Families Out & About May 2025
Outdoor cinema returns to Braintree Village next month
Braintree Village is set to welcome back it’s open-air cinema for the late May Bank Holiday weekend. The Outdoor Cinema at the Essex shopping outlet will screen 10 movies over four days with the line-up including family favourites, blockbuster hits and much-loved classics.
Launching on the evening of Friday 23rd May, the Braintree Village Outdoor Cinema will be open all weekend until the night of Monday 26th May.
Daytime screenings throughout the weekend include the newly released Wicked and Moana 2 movies along with Barbie, Toy Story, Shrek, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The four showcase evening movies will be The Greatest Showman, Mamma Mia!, Grease and Dirty Dancing. Gates will open 45 minutes in advance of advertised start times.
To book tickets, please visit and for further details on Braintree Village please visit
Revel Puck Circus Brightons
Thrilling Circus Yard for Brighton Fringe 2025 2nd May – 1st June
Revel Puck Circus, the multi-award-winning contemporary circus company from East London, is set to transform Brighton’s The Level into an exciting hub for of family-friendly circus and late night cabaret at brighton fringe festival.
This marks a significant step for circus at Brighton Fringe, with The Circus Yard offering an unprecedented number of large-scale and experimental productions in one dedicated space. This initiative aims to rejuvenate The Level, a historic green space in central Brighton, by fostering community engagement and enhancing the area’s vibrancy.
Revel Puck Circus has a proven track record of delivering dynamic, community-driven events, most recently demonstrated by the acclaimed Revel Puck’s Winter Festival in Walthamstow, London last Christmas. Blending bold, contemporary circus with a festive atmosphere, their ability to create an immersive circus experience extends beyond the performances, with local partnerships and a vibrant festival atmosphere. Previous successes such as this highlight Revel Puck’s expertise in crafting engaging, high-quality productions, and the plan is for this latest project to be their most impactful yet.
Audiences can expect everything from large-scale physical feats to intimate, thought-provoking storytelling, all delivered with the signature boldness that defines Revel Puck’s curation.
If you go down to Barnsdale Gardens in May you’re sure of a big surprise!
If you go down to Barnsdale Gardens on May 4th you will be sure of a BIG surprise because it will be Teddy Bears Picnic day… hurray!
This most auspicious of days should give you ‘paws’ for thought…Once upon a time a delightful little tune tiptoed into the world in 1907. It danced all on its own until, in 1932, some cheerful lyrics came along to join the fun. And just like that, the “Teddy Bears’ Picnic” was born!
The song was so lovable, it sparked a magical tradition. Now, every year, teddy bears everywhere sneak off for secret picnics… and we humans just might be lucky enough to catch them at play!
Barnsdale Gardens invites Teddy Bears and their owners to the Teddy Bear’s Picnic for games and activities and a specially prepared picnic box with sandwiches (ham & jam, or cheese & jam), crisps, juice, packet of biscuits and banana.
Adults can order on the day and will get a 15% discount on food. 12pm: Introduction to all the Teddy Bears and games. 12:45pm: Lunch (must be pre-ordered). 1:30pm: colouring and activity sheets with teddy bear themes. 2pm: Finish. Take home a teddy bear cupcake to say thankyou for coming.
You can book your place at the Teddy Bear’s Picnic on 4th May for just £12.95
The Home Front in Epsom and Ewell
Saturday 10th May 1pm to 2.30 pm Bourne Hall Museum Kids Club To Commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day Be prepared with gas mask training and air raid drill, learn what happened afte a bomb fell. Could you deliver messages in an air raid during the blackout?
Discover how to put out one of the firebombs dropped on Epsom in their tens of thousands during the war. Try to play cigarette cards just like wartime children, and discover where to find bits of bomb after a raid. Cost £6.50 per child.
