A free drop-in day of interactive, maker-led sessions, building trails, a dressing-up station and a Quiet Corner for families with children aged 3 to 10.
Bristol Old Vic is hosting Family Day on Tuesday 27 October, a free drop-in day of activities during the October half term. It's aimed at families with children aged 3 to 10, and you can come and go as you like between 10:30am and 2:30pm.
The day is built around the theatre's usual style of interactive, maker-led sessions and building trails, with workshops, crafts, and a dressing-up station to keep the kids busy. If you're after something a bit more structured, there are Young Company taster sessions that you can book in advance. And if things get a bit much, there's a Quiet Corner for reading and relaxing when you need a break from the noise.
This year's activities are wrapped in a bit of a story. The Old Vic was founded in 1766 and is recognised as the oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world, and 2026 is its 260th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations ran through May, with a silent disco, a citywide treasure hunt with 260 commemorative coins, and an online feature called 'Your Story, Our Stage'. Family Day is a regular part of that outreach, and this time it's got a party-panic theme: a panicked intern tasked with pulling together the 260th birthday celebration finds nothing ready—no decorations, no candles, no cake—and ends up travelling through the theatre's past.
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It's free entry, and because it's a drop-in, you don't have to commit the whole day if you've only got a couple of hours to spare. The activities run from 10:30am to 2:30pm on Tuesday 27 October at Bristol Old Vic.
