Here’s to a Winter of fun! We’ve rounded up all the best activities and events on the Central Coast and beyond to enjoy these July school holidays.
From circus performances to snow play and full-day holiday camps, your calendar will be packed with things to do. School holiday boredom? That definitely won’t be a thing for your tots, tweens and teens!
We’re just getting started with all the fun to come… check back soon for more.
Happy holidays!
School Holiday Events for Central Coast Families
Children Are Stinky at Laycock Street Community Theatre, Wyoming
Get set for mischief and mayhem! Children Are Stinky is a rollicking mashup of comedy, circus and music that feels (and looks) like a giant party, and it’s hitting the Laycock Street Community Theatre stage this July.
In Children Are Stinky, a pair of talented performers try to prove that kids are stinky, but they only succeed in proving that kids are truly awesome. Along the way, you’ll witness incredible mouth-dropping acrobatics, daredevil tricks, juggling, hula-hooping and a heap of silly fun. There’s a tonne of audience interaction and a heap of kids are invited to step onto the stage and prove themselves worthy, smart, coordinated, and imaginative against these very silly circus performers.
With a nod to the ’90s, plenty of parental jokes and a soundtrack that parents will love (and get all nostalgic about), It’s a treat for both kids and their adults.
Age group: Kids aged 3-12 (and their adults).
Show duration: 50 mins, no interval.
Where: Laycock Street Community Theatre, 5 Laycock Street, Wyoming.
Show times: Tuesday 16 July 2024, 11am and 1pm.
Tickets: Adult $25 | Child (2-12 years old) $22 | Under 2 is free on the knee | Family (2A+2C or 1A+3C) $75 | Vacation care group $20
Phone: 02 4323 3233
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://theatres.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/theatre/children-are-stinky
Snow Time at Hunter Valley Gardens
Snow Time is back and promising wintry fun for the whole family.
We absolutely love Snow Time! It provides families an opportunity to play in the snow and experience a heap of wintry fun without the 8-hour drive to the Snowy Mountains (or the hefty price tag of a ski holiday!). And that is pretty damn awesome in our books.
At Snow Time there’s a huge area where you can play in the snow and build snowmen. No joke – this is real snow (yes, of course it’s man-mande), but it’s real in the sense that it’s not confetti or sand or anything else pretending to be snow. You can build snowmen in it, make snow balls with it, slide down it and get proper chilly fingers from it.
There are also rinks to ice skate around and a 45-metre ice slide for tube tobogganing. And believe us when we say that your kids will want to slide down this tobogganing track again and again and again! It’s a LOT of fun.
This year they’ve made the whole experience (somehow) even better and they’ve now got two ice rinks – one for little people to build their confidence on and one for bigger kids and adults.
And let’s not forget you also get to enjoy the Hunter Valley Gardens’ five permanent rides, the beautiful gardens and a heap of wintry food.
Snow Time is an event we look forward to every year and we absolutely recommend you add it to your holiday list!
Playing in Puddles has visited multiple times; to find out more, check out our Snow Time review here.
Where: The Hunter Valley Gardens, Pokolbin.
When: Saturday 29th June until Sunday 28th July 2024. Snow Time activities open daily from 9:30am-4:30pm. Last Snow Time activity entry is at 3pm. Gardens open daily from 9am-5pm.
Entry Cost: Day OR Night entry: Adult (16+ yrs) $40. Children (4-15 yrs) $30. Children (3 yrs. & Under) FREE. Family (1ad+2ch) $93. Family (2ad+1ch) $99. Family (2ad+2ch) $122. Extra Child (4-15yrs) $27. You can get annual passes too; see website for details.
Age group: All ages.
Ride costs: Each ride is $6 per person. Or you can purchase a 6-ride pass for $30 and get a bonus ride for free. Ride tickets are available for purchase in the event area at the Gardens.
Escape Reality – Escape Rooms Central Coast
Looking for a fun, indoor activity that’ll entertain a family or group of friends of multiple ages these holidays? We’ve found just the ticket. Escape Reality – Escape Rooms Central Coast in Tuggerah is an escape room facility with four experiences, including a family-friendly room that caters to kids as young as six!
