What's on over the summer holidays in Sussex?

There are activities taking place for the whole family across Sussex during the summer holidays, here is a handy list of what's on. From archery to counting butterflies, there is something for everyone.
There are loads of activities for families across Sussex this summerThere are loads of activities for families across Sussex this summer
There are loads of activities for families across Sussex this summer

Angmering: Out of Bounds - Active Summer Day Camps

Day camps for eight to 12 year olds, for £24 a day. Activities will include adventure golf, bowling, clip ‘n’ climb, footgolf and soft play. The camps will run from 9:30am through to 4:00pm.

August 13, 14, 20 and 21

Arundel: Arundel Museum - Summer Exhibition

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Artworks created by students aged 15 to 18 from secondary schools will be displayed. The individually chosen 80 GCSE and A level examination pieces that form the exhibition have been selected from more than 1000 artworks.

August 6 to September 2 daily from 10am-4pm.

Arundel: Arundel Wetland Centre - Dusty’s Wildlife Rangers

At the Ranger camp in the Wildlife Garden you can learn to send secret messages, find water and tie bush craft knots. Then set off into the wild for a map and compass challenge and hunt for animal tracks or find out how to forage for natural remedies.

Saturday, July 21 to Monday, September 3. 9.30am to 5pm. Admission prices apply.

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Bexhill: Egerton Park - Bexhill Gala

Celebrate summer at Egerton Park with an assortment of family friendly creative activities.

Wednesday, August 15 from 10am to 4pm. Free, no booking required.

Bodiam: Bodiam Castle - Archery and falconry

Discover your hidden talents and try your hand at some medieval skills during the summer holidays at Bodiam Castle. Join the archers and falconers from The Hawking Centre and test your skill with a bow and arrow or try your hand at flying a bird of prey.

July 21 to September 3 from 11am to 4pm.

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Falconry walk £5, archery £3.50 for 6 arrows. Normal admission charges also apply.

Bodiam: Bodiam Castle - Storytelling

Children and adults alike can rest a while in one of the towers and enjoy being read to. Listen to some great tales and imagine yourself back in medieval England when there was no technology just the art of storytelling.

11am to 3pm Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the summer holidays. Admission prices apply.

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Brighton: Carden Primary School - Sainsbury’s Active Kids holiday club

This holiday club is designed to help children from five to 15 lead healthier lives, get active, and eat well while enjoying the summer with friends. The clubs offer a wide range of activities, tailored by age group, including gymnastics, tennis, cricket, dodgeball and football alongside active play, dance and arts and crafts.

July 30 to August 31. 9am to 4pm on Monday to Friday. Sainsbury’s customers can redeem 200 Nectar points to receive a booking code. Spaces can then be booked for £7.50 per child, per day, which includes a healthy lunch and snacks.

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Brighton: Sea Life Centre - Dive Into The Deep with LEGO Ocean Explorers

Dive into the deep with Sea Life in the new nationwide LEGO adventure, Ocean Explorers, where you can discover new depths of the ocean and help the LEGO deep sea diver track down his missing equipment. Successfully solve the challenge to become a certified Sea Life Junior Diver and receive your own LEGO diver mini figure to take home.

July 23 to September 2. Admission charges apply.

Brighton: Stanmer House - Miss Sparkles’ Harry Potter School Party

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Dress to impress while making wands, spells, potions, magic and dance. Suitable for ages seven to 11 years.

Tuesday, August 14 from 2pm to 4pm. £8.50 per child. Parents / guardians need to stay with their children. Parents do not need to buy a ticket.

Brighton: Theatre Royal - Open Day

Theatre Royal Brighton Open Day is an opportunity for everyone to go in and look around. There will be craft activities, archive information, demonstrations from the tech team and a chance to take a peek into the dressing rooms, under the stage and on the stage of the historic 211 year old building.

Wednesday, August 15 from 11am to 3pm. Free event.

Brighton: Theatre Royal - The Secret Life of Fairies

Not all fairies live in the woods, some have other ideas! Join The Fairy Preservation Society on a secret journey around the theatre - take the fairy promise, make a magic potion and cast a spell in this magical experience for four to eight year olds and their grown ups.

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Sunday, August 12 at 1.30pm, 3pm, or 4.30pm. Monday, August 13 at 10.30am, 12pm, 1.30pm, 3pm or 4.30pm. £12.50.

Burwash: Bateman’s - The Jungle Book Trail

Escape into the garden at Bateman’s and discover some of Kipling’s most famous characters. Some of the characters from The Jungle Book have escaped from their book and are out and about hiding in the garden. Pick up a Jungle Book trail and follow the clues to find them all and win a prize.

July 21 to September 2 from 11am to 4pm. Normal admission charges apply and £2.50 per trail

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Chichester: Fordwater Special School - Sensory Tent and Lunchtime Activities

Small group session for children with autism and their families. Relax in a safe and secure environment while the children explore the sensory tent and have fun with games and craft activities. Free on-site parking. Venue is wheelchair accessible with accessible toilet facilities and hoist with changing bed.