Epsom and Ewell in WW2 Saturday 10th May 2025 10.30am to 12.00pm To Commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day
Epsom and Ewell suffered heavily from bombing in World War 2 and from 1940 to 1944, 890 alerts were sounded, 384 people were injured by enemy action and 33 killed. There were more than 200 incidents with 12,234 houses slightly damaged, 413 devastated and 192 completely destroyed, while thousands of incendiary and anti-personnel bombs were dropped with 440 high explosive, 64 oil and 30 flying bombs falling on the Borough.
£6.50 per person. Contact: David Brooks, Bourne Hall Museum, Spring Street, Ewell, Surrey KT17 1UF Email dbrooks@epsom-ewell.gov.uk
The Baby Show
The UK’s largest and best-loved pregnancy and parenting event, is coming to the Birmingham NEC from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th May 2025.
The event is the ultimate shopping show for new and expectant parents looking for all the essentials they need to help them prepare for their new arrival.
Over 350 brands will be showcasing their best and latest products, with unbeatable exclusive show offers– with highlights being Tommee Tippee, MAM, Cybex, Joie, Nuna, UppaBaby, iCandy, Mamas & Papas, Kyte Baby, Tutti Bambini, My 1st Years – and new for 2025, brands such as The Baby Room at Smyth’s, Mamaruga and Gigil. and dozens of smaller, boutique baby brands.
Included in the ticket price will be the chance to listen to a fantastic list of experts taking to the Live Talks Stage* giving their tips on all things pregnancy, birth and parenting. Household names include Annabel Karmel and Charlotte Stirling-Reed, as well as birth and feeding experts, Midwife Pip, Midwife Zoe, Charlotte Hoskin from My Expert Midwife, Midwife Vic from CSection UK and Danielle Facey, The Breastfeeding Mentor. Key topics covered include sleep, breastfeeding, the baby biome, birth preparation, newborn feeding, weaning and baby first aid – to name a few. Dadvengers and CBeebies’ star Nigel Clarke will be hosting the ever-popular Dads Panel while Alison Perry, host of Not Another Mummy Podcast, will be interviewing actress, radio and podcast host, TV presenter, content creator and author Gemma Atkinson, live on stage.
The best chance to try, compare and buy from top brands with exclusive show offers and sample complimentary nappies, wipes from our dedicated Baby Changing Area, for those planned (or unplanned!) changing and feeding stops. There’s also the Baby Show Café with Joie, where visitors can enjoy a welcome break, the Baby Feeding Café, where parents can feed their baby with complimentary baby food, or visitors can indulge in a moment of calm at the Obaby Meditation Station.?
Tickets are £28pp** on-the-door or £18 in advance, and there are some great offers running online until the show, including a Goody Bag Package, which includes two tickets and a Baby Show Goody Bag for just £39.90!
There are also a number of Tommee Tippee packages, where you can buy your tickets AND all your newborn essentials in advance so you can take advantage of some great offers. Visitors can also add on a Baby Show goody bag for only £6, worth over £75! For more information, visit
May half-term, the RHS The Great Garden Game-a-thon across all five sites
Families can let the good times grow with a host of classic garden games, giant fun and interactive workshops kindly supported by the Porter and Woodman Group
This May half-term, the RHS is letting the good times grow with The Great Garden Game-a-thon across all five sites, kindly supported by the Porter & Woodman Group. With plenty of exhilarating games, beautiful surroundings and family-friendly activities in the great outdoors, the gardens are the ideal spot for a quintessential day out.
Visitors of all ages can participate in a host of activities across RHS Garden Bridgewater, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, RHS Garden Rosemoor and RHS Garden Wisley, with a host of giant interactive games, sports day classics, mazes, and fun garden trails to explore.
Dates, times, and activities vary per garden; please see below and check the website for details
RHS Garden Bridgwater, Greater Manchester: 24 – 1 June
RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey: 24 – 31 May
RHS Garden Harlow Carr, North Yorkshire: 24 May – 1 June
RHS Garden Rosemoor North Devon: 24 May – 1 June
RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex: 24 May – 1 June
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