Best Easter Events in the UK 2026
Easter in the UK is four days of eating too much chocolate, arguing about whether to watch a film or go outside, and then, if you make the right call, genuinely having one of the best weekends of the year. Good Friday to Easter Monday, 3–6 April 2026. Four bank holidays. One very long weekend.
The question isn’t whether there’s anything on. There’s always something on. The question is what’s actually worth your time. We went through everything happening across the UK this Easter (London, Edinburgh, Cornwall, Birmingham, and everywhere in between) and pulled out the events that pass the only test that matters: would you actually recommend this to a friend?
Good Friday: 3 April | Easter Saturday: 4 April | Easter Sunday: 5 April | Easter Monday: 6 April (bank holiday in England, Wales & Northern Ireland). School Easter holidays run approximately 30 March–10 April across England and Wales. Edinburgh is on a longer break: 27 March–13 April.
Everything here is selected on popularity and local appeal. If it’s well-attended, widely talked about, or the kind of thing that sells out before you remember to book, it’s in.
The Best Free Easter Events
If your budget is chocolate-only this Easter, London has you covered. These cost nothing and some are genuinely unmissable regardless of budget.
1. The Passion of Jesus, Trafalgar Square
📅 Good Friday, 3 April, 12:00 PM & 3:15 PM · 📍 Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN · 💷 Free
This is the one. A full-scale open-air re-enactment of the Easter story performed by Wintershall’s 100-strong cast (actors, horses, donkeys, doves) right in the middle of Trafalgar Square on Good Friday. It’s the 15th anniversary this year, and it’s still one of the most powerful things you can do in London. Two 90-minute performances. BSL interpreted. Livestreamed on YouTube. Parental guidance for the crucifixion scene (it’s realistic).
Whether you’re religious or just in search of something that doesn’t involve a screen, this is the Good Friday event. Full stop.
Arrive at least 40 minutes early: the Square fills up fast and you want a decent sightline.
2. London Easter Parade, Covent Garden
📅 Easter Sunday, 5 April, 11:00 AM start · 📍 St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden WC2E 8 · 💷 Free
London’s answer to the New York Easter Parade: an informal Sunday stroll through the city in your best outfit and most ridiculous hat. The route heads down the Strand, takes in some of London’s hidden gems, has a couple of pub stops built in, and ends at Vout-O-Reenee at 4 PM. Wheelchair accessible throughout. No judging, no competition. Just people in good clothes enjoying the city. If you’re after a family-friendly Easter Sunday in London, this is the one to bookmark.
Congregate by the rear entrance of St Paul’s Church at 10:30 AM for the group photo before the walk begins.
3. Camden Market Easter Weekender
📅 Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 April, 1:00 PM–5:00 PM · 📍 Camden Lock, London NW1 8AF · 💷 Free
Camden Market goes all out for the bank holiday weekend with the Cheeky Meeky Family Rave, Easter trail artworks scattered around the market, bonnet-making workshops, face painting, and visits from the Easter bunny. Free, central, good for all ages. Camden in April with the canal and street food is hard to beat as a backdrop.
4. The Big Dinosaur Egg Hunt, Crystal Palace Park
📅 Saturday 4 April, 11:00 AM–1:30 PM · 📍 Crystal Palace Park Information Centre, London SE20 8DT · 💷 Free
An Easter egg hunt among Victorian dinosaur sculptures in one of London’s most underrated parks. Crystal Palace Park has 15 life-sized prehistoric creatures dotted around the grounds. Finding Easter eggs next to them is the kind of thing kids talk about for weeks. Free, no booking required, genuinely excellent.
5. Free Easter Trail, Kenwood
📅 Thursday 2 April, 11:00 AM–3:30 PM · 📍 Kenwood, Hampstead Lane, London NW3 7JR · 💷 Free
A free Easter trail through the grounds of Kenwood on Hampstead Heath. English Heritage run it for one morning only: follow the clues, earn a chocolate reward, and spend the afternoon on the Heath. One of the rare genuinely free outdoor Easter activities in London, and the setting is hard to beat.
