Students will be out of class for Spring Break between March 25 and 29, and there are plenty of opportunities for family fun in Winnipeg.

Museums

The Winnipeg Art Gallery is hosting special activities for Spring Break, starting with an 80s Family Night from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 22 that includes dancing, snacks and a makeover station. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, you can DIY with the kids at Family Fusion workshops from 1 to 3 p.m., Tuesday’s will focus on building dioramas and Thursday’s soapstone carving. All events cost $20 per family and includes entry to galleries. More information is available online.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is giving the family pocketbook a break, offering free admission for kids age 12 and under from March 23 to March 31. It’s also holding a Festival of Rights with daily activities during the afternoons from March 25 to 28, with face painting, arts and crafts and performances. A full schedule for the festival and a list of events taking place in galleries, including family tours of the Spotlight on Mandela exhibit is online.

The Manitoba Museum is offering lots of hands-on activities for kids over the break, as well as extra planetarium shows and access to the newest exhibits, including Legacies of Confederation: A New Look at Manitoba History. In addition, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., get up close to some live animals from the Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of Spring Break.

Stick to the Manitoba Children’s Museum for special programming daily on an adhesive theme from March 23 to 30, including activities with Let’s Talk Science and tape artist Eric Lennartson and the building of a collaborative tape art program with Graffiti Art Programming Inc. The full schedule of events is online.

Outdoor fun

The Assiniboine Park Zoo says special Spring Break activities will take place daily from March 23 to 31, including heavy horse wagon rides from 1 to 3 p.m.; jungle games, jungle vine demonstrations and a scavenger hunt at Toucan Ridge from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; a safari vest craft at the Kinsmen Discovery Centre from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and story time at Gateway to the Arctic from 12 to 2 p.m. Zoo chats will also be held once daily at the habitats for heavy horses, snow leopards, camels and wolves, as well as at Toucan Ridge. Researchers will also be on hand at the International Polar Bear Conservation Centre each weekday over the break at 11 a.m.

The zoo is also hosting a Spring Break Camp between March 25 and 29 with options to register for the full week or single days. At the Zoo Camp, kids will explore a different theme every day focusing on plants, animals, art, and recreation. Campers will meet some animal ambassadors and explore parts of the park and zoo. The camp is designed for children grades 1 to 6.

Oak Hammock Marsh is celebrating ‘Wild Wetland Week’ from March 25 to 29, featuring activities, movies, games and crafts daily between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with cost included in the regular price of admission. It’s also holding a day camp for children ages six to nine.

FortWhyte Alive is holding a Spring Break Bonanza with activities tailored to a daily theme from March 25 to 29, including an Orienteering Adventure all day Wednesday and a Spring Bingo Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. The special programming is included with the regular cost of admission and more information is online.

Other activities and attractions

The Festival of Fools is back at The Forks with performances from jugglers and clowns, circus workshops, a “boogey woggie hootchey kootchey dance extravaganza” and much more. The free fun takes place daily from March 25 to 31, between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. 

Still looking for ideas? Tourism Winnipeg has a comprehensive listing of family-friendly attractions on its website.