$A child in medieval knight dressing up costume with a sword held aloft at Pontefract Castle$

Summer holidays guide 2026

Monday, June 22, 2026

The summer holidays are on the horizon! There's so much to do across our sites from Monday 20 July to Monday 31 August.

Entry to our sites is free all year round. Most of the activities we offer during the school holidays are no-cost or low-cost too!

From tots to teenagers, we’ve got something for all the family these summer holidays in Castleford, Pontefract and Wakefield.

A paper boat and magnifying glass on top of an old map of Castleford

Time travellers at Castleford Museum

Every Monday*, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday** in the summer holidays - 10am to 3pm

Castleford Museum

Ages 5+

Free - no booking required

Travel through time at Castleford Museum these summer holidays! We'll be exploring a different era of history each week:

Time travellers: Stone Age and Bronze Age (20, 21, 23, 24** July): Learn how archaeologists piece together the past.
Time travellers: Romans (27, 28, 30, 31** July) - Discover the amazing objects our ancient ancestors left behind.
Time travellers: Pots and plates (3, 4, 6, 7** Aug) - Find out what life in Castleford was like in the 1700s.
Time travellers: Canals and railways (10, 11, 13, 14** Aug) - Can you beat our transport challenge?
Time travellers: 1950s fun (17, 18, 20, 21** Aug) - Enjoy merriment with music, marbles and carnival costumes!
Time travellers: Market days (24, 25, 27, 28** Aug) - Make a mini market stall complete with tiny items.

*Closed Bank Holiday Monday 31 August

** Fridays are SEND sessions. SEND families are welcome at all of our sessions. The Friday SEND sessions will have a more relaxed atmosphere.

Plan your visit to Castleford Museum

$Two teenagers and an adult smiling at a workshop at Pontefract Castle$

Heritage for Youth week at Pontefract Castle

Tuesday 28 July to Friday 31 July

Pontefract Castle

Ages 12 to 16

£3 per teenager, accompanying adults free. Booking required.

We're kicking off the summer holidays at Pontefract Castle with four days full of hands-on workshops for teenagers!

Heritage for Youth: fire and food (28 Jul): Mix up authentic medieval recipes. Cook them in our replica medieval bread oven!
Heritage for Youth: willow weaving (29 Jul): Discover how natural materials were used in medieval castles.
Heritage for Youth: silk and colour (30 Jul): Explore how colour was made in the past. Design and paint your own silk artwork.
Heritage for Youth: sugar craft (31 Jul): Try your hand at the delicate craft of sugar artistry.

Booking required for all teens workshops - and they fill up fast! Tickets available now.

Book: Heritage for Youth workshops

$A ripped tissue paper design of Pontefract Castle based on the Keirincx painting$

Picture perfect crafts at Pontefract Museum

Every Wednesday in the summer holidays - 10:30am to 3pm

Pontefract Museum

Ages 3+

Free - no booking required.

Be inspired by the paintings in the Picturing Pontefract exhibition these summer holidays! Enjoy a range of crafts exploring art, architecture and our local heritage.

Paper pictures (29 Jul): Make textured pictures of well-known Pontefract places.
Shadows and silhouettes (5 Aug): Experiment with light and shadow. Make a scratch silhouette bookmark to take home.
Memento making (12 Aug): Explore souvenirs and keepsakes in our collections.
Skyline lanterns (19 Aug): Be inspired by local buildings to design your own imagined townscape.
Magic pictures (26 Aug): Discover a world of Victorian illusions and optical toys.

Plan your visit to Pontefract Museum

$A child in medieval knight dressing up costume with a sword held aloft at Pontefract Castle$

Summer of discovery at Pontefract Castle

Tuesdays to Fridays, 4 to 28 August

SEND sessions on Wednesdays, 10am to 11am

Pontefract Castle

Families aged 3+

Free - booking required for SEND sessions only*

Step into history this summer at Pontefract Castle! Explore a different theme each week in our incredible atmospheric setting. Enjoy games, crafts, activities and interactive roleplay.

Knight School (4 to 7 Aug, SEND 5 Aug): Complete noble quests. Learn about medieval life through play.
Medieval Master Chefs (11 to 14 Aug, SEND 12 Aug): Join our medieval servants as they prepare the castle for an important visit.
Cooking up history (12 Aug): Join our team as they make and bake medieval recipes!
Sports at the Castle (18 to 21 Aug, SEND 19 Aug): Try some of the sports that kept medieval people fit, fast and battle‑ready.
Medieval warfare and silly science (25 to 28 Aug, SEND 26 Aug): Explore the powerful machines of medieval warfare. Have a go at making and firing your own model trebuchet.

Plan your visit to Pontefract Castle

A child wearing goggles and gloves pouring a solution into a bottle

Life in plastic at Wakefield Museum

Every Thursday in August, various times

Wakefield Museum

Activities for different ages

Life in plastic, is it fantastic? Enjoy a range of hands-on crafts and activities exploring our new exhibition, Plastic fantastic? Learn how to give single-life plastics a second life and stop them going to landfill.

Thursday 6 August:

Lettering and lino printing (ages 12 to 16)*: Design and cut your own lino print inspired by letters, symbols and stories from Wakefield’s history.
Tots and toys storytelling (ages 2 to 5): Join our storyteller for a brilliant story all about toys coming to life.
Marvellous toy makers (ages 5+): Take part in a toy trail through the museum.

Thursday 13 August:

Moo-tastic plastic (ages 6 to 11)*: Did you know plastic was once made from milk? Make and model with milk plastic!
Magnificent materials (ages 5+): Discover the weird and wonderful things everyday items can be made out of.

Thursday 20 August:

Model and mould (ages 6 to 11)*: Make a mould to cast your own creations.
Scraptastic crafts (ages 3+): Make shiny CD fish to hang in your window. Give single-use plastic a second life!

Thursday 27 August:

Scrapbook journals (ages 12 to 16)*: Make your own unique offline space to store your thoughts.
Builders and bottle caps (ages 3+): Turn plastic bottle caps into mini monsters. Try remaking museum objects from LEGO bricks!

*£3 per child, accompanying adults free. Booking required.

Plan your visit to Wakefield Museum

$A large crowd of families sat on the bailey at Pontefract Castle watching a performance on a sunny day$