LITTLE HOME FAMILY FESTIVAL: TWO DAYS OF FREE FAMILY FUN AT HOME MANCHESTER
Little HOME Family Festival
Finding things to do with children throughout the school holidays can quickly become expensive, so we were really looking forward to returning to Little HOME Family Festival at HOME Manchester.
Little HOME is an annual family festival held during the school summer holidays, and this was actually our third year attending. In previous years we'd only visited for one day, but this year we decided to make a full weekend of it and attend on both Saturday and Sunday.
Taking place on 1 and 2 August 2026, the festival offered a completely free programme of theatre, crafts, films, live performances and family activities across HOME. Some of the shows and activities required advance booking, but these were still completely free.
With two full days to explore the festival, we were hoping we'd manage to fit in much more than we had in previous years.
As it turned out, even two days weren't enough!
🎭 So Much More Than We Could Fit In
There was so much happening across Little HOME that despite visiting on both days, there were still plenty of activities we didn't get chance to try.
Alongside everything we experienced, Saturday's programme included Family Crafts and Storytelling with Phoebe Foxtrot, Manchester Libraries: Read to the Beat, Make Your Own Story Dice by People's History Museum, Celebration Pin Dolls Make and Take by National Football Museum, Afrocats Family Dance Workshop and Amazing Animations on the big screen outside. Sunday also included Outdoor Games with Tabs, Bhangra Dance and Dhol Drumming and Amazing Animations were on the big screen outside again.
Some activities ran for much of the day, while theatre shows and performances took place at specific times, with several offering more than one performance. This made it quite easy to choose the shows we particularly wanted to see and then fit the drop-in activities around them.
And that's just what we didn't manage to do. Over the next two days, we still packed in four theatre shows, a film, crafts, live music, outdoor activities and circus skills.
🎨 Starting Our Day in Creativity Corner
On Saturday morning, the children, my brother and I caught the bus into Manchester at around 9:35am and arrived at HOME just before 10am.
Getting there by bus was really easy for us because our bus stopped almost directly opposite the venue. As children were also able to travel free on the bus throughout August, Alice and Leo didn't cost anything to get there either.
As soon as we arrived, they headed straight for Creativity Corner.
Alice settled down to do some drawing while Leo became much more interested in a giant rocket that was being created from cardboard boxes.
He happily got involved and really enjoyed helping to build it.
Creativity Corner ended up being somewhere we returned to several times throughout the weekend. Later on Saturday, the children decorated little cardboard tubs to turn them into drums, and when we returned on Sunday they did even more crafts.
Having somewhere they could simply drop into between performances worked really well and meant there was always something to do while we waited for our next show.
🌊 Tales From The Lighthouse
Our first theatre show of the weekend was the 10:30am performance of Tales From The Lighthouse.
We had booked tickets in advance, but seating was unreserved, so you could choose where you wanted to sit.
Most of the seats nearer the front had already been taken when we arrived, but there was a better rake towards the back anyway, so that's where we decided to sit. Theatre 2 is quite an intimate space, and we still had a great clear view.
The 55-minute show combined storytelling, live folk music and puppetry to tell stories inspired by the sea.
One particularly lovely touch came after the performance when the children were invited to come down and meet the water horse puppet.
They could also have a closer look at the concertina used during the show and even have a little go while the musician held it.
👉 You can read more about my Tales From The Lighthouse visit and shorter review.
👉 Read my full All About Theatre review of Tales From The Lighthouse.
🧺 Lunch With a Puppet Show
After leaving the theatre, we headed outside and found one of the picnic tables to eat the packed lunch we'd brought with us.
We'd actually picked a very good time to stop for lunch because Kismat Wala by Thingumajig Theatre was being performed outside.
The visual street-theatre puppet show was centred around a wonderfully colourful cart inspired by South Asian street markets and followed a young man's journey in search of his destiny.
Being able to sit outside eating our sandwiches while watching a live puppet performance definitely made our packed lunch a little more interesting than usual!
Afterwards, Alice and Leo played with a giant outdoor Connect 4 before discovering a huge sheet of paper that had been taped down outside for children to draw on.
Sometimes the simplest activities are the ones they enjoy most, and they were perfectly happy sitting on the floor adding their drawings to everyone else's.
Then it was time to head back inside for our next show.
🐭 All In A Mouse's Night
Our second theatre show on Saturday nearly didn't happen.
We were supposed to have tickets for the 1pm performance of All In A Mouse's Night by Goofus Theatre, but somehow our tickets had come through for the 11am performance instead.
Obviously, we couldn't have attended that one because we were still watching Tales From The Lighthouse!
We explained what had happened and joined the standby queue.
Thankfully, there was enough space and we managed to get in.
Seating was once again unreserved, with children encouraged to sit on blankets on the floor at the front. Alice and Leo immediately decided that was where they wanted to sit.
All In A Mouse's Night was a non-verbal show using puppetry and play to follow the adventures of a curious mouse who dreams of heading into space.
After the performance, the children could meet the moonlight puppet and have their photograph taken with it, which Alice particularly loved.