Tuesday, August 28 from 12noon to 1.45pm. Pre-booking essential. £8 (family parties of up to four persons). If your child is happy to stay you can pay to watch the afternoon (2pm) performance at little extra cost.

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Chichester: Novium Museum - Bricks Britannia LEGO Exhibition

Bricks Britannia is an exciting interactive LEGO brick exhibition at The Novium Museum in Chichester, featuring the History of Britain. The exhibition features more than 30 stunning models built by Bright Bricks, taking visitors through a journey of iconic moments in British history from the Stone Age through to the 21st Century.

July 28 to October 31. Free event.

Chichester: Southdowns Planetarium - Summer Shows

The South Downs Planetarium in Chichester is an exciting place for people of all ages to visit. Get lost in their stunning full dome images and breath-taking videos whilst their highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers take you on a mind-blowing journey through space. July 6 to September 30 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday.

Eastbourne: Eastbourne Bandstand - Kids Disco

On Tuesday evenings during the summer holidays it’s party time. Join the party with DJ Oli, playing music from the charts, plus some family favourites, the kids won’t want the school holidays to end. Free face paint available.

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Tickets cost £4 in advance for adults and £5 in advance for children. Weekly on Tuesday evenings from July 24 to August 28, 7pm to 8.30pm.

Eastbourne: Seafront - Eastbourne International Airshow

Eastbourne’s International Airshow boasts a two-mile flying display line along Eastbourne seafront. Airbourne features the very best in military and civilian aviation display teams including the Red Arrows, Typhoon and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, plus many more. Ground displays open 10am to 6pm daily, with flying from lunchtime until approx. 5pm.

Thursday, August 16 to Sunday, August 19. Free entry,

Eastbourne: Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club - Celebration of Land and Sea

A three-day weekend of free family entertainment, see the stunning waterside views from the balconies of Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club and ask about social membership deals available during the event. The event will feature at sea yacht racing and dinghy sailing in the marina, live music from musicians and bands, an all weekend art show featuring talented local artists, a new and used boat show and much more.

August 25, 26 and 27. Free event.

East Grinstead: Standen House - Children’s Summer Craft

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Join in with a summer of activities themed around th exhibition ‘Helen Beale - Never at Sea’, which tells the inspirational story of Standen’s Helen Beale and the Women’s Royal Naval Service. Children can use their creative skills to print their own fabric bag that they can then take home.

August 6 to 19, from 11am to 3pm daily. Admission prices apply plus £2 contribution for craft activities.

Exceat: Seven Sisters Country Park - Wild Woodies Holiday Club

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Light a fire to make your own hot drink, build a den, use hand tools to make things out of natural materials, explore the woods and discover what animals live in the forest. Each day has a different theme and activities. Suitable for children aged six to 11. Children do not need to be accompanied by an adult.

August 9, 15 and 23. 10am to 3pm. Child member £20, non member £28.

Hastings: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery - Dinosaur Day

Free family craft activity all day. Feel free to take a picnic. A highly visual, funny and peculiar, fast moving historical romp of a 35-minute show, The Iguanodon Restaurant is inspired by an extraordinary real-life event, and it takes place inside a massive 35-foot beast. Inside the museum there’ll be real dinosaur bones to handle and dino craft activities.

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August 22 from 10am to 3pm with performances starting at 11.30am and 2pm.

Hastings: Priory Meadow Shopping Centre - Dino Island Sandy Beach

Priory Meadow’s free sandy beach is back in Queens Square this summer.

Buckets and spades are provided.They have a Dinosaur Trail around the centre over the summer. Simply head to Kids Stuff Toys to collect a trail sheet and pencil and head off on the search for the letters. Once you have all the letters unscramble them to find the magic word and head to The Works to collect your prize.

July 21 to September 2 from 9am to 5pm.

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Haywards Heath: More House Farm Fishery - Angling4Education Fishing sessions

This is an unique opportunity for participants to give fishing and forest schools a try, enjoy the natural environment, meet new people and learn a variety of new and transferable skills. There will be a range of adapted equipment and a selection of qualified, experienced, specialist staff to make these sessions accessible for all.

Thursday, August 23 from 10.30am to 1.30pm. £7.50 per person.

Horsham: Horsham Museum and Art Gallery - Fossils and Dinosaurs Summer Fun Workshop

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Be a paleontologist. Dig up fossils learn about dinosaurs and handle real dinosaur bones. Must be booked in advance.

Monday, August 13. Session times: 11.15am to 12.45pm or 2.00pm to 3.30pm. £7 per child aged over seven.

Horsham: Newhouse Farm - Jurassic Jumble Maize Maze

Newhouse Farm in Horsham has announced its 2018 Maize Maze, with the theme of Jurassic Jumble. The whole family can have fun together in this huge T-Rex shaped maze in a field of maize.

July 14 to September 9. Adult £8, child £6.50, child under four free, family £26.

Lewes: Spring Barn Farm - Pirates and Fairy Princesses

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Magical mayhem and swashbuckling fun await you this summer at Spring Barn Farm with a pirate puzzle trail, a maze and all the fun of the farm park itself.

July 21 to August 31, admission prices apply.

