Tawny Owls, Steam Train Rides, Fun Dog Shows & More: August Bank Holiday Weekend Fun

· by · in Activities & Events. ·

It’s the August bank holiday weekend 2017 and as always Bristol comes up trumps with fun things to do for kids.

Whether you fancy a ride on a miniature steam train, meeting some real tawny owls, arty crafty activities, fun fair rides or a fun dog show, there’s something for everyone!

And don’t forget the 18 individually decorated pianos in streets across Bristol waiting to be played and enjoyed!

Here’s my list of events and activities this bank holiday weekend – hope you find it helpful…

SATURDAY

Victoria Park Owl Day

The free event celebrates the wonderful tawny owl population that has taken up residence in Victoria Park and will give children and families the chance to meet some new feathery friends!

Hosted by Victoria Park Action Group, with Secret World Wildlife Rescue and the RSPB, there will be owl and bird-themed arts and crafts activities for children, with experts on hand to offer advice to grown-ups such as information about bird conservation, and ideas on what you can do to get involved and help wild birds.

There will be a very small charge to do some of the kids’ craft activities just to cover materials, such as badge making, clay modelling, etc.

  • 1 – 4pm
  • No need to book, just turn up!
  • Meet on the grass slope alongside Nutgrove Avenue, below the children’s playground at Victoria Park
  • More details

Arty Fun Day: Creative Workspace, Withywood

All welcome to come along and get arty at this Family Fun Day. Ideal for all ages, there’ll be arts and crafts inspire by famous artists. There will also be dressing-up and dancing!

Café open all day (cash only).

  • 11am – 2pm
  • Free entry
  • Creative Workspace, Queens Road, Withywood BS13 8LG
  • More details

Treasure Island Story Walks on Bristol Docks

Enjoy a Treasure Island Story Walk on Bristol Docks and hear the story of Bristol’s famous pirate history!

Created by Show of Strength Theatre Company and in association with the Long John Silver Trust, the story walks will be led by a professional actor in period costume and will be full of pirates and buccaneers, hidden spy holes, dark secrets, dirty deeds and lashings of doubloons.

Ideal for families with children aged 8+.

  • Walks at 2pm & 4pm, duration 1 hour
  • Adults £8, under 16 £5, family (2+2) £20 – cash only
  • No booking required, meet at start of Treasure Island Story Walk by Merchant Venturers Almshouses, junction King St/Prince St, BS1 4DT
  • More details

Train Rides on Bristol Harbour Railway

Take a steam train ride on Bristol Harbour Railway from M Shed. The train will be pulled by the locomotive Portbury. Trips last about 20 minutes.

  • 11am – 4pm
  • Single £2 / Return £3 (M Shed to ss Great Britain), Under 6s travel free
  • More details

Bradley Stoke Carnival

Entertainment and fun for all of the family. Fun Fair with fairground rides, live music, games and more.

  • 11am – 6pm
  • Jubilee Green, Savages Wood Road, BS32 8HL
  • More details

Meet a Pliosaurus at Bristol Museum

A chance for children and families to dive into Bristol’s Jurassic sea, travel back in time 150 million years and come face to face with a real life 8 metre long Pliosaurus!

Children can touch her skin, listen to her heartbeat and smell her disgusting breath! Ideal for children aged 3 – 11.

  • Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
  • ‘Pay what you think’ – tickets can be collected from museum’s Box Office on the day
  • Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road, BS8 1RL
  • More details

Skeletons: Our Buried Bones at M Shed

An exciting new free exhibition at M Shed Bristol revealing how Bristolians lived thousands of years ago, Skeletons: Our Buried Bones will display six skeletons discovered in Bristol alongside six skeletons from the Museum of London’s 20,000-strong collection, bringing to life stories long hidden beneath the ground.

  • Open Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
  • Pay what you think
  • Drop-in
  • More details

Children’s free Summer Holiday Activities: Westbury-on-Trym Village

Summer Holiday Activity Sheet for children to do. Children must find wonderful knitted toys and creatures hidden in shop windows, on trees and around the village – owls, butterflies, cats, fairies, teddies, caterpillars and more!

SUNDAY

Tom’s Family Fun Day & Dog Show: Oldbury Court Estate

An amazing day of fun for all the family – including dogs!

Free entry, this fantastic event includes a raffle, bottle stall, food, refreshments, activities and a fun dog show – just £2 per entry! Open to all ages and our fun dog show is open to breeds big, small, noisy, quiet, cross breed and pedigree! We will be welcoming guest Crufts judge Marina Foley plus guests judges from all our wonderful, generous class sponsors – all local Bristol companies.

The fun day and dog show is being hosted in order to raise money for local man Tom, who has been diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. Money raised will be used for ground-breaking and proven treatment in Poland to save his life.

So, bring the whole family and enjoy a day of fundraising.

  • Sunday 27th August 10am – 4.30pm
  • £2 per entry
  • Oldbury Court Estate, Fishponds
  • More details

Family Funday at Bristol Goals, Stoke Gifford

A family event in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis charity. Bubble football, BBQ, games, music, inflatables and much more.

  • 11am – 4pm, drop-in
  • £5 adults, £2 under 13s, £10 family of 4
  • Tickets can be bought on day or pre-purchase by contacting Goals on 0117 908 8811
  • Goals Bristol North, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8LP

Treasure Island Story Walks on Bristol Docks

Enjoy a Treasure Island Story Walk on Bristol Docks and hear the story of Bristol’s famous pirate history!

Created by Show of Strength Theatre Company and in association with the Long John Silver Trust, the story walks will be led by a professional actor in period costume and will be full of pirates and buccaneers, hidden spy holes, dark secrets, dirty deeds and lashings of doubloons.