🎬 A Relaxed Cinema Screening
After the show, Alice and Leo went back to Creativity Corner and decorated little cardboard tubs to turn them into drums before we headed to HOME's cinema.
At 2pm, we watched a relaxed screening of Puffin Rock and the New Friends, which had a runtime of around 80 minutes.
The film follows Oona, Baba, May and Mossy as they welcome some new friends to Puffin Rock. When the last Little Egg of the season mysteriously disappears, they have to work together to find it and bring it home before a big storm reaches the island.
The children really enjoyed the film, and I bought them both a tub of ice cream to eat while they watched, which I think cost around £3.50 each.
Having a relaxed cinema screening included in the festival programme was something I particularly appreciated, especially as it provided a very different experience from all the busy outdoor activities and live performances we'd been enjoying throughout the day
Having a relaxed cinema screening included in the festival programme was something I particularly appreciated, especially as it provided a very different experience from all the busy outdoor activities and live performances we'd been enjoying throughout the day.
🍕 Pizza Before Heading Home
By the time the film finished, we were all hungry again, so we decided to get some food at HOME's bar before travelling back.
We headed to the bar and ordered pizza and chips.
The pizzas were cut into eight slices, so Alice, Leo and I shared one while my brother had one to himself. We initially ordered one portion of sharing chips but quickly realised we'd underestimated how hungry everyone was and ended up ordering another.
For two pizzas, two sharing portions of chips, a pot of gravy and a pint of Diet Coke, our total came to £49.15.
After such a busy first day, we caught the bus home at around 4:30pm.
You might think we'd have been ready for a quiet Sunday after that.
Instead, we went back and did it all again!
🥁 Back for Day Two
Lawrence was off work on Sunday, so this time all four of us headed into Manchester for our second day at Little HOME Family Festival.
We caught the bus at around 11:25am and arrived at HOME at approximately 11:45am.
Unsurprisingly, Alice and Leo's first stop was Creativity Corner again, where they spent some time decorating paper cups.
We then headed outside to watch Batala Manchester.
The drumming created a fantastic atmosphere, and Alice was soon dancing along to the music.
Leo found the volume a bit too much, though, and decided he'd rather go back inside to Creativity Corner with Lawrence.
Alice and I stayed outside to watch the drumming before heading back in to meet them afterwards.
I actually think this was a good example of one of the things that worked particularly well about the festival for us. There was so much happening in different parts of HOME that if one activity wasn't right for one of the children, there was usually something completely different they could do instead.
🍪 Biscuit Decorating & A Surprise Goody Bag
Once we were all back together, we headed over to do some biscuit decorating.
Alice and Leo decorated their own biscuits, and while we were there they were also each given a HOME goody bag.
The goody bags came in HOME-branded tote bags and contained some sweets, leaflets about upcoming shows and a light-up foam baton.
It was a lovely unexpected extra, and obviously the children were very pleased with their new bags!
With biscuits decorated and goody bags in hand, it was time for our first theatre show of the day.
🎲 Over To You: The Storytelling Gameshow
At 1pm, we headed into Theatre 1 for Over To You: The Storytelling Gameshow.
This ended up being one of the most interactive shows we saw all weekend.
Seating was unreserved, with children encouraged to sit on blankets and cushions at the front.
On the way in, Alice and Leo were given paddles with red on one side and green on the other, which they could use to vote and help decide what happened during the story.
We were also given slips of paper with questions asking us to invent things such as a character, their name and their superpower. The answers were collected and some were selected during the performance to help create that day's completely unique story.
Alice was even chosen to go up and play a game of Higher or Lower.
She didn't win, but she really didn't care. She was just incredibly excited to have been picked.
And she didn't leave completely empty-handed because she received a consolation prize.
A zip.
Yes, an actual zip! 😂
The winner received three zips, so clearly the stakes were very high!
Alice thought the whole thing was brilliant.
Leo, on the other hand, was much more upset about Alice not winning than Alice was herself. He became quite emotional and decided he wanted to go home.
Unfortunately for him, we were heading almost immediately into another theatre!
📚 The Magic Bookmark
We went straight from Theatre 1 into Theatre 2 for the 2pm performance of The Magic Bookmark.
Leo was still upset and initially decided that he didn't want to watch it, so Lawrence took him back outside before the show started.
Then he changed his mind because he wanted to come back and sit with me.
They made it back inside just before the performance began.
And I'm very glad he changed his mind because The Magic Bookmark ended up being his favourite show of the entire weekend!
Starring Mama G, the show followed Book Worm's plan to steal all the books from Mama G's library, with Mama G needing to prove why books can help make the world a better place.
There was plenty of pantomime fun, storytelling, songs and audience interaction, and Leo's mood had completely changed by the end.
Watching him go from not wanting to enter the theatre at all to deciding it was his favourite show was probably one of my favourite moments of the weekend.
👉 You can read more about our Magic Bookmark visit and shorter review Here.
👉 Read my full All About Theatre review of The Magic Bookmark Here
🎪 Apparently We're Not Joining the Circus
After The Magic Bookmark, Alice and Leo wanted to head outside and have a go at the family circus skills with Skylight Circus.
Naturally, I joined in.
