10 dated events coming up in and around Carlisle, Cumbria. Collected from the organisations running them, not from anyone paying to appear.
Luke Jerram's seven-metre glowing moon hangs in the cathedral for the whole of October, with children's workshops and pyjama parties on the programme. Entry is by donation, suggested £5 an adult or £12 a family, and daytime visits need no booking. Sunday opening is only 12 to 2.
Every paying child ticket includes a pumpkin from the patch, on top of the indoor and outdoor play and the animals. On 27 and 28 October the farm stays open until 7pm so you can pick as the light goes, on the same ticket, and the farm expects both to sell out. The pumpkin picking after dark nights are adults only.
Join like-minded friends in exploring the natural world!
An evening soft play party with food, a goodie bag, a silent disco, a treasure hunt and a costume competition on the Friday of half term. The night before is a quieter SEN session with no loud music or flashing lights.
Carlisle's free bonfire night, now in its 37th year: a centrepiece bonfire and more than 2,000 fireworks set to music, with 35,000 people expected. There is an accessible viewing area on Sheepmount Road, and roads around the park close from about 7.30pm to 8.30pm for the walk out.
Fireworks with a warm fallback: the ticket gets you into the indoor play barn from 4pm, so small children can burn off energy under a roof before going out for the display. Tickets are limited and the farm says they always sell quickly.
Join like-minded friends in exploring the natural world!
The long version of meeting Santa: passport control, snow play, an enchanted forest with 3D glasses, gingerbread, real reindeer, marshmallows, then Father Christmas in small groups, a toy shop gift and a teddy to build. Full day farm access is included, and it sells out every year, so if Cumbria is your patch, book this first.
Join like-minded friends in exploring the natural world!
Join like-minded friends in exploring the natural world!
Places you can turn up to whether or not anything is on.
Carlisle's big riverside park, right under the castle walls: a large play area for all ages, a free splash park in the warmer months, skate park and acres of grass where the Eden and Caldew meet. The obvious free half of a Carlisle day.
Free, in the middle of Carlisle, with a cafe in the footprint of the medieval cloister. Not a day out on its own, but a good half hour between Tullie and the castle, and in December the building fills with a Christmas tree festival.
Carlisle's south side park, with free parking on two sides, play zones, a brand new concrete skatepark, a games court and a seasonal cafe. A miniature railway runs Sunday afternoons from Easter to October.
A big riverside park across the Eden from Carlisle city centre, with cattle grazing loose, a small free car park off Brampton Road and Hadrian's Wall Path running through over the suspension bridge.
205 accessible acres on the Solway plain six miles out of Carlisle, free to enter and free to park, with a coffee shop, wildlife hides and over a hundred hire bikes suitable for all abilities.
A big walk-in soft play off Crown Street with a separate baby area and a proper hot food menu. There is no booking for general play, which is handy on a whim and a gamble on a wet Saturday in the holidays.