But what is an escape room you may be asking! Well, it’s a little like being inside a board game where you and your friends have just 60 minutes to solve a series of puzzles and challenges to escape from a movie-inspired set! Sounds pretty awesome, right? And it is.
Our Playing in Puddles family visited to experience their family-friendly room, and all of us – from the age of 6 to 41 – had a tonne of fun. We don’t want to say too much as that would clearly ruin the experience for any would-be detectives, but we will say this, “DO IT!”.
If you like cracking puzzles, reading detective novels, doing Rubik’s cubes, coding, Sudoku or anything else that gives your brain a little tease and makes you think outside the box, DO IT. It was fascinating to see how our kids’ brains ticked, how they worked through problems, how they worked together as a team, who took the lead and who was happy to follow. More interesting still was the realisation that us adults were not much better at working through the problems – we all genuinely had to work together to crack the codes.
This activity is fun. It’s different. It’s challenging. It’s something your whole family can do together and – importantly – equally enjoy. And that in our books is absolutely awesome. Get there these holidays and have a blast!
The Rooms: At “Escape Reality – Escape Rooms Central Coast” there are four experiences to choose from, and each room is designed to be tackled by groups of 2-6 players.
+ “Jungala” is aimed at families and groups of kids/teens.
+ “The Iron Kingdom” is great for kids, adults and Game of Thrones fans.
+ “Legend of the Mummy” is a more difficult experience and is recommended for groups of adults who have attempted Escape Rooms before.
+ “Sinister” is purposely creepy to enhance the experience for those who love a good scare and is reserved for people aged 16+. Teens and young adults will LOVE it.
Open: Thursday and Friday 1pm to 9pm; Saturday and Sunday 9am to 10pm.
Website: www.escapereality.com/centralcoast
Phone: 0480 488 338
Email:[email protected]
Address: 4/15 Anzac Road, Tuggerah, NSW.
Central Coast School Holiday Camps
Motiv8sports 2-day Games school holiday camps
When you combine 20+ activities, a live DJ spinning beats, some awesome instructors and a heap of energetic kids you know you’re set for a heap of fun.
The team at Motiv8Sports are hosting three 2-day GAMES CAMPS this July and they’re bound to sell out. Held just once a year, Motiv8 says their GAMES CAMP is a “futuristic version of the Olympics with a rock concert style atmosphere”. Over two days your kids will partake in 10 trademarked sports and 10 individual events, plus showdowns and team-building challenges.
Motiv8sports runs incredible school holiday sports camps. And what makes them so awesome is that they’re not just for “sporty kids”: far from it. These camps offer high-energy experiences that encourage all kids to be included in the fun and action – regardless of their skill sets or abilities.
Kids will love the non-stop fun. Parents, you’ll love that your troops are entertained for two whole days, so you can work, relax or catch up on the neverending life admin.
When and where: These holidays they’re running three camps: 8-9 July (8.30am-3.30pm) at CCGS, Erina Heights | 11-12 July (8.30am-3.30pm) at CCGS, Erina Heights | 18-19 July (8.30am-3.30pm) at Lakes Grammar, Warnervale.
Age group: Children in Kindy-Year 6.
Cost: From $75. See website for details.
Contact: Click here to book or call 0424 951 175
Active and Creative Kids vouchers accepted.
Roundabout Circus school holiday program – 1 hour to full-day workshops!
Ever thought about fire twirling? How about juggling, unicycling or trapeze? If you want your child to pick up some awe-inspiring skills, sign them up to a Roundabout Circus workshop these holidays!
This Winter they have an epic line-up of activities on offer, such as acro balance, tumbling and contortion, silks and even family circus where your whole tribe is invited to join in the fun.
Have a professional in the family? They’ll be running teens and experienced youth ‘level up camps’ in which students will be exposed to fire-spinning, specialty apparatus and more challenging skills.
Fancy running away to the circus yourself? Check out their adult classes these holidays! You’ll learn aerial, acro and mixed circus skills, and all levels of experience are welcome.
