The Isle of Wight is certainly spoilt for choice when it comes to Spring events and activities for the whole family to enjoy. This Easter will be no different. Here are a few suggestions of places to visit and events that are happening on the Island this Spring time.
The 2023 Isle of Wight Spring Art & Garden Fair at Northwood House
7th and 8th April
The 2023 Isle of Wight Spring Art & Garden Fair will take place this Easter at Northwood House and Park in Cowes on Friday 7th & Saturday, 8th April (Good Friday & Easter Saturday) from 10am to 5pm.
The event will bring together a fantastic collection of different exhibitors of all types, including garden and plant nurseries from the Island and mainland who will be taking space on the lawns of the historic local venue, as well as a fantastic Island artist showcase inside the main house. Plants, shrubs, garden machinery, tools, landscaping products and even hot tubs will all be on display over the two-day event. Guest mainland exhibitors who normally exhibit at RHS events will be attendance selling the highest quality plant stock.
Some of the best Island artists will be exhibiting their work in the Art Showcase in the Northwood House Ballroom and Dining Room, in what will certainly be the first main Island art event of the busy spring and summer season. There will be a live painting demonstration complete with some human models as subject matter running through the weekend, where visitors can have a go at sketching and painting with tuition from experienced Island artists in situ.
The Tea Tent and Lawn Bar will feature live music… plus some free family Easter activities! Live acoustic performers will be playing over the weekend on the lawn to allow visitors to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. There will also be free children’s art and craft activity room at the Fair and an Easter Egg Trail around Northwood Park for families to enter. There will also be some Easter competitions, which will be fun for all the family. With just a small entry fee, all proceeds go to Northwood House Charitable Trust. The Spring Fair is only £4 for a standard single admission ticket to enter or £7.00 for two person ticket, with children under 16 free. The event will be open between 10am and 5pm on both Good Friday and Easter Saturday. Proceeds from the event will go to Northwood House Charitable Trust to help with ongoing restoration of the grade II* Listed House and upkeep of Northwood Park for the Island community to enjoy. Tickets available here.
Easter Escapades at Carisbrooke Castle
7th – 10th April
Join the performers at Carisbrooke Castle for four days of Easter fun. There’ll be plenty of opportunity for the whole family to get involved in traditional games, activities and races, along with storytelling sessions throughout the day.
Combine speed and steadiness to come out on top in the egg and spoon race. Display herculean strength and lead your team to victory in tug of war. Then there’s the sword school, which will turn the little ones into bona fide blade masters! After all that excitement, be sure to unwind to relaxing tones from historical musicians.
You can also take part in an egg-stra special Easter Adventure Quest. The quest costs just £2, which you can pay when you arrive at the site. Successful adventurers will be rewarded with a certificate and a tasty chocolate treat.
For more information click here.
Easter Quest at Osborne House
1st – 16th April
Enjoy a cracking adventure quest at Osborne this Easter holiday. Explore the grounds to hunt for clues and challenges and discover traditional Easter games like egg rolling and the egg and spoon race. Track down the Easter eggs and you’ll be rewarded with an adventurer’s certificate and a tasty chocolate treat from our partner, Love Cocoa.
The quest costs just £2, which you can pay when you arrive at the site. This is in addition to the normal ticket price.
You can take on the quest every day of the school holidays. With eggs, chocolate and family fun, it’s the perfect way to get out and about in history this Easter.
For more information click here.
180th Celebrations at Blackgang Chine
7th – 10th April, 11am – 3pm
Light the candles, grab your party hats and get ready to celebrate as Blackgang Chine celebrates its 180th birthday this Easter Weekend!
From the 7th – 10th April, the park will invite guests to join them in celebrating their 180 years of magical memory making, featuring an eclectic mix of activities fit for the whole family! From character meet & greets to funky family photo ops, you don’t want to miss out on this once- in-a-lifetime occasion!
Don’t forget to put your hands in the air and scream as loud as you can on Blackgang Chine’s NEW ride for 2023! The perfect finale to a spectacular weekend.
For more information click here.
Easter at Robin Hill
Monday – Friday from 3rd – 14th April, 11am – 3pm
Delve deep into the ancient woodlands and get ready to jump high beneath the treetops on Robin Hill’s NEW attraction this Easter half-term!
Featuring some familiar special guests, bring your family along for a whole day of exploration and adventure across 88 acres of open parkland every Monday – Friday from the 3rd to the 14th April!
For more information click here.
Introducing: The Legends of Blackgang Chine
4th – 6th, and the 11th – 13th April
The Legends of Blackgang Chine have been up to no good this Easter as one duo of scallywags have stolen Lady Penelope Dodo’s golden egg!
Lady P only lays golden eggs every 180 years, this is her first one and a relic that should be pride of place for our 180th Celebrations – so she needs your help to recover it! The characters around our wonderful lands of imagination know more then they are letting on, so the question is…who done it?!
Could it be the swashbuckling, treasure seeking pirates? Or those dastardly cowboys? Or are the unsuspecting fairies causing mischief again? We know that our dinos are partial to dodo eggs, so perhaps they’ve been sniffing around?
Join our Legends every Tuesday – Thursday this Easter holidays and bring those detective instincts, we’ll need them in the quest to find the missing golden eggs and become Lady P’s hero! If you correctly solve the case, you’ll be in with a chance of winning epic prizes! So don’t miss out on the fun get your tickets to Blackgang Chine this Easter!
