News

Easter Holidays 2025 – Free Family Activities in Edinburgh

Last updated 13 April 2025

The Easter school holidays are about to kick off here in Edinburgh, so I’m back with another round up of free events and low-cost activities to do with kids that won’t break the bank. Plus some of our other favourite indoor and outdoor places we like to hang out and a couple of day trip recommendations, to give you my ultimate guide for your Easter holidays in Edinburgh!

Please note: the information is to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing, but please double check details with the venues directly before travelling!

EASTER EVENTS

I’ve given these their own category, as I know lots of people are looking specifically for Easter themed things to do. I’ve listed these in chronological order by date, though do double check as some of them take place over multiple dates.

Easter Hunt at Maddie & Marks Shoe Shop in Bruntsfield
Fri 4 to Sun 20 April; ask in store for further details (seen on a poster in their window)

Eggstravaganza Trail at Ikea Edinburgh
Fri 4 April to Mon 21 April, 9:30am – 9pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Craft at Drumbrae Library Hub
Mon 7 & Sat 19 April at 2pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Activities at Småland Crèche at Ikea Edinburgh
Mon 7 to Mon 21 April, 10am – 6pm; Free, sign in on the day

Easter Egg Hunt at Muirhouse Library
Throughout the Easter holidays during library opening times; Free, drop-in

Easter Egg Hunt at Moredun Library (outdoors)
Tues 8 April, 11am – 1pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Chick Craft at South Queensferry Library
Tues 8 April at 2pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Egg Craft at Ratho Library
Weds 9 April at 2:30pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Crafts at Newington Library
Weds 9 & Weds 16 April at 2:30pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Fun Day at the Gyle Shopping Centre
Thurs 10 & Thurs 17 April, 11am – 2pm; Free, drop-in

Bunny Bunting at Ikea Edinburgh
Fri 11 & Fri 18 April at 11am – 1pm & 1:45pm – 4pm; Free, drop-in

King’s Church Easter Egg Hunt at Harrison Park
Sat 12 April, 10am – 11:30am

Twinkle Twinkle Easter Singalong Special at Edinburgh Elim Church
Sat 12 April at 10am; Free, booking required

Easter Fun Day at Gilmerton Community Centre
Sat 12 April, 12pm – 3pm

Easter Egg Hunt at Drumbrae Library Hub
Mon 14 April all day (library open 10am to 8pm); Free, drop-in

Bunny Craft at Craigmillar Library
Mon 14 April at 3:45pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Hunt at Fountainbridge Library
Mon 14 – Sat 19 April, during library opening hours; Free, drop-in

Botanics Easter Trail
Mon 14 – Mon 21 April, 10am – 4pm; £3 per booklet (includes a treat at the end)

Easter Crafts at Fountainbridge Library
Weds 16 April, 3pm – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Quiz Night at Ikea Edinburgh (Ikea Family only)
Weds 16 April, 6:15pm – 8pm; Free, booking required

Easter Get Together at Valley Park Community Centre
Thurs 17 April, 9am – 11am; Free, drop-in

Spring & Easter activities at Currie Library
Thurs 17 April, 10:30am – 4:30pm

Easter Chicken Trail at Dalmeny and Queensferry Parish Church
Fri 18 – Mon 21 April, all day; Free, pick up a sheet at the church or library

Easter Outdoor Fun at Lauriston Castle
Fri 18 April, Sat 19 & Mon 21 April, 11am – 4pm; Free, drop-in (donations welcome)

Family Festival: Easter Party at Craigmillar Castle Park
Sat 19 April, 1pm – 3pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Egg Hunt at Waterstones West End
Sat 19 & Sun 20 April, 11am – 2pm; Free, drop-in

Easter Egg Hunt and Petting Zoo at McLarens on the Corner
Sun 20 April, 10am – 2pm; Free (donations welcome to raise funds for Home Start), drop-in

Easter Family Movies at Bridgend Farmhouse
Sun 20 April (“Hop”) at 11am & Fri 25 April (“Peter Rabbit”) at 4:30pm; Free, booking required

MUSEUMS

Edinburgh has a fantastic choice of family friendly museums, most of which offer free entry. Many of them also host free events during schools holidays. See below for our favourite museums and some of the special events taking place over the Easter holidays.

National Museum of Scotland

Open daily, 10am – 5pm. The museum has several interactive galleries aimed at families, and a host of free trails to choose from. Check out the online Family Hub for more details.

Special Events:

During the Easter holidays, there are quite a few free events happening at the museum, as it is one of the venues for the Edinburgh Science Festival.

