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Events

What's on, with the kids

Upcoming days a dad and child can actually go to, in the big cities. The moment one passes it drops off, so this is only ever what is still to come.

A dad and child at an outdoor festival

Never yesterday's. Events drop off this page the day they finish, so what you see is always still to come. Each carries an honest editorial Dad Score, not user reviews.

Editorial, never crowd-sourced

Five useful questions. One score out of 100.

Every event is marked out of 20 on the same five axes, from how much of it you actually spend together to whether it survives a wet afternoon. The total is our editorial Dad Score, not a user-review average and never something an organiser can buy or edit.

Read the scoring method
Together timeIt is something you do with her, not watch her do.
20
Low faffBooking, queues, parking, pram and loo logistics. The dad reality.
20
ValuePrice band against hours of genuine fun. Free scores high.
20
Age spanHow wide the window is. Working at 2 and at 12 beats a narrow hit.
20
WeatherproofIndoor and outdoor balance, and the risk of a rained-off day.
20
Dad ScoreThe five, added up
100

United Kingdom

The British calendar is built for this: a summer of festivals and air shows, then a long festive run from the Blackpool switch-on through to Hogmanay. Most of these are a train ride from a major city, and a good half of them are free to walk into, which is why the value scores run high.

Pints & Ponytails by The Secret Life of Dads
1 Jun to 30 Sept 2026

Pints & Ponytails by The Secret Life of Dads

The Lounges and pubs nationwide, Touring the UK

The Secret Life of Dads runs Pints & Ponytails, a relaxed pub evening where fathers gather over a pint to learn how to plait, braid and style their daughters' hair, and to talk through the bigger stuff like periods and growing up. It began at the Lucky Saint in London in early 2026, went viral and was covered by the BBC, and is now touring Lounges across the UK through the summer.

Community·£View
95Dad Score
Alexandra Palace Fireworks Festival
7 to 8 Nov 2026

Alexandra Palace Fireworks Festival

Alexandra Palace, London

Alexandra Palace's Fireworks & Drone Festival returns on 7 and 8 November, with Sunday now run as a Family Fun Day. Hundreds of drones fly to a soundtrack before the fireworks, brought forward to 6pm and run at reduced capacity on the Sunday. Alongside it there is a children's rave, funfair rides, ice skating, a firepit, street food and Barrioke with Shaun Williamson. Fireworks have been staged at Alexandra Palace since the nineteenth century.

Fireworks festival·£View
83Dad Score
Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular
7 to 8 Nov 2026

Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular

Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent

The Fireworks Spectacular House Party is an evening event at Leeds Castle in Kent that pairs a firework display with a sit-down dinner or afternoon tea, depending on which ticket you choose. Tickets are booked in advance through the castle's website, with separate dinner and afternoon tea menus published beforehand so you know exactly what will be served. It is a formal, ticketed evening rather than a casual family outing.

Fireworks, Dining·£££View
68Dad Score
Christmas at Blenheim Palace
13 Nov to 3 Jan 2027

Christmas at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire

An illuminated trail winds through the Blenheim Palace grounds and around the lake, with multi-coloured light waterfalls, fire shows and bulbs timed to music. A Christmas market sits near the entrance selling mulled wine, hot chocolate and bratwurst, and the trail ends with a projection show on the Palace itself. This year the story inside the Palace is Cinderella, bookable separately or combined with the trail ticket.

Christmas lights·£££View
70Dad Score
Christmas at Hampton Court Palace
5 to 14 Dec 2026

Christmas at Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey

A festive market set in the courtyards of Hampton Court Palace, running two December weekends from 10am to 6pm. Stalls sell artisan food and drink, from Christmas puddings to churros, while bite-size carol services play in the Chapel Royal and music drifts from the East Front bandstand. Entry to the Fayre is free with a palace ticket, so you can wander stalls then walk the state rooms and maze.

Christmas Market·£££View
76Dad Score

United States

American events go large and they go annual, so the same weekend comes round every year and you can plan a year ahead. Parades and state fairs are the strongest picks with young kids: free or cheap to attend, easy to leave early, and the spectacle does the work for you.

The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, Hudson Valley
18 Sept to 8 Nov 2026

The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, Hudson Valley

Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze fills the grounds of historic Van Cortlandt Manor with over 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins, arranged into themed displays including a Wizard of Oz scene, a giant pumpkin Statue of Liberty, and a tribute to the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. The walk runs across 44 nights between 18 September and 8 November, with an original soundtrack, food stalls, and a craft beer tent. It is a slow after-dark stroll rather than a ride or a show, so plan for cool evenings and a fair bit of walking on narrow paths.

Halloween Lights·$$$View
68Dad Score
Head of the Charles RegattaPhoto: Fcb981, CC BY-SA 3.0
16 to 18 Oct 2026

Head of the Charles Regatta

Charles River, Boston University DeWolfe Boathouse to Artesani Park, Cambridge, MA

The world's largest rowing regatta runs along the Charles River from Boston University's DeWolfe Boathouse to Artesani Park in Brighton. It is free to watch, with crews racing a three-mile course, a rowing and fitness expo, food stalls from around the world, and Reunion Village at the halfway point where clubs and families gather.

Rowing·FreeView
77Dad Score
WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo
13 Nov to 10 Jan 2027

WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, WA

Wild Lanterns turns Woodland Park Zoo into a winter light trail. Large lantern sculptures line a loop through five zones of the zoo, with warm drinks and food stalls along the way. The Forest Trailhead adds a lit-up preview of animals coming to the zoo's 2026 exhibit, including red pandas and tree kangaroos. It runs nightly from 4pm to 9pm, mid-November through mid-January, with two low-sensory evenings for a quieter visit.

