Families in Kingswinford can fill the summer holidays with free swimming, outdoor theatre, and activity trails after Dudley Council unveiled its borough-wide programme. The line-up includes free swim sessions at three leisure centres, play sessions at the award-winning Sycamore Adventure Centre in Pensnett, and a free-entry trail at the Red House Glass Cone.
Paperback Theatre brings its open-air production of The Railway Children to the lawn in front of Himley Hall at 3pm on Wednesday 29 July 2026. Tickets are available through the venue’s ticket source page. Across the borough, Duncan Edwards, Crystal and Halesowen leisure centres will host free swimming, while the Sycamore Adventure Centre runs its summer play sessions. The Red House Glass Cone opens its doors without charge for a free family trail, and Dudley Museum at the Archives layers in fossil handling and dinosaur-themed sessions.
The council’s Park Active programme continues through the holiday with free outdoor exercise sessions, including led walks, park yoga, and the weekly Dudley Park Run and Junior Park Run, operating from five healthy hubs. Many activities can be booked in advance through the venue websites. Families needing support can access the Holiday Activities and Food programme, funded by the Department of Education, which offers up to 16 free sessions for children eligible for benefit-related free school meals. Details are on the programme’s booking site at dudleyholidayactivities.org.uk, and leisure centre information is at dbleisure.co.uk/school-holiday-activities.
Libraries across the borough are adding Lego workshops, craft sessions, story times and the summer reading challenge to the mix, while Himley Park runs its own scavenger hunts and trails alongside the theatre performance. The park draws more than 200,000 visitors a year and provides a backdrop for the single outdoor staging of The Railway Children. Sycamore Adventure Centre booking opens at sycamoreadventure.org.uk, and swimming slots are released at dbleisure.co.uk.
With the school holidays now underway, the council’s coordinated push across leisure centres, museums, libraries and parks aims to give every family a route into affordable days out without leaving the borough.
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