The Best Easter Egg Hunts in the UK
Pick the right egg hunt and you’ve got your whole day sorted. Here are the ones worth booking, from national trails to London-specific hidden gems. Browse the full list of Easter events across the UK on AllEvents if you want to see what’s on in your specific area.
6. National Trust Easter Egg Trails, 300+ Sites Across England, Wales & Northern Ireland
📅 28 March–12 April 2026 · 📍 300+ National Trust properties · 💷 £3.50 per child (free for NT members)
The biggest Easter event in the UK by a distance. The National Trust runs Cadbury-partnered egg trails at over 300 historic properties. Children follow a trail, answer clues, and earn a chocolate egg. The settings range from medieval castles to walled kitchen gardens to clifftop estates. Every single one of them is a genuinely great day out.
London highlights include Ham House & Garden, Richmond (28 Mar–6 Apr, British Civil Wars-themed trail, £3.50), Morden Hall Park (1–6 Apr), and Osterley Park (28 Mar–12 Apr). Outside London: Chartwell and Knole in Kent, Stourhead in Wiltshire, Wallington in Northumberland. The list goes on.
These sell out. Especially the Good Friday and Easter Monday slots. Book as soon as you know your dates.
7. Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt, Hampton Court Palace
📅 21 March–12 April 2026 · 📍 Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU · 💷 Included with palace entry (adults from ~£28)
A 90-minute trail through the gardens of one of England’s most spectacular palaces, hunting for hidden Lindt Gold Bunny statues, matching names to ribbon colours, and ending with an actual Lindt Gold Bunny. The palace gardens in April are extraordinary. The trail is the excuse you need to spend an afternoon walking them properly.
Runs over three weeks so you’ve got flexibility. But don’t sleep on booking. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are the busiest days at Hampton Court all year.
Combine with a boat trip from Kingston Bridge on the way back: a 40-minute ride on the Thames and one of the better ways to end an Easter day out.
8. Zoonormous Egg Hunt, London Zoo
📅 28 March–12 April 2026 · 📍 Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY · 💷 Included with zoo entry (adults from ~£32)
Six giant Easter eggs hidden across the Zoo, each revealing a secret letter. Find them all, decode the message, claim your chocolate reward. The Easter hunt is included in the entry price, so you’re getting a full day at London Zoo with a structured activity built in. The animals don’t know it’s Easter. They’re still excellent.
Book Zoo entry in advance. Walk-up queues over Easter weekend can be very long. Pre-booking is cheaper too.
9. Easter Egg Trail, Cutty Sark, Greenwich
📅 3–6 April 2026 · 📍 Cutty Sark, King William Walk, Greenwich SE10 9HT · 💷 Included with entry (~£20 adults)
An Easter egg hunt across the decks of the historic Cutty Sark clipper ship in Greenwich. Find the hidden eggs, unscramble a nautical code, and claim a free chocolate treat at the end. The ship itself is genuinely fascinating for all ages. You’re standing on the deck of a vessel that sailed to Australia and back multiple times in the 1870s and 80s, which puts the Easter trail in a rather good context. After you’re done, Greenwich is one of the best places in London to spend the rest of an April afternoon: the park, the market, the view from the hill. Come for the eggs, stay for the city.
10. Easter Trail, Ham House & Garden, Richmond
📅 28 March–6 April 2026, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM daily · 📍 Ham Street, Richmond TW10 7RS · 💷 £3.50 per child (includes trail sheet, bunny ears & chocolate egg)
A 17th-century National Trust estate with a British Civil Wars-themed Easter trail. Each child gets a trail sheet, bunny ears, and a chocolate egg at the end. One of the best-value Easter days out in South West London. The house and formal gardens are stunning, and the grounds feel genuinely historic in a way a lot of London attractions don’t.