For more information click here.
Easter at Tapnell Farm Park
Selected dates over the Easter Holidays
Hop on down to Tapnell Farm Park this Easter for an unforgettable adventure filled with fun and games! From Hatters to Hares, everyone will be playing in Alice’s Easter Wonderland…Curious!?
Alice’s Easter Wonderland: 4th – 14th April
From 11.30 – 3.30pm in the Event Barn at Tapnell Farm Park (included in your Farm Park Admission)
Journey down the rabbit hole and join Alice and friends during the Easter holidays.
Featuring your favourite characters from the story, join Alice for a spot of potion making*, take on the White Rabbit’s Bunny Hop Race, complete the scavenger hunt in the Mad Hatters Maze, take on the Queen of Hearts in her croquet tournament, plus much more!
Come and watch the enchanting Cheshire Cat aerial display, and have a go on her beautiful silks and hoop. (Selected dates: 4th – 6th and 11th -13th April)
*small additional fee, paid locally
From the 1st – 16th April, they will have all your favourite daily animal activities in the Farm – from paddock tours and wallaby feeding with the keepers, to bugs and beasties and Tapnell trims!
There will also be FREE Easter Crafts in the Craft Cabin every day.
Plus, as an extra special Easter treat, there will be some Hebridean sheep with their little lambs for you to see.
There will also be a special prize draw Easter Egg hunt over Easter weekend (7th – 10th April).
For more information click here.
Easter Activities at West Wight Sports and Community Centre
3rd – 16th April
Join West Wight Sports and Community Centre for some awesome activities this Easter! They have a range of land- and water-based activities on offer, including climbing, swimming lessons, sports club, pre-sailing skills and kayaking, to name just a few. They also have activities especially for teenagers!
Places are limited and we expect sessions to fill up quickly. Booking is essential. All activities can be booked now, with the exception of fun hours and open swim sessions which will be available to book nine days in advance.
Call them on 01983 752168 to secure your place! If you need assistance to fund your child’s activities this Easter, financial support is available (whilst spaces and funds last).
To view the programme, and/ or to apply for funding support, click here.
Easter at Shanklin Chine
Easter Egg Hunt, Good Friday 7th April – Easter Sunday 9th April
The Island’s most historic visitor attraction is holding its first ever Easter Egg Hunt. Explore the grounds of the Chine making your way through winding pathways to the magnificent 45 foot waterfall. Join in the daily Easter Egg hunts over the Easter bank holiday weekend, will you find the Golden Egg? Follow the trail and enter the competition to win an Annual Family Pass for the 2023 season.
Also NEW for 2023, look out for giant dinosaur eggs as well as three new prehistoric creatures who have taken up residence in the Chine’s undergrowth.
For more information click here.
An egg-citing Easter planned at the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary
1st – 16th April
Join Wildheart Animal Sanctuary for interactive Easter quiz trails, with hidden prizes for the kids, Easter-themed crafts and plenty of egg-ducational animal talks.
You can also enjoy access to their spectacular Lemur dome which will be open from 10:30am till 4:30pm throughout the Easter half term. For a cracking and affordable family day out this Easter, book tickets today.
Rescued Tigers arrival date announced! They also have some more exciting news to share, after some unforeseen delays the rescued Tigers, Softi and Toph, will finally be arriving at the Sanctuary on the 28th April, so be sure to book your tickets to be amongst the first to welcome them to their forever home at the Sanctuary.
To find out more about the new arrivals click here
Easter Holidays at the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
1st – 16th April
For Easter Half term there will be Donkey Walking and Pamper a Donkey Packages throughout the whole of the half term. If you’ve ever fancied taking a donkey for a walk or want to spend some quality time with a donkey, learning about them and giving them a pamper, then here is your chance!
Donkey Walking is 30-minute activity, for ages 5+, and £12 per person. Pamper a Donkey is a 50-minute activity, for ages 7+, and £20 per person. Booking in advance is advised. Full availability, details and booking can be found here.
Over the Easter Weekend 7th – 10th April they will have our Easter Egg Hunt! Use hints to find the hidden Easter Eggs around the sanctuary and receive a tasty reward at the end!
There will be delicious Easter goodies in Grazers Café to enjoy, and there will be a Concert in the Courtyard on the 8th and 9th. Ricky J will be joining us on the 8th from 11am – 1:30pm, and Marie Smith will be joining us on the 9th from 1pm – 3:30pm.
For more information click here.
Easter at Monkey Haven
Easter Holidays
Easter is an ‘Eggcelent’ time to visit Monkey Haven so come and join their rescued animals for a fun-packed day out over the Easter holidays!
They are so eggcited to be unveiling the Capuchin family’s brand new eco-friendly home! Go and and see Peppino, Lulu and their tribe settling into their new outside space, bouncing on cargo nets and causing havoc! As well as all this…
- Cracking Egg Hunt with prizes (daily)
- Easter Activity booklet & stamper trail
- Tasty treats in Xhabu’s tea room
- Award-winning keeper talks
- Meet the owls & reptiles
- Easter activities in the lodge (7th -10th)
- Special animal birthday celebrations!
- FREE seven day return!
For more information click here.