Lights festival·$$View
80Dad Score
Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at Atlanta Botanical Garden
14 Nov to 10 Jan 2027

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at Atlanta Botanical Garden

Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia

The Atlanta Botanical Garden turns its 30 acres into a lit-up walk after dark, with Nature's Wonders (a huge curtain of synchronised light and sound) and new this year, glowing tree sculptures along the Flower Walk. You wander the full garden together in the dark, following the paths from one lit-up scene to the next. Open every night from mid-November to mid-January, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Holiday Lights·$$$View
72Dad Score
Christkindlmarket ChicagoPhoto: DR04, Attribution
21 Nov to 24 Dec 2026

Christkindlmarket Chicago

Daley Plaza, Chicago, IL

Christkindlmarket Chicago sets up in Daley Plaza from mid-November to Christmas Eve, and it's free to walk round. Stalls sell handcrafted wood and glass ornaments, some with free engraving, while food carts turn out Nurnberger bratwurst and hot chocolate in collectable souvenir mugs. Pick up a Christkindlmarket Passport for her to gather stamps at different stalls; five stamps earns an entry into a prize draw at the Visitor Information stand. Most traders are cash only.

Christmas Market·Free-$$View
75Dad Score
National Christmas Tree Lighting
4 Dec 2026

National Christmas Tree Lighting

The Ellipse, President's Park, Washington, D.C.

The National Christmas Tree Lighting takes place on the Ellipse at President's Park, right by the White House, each December. A free ticketed ceremony features live music and the lit National Christmas Tree surrounded by 56 trees for every state and territory. Tickets come through an online lottery, capped at five per household, and every attendee, whatever their age, needs one. Afterwards the trees stay up and lit through the month for anyone to walk past.

Christmas, Music·FreeView
72Dad Score
Houston Livestock Show and RodeoPhoto: No machine-readable author provided. W0lfie assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5
23 Feb to 14 Mar 2027

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

NRG Park, Houston

The world's largest livestock show and rodeo runs for about three weeks in Houston, combining championship rodeo events, a huge carnival midway, agricultural exhibits, a petting zoo and big-name concerts each night. There is a dedicated area where children can meet farm animals. Dates fall in late winter.

Outdoor·$$View
85Dad Score
Philadelphia Flower ShowPhoto: Laura Blanchard from Philadelphia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
1 to 9 Mar 2027

Philadelphia Flower Show

Pennsylvania Convention Center, Center City Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Flower Show fills the Pennsylvania Convention Center with large-scale floral exhibits, a walk-through entrance garden and more than 60 exhibitors. You wander the halls together looking at competition displays, stop at Artisan Row to make something with your hands, and let her loose in the Kids Cocoon while you watch nearby.

Gardens·$$View
85Dad Score
Coney Island Mermaid Parade
20 Jun 2027

Coney Island Mermaid Parade

Surf Avenue & the Boardwalk, Coney Island, Coney Island, Brooklyn

The Mermaid Parade rolls down Surf Avenue every June, led by King Neptune and Queen Mermaid, followed by marching bands, antique cars, homemade floats and thousands of sea-creature costumes. It starts at 1pm at West 21st Street, heads along Surf Avenue, turns onto the Boardwalk, and finishes near the Parachute Jump before a procession heads to the beach to open the summer swimming season.

Parade·Free-$$View
79Dad Score
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
23 Jun to 5 Jul 2027

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

National Mall, Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival has been free on the National Mall since 1967, bringing banjo-pickers, weavers and cooks from every state and over 100 countries to sing, dance and share their crafts with visitors. For 2026, it becomes 'Of the People — the Smithsonian Festival of Festivals', touring roughly forty partner festivals nationwide from March to November, while Washington DC still hosts signature programmes at the American History Museum, Anacostia Community Museum and a Folklife Marketplace in the Arts and Industries Building.

Culture & Craft·FreeView
86Dad Score

Before you go

Questions dads actually ask

How far ahead should I book a family event?

For anything ticketed and seasonal, six to eight weeks. Christmas light trails, Winter Wonderland skating slots and Santa experiences sell their good evening slots first and leave you with a 4pm or a 9pm. Free street events like parades need no booking at all, but they do need you to arrive early enough to get a spot a small person can actually see from.

What age do big events start being fun rather than overwhelming?

Around three for parades, light trails and funfairs, where the spectacle carries it and you can leave whenever you like. Fireworks and air shows tend to land from about five, once loud noise reads as exciting rather than frightening. Every listing here carries a best-age note, and the age span pillar in the Dad Score marks down anything that only works for one narrow age.

How do I do a crowded event with one adult and one child?

Agree a meeting point out loud before you go in and point at it. Write your phone number on her wrist or put a card in her pocket. Take the buggy even past buggy age, because it is somewhere to sit, somewhere to put the coats, and a fixed landmark you can find in a crowd. Go early rather than staying late; the tired-and-hungry hour is what ruins a good day, not the event.

Are the free events actually any good?

Often the best ones. Notting Hill Carnival, the Lord Mayor's Show, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and Blackpool Illuminations all cost nothing to attend and score highly with us precisely because the value pillar rewards that. The spend is travel, food and whatever she talks you into on the way out.

Why do events disappear from this page?

Because they have happened. The list filters by date, so the moment an event finishes it drops off and you never see a page advertising last month. Annual events keep the same URL year after year, so a bookmark or a link still works and simply updates to the next edition when dates are confirmed.

How is the Dad Score decided for an event?

The same five pillars as everything else on girl.dad: together time, low faff, value, age span and weatherproof, each marked out of 20. It is editorial, written by us with the reasoning shown on every listing, and it is never a user-review average and never something an organiser can pay for or edit.