11. The Spring Sprites Trail, Chelsea Physic Garden
📅 3–6 April 2026 · 📍 66 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS · 💷 £5 + normal admission
The Spring Sprites wake up and come to life in the grounds of Chelsea Physic Garden this Easter: a magical family trail through one of London’s oldest and most beautiful gardens. Intimate, genuinely enchanting, and nothing like the big-venue hunts. Worth every penny if you want something that feels properly special.
12. Easter Eggsplorers, Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow
📅 28 March–12 April 2026 · 📍 Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow TW4 6JN · 💷 Paid entry (varies by age)
A giant Easter egg trail across Hobbledown Heath, plus animal talks, birds of prey displays, play barns, and an adventure village. This is a proper full-day-out Easter venue rather than a trail tacked onto a historic site. Good for slightly older kids who need more than a 45-minute walk to stay happy.
Culture, Spectacle & Big Shows
For the Easter weekend that isn’t entirely about chocolate.
13. Royal Choral Society: Handel’s Messiah, Royal Albert Hall
📅 Good Friday, 3 April 2026, 2:30 PM · 📍 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP · 💷 From ~£30
The Royal Choral Society has performed Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall on Good Friday since 1876. This year is the 150th anniversary. If you’ve never heard the Hallelujah Chorus live in one of the world’s great concert halls, this is the Good Friday to fix that. The whole hall rises for the Hallelujah Chorus by tradition. If you sit, you will feel profoundly alone.
Upper tier seats are more affordable and the acoustics from up there are genuinely excellent. Book early: the 150th anniversary will sell out.
14. Medieval Mayhem, Tower of London
📅 Easter weekend, 3–6 April 2026 · 📍 Tower of London, Tower Hill, London EC3N 4AB · 💷 Included with entry (adults from ~£34)
Medieval folk roaming the Tower of London this Easter with costumed characters, family storytelling sessions, and historical activities throughout the weekend. One of London’s most iconic venues at its most theatrical. Even kids who have “done” the Tower find it properly engaging when the whole site is dressed up like this.
15. Disney on Ice: Into The Magic, OVO Arena Wembley
📅 Easter holidays, multiple shows 3–6 April 2026 · 📍 OVO Arena Wembley, Engineers Way, London HA9 0AA · 💷 From ~£25
Moana, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, and Tangled all take to the ice at OVO Arena Wembley this Easter. The biggest arena Easter show for families in the UK. Multiple performances across the holiday period. Check the schedule for your preferred date and book well ahead.
Beyond London: Best Easter Days Out Across the UK
London gets all the write-ups. Here’s what the rest of the country is doing, and some of it is better.
16. Warner Bros. Studio Tour: Harry Potter Easter Programme
📅 Easter holidays, 3–6 April (and surrounding weeks) · 📍 Warner Bros. Studio Tour, Leavesden, Hertfordshire WD25 7LR · 💷 Adults from ~£52 | Children from ~£42
The most popular paid Easter attraction near London. The Making of Harry Potter gets seasonal Easter dressing across the whole studio (Great Hall, Diagon Alley, the lot). This is the kind of attraction that makes adults forget they’re adults. It’s also the kind of attraction that books out two months in advance for the Easter weekend.
If Easter weekend slots are gone, check the surrounding weeks. The Easter programme typically runs throughout the school holidays.
17. Easter at the Eden Project, Cornwall
📅 Easter weekend & school holidays, 3–19 April 2026 · 📍 Eden Project, Bodelva, St Austell, Cornwall PL24 2SG · 💷 Adults from ~£38
This year the theme is Dragon Guardians: hunt rare dragon eggs reportedly nesting across the site, crack the clues, and earn your place in the Cornish Dragon Conservation Society. The Eden Project’s Easter programme also includes spring activities, food stalls, and live entertainment inside the biomes. If you’re making the drive to the South West this Easter, Eden is the anchor event. Plan the week around it.