We tried plate spinning.
We were terrible.
We tried juggling.
Also terrible. 😂
Thankfully, Leo then discovered a diabolo, and we finally found something we weren't completely hopeless at!
I actually had one when I was younger, so I could still remember how to get it spinning and even managed a couple of very simple tricks.
Leo wasn't too bad at it either and spent quite a while having a go.
Afterwards, Alice and Leo did a little more outdoor drawing before we finally admitted that we'd run out of energy.
We caught the bus at around 3:30pm and were home by approximately 4pm.
After two days at Little HOME, all four of us were completely exhausted!
♿ How Accessible Did We Find Little HOME?
One of the things I particularly appreciated about Little HOME Family Festival was the amount of choice.
Family events can sometimes feel as though children are expected to join in with everything in exactly the same way, but that wasn't our experience here.
When the Batala Manchester drumming became too loud for Leo, he could simply head back inside with Lawrence and carry on crafting while Alice stayed outside dancing.
The theatre performances we attended had unreserved seating, and at some of them children were encouraged to sit on blankets or cushions at the front rather than having to remain in a conventional theatre seat.
We also really appreciated the relaxed screening of Puffin Rock and the New Friends.
When Leo initially didn't want to watch The Magic Bookmark, there was no pressure for him to go in. Lawrence could take him outside, and when he changed his mind, they came back before the performance started.
Having so many different types of activities happening throughout the building made it much easier for us to adapt our day depending on how everyone was feeling.
💷 How Much Does Little HOME Cost?
One of the best things about Little HOME Family Festival is that the festival itself is completely free.
All of the theatre shows, crafts, live performances and family activities we took part in across the weekend were free, so we were able to pack an incredible amount into our two days without paying for any of the entertainment.
Some shows and activities did require tickets to be booked in advance, but these were still completely free. There were also plenty of drop-in activities that we could simply join throughout the day.
Our only spending during the festival was on optional extras such as food and treats, including the children's ice creams during Puffin Rock and the New Friends and our meal at HOME on Saturday.
For families looking for affordable things to do during the school summer holidays, I think this is one of Little HOME's biggest strengths. We managed to enjoy two days filled with theatre, crafts, puppetry, live performances, cinema and circus skills without paying for any of the activities themselves
Final Thoughts
We had a fantastic two days at Little HOME Family Festival.
What impressed me most wasn't necessarily one particular show or activity, but just how much variety HOME managed to fit into one weekend.
In two days, Alice and Leo experienced theatre, puppetry, storytelling, crafts, drawing, live music, cinema and circus skills – and there were still things on the programme that we never managed to get to.
They also experienced the festival in completely different ways.
Alice loved being right in the middle of things, whether that meant dancing to the drummers or being picked to take part in Over To You. Leo particularly enjoyed the creative activities and circus skills, and after initially deciding that he didn't want to see The Magic Bookmark, it unexpectedly became his favourite show of the weekend.
There were moments when something didn't work for one of them, but because there was so much choice, that never meant the whole day had to stop.
For me, that's one of the biggest strengths of a family festival like this.
After three years of attending Little HOME Family Festival, it's become one of those summer events we really look forward to. This was our first time attending on both days, and although we were completely exhausted by Sunday afternoon, I'd definitely do the full weekend again.
At a Glance
📍 Venue: HOME Manchester
📅 Festival Dates: Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 August 2026
☀️ When: Little HOME is an annual family festival held during the school summer holidays
🎟️ Admission: Free entry. The official programme advised that some activities may require booking.
⏰ Festival Programme: Activities took place throughout both days, with many drop-in activities running between 10am and 4pm alongside scheduled shows and performances.
🎭 Shows We Saw: Tales From The Lighthouse, All In A Mouse's Night, Over To You: The Storytelling Gameshow and The Magic Bookmark
🎨 Activities We Tried: Creativity Corner, outdoor drawing, giant Connect 4, biscuit decorating and family circus skills with Skylight Circus
🎬 Cinema: We attended the 2pm relaxed screening of Puffin Rock and the New Friends
🎶 Live Performances: We watched Kismat Wala by Thingumajig Theatre and Batala Manchester
👨👩👧👦 Suitable For: Families looking for a mixture of theatre, crafts, storytelling, film, live performances and creative activities
♿ Accessibility: We found the variety of activities particularly helpful because it allowed us to change plans when one of the children needed something quieter. The festival programme also included a relaxed cinema screening.
🍕 Food: Food and drinks were available at HOME. On Saturday, we paid £49.15 for two pizzas, two sharing portions of chips, a pot of gravy and a pint of Diet Coke.
🚌 Getting There: We travelled by bus, which stopped almost directly opposite HOME.
⏱️ How Long Did We Spend There? Approximately 6½ hours on Saturday and just over four hours on Sunday.
Watch Our Little HOME Family Festival Weekend
You can see both days of our Little HOME Family Festival experience in Weekly Vlog #462, including the theatre shows, crafts, live performances, relaxed cinema screening and our attempts at circus skills.
Our Little HOME weekend starts at 13:12 in the vlog, so you can jump straight to that part if you just want to see our visit to the festival.
Comments