Summer Holiday Activities in Kildare: Things to Do With Kids

County Kildare gives families four broad options during the school holidays: organised summer camps covering a morning or a full week, outdoor days at forest parks, farms and mazes, indoor centres for wet afternoons, and a set of genuinely free options built around libraries, canal paths and parklands. Many are within easy reach of towns across the county, from Celbridge and Maynooth in the north to Athy in the south.

This guide is organised by the decisions parents actually make: how long you have, how old the children are, whether you need a roof, and what you want to spend. Prices, opening times and seasonal programmes change, so check the organiser's own website before travelling.

What can kids do in Kildare during the summer holidays?

The short answer:

- Structured camps: GAA Cúl Camps, FAI football camps, performing arts camps and Jungle Den Summer Camp., across the county through July and August - Outdoor half-days: Donadea Forest Park, the Grand Canal Greenway, Castletown parklands, the Kildare Maze - Farms and animals: Kildare Farm Foods near Kildare Town, Clonfert Farm near Maynooth - Full-day attractions: the Irish National Stud and Gardens, Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park - Indoor and rainy-day: Jungle Den in Naas and Newbridge, swimming at K Leisure, library events - Free or close to it: Summer Stars, canal towpaths, Castletown parklands, Kildare Farm Foods

Summer camps in Kildare

Camps are the practical answer when you need reliable structure rather than a day out. Many camps use weekday, week-long formats, although schedules vary by organiser. , which covers childcare gaps without filling the whole holiday.

GAA Cúl Camps

Cúl Camps run at clubs across Kildare through July and August, coordinated by Kildare GAA, which publishes the club-by-club list of dates. Registration is handled centrally online. If your child already plays with a club, this is the path of least resistance.

FAI football camps

The FAI runs camps nationwide for ages 6 to 14, delivered by Garda-vetted coaches, with girls-only, goalkeeper and Football For All formats in some locations. All abilities are welcome.

Performing arts camps

Starcamp runs performing arts camps in Kildare for ages 4 to 8, with a separate Starcrew programme for ages 8 to 12 built around teamwork, games and group performance. Local drama and dance schools run their own week-long camps alongside these, and smaller providers add STEM, art and athletics options. These fill quickly, so ask at your school or sports club rather than relying on national listings sites.

Jungle Den Summer Camp

Jungle Den runs a summer camp built around a mix of creative, science and active sessions rather than a single discipline, which makes it a different proposition to the sports and performing arts camps above. Listed activities include arts and crafts, treasure hunts, friendship bracelets, baking, science experiments, a disco, soccer games and Tag & Run.

There are two booking options. The weekly camp is €130 per child, running Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 14:00. A single day is €30 per child for the same 10:00 to 14:00 slot.

The single-day option is the useful one if you are patching a gap rather than committing to a full week, and the mixed programme tends to suit children who would not choose a week of football or drama. Confirm current dates, venue and age guidance when booking.

What to check before booking

Camp details change every year, so confirm these with the organiser rather than a directory: exact dates and remaining places, age range, daily times, price and sibling discounts, whether the National Childcare Scheme applies, and the venue, since camps move between clubs and schools year to year.

Outdoor days out in County Kildare

Donadea Forest Park, near Kilcock

Donadea is 243 hectares of mixed woodland managed by Coillte, roughly 13km north of Naas. Three looped trails suit different stamina levels: the Lake Walk is 0.8km and accessible for all, the Nature Trail is 1.6km, and the Aylmer Walk is 5.7km. There is a lake with ducks, the ruins of Donadea Castle, a 9/11 memorial, three orienteering courses and a café. The car park carries a charge and toilets open only during café hours. Most visitors spend ninety minutes to two hours.

Best for: a low-cost outdoor half-day, buggy-friendly.

Castletown House and Parklands, Celbridge

The parklands are free and open all year, with river walks along the Liffey, woodland paths and marked trails across a large demesne. It covers everything from a short buggy walk to a couple of hours of running around, and it is one of the easiest free outings in north Kildare.

The house is separate: seasonal, guided tour only, with an admission charge, though under-12s go free. Tour times shift, so check the Office of Public Works listing if the house is the reason you are going.

Best for: a free outdoor morning, with optional history for older children.

The Kildare Maze, Prosperous

Leinster's largest hedge maze sits at Ballinafagh near Prosperous. Alongside the hedge maze and its viewing tower there is a wooden maze with control points to find, crazy golf, an obstacle course, a zip wire and a picnic area. This is an almost entirely outdoor attraction, so it needs a reasonable forecast. Tickets are available online or at reception, and it is worth checking current opening days before travelling, as the site operates seasonally.

Best for: a couple of hours of outdoor problem-solving on a dry day.

The Grand Canal Greenway, Sallins to Naas

The canal towpath from Sallins is flat, traffic-free and free. Sallins to Naas is about 4km along a canal spur, Sallins to Robertstown around 10.5km, and Sallins east towards Hazelhatch roughly 13km. Being level throughout, it suits children still building confidence on a bike and works for buggies and wheelchairs. Bike hire operates from Sallins with half-day and full-day options, and Sallins has a train station, so a car-free version works.

Best for: a free or low-cost active day that scales to any distance.

Farms and animal attractions

Kildare Farm Foods Open Farm, Kildare Town

Entry to the open farm is free, though tickets must be pre-booked, and parking is free. The site is buggy and wheelchair accessible, and children can feed the animals using feed bought on site. Paid extras include a train ride and an indoor crazy golf course, and there is a café and farm shop. Opening hours are more restricted than at most attractions here, so check current times rather than assuming a weekend visit will work.

