The cost of living is escalating, and that includes the price of admission to many events and attractions. Labour recently issued figures showing that households are having to pay up to 20% more for family days out than they did a year ago.
But the good news is that there are still lots of great things you can do for free or not a lot of cash.
Here we highlight some of the best free and low-cost events and attractions that are taking place or open over the bank holiday weekend. Meanwhile, there are some good deals and discounts on offer, too.
All the events are open or running on all three days, unless stated.
Days out in nature
Pick your own sunflowers
Bring your own secateurs for a day of picking sunflowers at Gilbert’s Farm, a working farm in the Herefordshire countryside. They have pollen-free sunflowers for cutting and taking home, as well as traditional giant ones for photo opportunities. You can also create a posy of mixed annuals including zinnias, marigolds and cornflowers. There are homemade cakes on offer but you can bring a picnic and enjoy the shaded spaces that have been created. Entrance is £1.50 per adult, under-18s free. Sunflowers are £2.40 for a single stem or £9 for five, and flowers are £1.50 per 100g.
Visit a lighthouse, fly a kite
At the National Trust’s South Foreland lighthouse, on the white cliffs of Dover, young visitors can make the most of the sea breeze and borrow a kite, free, at the visitor reception, or play games including skittles and quoits on the lawn. You could join in the White Cliffs walking festival in Kent, too (it runs until 30 August), with routes to suit different interests and abilities, from a gentle stroll with an ice-cream pit stop to a walk taking in the history and archaeology of Dover (most walks are free).
If you are closer to north-east England, the National Trust’s Souter lighthouse in Whitburn, near Sunderland, is running free summer sports activities, including games and activities in the Foghorn Field between 11am and 3.30pm on Monday 29 August. Grab an activity pack from the lighthouse admissions desk, which has everything you need for rock-pooling, birdwatching, pond-dipping and bug-hunting. Children aged two or over can borrow a balance bike for the trails of the Leas and Whitburn Coastal Park.
Bathe in your local wood
Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese tradition of forest bathing, said to improve heart rate, immune response, blood pressure and depression. The Woodland Trust has advice: stand on, sit on, lie down on or lean against a tree. Once ready, focus on the moment. Notice the sun, breeze and air temperature. Listen for the babble of water, the creak of trees, the wind in the leaves, the song of birds. Look for shapes, movement, colour, light and shade. Feel the roughness of bark, the smoothness of a pebble. Imagine roots growing from your feet into the ground, anchoring you to the earth. While you are there, map an ancient tree. If you spot one you think is very old, add it to the Woodland Trust’s map, with information such as girth size, species and location, and your tree will be visited by an expert. Find your local wood here.
Go geocaching
All you need is a phone with GPS to play the global game of hide-and-seek to find almost 2m hidden treasures and banish boredom on country walks. Check out geocaching.com/play and download the app for adventures near you. In the Brecon Beacons national park, for example, you can find 180 geocaches, and there are almost 2,830 around Cardiff.
Dive into a natural pool
Unless you are a hardy winter wild swimmer, time is arguably running out for a comfortable outdoor dip. There has been a revival of the many natural or semi-human-made historic sea and tidal pools in the UK, and most are free or open to swimmers in return for a small charitable donation.
Cornwall has some of the best. Try Bude’s Summerleaze beach sea pool; the Chapel Rock pool at Perranporth; the smaller rock pool-like bathing pool at Polperro.
Look for dolphins and bats
The new dolphin viewing centre at the Greyhope Bay Centre in Torry Battery, Aberdeen, built from converted shipping containers, is seen by many as the best place to spot bottlenose dolphins from land in the UK, with no need for binoculars. Cafe open Wednesday to Sunday.
At Loch Lomond, join RSPB Scotland and the Bat Conservation Trust to search for bats out of hours at the nature reserve. Wrap up warm and as it gets dark, head out to see what you can find, with bat detectors provided. Bring a torch. There’s a “bat night” on Saturday 27 August, with tickets costing from £4.30.
Sculpture trail
In Norfolk until 10 September, you can spot dozens of individually designed sculptures, including 55 large T rexes and 24 steppe mammoths, decorated by artists across the county, on the GoGoDiscover dinosaur art trail.
In east Yorkshire, there are 42 1.5-metre tall puffin sculptures to find, and in East Sussex, a trail of 5ft tall rubber ducks stretching from Bexhill-on-Sea to Hastings.
You can download the Alice in Wonderland Town Trail mobile app and check out dozens of statues and sculptures of Lewis Carroll’s characters around Llandudno. The resort in north Wales is where Alice Liddell – said to have been Carroll’s inspiration for the character – spent her summer holidays.
If you are in London you could hunt down some of the city’s 950-odd blue plaques, with the official blue plaques app available to download free from English Heritage, including guided walks.
Festivals
Notting Hill carnival
Returning a full three years after the last physical carnival, this event (27 to 29 August) will be “a huge bounceback edition”, say organisers. More than 2 million people traditionally flock to this massive free street festival, which kicks off on Saturday with Panorama, a family-friendly event in Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance park (ticketed event). The carnival officially starts at 10am on Sunday and 10.30am on Monday. Download the app for a live GPS-tracked map.