Littlehampton: East Green - Screen on the Green

Back for its 5th year, bring a blanket, pick your spot and join in on Friday, August 17, and Saturday, August 18, for two evenings of free outdoor cinema fun on a giant 40ft inflatable screen.

Friday is The Greatest Showman, Satursay is Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Both films will start at 8.45pm. Free, non-ticketed event.

Newhaven: Newhaven Fort - Festival of Belonging

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Gather in Newhaven Town Centre for 10am on August 27 and join the colourful procession including Newhaven’s best, Earthquake Drummers, Bonfire Society, Town Crier and the children carrying bespoke umbrellas. There will be a real buzz as the atmosphere rises and in celebration of what Newhaven means to everyone and as part of the fabulous Morag Myerscough project, the procession will work its way to the RNLI building where Haven Harmonies will sing, and the procession will continue up to The Fort.

August 27, entry to the Fort is free on this day.

Newhaven: Newhaven Town Centre - Chalk Up The Town

A fabulous holiday activity for families to arrive and add some colour to the town centre. The theme of Artwave this year is colour so locals and visitors may enjoy getting creative and chalking on the pavements, ready for the arrival on Bank Holiday of the amazing, colourful Festival of Belonging.

Saturday, August 25, 10am to 1pm. Register for a free family ticket.

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Petworth: Petworth House and Park - Incredible Inventions trail

Follow in the footsteps of Elizabeth Ilive and become an inventor extraordinaire. Using clues around the pleasure grounds create an ingenious tool and claim your prize.

Tickets are £3 per entry.

Runs until September 30, every day of the week.

Seaford: Downs Leisure Centre - Fun Fest

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Free kids activities, free classes, a free raffle (including the chance to win a month’s membership) and more. Take along a picnic or try the tasty food and drink, but not before you take a leap onto the bouncy castles! Loads of family fun for everyone to enjoy.

Sunday, September 2 from 10am to 4pm. Free entry and free car parking available.

Shoreham: Ropetackle Arts Centre - Wild Rumpus

Wild Rumpus is a fun and physical play session for young children and their parents/carers, where adults and children move and play together, in pairs and as a group. Both children and adults can expect to run, play, scream, roll, laugh and fly together.

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Monday, August 13. Starts 10am or 1pm. Tickets cost £6 for one adult and one child.

Sidlesham: RSPB Pagham Harbour - Big Butterfly Count

Grab an identification chart from the Visitor Centre and join in this nationwide survey that helps to assess the health of the environment.

July 20 to August 12. Free event.

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Singleton: Weald and Downland Museum - Family Twilight Tale Trail

Thursday, August 23. 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

Listen to folklore and historical tales of mysterious places, magnificent creatures and magical adventures. Suitable for ages 7+, accompanied children will join a small group, guided by one of the Museum team, to walk to different spaces to hear five twilight tales.

Tickets are limited and must be booked in advance.

Singleton: Weald and Downland Museum - Wonderful Wednesdays

Wonderful Wednesdays are fun-packed activity days for families, which take place every Wednesday in August. The theme this August is the senses – sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste – with a different sense featuring each week.

August 15, 22, 29. 11am to 4pm. Admission prices apply.

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South Harting: Uppark House and Garden - Summer School holiday trail

This summer, walk in the footsteps of the women of Uppark. From exploring distant lands to the art of butter churning, find out more about each of our women in a fun and imaginative family trail. It will take all the family to complete your trail which takes you around the house and grounds so just ask the team at the Golden Gate Kiosk for a trail when you arrive and get exploring.

July 21 to September 2. Admission prices apply. A £1 donation is suggested for trails.

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Uckfield: Bluebell Railway - Steam through the ages

This new event will bring different eras from history to life with a different decade recreated at each station. Travel tickets are valid all day so hop on and off the trains to explore each station as much as you like throughout the day.

Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12. Ticket prices apply, cheaper if bought online in advance.

Uckfield: Sheffield Park and Garden - Canadians in the Park summer trail

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Join in this summer holiday to take part in an interactive trail around the garden to find out what it would have been like to be a soldier based in a training camp during the Second World War.

Wednesday, August 1 to Monday, September 3 from 10am to 4pm. Free event, admission prices apply.

Wisborough Green: Fishers Farm Park - Wiggly Weekend

This family favourite encompasses a full weekend of fun, entertainment, and hands-on encounters with a selection of fascinating reptiles, bugs and amphibians from around the world. These captivating creatures will be presented by expert Nicky from Animal Extravaganza who will share her passion for these wonderful wigglies with live participation sessions throughout the day. She brings creatures such as snakes, tarantulas, lizards, geckos, cockroaches, you name it, Nicky’s probably got it.

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Saturday, August 18 and Sunday, August 19. Admission prices apply.

Woolbeding: Wooldbeding Parkland - Dog Fun Day

Take part in a dog show, see working dog demos, have a go at dog agility, take part in the country dog challenge, top tips on dog obedience and training, meet cows and sheep, enjoy local stalls and refreshments. Know what to do around livestock with your dog.

Sunday, August 12 from 10.30am to 3pm. Free event.

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