Five fantastic offers and events for families at The Red Dragon Centre this summer!
The school holidays are now underway here in South Wales and we parents are faced with the task of creating fun summer days out without spending a fortune.
As family blogger ambassador for The Red Dragon Centre I’ve been doing my research and am pleased to let you know that the Cardiff Bay entertainment complex has plenty going on over the summer to help you get more for your money, from free events and activities to cheap cinema screenings and family dining offers.
Here are five fantastic events and offers perfect for families this summer. Plus don’t forget parking is free for The Red Dragon Centre customers subject to minimum spend and ticket validation.
1. Bargain cinema tickets
We’ll be kicking off our summer with a trip to see Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation (U). My three children, aged 8, 6 and 4, absolutely love the first two films and have been eagerly awaiting the third instalment ever since posters first started appearing a few months ago. We join the monster family as they embark on a holiday abroad a luxury monster cruise ship so Drac can take a break from providing everyone else’s holidays at the hotel he runs. However the dream vacation turns into a nightmare when his daughter Mavis realizes Drac has fallen for the mysterious captain of the ship, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret that could destroy all of monsterkind. The Sony Pictures animated film features the voices of Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez.
Other big release for summer include The Incredibles 2 Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and Christopher Robin. You can see my full list of family films to watch this summer on Cardiff Mummy Says.
If you head to ODEON on a Monday you can take advantage of Bargain Mondays where you can see all the latest films for just £4.50. And on other days adults pay child prices for children’s films when you book a family ticket for four.
You can also take advantage of ODEON Kids – early morning screenings of older releases with tickets for just £2.50 per person. The films are usually shown around 10am/10.30am and Duck Duck Goose (PG) Sherlock Gnomes (U) and Show Dogs (PG) are programmed from Friday 27 July until Thursday 9 August.
*Bargain Mondays are not available on Bank Holidays. Standard 2D tickets. Additional fees apply for upgrades/ blockbuster priced films.
2. Extra family fun at Hollywood Bowl
How about a family game of bowling over the summer? Hollywood Bowl has exciting prizes to be won this summer – including the chance to win a holiday to Hollywood. There’s heaps of additional fun activities for bowlers over the holidays, including a free ice lolly for kids who bowl on a Monday, certificates for top scorers, treasure hunts, activity trails, fun augmented reality activity sheets to take home and so much more.*
Plus visit on Saturday 11 or Sunday 12 August for a weekend of extra-special family treats with Hollywood Bowl’s Family Fun Fest. Not only can you enjoy hitting the lanes, between 12pm and 4pm there are heaps of fun activities on offer, including face painting, glow bowling, balloons and treasure hunts
*Activities, times and availability vary. For details on how to win a holiday to Hollywood see hollywoodbowl.co.uk for full T+Cs.
3. Kids eat free family dining offers
The Red Dragon Centre has some great family dining offers over the summer, meaning you can eat out for less.
At Bella Italia children eat free all summer. Purchase an adult meal and you can get a child’s one for free. Bella Italia have also teamed up with Hasbro to bring children new games and activities, plus there’s a free magazine with every kids’ meal, while stocks last! The offer is valid from 12noon every day until 9 September. Read more here.
Children also eat for free at Grill & Shake. With every main course purchased from the main menu, you’ll get one child main course free. The offer is available Monday to Friday 12pm-5pm and Sunday throughout the school holidays. Read more here.
4. Meet the dragons
With the National Eisteddfod in Cardiff from 3-11 August the Centre is celebrating all things dragon.
My children are really looking forward to seeing Echo the Eco Dragon again as he joins The Red Dragon Centre between 1 and 12 August. After that he’ll move to his ‘forever home’ in September… with details to be revealed soon.
Made entirely of recycled materials, we loved meeting Echo when he was last at the Centre in May half term. He will be installed just outside The Red Dragon Centre, providing some great outdoor fun for families and visitors of the Eisteddfod for free.
The creators of Echo, Eggseeds will also be on hand daily between 12-5pm so families can find out more about how he was made.
Plus you can meet a baby dragon duo and their handlers on Thursday 9 August.
Carefully hatched from their eggs at a small dragon sanctuary in the Welsh Marches, they are friendly to humans and well mannered, although a dragon is never entirely predictable….
Be sure to look out for Cariad, a typically inquisitive pedigree Red Welsh who’s sure to delight the whole family! You may also meet Fern, a small Forest Dragon with a big heart or Freya the Ice Dragon, who just loves to play cool in summer.
You will find them roaming inside the Centre with their handlers at the following times:
12-12.30pm; 12.45-1.15pm; 1.30-2pm; 2.15-2.45pm; 3-3.30pm; 3.45-4.15pm.
5. Free RDC Eco Kids club – seed planting workshop
EDC Eco Kids is a great new initiative at The Red Dragon Centre offering free workshops to children that help them learn more about the environment and how to protect our planet. We attended the very first RDC Eco Kids in May half term where we made boats from recycled materials and put them to the test by seeing if they would float.
The next event is a free seed planting workshop which takes place on Bank Holiday Monday 27 August between 12pm and 4pm. Children are invited to decorate their own cup or butterfly pots and plant their very own cress seeds to take home – where they will soon see fast results.
Have a great summer!
