The Best May Half Term Activities in Yorkshire | 2022
May half term is one of my favourite school breaks. Weather permitting you can try a family walk, visit a new park, or even spend the day at a theme park! There are also some fun family events to pick from here in Yorkshire!
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Enchanted Stories at Mother Shipton’s


Wander into a world of Enchanted stories at Mother Shipton’s this May Half Term!
See giant story books and a Wonderland of fairy-tale themed displays with fantastical photo opportunities throughout the ancient woodland. Watch out for the pesky dragon, The Wicked Witch of the West and the Big Bad Wolf, peek into miniature fairy houses, and sit on the Wishing Chair throne.
Go wild in the Adventure Playground, or have your own Mad Hatter’s Tea Party with artisanal coffee, cakes, sandwiches and ice cream available to purchase from vintage style coffee kiosk. There are plenty of picnic benches with scenic views of the River Nidd and Ancient Royal Forest.
Festival of Natural Art


Pay a visit to Twisted: Barnsley Festival of Natural Art with Love Barnsley town centre in the May Half Term! The festival will kick off on Saturday 28th of May with Barnsley’s Fantastical Beasts Trail Part II with six NEW willow sculptures inspired by local legends. The trail will be on until June 12
Follow the trail, track down the beasts, complete the challenges & send your photos to the Love Barnsley Town Centre Facebook page for a chance to win a Barnsley Gift Card.
You can also watch giant sand sculptures being built in the Glass Works Square during the week & admire the completed sculpture from June 3rd – 12th .
Fairy Light – The Cottingley Faries


A new free installation, Fairy Light – The Cottingley Faries, is coming to Leeds Central Library just in time for May Half Term! It’s fantastic for children, teens & parents.
The story of the Cottingley Fairies has intrigued generations ever since the first photographs took the world by surprise in 1920 when cousins Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths took photographs of themselves with what looked like winged dancing fairies at the bottom of their garden in Cottingley.
A rare first edition of The Coming of the Fairies will appear alongside another book from the Leeds Libraries’ collections, Princess Mary’s Gift Book, on which Elsie based her own fairy drawings before posing them on hat pins for the photographs.
Fairy Light will also invite you to step into a recreation of the girls’ bedroom in Cottingley, as it could have looked in the summer of 1917 when the girls took the first photographs.
Families can make the most of their visit by popping into the children’s library and borrowing some books, joining in an event such as Rhyme Time or Story Time when they’re on!
Children can also create their own fairy-themed artworks to share with Leeds Libraries on Facebook or on Twitter @LeedsLibraries
Daily Event Listings for May Half Term in Yorkshire
If you’re looking for a day-by-day listing and even more May Half Term activities, check out our May Activities and Fun round-up!
More Yorkshire Family Fun
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