Go on a weekday if you can. Easter weekend at Eden is extraordinary but very busy. A Tuesday or Wednesday slot gives you the same experience with half the queues.
18. Easter at Cadbury World, Birmingham
📅 Easter weekend & school holidays, late March–mid April 2026 · 📍 Cadbury World, Linden Road, Bournville, Birmingham B30 2LU · 💷 Adults from ~£22 | Children from ~£18
A chocolate factory Easter experience in Bournville, the model village George Cadbury built for his workers in the 1890s. The seasonal Easter programme means extra activities, themed zones, live shows, Mr Cadbury’s Parrot’s Easter Extravaganza, and enough chocolate samples to make the return car journey genuinely uncomfortable. One of the best-value family days out in the Midlands.
Bournville village is a remarkably intact piece of Victorian social history and completely free to explore after your visit.
Easter in Edinburgh 2026
Edinburgh’s Easter is underrated. The city gets quieter than August, the weather can be spectacular, and the events lineup this year is strong. If you’re planning a trip north, here’s everything happening in Edinburgh over Easter 2026.
19. Edinburgh International Science Festival
📅 4–19 April 2026 · 📍 National Museum of Scotland, Dynamic Earth, Usher Hall & venues across Edinburgh · 💷 Many free; paid headline events from ~£15
The UK’s largest science festival runs for two weeks centred on the Easter break. This year’s theme is Going Global. Headline events at Usher Hall include astronaut Helen Sharman and naturalist Hamza Yassin on 12 April. Family activities at the National Museum of Scotland, Planetarium Lates at Dynamic Earth, and hundreds of events scattered across the city.
Two weeks of programming means there’s something for every age and budget. Plenty of the daytime programme is free to walk into.
The evening Planetarium Lates at Dynamic Earth fill up quickly. Book those ahead. The daytime National Museum events are often walk-in.
20. Easter Festival, Conifox Adventure Park, Kirkliston
📅 28–29 March & 3–5 April 2026 · 📍 Foxhall, Kirkliston, Edinburgh EH29 9EL · 💷 Paid (varies)
Conifox near Edinburgh is the kind of place Edinburgh families return to every single Easter, and for good reason. Hoppity Hollow is set up for the youngest visitors: sensory play, gentle activities, and the Easter Bunny in close enough proximity to be genuinely exciting rather than terrifying. For older kids, the Easter-lympics are the highlight: proper competitive games and relay races with the kind of chaotic energy that makes bank holiday afternoons memorable. Throw in egg mug making (take something home beyond chocolate), an Easter egg trail across the adventure park, and enough outdoor space to actually run around in. The practical detail worth knowing: Kirkliston is a 20-minute drive from central Edinburgh and has good parking, so it's a far more relaxed proposition than anything you'd attempt in the city centre. Book ahead — this sells out across all the Easter dates every year without exception.
21. HAPI Easter Festival, Edinburgh
📅 Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026, 12:30 PM–4:00 PM · 📍 Hubbard Academy of Personal Independence, Edinburgh · 💷 £0–£30
Most Easter festivals in Edinburgh lean towards the ticketed, commercial end. The HAPI Easter Festival is the opposite: a community-run family afternoon organised by Hubbard Academy, the kind of event that gets word-of-mouth recommendations from locals rather than sponsored social posts. Easter Sunday from 12:30 PM means it fits naturally after a morning walk up Arthur’s Seat or a leisurely brunch. Egg hunting, face painting, egg rolling, crafts — the full repertoire. The tiered pricing (free to £30) means it works across budgets. Go if you want an Easter Sunday that feels genuinely warm rather than corporate.