Mission Planet Earth
Sat 5 to Sun 20 April, 10:30am – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Spaceship Earth
Sat 5 to Sun 20 April, 10am – 5pm; Free, drop-in

Sensory Sunday: Space
Sun 6 April, 11am – 12pm & 2pm – 3pm; Free, booking required

Moral Minds
Mon 7 to Thurs 10 April, 10:30am – 4:30pm; Free, drop-in

Discover Our Science with the University of Edinburgh
Mon 7 to Thurs 10 April & Mon 14 to Thurs 17 April, 10:30am – 4:30pm; Free, drop-in

Let’s Grow a Language
Mon 14 to Thurs 17 April, 10:30am – 4:30pm; Free, drop-in

(Full Disclosure: I work for National Museums Scotland)

National Galleries Scotland

Open daily, 10am – 5pm. Free family trails, art trolley and sensory bags at the National; Free family trails, sensory walks and ‘Art Space 2’ activity room at the Modern; Free family trail and art trolley at the Portrait. Find out more on the Galleries website or read our previous reviews about Art Space 2 and The National with Kids.

Special Events at Modern One:

Art Stomps
Sat 5 April, 10:30am – 12 noon; Free, drop-in

BYOB: Bring Your Own Baby/ Bump
Mon 7 April at 10:15am, 11am & 11:30am; Free, drop-in

Shape, Colour and Joy Family Art Afternoons
Mon 14 to Fri 18 April, 2pm – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Shape, Colour and Joy Family Art Afternoons – Autism Friendly Morning
Tues 15 April, 10:30am – 12pm; Free, drop-in

Museum on the Mound

Open 10-5pm Tuesdays to Fridays, and 1-5pm Saturdays and Bank Holidays (which includes Easter Monday!) Learn about the (hi)story of banking and money, with lots of hands-on activities scattered throughout the galleries. During the Easter holidays,

Find out more on the Museum on the Mound website or read our Museum on the Mound review.

Special Events:

Coin Striking
Tues 8 to Mon 21 April (on days the museum is open – see above), 2:30pm – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Lauriston Castle

Entrance to Lauriston Castle itself is by pre-booked guided tour only, but the grounds are free to access daily from 8am to 7:30pm and are a popular spot for walks. Keep your eye on the Lauriston Castle Facebook page for any closures to the grounds due to weather warnings. Mimi’s cafe is open daily 10am – 4pm, as are the toilets.

Special Events:

‘Easter Outdoor Fun’ family activities on Fri 18 April, Sat 19 and Mon 21 April, 11am – 4pm; Free, drop-in (donations welcome).

St Cecilia’s Hall

St Cecilia’s Hall & Music Museum is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 5pm (last entry at 4:30pm). Admission is free. It’s a wee gem of a museum to explore, with a year round family trail and interactive discovery drawers in the Wolfson Gallery that are particularly fun for children. Find out more in our review about St Cecilia’s Hall.

Special Events:

Spring Family Trail, Tues 1 April until Weds 30 April; 10am – 4pm (various time slots); Free, booking recommended

Museum of Edinburgh

Open daily, 10am – 5pm. Free family activity area packed full of art materials and worksheets relating to the galleries, as well as a reading corner and some replica objects you can explore. They now also have a new Sensory Room, and Family Sensory Backpacks to borrow. Find out more on the Museum of Edinburgh website or read our Museum of Edinburgh review.

Special Events:

Leili and the Blue Ballon Storytelling
Fri 11 April at 2pm; Free, booking essential

Rakhi Bracelet Making
Sun 13 April, 2pm – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Body Art: Henna Sessions
Sun 13 April, 2pm – 4pm; Free, drop-in

The Museum of Childhood

Open daily, 10am – 5pm. Plenty of hands-on activities to keep kids busy, including games, dressing up and a story corner. Can be combined with a visit to the Scottish Storytelling Centre across from it, which has a nice cafe including a Story Wall that kids can play with. Find out more on the Museum of Childhood website.

Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage

Fantastic wee museum open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 4pm. It tells the story of Scottish firefighting from its inception to the present day. Very family friendly, with interactive displays, dressing up, reading nook, and ‘search and explore’ bags to borrow. Find out more in our review about the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage.

Special Events:

Bookbug
Weds 9 April, 9:30am – 10am; Free, drop-in

Trinity House Maritime Museum

Another little gem of a museum, usually only open on Fridays from April to September, with access by guided tour only. But several times throughout the year they host open days, with family friendly activities. For the Easter holidays, they are hosting two pirate days with lots of fun activities. We went to one of these last year and had a brilliant time! Find out more in our review of Trinity House.

