Five Things To Do With Your Family This Weekend

EVENT SIRF’s Up
Spectacular street theatre and circus comes to Stockton-on-Tees this weekend at SIRF19, the town’s colourful, free outdoor festival. Expect eye-popping spectacle from Apocalyptic Circus, extraordinary feats from Mimbre Acrobats and dragged-up glittery fun with Fantabulosa. Saturday’s carnival procession brings rhythms and dance to the streets of the town. Magical stuff that’s worth travelling for.

MAKE Woodn’t It Be Nice?
Summer holidays are made for drifting. Drift along the beach, pick up some driftwood, drift home and try these dreamy crafts. Soundtrack your hammock time with this sun-kissed seashell wind chime; paint these happy houses and create your own wooden town, or try something a little more refined and make these on-trend striped wood decorations. This elegant candelabra will look good year-round, while a simple game of noughts and crosses gets a chic overhaul with this simple-to-make beachcomber version. If you’d like to try something a little more far out, why not attempt to create this seaweed-and-driftwood kite?!

RECIPE Cooling Off
August is all about making over-engineered, long cool drinks, then sipping them outside. This year, we’re making cordials for the base of our mocktails; adapt this recipe to any fruit in season. Or go Enid Blyton old-fashioned and make lashings of ginger beer. Fancy something less sticky? Jamie Oliver has some delicious-sounding recipes that are low on sugar – try basil and strawberry or rosemary and peach concoctions, herb-and-fruit flavoured water, authentic cold-brew coffee and strawberry slushies!

EVENTS Free and Easy
Facing a long summer holiday, and worried about having to fork out for expensive days out? We are rabid fans of making the most of our local museums and galleries events programmes. Search the events pages of your favourite local venue – there are usually free workshops, mini-festivals, storytelling and arts classes happening throughout the summer. Our favourites include London’s Museum of Childhood’s design, storytelling and eco maker sessions, the Museum of London’s digital treasure hunts and walks that uncover London’s family-friendly and history-soaked spaces, the diverse, free line-up of events at museums across Liverpool that include a recreated archaeological dig, Glasgow museums and art galleries’ art for baby classes and sun print or flower power headband making sessions

, Edinburgh’s Lauriston Castle’s inventive programme of magic workshops, sketchbook making and clay tile creating, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s outdoor sculpture building sessions, family art days and studio space.

EVENT Bow Selector
Next week! Dust off your best Lincoln green clobber and get set to reenact your favourite outlaw stories in Sherwood Forest at the Robin Hood Festival. Each year, the party celebrates the life and legends of the Forest’s most famous resident, Robin Hood. Immerse yourself in activities; re-enactments, storytelling, medieval music, archery, crafts, demonstrations and even the chance to meet the generous outlaw himself. Free, parking £5. August 5–11.