22. Ferreck Dawn, Easter Sunday at Why Not Nightclub
📅 Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026, 10:30 PM–3:00 AM · 📍 Why Not Nightclub, Edinburgh · 💷 TBC
Ferreck Dawn is a DJ who has built a devoted following through relentlessly consistent deep house sets — the kind of artist who makes every room feel like the right room. Why Not is Edinburgh’s most consistently good nightclub, and Easter Sunday is one of the best nights of the calendar: people are in town, the weekend has been long, and the energy in the room reflects it. Tickets are typically priced very reasonably for the calibre of booking. If you’re in Edinburgh for Easter and the city has given you everything by 10 PM, this is where the night goes next. Don’t sleep on it.
Easter Nightlife, London
Four bank holidays in a row means the club nights run harder and longer. London’s Easter nightlife is some of the best of the year. For the full picture of London nightlife events this Easter, AllEvents has everything organised by date.
23. Milkshake: The Easter Rave, Ministry of Sound
📅 Tuesday 31 March 2026, 9:00 PM–3:00 AM · 📍 Ministry of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, London SE1 6DP · 💷 TBC
The warm-up night before the long weekend kicks off. Milkshake at Ministry of Sound is the pre-Easter ritual for the crowd that needs one more Tuesday before they commit to four days of family activities. Ministry of Sound at its most straightforwardly fun.
24. Horse Meat Disco: Easter Sunday Gymkhana, Eagle London
📅 Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026, 8:00 PM–4:00 AM · 📍 Eagle London, 349 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY · 💷 Door sales only
Horse Meat Disco is a London institution: disco, funk, and no-judgement energy at one of the city’s most beloved LGBTQ+ venues. Easter Sunday all-nighter at Eagle. Door sales only, so no booking anxiety. Just show up. One of those nights where the energy in the room reliably justifies the sleep you won’t be getting.
25. Liberation v14: Ben Hemsley + Will Atkinson, fabric
📅 Saturday 4 April 2026, 2:00 PM–10:00 PM · 📍 fabric, 77a Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HJ · 💷 TBC
fabric doing a daytime session is unusual enough to stop and notice. Liberation v14 runs 2 PM to 10 PM on Easter Saturday, which means you get Ben Hemsley and Will Atkinson at full volume in one of the world’s best club rooms and you’re still done before the pubs close. Hemsley has had a remarkable two years and his current live sets justify every bit of the hype. Will Atkinson plays a harder, more driving techno that complements perfectly. The practical upside: being home by 11 PM with a clear Easter Sunday ahead is a luxury not many fabric nights offer. Grab tickets early, these Liberation events sell quickly.
26. Perfect Havoc Easter Rooftop Party, Circe’s Waterloo
📅 Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026, 3:00 PM · 📍 Circe’s Rooftop, Waterloo, London · 💷 £10–£20
Perfect Havoc throw consistently well-programmed house music events and this Easter Sunday rooftop edition is the right balance between effort and occasion. The Waterloo location means you’re five minutes from the South Bank if you want to walk the river before or after. Starting at 3 PM on a Sunday with views across London, house music at sensible volume, and a tenner entry: this is the option that bridges afternoon and evening without needing to fully commit to a club night. Ideal if Easter Sunday has been full-on and you want something that winds down pleasantly rather than ramps up aggressively.
27. On The One, Brixton’s Free Funk & Soul Get-Down (Easter Edition)
📅 Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026, 5:00 PM–12:00 AM · 📍 Kpubstar, Brixton, London · 💷 Free
A free bank holiday funk and soul party in Brixton. No frills, all vibes. Starts at 5 PM on Easter Sunday which means it fills the gap between daytime and properly late. Goes until midnight, no cover charge. The exact right thing to do on Easter Sunday if you haven’t committed to a club night.
Active Easter
28. London Easter 10k & Fun Run, Regent’s Park
📅 Easter Monday, 6 April 2026 · 📍 Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NR · 💷 Paid entry (race entry fee)
If you want to genuinely earn the chocolate rather than just passively consume it, the London Easter 10k in Regent’s Park is the Easter Monday tradition that deserves more attention. 10k race, adult fun run, children’s races, fancy dress strongly encouraged. The exact right amount of effort for a bank holiday morning, and Regent’s Park in April is spectacular.
