The Great Family Festival

Summer Carnival Party at The Glass Works Square

10am to 3pm

The Glass Works Square will be transformed into a vibrant Summer Carnival Party, full of free activities for families to enjoy. 17 Great Childhood Ambition partners will bring a fantastic programme of hands-on experiences, including willow weaving, carnival headdress making, arts and crafts, giant games and family activities.

Children and young people under 18 can make the most of unlimited free rides and attractions throughout the day, with as many trips as they like on the helter skelter, crazy golf and bungee trampolines. On top of that, we're bringing the party with a host of live performers, featuring stilt walkers, a bubbleologist, flash mobs, and a chance for families to get involved with a circus skills workshop.

Following feedback from families at our celebration event earlier this year, a sensory bus will be available at the square throughout the day, offering a calm, welcoming space for children and young people who may find busy environments overwhelming.

Dear Zoo – A wild family adventure! At Yorkshire Roses and DMC

Get ready for a wild family adventure at the Yorkshire Roses and DMC! Meet colourful characters, enjoy exciting street performances and circus skills, and follow our animal trail to discover creatures from around the world. This event is inspired by Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell, published by Macmillan Children’s Books.

Along the way, children can take part in fun activities, collect clues and complete their journey to become a Junior Zoo Keeper. They'll receive a certificate to celebrate their achievement and continue their adventure at home.

Children aged 0 to five will also receive a free book and activity pack, helping families enjoy stories and reading together.

This free event is funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and celebrates the joy of reading, storytelling and imagination.

Base71 family fun day

10am to 3pm

Come along to Base71 for a family fun day, to experience everything the youth zone has to offer.

Young people can scale the climbing wall, find their own rhythm in the music room or try their hand at nail art, while parents can find out more about partners such as Barnsley Premier Leisure (BPL) and Olio. Grassroots Sports Academy will be dropping by to host zorbing on the rooftop pitch, Barnsley FC Community Trust will be here to train the next superstars, and the Kids Invent Stuff team will be inspiring the generation of inventors with a fun-filled STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) session.

Base71 members and non-members are welcome on the day. Please note that no adults will be allowed into Base71 without a young person, and young people must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Animal Adventures at Library @ The Lightbox

11am to 1.30pm

Join us at the Library @ the Lightbox for musical fun, storytimes and meet a giant sloth!

Handler Wilhelmina is a proud keeper and loves to show off her giant sloths from South America. The trouble is they have mischief in mind but fortunately are very slow-moving, so you may have time to run away before they move in for one big family cuddle. It is almost impossible to resist their charms!

Magical Fairy Tales at Barnsley Civic

10am, 12pm, and 1:30pm

Barnsley Civic Community Space

Experience the magic of storytelling with Barnsley Civic's pantomime fairy, the Spirit of Stairfoot. Settle into our welcoming community space and be whisked away to enchanted kingdoms filled with magical creatures, daring adventures and unforgettable characters. Through interactive storytelling and a touch of fairy magic, the Spirit of Stairfoot will bring beloved classic tales to life. Perfect for the whole family, join us for some love, laughter and happy ever after!

Little City at Barnsley Civic

10:30am, 12:30pm, and 2pm

Barnsley Civic Old Art School

Little City is an entirely mobile role play City for the under 6’s to explore and enjoy. Utilising our bespoke backdrops and specially selected high-quality toys and equipment, your child can fully immerse themselves in their own world and welcome you in too!

Our toddlers and pre-schoolers are our biggest observers: they have watched us as adults in the supermarket, post letters in the Post Office and style our hair. At Little City your little ones can ‘be’ grownups: where nothing is off limits, they can be the hairdresser, the firefighter, the builder, the café owner and much, much more.

Creative Writing Workshop at Barnsley Civic

1pm to 4pm

If buildings could speak, what would they tell us? What have they seen and what have they heard? What tales would they weave about the strangeness of their spaces, or about the humans (and ghosts) who move through them?

Join us at Barnsley Civic for a wonderfully creative (and free!) workshop exploring all things creative writing with writer Vicky Morris, created especially for 14 to 18 year olds.

Find out more and book your place on the Barnsley Civic website.