FREE Creative Winter Play Days in South Somerset

The Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue in Yeovil are working with arts practitioners and local organisations to bring FREE creative activities and workshops to residents this February half-term, continuing their work as part of the Play Day initiative, and successful Summer of Play Days in 2024.

Play Days are a national initiative that celebrates children’s right to play, and for this run of Winter Play Days we will be celebrating cultures across the different activities on offer.  For Winter 2025, we have planned a series of four Play Days taking place in, and bringing creativity to, neighbourhoods in Yeovil, Langport, Wincanton and Chard. The Play Day events will be free for all to attend, taking place in local community venues, with the opportunity to play and get creative with other families, children and young people during the half-term holiday. Each of our Play Days will run from 10am – 2pm with a variety of different creative workshops for children, young people and families to take part in. Young people will need to be supervised at all times.

There will be a range of activities on offer at each event from music-making to African dancing and from woodwork workshops to face painting, alongside creative art activities all of which will be free for families to take part in. We will also be joined by walkabout performers and circus entertainers, who will be interacting and entertaining us throughout the day!

Throughout February half term we will be heading to locations across the South of Somerset with our series of 4 Winter Play Days. Each event is free to attend running from 10am – 2pm each day.

Dates and locations for our Winter Play Days are:

1.            Monday 17 February in Yeovil at Westlands Entertainment Venue

2.            Tuesday 18 February in Wincanton at Wincanton Memorial Hall

3.            Wednesday 19 February in Langport at Ridgway Hall

4.            Thursday 20 February in Chard at Chard Guildhall

Kicking off the week, on Monday 17 February, we will be in Yeovil and joined by Vamos Theatre’s ‘Crimplene Crusaders’. These octogenarian upholders of moral values are out and about with one thing on their minds: to keep standards high. Our twin-set clad campaigners will keep a firm eye out for any slouching, flirting, or hand-holding, making sure that good old-fashioned values are championed. And on very special occasions, they may be persuaded to let their hair down and demonstrate some unrivalled disco moves to their favourite modern music. With The Crimplene Crusaders around, who needs superheroes?

At our events in Langport, Wincanton and Chard, entertaining us will be Higher Beings Circus and their Roving Jester. This act will contain circus tricks, spinning plates, diabolos, poi, juggling balls, hula hoops, silliness and one entertaining Jester.

Plus, we will have workshops in African dance, drumming and music-making, creative arts and crafts; with woodworking, pottery, and 3D sculpting. And in Chard we will also be joined by Somerset Libraries.

This project has been made possible thanks to The Octagon Theatre becoming an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) and being awarded an investment of £760,000 to support arts and cultural activities in Somerset from 2023-2026. Each Play Day will be FREE to attend.  The Arts Engagement and Outreach Team are striving to provide affordable, accessible arts activities and experiences in the heart of local communities and delivering four free Play Days during the school holidays is just part of their work.