Easter in the UK is four days. Use all of them.
Find Every Easter Event in Your Area
From egg hunts to nightlife, free trails to sold-out shows: AllEvents has everything happening across the UK this Easter. Search by city and date to find what’s on near you.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Easter 2026 in the UK?
Easter 2026 falls on Sunday, 5 April. Good Friday (3 April) and Easter Monday (6 April) are both UK bank holidays, giving England, Wales and Northern Ireland a four-day weekend. Easter Monday is not a nationwide bank holiday in Scotland, though some local councils observe it. School Easter holidays in England and Wales run approximately 30 March–10 April 2026.
What are the best free Easter events in London 2026?
The best free Easter events in London 2026 are: The Passion of Jesus at Trafalgar Square (Good Friday, two performances, 100+ cast), the London Easter Parade from Covent Garden (Easter Sunday stroll), the Camden Market Easter Weekender (4–5 April, 1–5pm), the Big Dinosaur Egg Hunt in Crystal Palace Park (Saturday 4 April), and the free Easter trail at Kenwood on the Heath (Thursday 2 April, 11am–3:30pm). On The One in Brixton (Easter Sunday, 5pm, free) covers the evening.
Which UK Easter egg hunts are worth booking?
The National Trust Easter Egg Trails at 300+ properties nationwide are the most popular: £3.50 per child, runs 28 March–12 April, Cadbury-partnered. London highlights: Hampton Court Palace Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt, London Zoo Zoonormous Egg Hunt, Cutty Sark Easter Trail in Greenwich, Ham House & Garden in Richmond, Chelsea Physic Garden Spring Sprites Trail, and Hobbledown Heath in Hounslow. Book Good Friday and Easter Monday slots first. They go earliest.
What’s on for Easter 2026 in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh has the Edinburgh International Science Festival running 4–19 April (UK’s largest science festival, theme: Going Global, headline shows at Usher Hall). The Conifox Adventure Park Easter Festival runs 28–29 March and 3–5 April near Kirkliston. The HAPI Easter Festival is a community family event on Easter Sunday. For nightlife: Ferreck Dawn plays Easter Sunday at Why Not Nightclub.
Are there Easter events outside London in 2026?
Yes. The Eden Project in Cornwall runs a full Easter programme (Dragon Guardian Adventure trail, 3–19 April). Cadbury World in Birmingham offers a themed Easter experience with its famous chocolate tour. Warner Bros. Studio Tour near Leavesden has an Easter programme running throughout school holidays (book early: Easter weekend sells out). National Trust properties exist across all of England and Wales. Virtually every county has one running Easter trails. Edinburgh has the Science Festival. Most large towns and cities have local Easter fairs and egg hunts too.
What should I do on Easter Monday 2026 in the UK?
Easter Monday (6 April) is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Good options: the London Easter 10k and Fun Run in Regent’s Park, National Trust properties (still running Easter trails), local Easter markets and fairs, or a countryside walk (April in the UK can be excellent walking weather). If you haven’t used any of the Easter attractions yet, Monday tends to be slightly less busy than Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Easter weekend only comes once a year. In three days it will be over, and you’ll either be someone who spent it on the sofa watching chocolate wrappers accumulate, or someone who stood in Trafalgar Square as a 100-person cast performed the Passion of Jesus for free, or walked a Victorian ship deck hunting Easter eggs in Greenwich, or danced until 4 AM at Eagle on Easter Sunday. The events are booked. The bank holidays are confirmed. The only thing left is the decision.
Go out.
Written by
Laksha Nahata
Laksha Nahata writes about events and things to do at AllEvents. She spends most of her time figuring out what’s actually worth your time, what’s overhyped, and what you’d genuinely enjoy. Her work focuses on making plans easier, so you’re not stuck scrolling or second-guessing what to do next. If there’s something people are excited about, chances are she’s already looked into it.
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