Ideal for families with children aged 8+.

  • Walks at 2pm & 4pm, duration 1 hour
  • Adults £8, under 16 £5, family (2+2) £20 – cash only
  • No booking required, meet at start of Treasure Island Story Walk by Merchant Venturers Almshouses, junction King St/Prince St, BS1 4DT
  • More details

Skeletons: Our Buried Bones at M Shed

An exciting new free exhibition at M Shed Bristol revealing how Bristolians lived thousands of years ago, Skeletons: Our Buried Bones will display six skeletons discovered in Bristol alongside six skeletons from the Museum of London’s 20,000-strong collection, bringing to life stories long hidden beneath the ground.

  • Open Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
  • Pay what you think
  • Drop-in
  • More details

Children’s free Summer Holiday Activities: Westbury-on-Trym Village

Summer Holiday Activity Sheet for children to do. Children must find wonderful knitted toys and creatures hidden in shop windows, on trees and around the village – owls, butterflies, cats, fairies, teddies, caterpillars and more!

Sunday Funday BBQ: The Café on the Common

All welcome along to enjoy good food, cheerful music and great company at the Café on the Common.

The food will be reasonably priced and there are lots of other snacks and drinks available to buy at the café, including sandwiches, teas, coffees and ice creams.

All profits made by the café go back into Horfield Common to support improvements to the facilities and provision for all.

  • 12.30 – 4pm
  • The Café on the Common, Horfield Common, BS7 (next to the Ardagh)
  • More details

Train Rides on Bristol Harbour Railway

Take a steam train ride on Bristol Harbour Railway from M Shed. The train will be pulled by the locomotive Portbury. Trips last about 20 minutes.

  • 11am – 4pm
  • Single £2 / Return £3 (M Shed to ss Great Britain), Under 6s travel free
  • More details

Meet a Pliosaurus at Bristol Museum

A chance for children and families to dive into Bristol’s Jurassic sea, travel back in time 150 million years and come face to face with a real life 8 metre long Pliosaurus!

Children can touch her skin, listen to her heartbeat and smell her disgusting breath! Ideal for children aged 3 – 11.

  • Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
  • ‘Pay what you think’ – tickets can be collected from museum’s Box Office on the day
  • Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road, BS8 1RL
  • More details

MONDAY

Miniature Steam Train Rides: Ashton Court Railway

Take a steam train ride on one of the Ashton Court Railway’s brightly coloured miniature trains – or three! Ideal for little ones and grown-ups too.

  • 12 – 5pm
  • Tickets 90p for one ride, 5 tickets for £4, 10 tickets for £8
  • Weather permitting – if in doubt phone 0117 946 7110 on the day
  • More details

Bank Holiday Fun Day: Viaduct Animal Sanctuary

Come along and meet and handle some of the sanctuary’s exotic animals and also enjoy facepainting, caricature drawings, a bouncy castle and lots more.

  • 11am – 3pm, drop-in
  • £1.50 per person
  • 114A Badminton Road, BS36 28Z
  • More details

Community Fun Day at Rose Green Cricket Club, Whitehall

Lots of fun for children and adults including music, entertainments, sports activities, bouncy castle, face painting, rodeo bull rides and lots more. Bristol Bike Project will also be there so bring your bikes along for free and simple repairs.

  • 2 – 8pm, drop-in
  • Free admission
  • Rose Green Cricket Club, 65 Gordon Road, Whitehall BS5 7DR

Treasure Island Story Walks on Bristol Docks

Enjoy a Treasure Island Story Walk on Bristol Docks and hear the story of Bristol’s famous pirate history!

Created by Show of Strength Theatre Company and in association with the Long John Silver Trust, the story walks will be led by a professional actor in period costume and will be full of pirates and buccaneers, hidden spy holes, dark secrets, dirty deeds and lashings of doubloons.

Ideal for families with children aged 8+.

  • Walks at 2pm & 4pm, duration 1 hour
  • Adults £8, under 16 £5, family (2+2) £20 – cash only
  • No booking required, meet at start of Treasure Island Story Walk by Merchant Venturers Almshouses, junction King St/Prince St, BS1 4DT
  • More details

Whitchurch Village Fete

Whitchurch Village’s 40th annual fete includes a climbing wall, dog show, children’s games, birds of prey, baby and toddler sensory tent with breastfeeding area, cakes, cream teas and other refreshments and lots more!

Meet a Pliosaurus at Bristol Museum

A chance for children and families to dive into Bristol’s Jurassic sea, travel back in time 150 million years and come face to face with a real life 8 metre long Pliosaurus!

Children can touch her skin, listen to her heartbeat and smell her disgusting breath! Ideal for children aged 3 – 11.

  • Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
  • ‘Pay what you think’ – tickets can be collected from museum’s Box Office on the day
  • Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road, BS8 1RL
  • More details

Skeletons: Our Buried Bones at M Shed

An exciting new free exhibition at M Shed Bristol revealing how Bristolians lived thousands of years ago, Skeletons: Our Buried Bones will display six skeletons discovered in Bristol alongside six skeletons from the Museum of London’s 20,000-strong collection, bringing to life stories long hidden beneath the ground.

  • Open Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
  • Pay what you think
  • Drop-in
  • More details

Children’s free Summer Holiday Activities: Westbury-on-Trym Village

Summer Holiday Activity Sheet for children to do. Children must find wonderful knitted toys and creatures hidden in shop windows, on trees and around the village – owls, butterflies, cats, fairies, teddies, caterpillars and more!

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