Roundabout offers 1 hour, 2 hour, half-day and full-day workshops! AND if you book multiple days or workshops they offer a discount. They also accept Creative Kids and Active Kids vouchers for school holiday programs (see website for details).
Plus, did you hear the news? Roundabout Circus has just moved to a new – and bigger – location in Gosford. The new venue has even more space for circus performers to play and learn plus 6m-high rigging for aerialists.
When: Multiple workshops operate across multiple days throughout the holidays. See their website for the timetable.
Where: Roundabout Circus, 96 Showground Rd, Gosford.
Cost: Different costs – see website for details.
Age Group: Family Circus is for children who are walking/18 months+ all the way through to adults | acro workshops are for 8yrs+ | Camps are for ages 5 yrs -13 yrs+ | Level up camp is for ages 8 yrs -17 yrs+.
Contact: 0243 117 133, roundaboutcircus.com.au
Creative and Active Kids vouchers accepted.
Ninja Kids Erina’s full-day and half-day school holiday camps
Have you heard the news? In February, a fabulous new ninja obstacle training facility opened in Erina! And, as well as regular term-time kids classes and birthday parties, they’re running full-day and, for the first time these holidays, half-day school holiday camps!
The new facility is fitted out with myriad obstacle and parkour equipment – from warped walls and cargo nets to giant trampolines and spider walls. There are monkey bars to swing across, slack lines to balance on, salmon ladders to leap up and rock walls to clamber along. It’s a space guaranteed to show your child a whole lot of fun.
Plus, better yet for busy parents, the camps are running every single week day of the holidays! Yep, you read that right: they’re running Monday to Friday of both holiday weeks – 8.30am-3pm – and you can sign your kids up for as many days as you like. This is so awesomely game-changing! We’ve never heard of anywhere offering this kind of flexibility and we’re totally all for it.
At Ninja Kids Erina’s school holiday camps, kids will build strength and agility, develop new skills and increase self-confidence – all while having a heap of fun! The day will be broken up between tackling obstacles and learning parkour and gymnastics-style tumbling with other activities such as arts and crafts to give the kids’ hardworking hands and muscles a little rest. They’ll also join in team-based games and races, such as timed ninja courses and Beat The Wall competitions.
Want them to attend multiple days? Well, the great news is that the coaches will be putting the kids through different obstacles, skills and games, so no two days will be the same! They sold out last holidays, so don’t delay bagsing your spot.
Where: Ninja Kids Erina, 3/5 Bonnal Rd, Erina.
When: Monday 8th July to Friday 12th July and Monday 15th July to Friday 19th July.
Time: Full-day camps run 8:30am till 3.30pm. Afternoon camps run 12pm-3.30pm and morning camps run 8.30am-12pm.
Cost: $70 per day plus insurance if your child hasn’t attended Ninja Kids and completed insurance for 2024 ($25 valid until 31st December 2024, or $5 per day).
Age Group: Ages 5 to 15.
Contact: For more details, visit the Ninja Kids Erina website.
Creative Kids vouchers and Active Kids vouchers accepted.
Little Leaders full-day holiday camps, Central Coast
Want to teach your child about resilience, mindfulness and gratitude? If your answer is a, “Heck yes!”, we recommend enrolling them into a Little Leaders camp these July school holidays!
The full-day camps involve a heap of fun and varied activities – from colour runs and parkour challenges to journalling and clay work. The activities are chosen with very particular outcomes in mind – to keep your kids active and entertained while being exposed to strategies that will assist them when dealing with life’s challenges and the tools they need to thrive in today’s world.
We absolutely love Little Leaders’ unique school holiday camps! And here’s why we know you’ll love them too:
- Their camps run for two full days, so they’re great for working parents.
- They have two Central Coast locations – Kincumber and Erina!
- Your kids learn while having fun! We’ve heard from so many parents and carers who have seen the benefits of this holiday camp.
- Kids absolutely love the variety of activities on offer – from drumming and meditation to obstacle challenges and laser tag.
Inclusions: Lunch is provided on all days and first-time Little Leaders will be presented with their very own wellness journal.
Time: Camps run all day – 8:30am till 3:30pm.
