Council's guide to free family fun in April school holidays
Enjoy a staycation – Wollongong City Council recommends family fun that won't break the piggy bank
Wollongong City Council release: Thursday 2 April 2026
How do free movies, concerts, art exhibitions and workshops sound?
Enjoy a staycation and take advantage of some of the activities that will keep the kids entertained without breaking the piggy bank.
You don’t have to travel far to find free family-friendly fun. You can drop off your teenager to Youth Week celebrations, embark on a journey to find suspicious leaves, snuggle in with friends at your local library for a movie, meet your suburban neighbours at a nature day and more.
Read on to discover school holiday activities across our city or visit the School Holidays page for more information.
Stream Hill Community Day
Join in the fun at our upcoming Stream Hill Community Day on Tuesday 14 April from 10am - 1pm. An amazing family friendly day is planned, full of hands-on activities for all ages, including weaving workshops, native bee education, cultural learning opportunities, and creative environmental workshops.
Meet local Landcare volunteers, grab a free sausage sandwich, pick up a free native plant, and make your own seed bomb to take home. Plant a tree or relax on a guided walk through the surrounding endangered grassy woodlands.
Let us know you’re coming by registering for this free event at https://events.humanitix.com/stream-hill-community-day-ggu6blyu
Wollongong City Libraries
You can always count on your local library to offer workshops and activities free of charge! While on your visit, why not sign up to a free membership so you can bring a bit of the library home with you.
Check out the activities available these school holidays and find out more details at Wollongong City Libraries School Holidays.
- Storytime
- Glass Lantern
- Dino Discoveries
- Twist and Tangle Animal craft
- Free movie
- Robotics Workshop
Wollongong Youth Services
It’s a special time for young people, with school holidays being the supporting act to NSW Youth Week 16-26 April 2026.
The free activities and workshops include an exciting music tour that features local young bands who will be performing in Kiama and Wollongong.
- E-scape art Workshops
- Our Space Workshops
- Wollongong Youth Markets
- Zine Workshop
- Itch 2 Stitch Sewing Workshop
- Colour Your World Art Workshop
- Dare to Dream Youth Music Tour
The Wollongong Youth Centre will remain open for Hang Out sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturdays.
Find out more details on the Youth Services Programs and Events page.
The excitement doesn’t end with school holidays. The Youth Week celebrations in Wollongong will continue. Check out the full program.
Wollongong Botanic Garden
Ready for an autumn adventure at your favourite Botanic Garden? We’re calling on young explorers to discover how incredible leaves really are with the free Leaf Hopper Trail. Grab the Leaf Hoppers Trail flyer at the welcome information signs and be prepared to find something special!
There will also be the free Budding Bookworms sessions for preschool-aged children (older siblings welcomed in the holiday period). Join in for magical and engaging stories, sing-alongs, rhymes, wiggly dances and crafts on Fridays near the Garden's Japanese Tea House.
Alongside these free activities, there is also more outdoor fun available for a low cost. Check out the list below and find out more details on the Wollongong Botanic Garden website.
- Dig n’ Play
- Wild Games and Beginner’s Bushcraft
- Animal Antics performances
- Torchlight Wildlife Walk
Wollongong Art Gallery
Our art gallery is always free to visit. Right now, we are presenting a number of exciting exhibitions to put on your family’s must-see list this April.
- Recollection
- Tell Them Their Dreaming
- This is Not a Solo Show
- We are the land we walk upon
- The Architecture of Feeling
- Edge City
If your creative child feels inspired and is looking for more, visit the Art Gallery’s School Holidays program to learn about the paid workshops below:
- Surreal Mix Ups: Create the Unexpected (9-14 years old)
- Go Dotty with Lichtenstein (5 – 8 years old)
- Wild Creatures Art Safari (5 – 8 years old)
- Still Life and Biro Worlds (9 – 14 years old)
Wollongong CBD
City Skate will return these school holidays with a high-energy weekend of free skateboarding activities in Crown Street Mall, inviting young people to take part in a celebration of skate culture.
Across Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April from 10am to 2pm each day, there will be opportunities for attendees to enjoy free learn-to-skate lessons, live demos from professional skateboarders Nixen Osborne, Ben Saddleton and Dylan Donnini, Skate & Create art sessions inside Wollongong Central, and a Skate Jam competition featuring a $2,000 cash prize pool plus $2,000 in giveaways.
Bookings for learn-to-skate lessons are essential. Find out more via the Wollongong CBD website.
And more...
Beaches
We’ve 17 patrolled beaches across our Local Government Area where you can swim, duck and dive in the waves under the watchful eye of Council’s lifeguards, and NSW Surf Life Saving volunteers on public holidays. Why not shake things up and try somewhere new? There’s a full list on our website including information about patrol hours so you can swim safely.
Pools
Fancy making a splash at one of our pools? You’re spoilt for choice on this front with nine rock pools, three saltwater pools with a lifeguard service and six freshwater pools. If you’re headed to the pool on Good Friday, our lifeguards are on duty at the Continental Pool is open from 7am to 2pm. All our other lifeguarded pools will be closed on Good Friday only.
Parks, Gardens and Playgrounds
Our crews have been hard at work mowing the fast-growing grass in our parks and public spaces recently so that they’re ready for picnics, frisbee matches and soaking up the autumn weather.
The Wollongong Botanic Garden is open over the long weekend – except Good Friday – and there are some great walking trails over the 27-hectare site.
If sea breezes are more your jam, why not visit Puckeys Estate Nature Reserve? It’s an annexe to the Wollongong Botanic Garden and you can add in a beach swim at Fairy Meadow or North Wollongong Beach while you’re here.
Playgrounds will be the place to be if you’ve got kids with a sugar rush. We’ve got more than 140 of them across the city. Some of the most popular are Towradgi Beach Playground, Cringila Hills Playground and Bankbook Park in Wongawilli.
