramics on display.

A new creative studio in the Wolsey Art Gallery, also gives visitors the chance to make their own artistic animals. A space to play, draw and get creative with the Animals in the Art Gallery!

The popular Where’s Woolly trail and Coronation Crafts events both continue at the Mansion during half-term, finishing on Sunday 4 June. Help Woolly find all the plants and flowers hidden in the Mansion in the trail (tickets cost £5) with a gift at the end for completing the trail that’s suitable for ages 3+.

There’s no need to book for the free Coronation Crafts drop-in session. Christchurch Mansion is open Tuesday – Sunday, with entry is free.

With the weather now starting to warm up, the splash pad at Holywells Park and the paddling pool at Bourne Park are also now open every day, from 10am to 5pm until the end of summer.

Councillor John Cook, Ipswich Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Communities and Sport says:

“If you’re looking to keep children entertained this May half-term, we have lots of different activities taking place. Whether it’s sport, art, getting creative or out and about making the most of our award-winning parks in Ipswich. Let the fun commence!”