KINCUMBER CAMP VENUE: KINCUMBER HIGH SCHOOL
- 2-day camp Thursday 11 July & Friday 12 July 2024 | Price from $29.99 – $149.99.
- 2-day camp Monday 15 July & Tuesday 16 July 2024 | Price from $29.99 – $149.99.
ERINA CAMP VENUE: CENTRAL COAST ADVENTIST SCHOOL
- 2-day camp Thursday 18 July & Friday 19 July 2024 | Price from $29.99 – $149.99.
Age Group: Kindy to Year 6.
Contact: For more details, visit the Little Leaders Australia website.
Creative Kids vouchers and Active Kids vouchers accepted.
More Activities to Enjoy these School Holidays
Have you visited the Central Coast’s 68 Attractions?
Be a tourist in your own town! We have animal and adventure parks, farms to visit, go-karting, laser tag, family entertainment centres and more. Start planning your visit! Check everything out here.
Indoor Adventures on the Central Coast
Escape the cold! Find fun play centres, trampoline parks, and indoor adventures here.
Discover a NEW Playground Today
We have more than 100 playground reviews on Playing in Puddles. Click here to discover a new playground near you.
Sport School Holiday Camps on the Central Coast
All Sports Days at Kincumber Indoor Sports
What: One-day sports camp. They’ll get to play a whole heap of ball games including dodgeball, soccer, bull rush, volleyball, and more. They’ll even get to do rock climbing!
Where: Kincumber Indoor Sports.
Ages: 5-14 years old.
To learn more: Check out our feature here to learn more (please note that the dates listed are not current). For current dates and to sign up, email [email protected] or call 4368 3197.
Motiv8Sports Central Coast
What: Two- and three-day sport camps plus 4-on-4 football tournaments.
Where: Multiple locations across the Coast. These can vary so check website for details, but generally Erina and Warnervale.
Ages: 5-15 years old.
MVP Football school holiday soccer clinics
What: One- to three-day soccer camps.
Where: Umina.
Ages: Under 6s+.
Brazilian Soccer Schools, Central Coast
What: Three-day soccer camps (half day and full day available).
Where: Tuggerah.
Ages: 5-16 years old.
Dean Heffernan and Central Coast United soccer camps
What: one- and two-day soccer camps (half day).
Where: Tuggerah.
Ages: Under 8s – Under 16s.
What: one- to six-day soccer camps (full days).
Where: Erina.
Ages: 5-15 years old.
What: Half-day soccer camps.
Where: Killarney Vale.
Ages: Kids aged 5-12.
Mighty Mariners Holiday Clinics, Central Coast
What: Three- and two-day soccer + activity camps (half day only).
Where: Tuggerah.
Ages: 6-14 years old.
Newcastle Jets community soccer clinics and Mini Olympic clinics
What: One- and two-day camps (half day only).
Where: Speers Point, New Lambton, Lochinvar, Maitland, Adamstown, Belmont.
Ages: 6-12 years old.
Skateboard, Scooter, BMX and Rollerskating school holiday camps at Slam Factory
What: One- and three-day camps in specific disciplines: skateboarding, rollerskating, BMX or scootering.
Where: Slam Factory, Tuggerah.
Ages: Kids aged 5+.
Horseriding and Animal School Holiday Camps on the Central Coast
The Outlook Riding Academy horseriding holiday camps, Terrigal
What: One-, two- and three-day horseriding and activity camps (full day only).
Where: Terrigal.
Ages: 5-16 years old.
Glenworth Valley Horseriding camps
What: Half-day junior beginner horseriding camp and full-day level 1 beginner horseriding camp. (This is a 1-day camp)
Where: Glenworth Valley.
Ages: 5-16 years – different ages for different camps.
The Australian Reptile Park’s Little Kids to Keeper, Big Kids to Keeper and Inclusive Kids to Keeper experiences
What: One-day experience. A fully escorted workshop offering exclusive behind-the-scenes access and hands-on animal experiences.
Where: The Australian Reptile Park, Somersby.
Ages: Little Kids 2 Keeper: ages 7-12 years. Big Kids 2 Keeper: ages 13-18 years. Inclusive Kids 2 Keeper: ages 7-18 years.