Special Events:

Pirate Day at Trinity House Maritime Museum
Weds 9 & Weds 16 April, 11am – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Dynamic Earth

Access to Dynamic Earth’s main exhibition is by paid admission, but for a while now they have offering free drop-in activities in their upstairs entrance hall. During the Easter holidays, there are free various drop-in activities taking place as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.

Free Drop-in Activities

Meet the Scientist 

(All 10am – 4pm; Free, drop-in)

LIBRARIES

Open Mondays to Saturdays, times vary. Please note that all Edinburgh City Libraries will be closed on Good Friday 18 April and Easter Monday 21 April!

The Central Library has a dedicated Children’s Library with reading rooms and an art room. Most of the other Edinburgh City Libraries also have children’s sections, as well as regular family events and activities. 

These libraries have advertised Easter holiday programmes, with various dates and times throughout the school holidays (some events require pre-booking, so do check beforehand):

Corstorphine Library | Drumbrae Library Hub | Gilmerton Library | Leith Library | McDonald Road Library | Oxgangs Library | Ratho Library | Sighthill Library | South Queensferry Library | Stockbridge Library | Wester Hailes Library

And here are some further one-off events advertised by libraries:

Craigmillar Library

Fountainbridge Library

Granton Library

Moredun Library

Morningside Library

Muirhouse Library

  • Zoo Tails, Sat 5 April at 11am; Free, drop-in

Newington Library

Also check out the Easter specific library events mentioned at the start of this post.

OTHER INDOOR ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

The Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament might not be the first place to spring to mind, to visit with kids, but we had quite a fun filled afternoon there (and that was before the introduced their regular craft sessions). Find out more about it in our review of visiting the Scottish Parliament with Kids. Opening hours vary, depending on whether Parliament is in recess or not. During the Easter holidays, opening times are 10am to 5pm on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays; and 9am to 6:30pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Special Events:

Crafternoons at the Scottish Parliament
Sat 5 to Sat 19 April (not Sundays), 11am – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Water of Leith Visitor Centre

Open daily, 10am – 4pm. Cafe and interactive exhibition about nature and waterways, with including water play activities. Find out more on the Water of Leith Conservation Trust website or read our Water of Leith Visitor Centre review.

The Wee Play Hub at Ocean Terminal

The Wee Hub is a community centre in Leith’s Ocean Terminal, run by The Living Memory Association charity in partnership with Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre. The Wee Play Hub is open to the public from Wednesdays to Sundays, 11am to 3pm. As well as the general play area, they also offer regular free drop-in events including arts and crafts classes, and a Lego club. Check out the Wee Hub Facebook page for their latest programme (Full disclosure: This is one we haven’t been to ourselves yet as it’s on the other side of town from us, but we’ve been following them on Facebook for a while and it looks like a great place).

The Edinburgh Bookshop

Fab wee independent bookshop in Bruntsfield (at 176 Bruntsfield Place), that hosts regular storytime for under 5s. Read our review of the bookshop to find out more.

Special Events:

Storytime for under 5s; Free, drop-in
Thursdays & Fridays, 9:30am – 10:30am

Dragon Song Storytime Special with Rachel Huggins
Thurs 10 April, 9:30am – 10:30am; Free, booking required

IKEA Edinburgh

Various free events happening at IKEA Edinburgh over the half term holiday week, including the Easter events listed above as well as:

  • Board Game Fika, Mon 7, Mon 14 & Tues 15 April, 2pm – 5pm 
  • Family Fun Spring Crafts, Weds 9 & Weds 16 April, 1pm – 3pm
  • Make Mess Matter, Tues 15 April, 11am – 12pm
  • Kids Crafts with Pregnancy Counselling and Care, Thurs 17 April, 10am – 4pm
  • Earth Day Kids Crafts, Sat 19 April at 12pm, 12:45pm, 1:30pm & 2:15pm (booking required)

Unless indicated, the events are drop-in. Details of all events can be found on the Ikea Edinburgh website.

Pets at Home Easter Workshops

Workshops will take place at Pets at Home Corstorphine, Craigleith, Pentland and Fort Kinnaird
Sat 5 & Sun 6 April and Sat 12th to Sat 19th April, 2pm – 2:45pm; Free, booking required.

