School's out and there is plenty of Easter fun for all the family, on the Isle of Wight, from egg hunts to duck races.
Take a look below at some of the Easter events and activities happening across the Island this weekend and next week.
Are there any Easter events that you're looking forward to that we've missed? Let us know!
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Main Rd, Havenstreet, Ryde, PO33 4DS
March 29 – April 12
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway in Havenstreet will hold its Great Railway Easter Hunt for ‘Chocolate Detectives’ this Easter.
Visitors will be able to search for the giant eggs hidden around the attraction and solve clues to claim chocolate.
There will be a hunt throughout the Easter holidays, from Friday, March 29 to Friday, April 12.
If you visit the Steam Railway over the Easter weekend, your little ones can make their own Easter bonnet before joining the parade for judging at 1.30pm.
Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
Lower Winstone Farm, St Johns Road, Wroxall, PO38 3AA
March 23 – April 14
This Easter at the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary, you can participate in a fun trail around the farm, with a small prize at the end – taking place until April 14.
Visitors can book Donkey Experiences and spend two hours with a member of the farm team getting to know the work the Sanctuary does and helping them carry out their day-to-day tasks.
Alternatively, you can book to groom a donkey, pamper a donkey or Shetland pony, or a 30-minute guided tour to meet the donkeys.
Tapnell Farm Park
Newport Rd, Yarmouth, PO41 0RA
March 29 – April 12
Hop into an egg-citing Easter adventure at Tapnell Farm Park for an all-weather, fun-filled experience offering a barn full of Farm Park fun alongside Easter activities for visitors of all ages.
You are invited to join the madness and be dazzled by Alice’s Easter Wonderland, featuring potions with Alice, circus games with the White Rabbit, interactive shows with the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter’s Maze.
Visitors can also embark on an Easter Farm Quest, where young explorers can search high and low for hidden letters around the attraction to unscramble an egg-cellent puzzle for a sweet prize.
You can also interact and engage with a variety of animals with daily activities from Trotter Training and guinea pig and rabbit fishing, ferret racing, goat feeding, wallaby and meerkat talks and meet and greets!
And that’s not all, you can unleash your competitive spirit with the Tapnell Olympics or add a splash of colour to your day with Pottery Painting Workshops.
Brading Roman Villa
Morton Old Road, Brading, PO36 0PH
April 2 – April 13
There will be plenty of fun activities on offer at Brading Roman Villa during the Easter holidays for all the family.
The museum and The Forum Cafe will be open across the school holidays.
On Saturday (March 30), a special Easter hunt and event will be held at the attraction in aid of children’s charity Daisy Chains IW.
The event will feature Huxley Magic, a meet-and-greet Peter Rabbit and other characters, as well as balloon modelling.
Find out more about the charity Easter hunt on the event website.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/characterevents/1150958
Vintage rides will also be available, bouncy castles, tombola, stalls, face-painting, popcorn, candyfloss and ice cream.
Holliers Park
Holliers Farm, Branstone, PO36 0LT
March 30
The Holliers Park – which merges arts and crafts with local food offerings - is holding its Easter Family Fun Day on Saturday, March 30 – the same day as the highly anticipated reopening of House of Chilli.
Sensory Island is hosting a pre-booked one-hour Easter Themed Sensory Play, with an Easter egg available for every attendee.
The Bus Stop Cafe will boast a special Easter Menu, including a range of chocolate cakes.
The cafe will also have a bouncy castle, face painting, glitter tattoos and a photo booth.
Meanwhile, the Holliers Tunnel Market will host competitions, including a chocolate tombola, Easter Bonnet Competition and a letter hunt. Underground Utopia, a new addition to Holliers Park, will be open and offer a range of model railway, music, fancy dress costumes and gothic clothing.
A percentage of takings from all businesses at the shopping destination will go to Daisy Chains IW.
MAD-Aid
York Avenue, East Cowes, PO32 6QY
March 30
You would be hopping mad to miss the East Cowes Easter Egg Hunt and children’s activities at the MAD-Aid DOT community room on Saturday, March 30, from 11am to 2pm!
The Easter Egg Hunt will start from the MAD-Aid DOT and follows the simple clues around the town.
Every child who competes in the egg hunt will receive a chocolate treat – donated by Tesco in Ryde and other charity supporters within the community.
There are also spot prizes for the best fancy dress and best Easter bonnet, with everyone welcome.
Inside the MAD-Aid DOT, there will be fun for all the family, including children’s colouring and crafts, plus a tombola, games, a lucky dip and much more.
Proceeds from the event, including the toy stall and food and drink sales, will go to the MAD-Aid charity.
Isle of Wight Duck Races
Shide/Ventnor/Yarmouth/Calbourne
March 30 – March 31
The Aspire charity Duck Race at Shide will be held on Easter Saturday at 1pm.
Ducks are £1 each – available through the charity’s TotalGiving page – and there are many prizes, including £50 for first place.
The Enhancement Fund’s Ventnor Easter Duck Race returns for its ninth year on Saturday.
Taking place at Flowers Brook, on Steephill Road, 360 ducks will race to the bottom of the hill, with ducks available for £2 and go on sale at 11am, before races start at 11.15am.
Featuring hundreds of brilliantly decorated ducks – and a judging panel for the best – the Yarmouth Duck Race gets underway at 3pm on Saturday.
Duck race tickets are ‘selling like hotcakes’ say organisers, and are available from Harwoods, Holdings, PO41 and Yarmouth Pharmacy.
Meanwhile, at Winkle Street, the annual Calbourne Duck Race takes place on Easter Sunday at 11.30am.
Refreshments will be available in the village hall, and Plaza Ices will be on hand for a cold treat.
Highfield and Springfield Nursing Homes
Queens Road, Ryde, PO33 3BG and Arthurs Hill, Shanklin, PO37 6EX
Up to April 1/special event April 4
Hartford Care’s Highfield and Springfield Nursing Homes will host exciting events for the local community this Easter.
To celebrate Easter, the Ryde-based Highfield Nursing Home has partnered with students from Ryde School, while Shanklin’s Springfield home has joined forces with children from Gatten and Lake Primary.
Pupils visited the homes last week to help residents decorate Easter crafts, which will form part of the special festive trail and have been hidden near each home.
For those lucky enough to spot a hidden Easter decoration, you can take it to either Highfield or Springfield to collect a prize by Monday (April 1).
On Thursday (April 4), both homes will be treated to a performance from Showaddywaddy’s Bill Shannon, who will be at Springfield at 11.30am and Highfield at 2.30pm – everyone is invited to come along and watch the show!
St James’s Church
Market Street, Ryde, PO33 2NG
March 30
St James’s Church in Ryde will hold an Easter egg hunt around the High Street on Saturday, March 30.
Easter characters will be out and about on the High Street between 2pm and 4pm.
Participants can collect their clue cards from the church and hunt down the clues from each character to claim their chocolate egg prize.
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