Malton food lovers
A three-day celebration of Yorkshire’s produce (27-29 August), this boasts scores of artisan stalls and street food vendors, celebrity chefs and demos, a festival bar and live music, including buskers and brass bands. It’s free entry, and you will be able to fill up with tastings.
Free theatre festival
Running until 11 September, the Greenwich+Docklands international festival is London’s free theatre and performing arts festival, and is renowned for telling compelling stories in spectacular style. Events this weekend include The Sky Is Filled With Thunder (27-28 August), a multilayered “audio artwork” taking place in Thamesmead at dusk and featuring the voices of local children, and Follow Me (28-29 August), where the audience will follow two “urban acrobats” on a surprising and interactive journey through the Moorings estate in Thamesmead.
West Indian carnival
Taking place on Monday 29 August in Leeds, this is described as Europe’s longest-running Caribbean carnival parade. It is due to leave from Potternewton Park at 2pm. With colourful costumes, tropical music and mouthwatering food, this is a true celebration of West Indian culture in Leeds.
Telford balloon fiesta
Running from 26 to 28 August, Telford balloon fiesta returns to Telford town park and QEII Arena for three days of free fun. There will be balloon flights (weather permitting), plus music, entertainment and activities. People all over Telford and further afield will be able to see hot-air balloons of varying shapes and sizes take to the skies.
Ryde carnival week
Running from 27 August to 3 September, this is the UK’s oldest carnival, dating back to 1887. Three parades will take place across the week, kicking off with children’s carnival day on Saturday. Ryde’s carnivals are “all-inclusive and joyous parades of colour and light, marking the end of summer”. All are run by volunteers and are free to attend.
Manchester Pride
Join a loud and proud celebration of LGBTQ+ people, culture and expression at this annual pride festival and parade, taking place in Manchester city centre from 26 to 29 August. There will be a variety of events – several free, some ticketed. Free events include Saturday’s parade and Monday’s candlelit vigil in Sackville Gardens.
Edinburgh’s festivals
There’s the Fringe (until 29 August), the international (until 28 August), the international book festival (until 30 August) and much more.
Free events include the book festival, where every morning, up to and including Monday 29 August, there is a magical half-hour of stories for children and families. At the Baillie Gifford Storytime Yurt in the book festival village. Free, book in advance.
There’s also the Worst Show on the Fringe, where you can enjoy an hour of comedy from (if you are lucky) some of the biggest names in the industry who have all had a bad review at one point or another. There will be a “fresh” act each day. Every day up to and including Sunday 28 August at Movement, 69 Cowgate, at 2.30pm. A free, non-ticketed event. (It has an 18-plus age restriction.)
At The Greatest Magician, James Phelan will perform a “mind-blowing” magic show that was directed by the late Paul Daniels. It’s on 27 and 28 August at 3.45pm at the Liquid Room and is a free, non-ticketed event.
Culture
A taste of Burning Man
Until 1 October, 12 of the sculptures from the Burning Man festival – held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert – are on display in the free-to-access parkland at Chatsworth in Derbyshire. Eight of the sculptures are existing artworks, while four were built on the site.
Watch Shakespeare for £3
The Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Liverpool, opened its doors in July and offers “pay what you decide” ticket options. Suggested contributions start from only £3 a person. Saturday and Sunday (27 and 28 August) you can watch The Importance of Being Earnest in the open air, in the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden.
Free interactive art
This weekend is the last chance at Tate Modern to catch the interactive artwork Yayoi Kusama’s obliteration room, where a completely white apartment is transformed into a sea of colourful dots. Kids can go wild, adding stickers to walls, floors and furniture, although it’s aimed at all ages. Finishes on 29 August. Free. You may have to queue at busy times.
Deals and discounts
Two-for-one entry
You may be able to enjoy big savings on your day out if you travel by train, with two-for-one entry to dozens of attractions, including the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London Zoo and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, and money off at many others such as Cadbury World and Colchester Zoo. To find out more, go to National Rail’s days out guide website.
Adults go free
Kellogg’s is running a free adult ticket promotion on its cereal packs. The dozens of participating attractions include Legoland Windsor, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Sea Life aquariums. It’s one free adult per entry voucher, who must be accompanied by a separate adult or child paying the full “on the day” price, and pre-booking is essential. Note that exclusion dates may apply.
£1 Kids Pass trial
A Kids Pass gives you discounts and deals on days out, cinema trips, family restaurant meals and holidays. For example, it claims to offer up to 57% off days out and attractions. You can try it out for £1 for a 30-day trial, which you can cancel at the end of the month.
Free and cut-price theatre
The cost of living crisis, lingering Covid worries and other issues mean there are lots of very good deals around for shows that would normally cost a fortune to see. In addition, there’s the annual Kids Week August promotion, where a child 17 and under goes free when accompanied by an adult paying full price, and an additional two children can attend for half-price. When we looked, you could pick up adult-plus-child tickets for a show such as Rothar at the Polka theatre in Wimbledon this weekend for a total of £9.
London theatre week runs until 4 September, boasting offers on dozens of West End and off-West End shows. Tickets start from £15.