>> Find out more on the Pets at Home website

Miscellaneous Indoor Events

Magical Owls at the Gyle Centre
Sat 5 & Sun 6 April, 11am – 4pm; Free (donations welcome), drop-in

Community Screening: Wolfwalkers at Village Hall, Cranston Street
Fri 11 April, 4pm – 7pm; Free, booking required

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

As we say in Scotland, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing. Here are some suggestions of places to head for some fresh air over the holidays. Don’t forget to bring a flask of something hot (hot chocolate, tea, soup) to have along the way.

Miscellaneous Outdoor Events

Murder Mystery Trails around the Hermitage & the Meadows

All day, any day!

I wrote these trails for my sons, but you can download free copies for personal use, along with answer sheets, maps and certificates. I offer them for free as I want them to be accessible to all, but you are welcome to make a small donation if you are able.

>> Download Hermitage of Braid Trail
>> Download The Meadows Trail

Party in the Park at Granton Gasholder 1 
Sat 5 April, 11am – 1:30pm; Free, drop-in

Nature Walk: Tree Flowers at Craigmillar Castle Park
Sat 5 April, 1pm – 2:30pm; Free, drop-in

Spring Canal Walk with Promenade Performance at the Union Canal
(starts at North Merchiston Park, ends at Harrison Park West)
Sat 5 April, 1:30pm – 2:30pm; Free, drop-in

Peace Garden Cross-Cultural Event at Bridgend Farmhouse
Sun 6 April, 6pm – 9pm; Entry by donation, booking required

Bat Walk at Brunstane Mill Park
Fri 11 April at 7:30pm; Free, drop-in

Holyrood Family Adventure in Holyrood Park
Mon 14 April, 1pm – 3pm; Free, booking required

‘Community in the Park’ at Harrison Park West
Sat 19 April, 1pm – 3pm; Free, drop-in

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

We love the ‘Botanics’ in all seasons. Open daily 10am – 5pm (last entry 4:15pm) during April. Cafe available. As well as their Easter Trail mentioned above, they also have various free events happening over the holidays as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.

Special Events:

Brick Botanics
Thurs 10 April, 12pm – 4pm; Free, sign up on the day for a 30 min slot

Planet Botanics
Sat 12 & Sun 13 April, 12pm – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Botanical Frontiers
Sat 12 & Sun 12 April, 12pm – 4pm; Free, drop-in

Edinburgh Parks & Playgrounds

Edinburgh has no shortage of parks and playgrounds across the city, for when you want to go out with the kids to burn off some energy over the holidays. Tip: Bring a towel to wipe down any wet play equipment!

Check out our A to Z map of playgrounds in Edinburgh for inspiration on which ones to visit next. Our favourites include East Meadows Playpark, Saughton Park, Leith Links Playpark, Victoria Park, Seven Acre Park, and the (fairly) newly refurbished Princes Street Gardens.

Or grab a bag of bird seed and visit one of the many spots across the city where you can feed ducks, swans and other birds. Our favourite spots include Blackford Pond, Easter Craiglockhart Nature Reserve, Inverleith Park, and Duddingston Loch & St Margaret’s Loch in Holyrood Park.

Family Walks

We like to get out for a good family walk over the holidays – walk off all the Easter chocolate, haha (though Easter is at the end of the holidays this year)… Some of our favourite walks are:

Head to the Beach

You may associate beaches with sun bathing and paddling, sandcastles and ice cream, but we love a good beach walk at any time of year, including in Spring. We love our local Cramond and Portobello beaches, which you can visit by bus within Edinburgh, and there’s also plenty other beaches within reach that you get to within 30 – 45 minutes by train. Our favourites include Dunbar, North Berwick and Longniddry in East Lothian; and Aberdour and Kinghorn in Fife. And with Kids for a Quid, up to four children can travel for just £1 return each with an adult on Scotrail train journeys.

DAY TRIPS

If you want to venture a bit further afield during the holidays, there’s always the option of a day trip. We don’t have a car, but have travelled to lots of places within 1.5 hours of Edinburgh by train. Here are some reviews of a few of our favourite trips that won’t break the bank:

Don’t forget to claim your Kids for a Quid rail ticket, to keep travel costs down too. Only available from station ticket counters (or on the train if no ticket counter available).

Related posts

By

By

By

Comments: 3

  • reply

    Dara

    10 April 2025

    Whoever made this list, thank you!! Such a lot of effort’s gone into it and it’s brilliant x

    • reply

      Jenni

      13 April 2025

      Thank you so much, it makes me happy to know it’s being used!

  • reply

    Stefania

    19 April 2025

    Amazing thanks!

Post a Reply to Jenni cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.