Adventure and Active School Holiday Camps on the Central Coast
Glenworth Valley Adventure Max School Holiday Camp
What: One-day adventure camp. Activities vary depending on the season, but may include horseriding, quad biking, laser tag, kayaking, abseiling and team games (full day only).
Where: Glenworth Valley.
Ages: 7-16 years old.
Roundabout Circus school holiday camps
What: One-day, half-day and 1.5-2 hour camps are available in everything from aerial silks, trapeze and lyra to tumbling, juggling and hula hooping.
Where: Wyoming.
Ages: All ages. Different ages across different classes.
Art and Digital School Holiday Camps on the Central Coast
Central Coast Creative Hub
What: One-day art camps (full days and half days available). From Water bead Puffy Slime and Picasso Mixed Media wall hangings to Clay pot Fairy Houses.
Where: Point Clare.
Ages: 4.5 years old – 15 years old.
Luna and Co art classes
What: One-day art camps. From air-dry sculpture to acrylic painting.
Where: Niagara Park.
Ages: Different ages across different classes.
Coding camps
There are multiple businesses that run online and in-person digital camps – from coding and website building to DJ and youtube workshops. These businesses sometimes run camps in person on the Central Coast. Check their websites for details.
CIY Club
Code Camp
School Holiday Workshops (camps that run for just a couple of hours)
The following venues run school holiday workshops that kids can attend for a couple of hours. It’s a great way to give kids the opportunity to learn a new skill or gauge their curiosity in a different activity.
Ice skating at Erina Ice Arena: 1.5-hour ice skating workshops for children aged 7-15 years old | Erina.
Ninja classes at Australian Warrior Fitness: 1.5-hours of “Australian Ninja Warrior”-style obstacle training for children aged 6-12 (split into age groups) | North Gosford.
Ninja classes at Obstacle Course Racing School: 30-45 minute classes of “Australian Ninja Warrior”-style obstacle training for people aged 3-14+ (split into age groups) | Tuggerah.
Art classes at Gosford Regional Gallery: 2-hour art classes in everything from jewellery making to expressive drawing. Different classes for different age groups from ages 6-adult | East Gosford.
Roundabout Circus: 2-hour classes in anything from silks and trapeze to tumbling and juggling. All ages (classes are split into different age groups) | Wyoming
Other Central Coast school holiday camps to look out for!
From time to time the following venues run school holiday camps and workshops. Check their website for dates.
Marine Discovery Centre
Charmy Indoor Sports
NSW School Holiday Dates for 2024 and 2025.
We know it’s tricky to plan vacations in advance and to get school holiday camps sorted so parents can continue to work. To make it that little bit easier, here are the school holiday dates for NSW public schools in 2024 and 2025.
2024 NSW school holiday dates and terms
- Winter 2024 school holidays – Monday 8 July 2024 to Friday 19 July 2024.
- Spring 2024 school holidays – Monday 30 September 2024 to Friday 11 October 2024.
- Summer 2024 school holidays (Eastern division; Central Coast) – Monday 23 December 2024 to Thursday 30 January 2025.
- Summer 2024 school holidays (Western division) – Monday 23 December 2024 to Thursday 6 February 2025.
2025 NSW school holiday dates and terms
- Autumn 2025 school holidays – Monday 14 April 2025 to Thursday 24 April 2025.
- Winter 2025 school holidays – Monday 7 July 2025 to Friday 18 July 2025.
- Spring 2025 school holidays – Monday 29 September 2025 to Friday 10 October 2025.
- Summer 2025 school holidays (Eastern division, Central Coast) – Monday 22 December 2025 to Monday 26 January 2026.
- Summer 2025 school holidays (Western division) – Monday 22 December to Monday 2 February 2026.
To advertise your events or holiday camps on Playing in Puddles, click here.
Written By: KATIE STOKES
Founder & Editor
After working in print and online media for more than a decade, Katie launched Playing in Puddles in 2017. A mum of three young boys and local of the Central Coast, Katie loves discovering and sharing all that’s happening in our region.
This feature may also contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.
