The Super Duper Family Festival Manchester
The Super Duper Family Festival Manchester is back for its second year during February half-term. Find more family events in North West England here.
Ad – This post is written in collaboration with The Super Duper Family Festival to promote their event in February 2026. The photos in this post are press images (by Carl Sudonik) taken at the festival in 2025 so this year may look slightly different. They’ll give you a great idea of the amazing, free activities you can expect though.
When is The Super Duper Family Festival Manchester?
This free family is event is running from Wednesday 18th – Saturday 21st February 2026, 10am – 5pm.
What is The Super Duper Family Festival?
This is a free city-wide family event for February half term. It will once again turn the city into an interactive playground for kids.
The Super Duper Family Festival is hosted by the city’s hoteliers, Manchester Accommodation BID, the festival is delivered in partnership with Manchester City Centre Business Improvement District, Manchester City Council and Marketing Manchester. This year also welcomes The Bee Network as the official travel partner, helping families effortlessly explore all festival zones across the city.
Where is The Super Duper Family Festival taking place?
The festival is taking place at 8 different places across Manchester City centre which are explained fully below so you can choose which events you would like to visit. You might even decide to try them all over multiple days! Yes, there really is that much to do.
Venues include Aviva Studios, Great Northern Warehouse, Manchester Arndale, Manchester Central Library, Manchester Central, People’s History Museum, Printworks and the Science and Industry Museum.
Here are the 8 zones and what you can expect at each. Most events are drop-in but a few require reserving free tickets. I have highlighted and included links to allow this below.
The Carnival – St Ann’s Square
Open daily 10am – 5pm. St Ann’s Square
Nearest tram stop: Exchange Square. This stop is a 5-minute walk away.
Roll up! Roll up! The Carnival is coming to Manchester. There will be a traditional Victorian Carousel, as well as a colourful array of side-show stalls, including Hook a Duck, Spin the Wheel, Coconut Shy and Ferris Wheel Hoopla (recommended for age 5+). Over 9 year olds can also prove their strength at the test of strength. There will also be a Carnival of Mirrors and the Museum of Illusions have provided a selection of mind-bending tabletop brain games.
All activities are free and no tickets required, first-come, first served.
The Playground with Waterloo Road – Exchange Square
Open daily 10am – 5pm. Exchange Square
Nearest tram stop: Exchange Square. This stop is a 3-minute walk away.
Families are invited to step into a playful, supersized school day inspired by BBC’s Waterloo Road!
There are lots of old-school playground fun including The School Disco where you can dance to the music of Boho DJ Dance Teacher, Enjoy hands-on arts and crafts in The Art Class and in The Drama Class you can snap a picture in a real blazer and tie.
There is also The PE Class (spin the wheel to be assigned a classic sports day task), The Sixth Form Common Room (chill-out space with table tennis, swing ball and comfy seats) and The Yard (free-play including hula hoops, skipping and giant Jenga).
All activities are free and no tickets required, first-come, first served.
The Arcade – Printworks
Open daily 10am – 5pm. Printworks
Nearest tram stop: Shudehill. This stop is a 2-minute walk away.
Step into a retro gaming world at Printworks beneath Europe’s largest digital ceiling. Families can race head-to-head on the giant interactive racing game using phones as controllers or flex their reflexes on real-world table games, including Digital Whack-a-Mole, Chase the Light, Air Hockey and Catchy It Reaction Ring.
All activities are free and no tickets required, first-come, first served.
The Nursery Rhyme Trail – Manchester Arndale
Open daily 10am – 5pm. Manchester Arndale. Perfect for ages 3 – 11
Nearest tram stop: Market Street. A 2-minute walk away.
Humpty Dumpty takes centre stage in this energetic, imaginative trail, packed with games, music and hands-on activities.
Begin at the Dippy Training School – a colourful training zone led by the Queen and her wonderful, wacky egg soldiers: Private Yolk and Private Scramble. Here families can take part in silly warm-up drills, singalongs and games, before joining the Humpty Dumpty Parade on a playful trail of riddles, tasks, pop-up performers and creative challenges. Back at the base, families will work together to put Humpty Dumpty back together again, graduate from Dippy Training School and receive a chocolate egg reward.
All activities are free and no tickets required, first-come, first served.
The Story Den with BBC CBeebies Bedtime Stories – Manchester Central, Manchester Central Library and Lower Mosley Street
Open daily 10am – 5pm. Manchester Central, Manchester Central Library and Lower Mosley Street.
Nearest tram stop: St Peter’s Square. This stop is a 1-minute walk away.
Manchester Central has the CBeebies Story Den where children and their families and carers can get cosy and snuggled up to experience some special CBeebies Bedtime Stories. CBeebies stars, storytellers, dates and times are yet to be announced and free tickets will be available to book very soon.
Keep an eye on their page for when they release the free tickets.
There is a Story Book Walk on Lower Mosley Street where you can spot our favourite characters from classic children’s literature. Suitable for all ages.
