Maitland Launches Full Program of Free and Bookable Events for Winter School Holidays

newy.com.au – Maitland is offering a diverse range of activities for families during the winter school holidays from 7 to 19 July, with events spread across local libraries, the art gallery, aquatic centre and The Levee precinct.

The Maitland Aquatic Centre will host a Learn to Swim intensive program from 7 to 18 July. This program is designed to build water confidence and improve stroke technique, with 30-minute daily lessons held between 9.00am and 12.00pm in the heated indoor pool.

Maitland’s libraries—East Maitland, Rutherford, Maitland and Thornton—will feature a variety of events. Highlights include a light painting photography workshop for teens, a Crafty Cinema night, and a storytelling session with author Karen Hughes. Tolkien enthusiasts can join the Hobbit Walking Book Club. Bookings are essential for all library activities.

At Maitland Regional Art Gallery, children and teens can participate in free drop-in sessions inspired by current exhibitions, along with bookable workshops in sculpture, landscape painting, and animation. A special water catchment-themed art workshop, led by Maitland City Council’s Environment team, will also be available.

The holiday program will culminate with the Kids Big Day Out at The Levee on Saturday 19 July from 10.00am to 2.00pm. This free event will feature science demonstrations by the University of Newcastle’s SMART team, including experiments with liquid nitrogen, giant bubbles, air rockets and the foamy ‘elephant’s toothpaste’ reaction.

Attendees can also enjoy a reptile encounter hosted by Wow Reptile Encounters, offering the chance to meet and learn about non-venomous snakes and lizards. For dinosaur enthusiasts, the My Pet Dinosaur show will present life-like dinosaur puppets, including a baby Triceratops and a Tyrannosaurus.

Additional entertainment includes roaming performances by the Bubble Mermaid, who will create large bubbles throughout the precinct, and a variety of giant games such as Jenga and Connect Four near Ken Lane Menswear.

Bookings are required for the science shows, reptile encounters and dinosaur performances. Further details and booking information can be found on The Levee’s official website.