Haringey Council has unveiled a broad programme of free and low-cost summer activities for children and young people across the north London borough, with events running throughout the school holidays covering sport, arts, cookery, music and outdoor pursuits.
The initiative, branded Holiday Fun, offers activities ranging from football and tennis to forest school, inclusive theatre, street gym and wheelchair basketball. To help families identify suitable sessions, the council has colour-coded activities — blue, green or yellow — to indicate the level of support available from each provider, making it easier for those with disabilities or additional needs to find appropriate events.
What’s on offer
Free tennis sessions are being delivered by Access to Sports, the council’s leisure partner, at parks across the borough including Chapmans Green, Chestnuts Park, Down Lane Park and Downhills Park for children aged five to eleven, and at Finsbury Park and Priory Park for those aged five to sixteen. Swimming at Park Road Leisure Centre and Tottenham Green Leisure Centre is available for under-sixteens at just £1 per session, excluding the Lido at Park Road; children under eight must be accompanied by an adult.
Project 2020 is hosting arts and crafts, a cooking club, music, gaming, street gym and day trips from the ground floor of Kenneth Robbins House in Northumberland Park. Meanwhile, the Bruce Grove Youth Space and the Rising Green Youth Hub are offering art, baking, boxing, cookery and music production for young people aged eleven to nineteen, with provision extended to age twenty-five for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Cultural venues are also participating: Bruce Castle Museum will host arts and craft sessions, while Markfield Beam Engine and Museum — a Victorian pumping station turned heritage attraction — is holding open days. Both events carry additional significance given that Haringey is set to become the London Borough of Culture in 2027, a designation that celebrates and funds community arts and culture across a chosen borough for a calendar year.
Holiday Activities and Food programme
A central strand of the summer offer is the nationally funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, which targets children and young people aged five to sixteen who are eligible for benefits-related Free School Meals. The HAF scheme, funded by the Department for Education and rolled out across England since 2021, provides structured activities alongside nutritious meals during school holiday periods, addressing concerns around holiday hunger and inactivity among lower-income families.
The programme has become an important part of local authorities’ support infrastructure, particularly as the cost of living continues to affect household budgets. For many families in areas such as Haringey — which contains some of the most deprived wards in London alongside more affluent neighbourhoods — free, organised activities during the six-week break can make a significant practical difference.
How to find out more
While many activities are free, some may involve a small charge. Drop-in attendance is welcome at most events, though certain sessions require pre-registration. Families are advised to check individual activity details before attending. A full What’s On calendar on the council’s website lists all children and young people’s activities by category, date, price and venue, and is updated regularly as new events are added.
Full details of the Holiday Fun summer 2026 programme are available to download, and anyone unsure about the level of support available at a particular session is encouraged to contact the relevant provider directly before attending.