Manchester Central Library will have daily drop in Lego Workshops on the lower ground floor, a self-guided library tour map so you can spot the fossils in the floor and walls as well as the Shakespeare glass window.
There are also different events on different days at Manchester Central Library as detailed below.
Wednesday 18th February
There are 2 free events:
- Little Reads, 11am – 11:30am, an interactive workshop for children 2-6 years
- Crochet club (for children 10+). 2pm – 4pm. Crochet club requires a free ticket which can be reserved here – free crochet club.
Thursday 19th February
There are 2 free events:
- Little Movers and Shakers, 11:15am – 12 noon- music and dance for under 4s.
- Music crafts, 2pm – 4pm – a music themed craft session for children aged 4+
Friday 20th February
Today there is a free family film club where you can expect themed crafts and a family classic film screening.
Suitable for children up to 12 years old. Screenings start at 1.30 pm – drop in from 1 pm.
Saturday 21st February
There are 4 free drop-in activities today:
- Little Reads, 11am – 11:30am, an interactive workshop for children 2-6 years
- Teen book club, 11am – 12 noon. Aged 13–16 and love books? Join the Teen Book Club to discover new reads, share recommendations, and take part in book-themed activities.
- International Mother Language Day, 1pm – 4pm. Celebrate the languages and cultures of Manchester’s local communities. Enjoy live performances and try your hand at traditional crafts. Suitable for all ages.
- Ukrainian Storytime, 1.30 pm – 2 pm. Join a storytelling session in Ukrainian and English. Learn new words, listen to stories, and have fun! Most suitable for children aged 4–7
The Sports Hall – The Great Northern Warehouse
Open daily 10am – 5pm. The Great Northern Warehouse.
Nearest tram stop: Deansgate-Castlefield
You’ll find loads of interactive sports for all ages and abilities here. There is The Grand Prix (an 8-lane Scalextric race), The Pitch (football tables and subsoccer benches) and table tennis.
You can join Graystone Action Sports for an introduction to Skateboarding at The Skate Park. This activity is suitable for 7+ only and is not suitable for wheelchairs. Sessions last 1 hour. Sessions start on the hour from 10am – 4pm and are first-come, first-served.
For the first time, the iconic AO Arena in Manchester will play host to both the Men’s and Women’s Super League Basketball Cup Finals on Sunday, 22nd March 2026. Join SLB at The Sports Hall to get closer to the game.
There is also a fan zone with National Football Museum, a space for creativity, calm, and younger sports fans.
All activities are free, unticketed, and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Soap Box – The People’s History Museum
Open daily from 10am – 5pm. People’s History Museum.
Nearest tram stop: St Peter’s Square. A 12-minute walk away.
Step into a rebellious world of activism this Half Term with People’s History Museum. Families can make their own protest badges, explore a pop-up creativity corner, play Banner Bingo in the galleries, dress-up as historical changemakers, snap a photo in the photobooth, and unleash their voices in engaging, fun activities throughout the festival.
Plus there are ticketed sessions of My Protest Song with singer-songwriter Matt Hill on Wednesday 18th & Thursday 19th February. Get your free tickets for My Protest Song available here.
African Drums for Protest sessions are drop-in, un-ticketed on Friday 20th & Saturday 21st February. Sessions are 45 minutes and start at 11am and 1pm on both days.
The Studios – Aviva Studios / The Sheds / Science and Industry Museum
Open daily 10am – 5pm. Aviva Studios / The Sheds / Science and Industry Museum
Nearest tram stop: Deansgate-Castlefield. A 12-minute walk away.
The studios is where families can get hands-on with film, TV, music, dance and technology.
Aviva Studios – explore The Digital Playground where technology and creativity collide. There will be motion-triggered content, interactive digital canvases, soundscapes and an augmented-reality experience. There will also be a hands-on creative space from 10am to 3pm daily.
You can also relax with a selection of age-appropriate digital games or have fun on the mini roller rink (2pm – 5pm). There is a kid’s silent disco (12pm – 5pm) and a quiet zone.
Your kids can become film directors to help make The Super Duper Movie. With guidance from the wonderfully wacky film crew, families can shoot their own 30-second scene on a smartphone and submit it directly to the producer.
Manchester Music Mooch is a fun experience where you will explore the cities musical heritage and make your own track. Suitable for age 8+.
At the Science and Industry Museum you can celebrate the opening of their Horrible Science exhibition (paid) with free activities such as cosmic dance takeovers, visit an immersive spoliation of space through sound and imagery and meet an astronomer.
How fantastic does the festival sound for families? And can you believe it is all free? Don’t forget the photos in this post are from last year and this year’s event may look different.
I have included the nearest tram stops for each location but you can find more travel options on their website – the Super Duper Family Festival.
More things to do in Manchester with kids
Find more things to do in February half term in Manchester here.
Find out more about the Science and Industry Museum here.