Best for: the strongest free option for younger children who like animals.

Clonfert Farm, Maynooth

Clonfert combines a pet farm and mini zoo with three playgrounds, a football and astro pitch, mini golf, a zip line, a bouncy castle, a fairy trail, picnic areas and an indoor soft play centre. Animals range from farm regulars to alpacas, lemurs and meerkats.

The indoor soft play is why this one holds up when the weather turns, which is not true of most farm visits. Admission covers animals and play areas, with mini golf charged separately. Tickets are available online or at the gate, and the farm advises booking online on busy summer bank holidays.

Best for: a full day where a shower will not end the visit.

Full-day attractions

Irish National Stud and Gardens, Tully, Kildare Town

General admission covers the stud farm, the Irish Racehorse Experience, the Japanese Gardens and St Fiachra's Garden. Free guided tours run at set times, with a self-guide leaflet if you prefer your own pace. There is a restaurant, picnic benches, free parking and a playground, and the site is walkable from Kildare train station.

The Irish Racehorse Experience has limited capacity, so the stud recommends pre-booking a time slot. This is largely an outdoor visit with a fair amount of walking, so it suits a settled forecast. Allow two to three hours.

Best for: older primary children and teenagers, and one substantial outing rather than several short ones.

Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park, Rathangan

Lullymore sits on 60 acres in the Bog of Allen and mixes heritage exhibitions with an outdoor adventure play area, an indoor play centre, 18-hole crazy golf, a pet farm, a road train, a fairy trail and a peatland biodiversity boardwalk. Having both indoor and outdoor play is what makes it dependable in an Irish summer. Plan for two to three hours minimum, and note that last admission is earlier than closing time.

Best for: a full day in mixed weather, with learning that does not feel like schoolwork.

Indoor and rainy-day activities in Kildare

Jungle Den, Naas and Newbridge

Jungle Den runs indoor play centres at two Kildare venues, and it answers a wet afternoon because nothing about the visit depends on the forecast.

Standard play sessions run for 90 minutes. Prices start from €10.50 per child, toddler sessions are reduced, and adults go free with a paying child. Under-4s have a dedicated toddler zone that is physically separated from the older children, with parent seating beside it, and the main play frames are designed for ages 4 to 12. Socks are required in the play frame, and Jungle Den's FAQ asks families to bring their own grippy pair. Both venues have free on-site parking and a café, and outside food is not permitted.

On booking: Jungle Den's FAQ and Play Areas pages describe standard play sessions as walk-in, while the homepage and location pages encourage online booking and note that weekends and school holidays fill up quickly. Check the page for your venue before you go, and arrive early on a busy holiday weekend either way.

Tag & Run is a paid extra rather than part of a standard play session. Jungle Den's FAQ describes the mechanics: a tag band bought at reception, an hour on the interactive frame, tagging as many pods as possible to beat the leaderboard, and a prize at the end. The €3 per child figure appears in specific contexts: the school trip add-on at Newbridge, and an add-on on certain party packages rather than all of them. There is also a separate Tag & Run party package that includes a band for every child, and the parties page describes Newbridge as the venue with the disco room and Tag & Run. If you want it as part of an ordinary family visit, ring the venue first to check it is running that day.

**Make A Bear** lets children choose a character, stuff it, make a wish, register it for a birth certificate and take it home. Jungle Den's Make A Bear page lists it as a party add-on at both Naas and Newbridge, while the Make A Bear party package itself and the school trip add-on are both listed for the Naas venue. Check the relevant venue page when booking if this is the reason for your trip.

Lasers, the multi-level arena, is for ages 6 to 13. It is not a drop-in activity: the current parties page lists Laser Tag as an after-hours party option available at the Naas centre. . It is not a drop-in activity: the site states it is available only as part of a party booking. The parties page currently lists the laser party as after-hours only at the Naas centre, with evening start times shown on that page. Younger siblings can use the play frames while an older child plays.

Venue notes: Naas has a purpose-built sensory area with padded flooring, fibre-optic lights, a bubble tube and tactile wall panels, free to use with a play session or school tour. Newbridge is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. One quirk worth knowing: Jungle Den Newbridge is listed with a postal address of Unit W11 Ladytown Business Park, Naas, Co. Kildare, so follow the venue name rather than the town when navigating.

Best for: a 90-minute indoor session for under-12s at short notice.

Swimming at K Leisure

K Leisure runs three Kildare sites, but only Athy and Naas have pools, both 25m indoor. Newbridge is a dry facility with a gym, sports hall and astro pitches, so do not travel there expecting to swim. Sessions are timetabled, so check the current pool timetable and any booking requirements before travelling. Day passes are available for non-members.

Libraries

Kildare libraries run free story times, workshops, games and craft events across the summer alongside Summer Stars. Events are announced locally rather than through one county calendar, so follow your nearest branch on social media or join the library newsletter.

Free and low-cost summer activities in Kildare

- Summer Stars, the free national reading programme, runs from 2 June to 31 August 2026 in all public libraries. Children read at their own pace, track progress and get a certificate at the end. Library membership is free, and a Summer Stars collection is available through the BorrowBox app. - Castletown parklands, Celbridge: free, open all year. - Kildare Farm Foods open farm: free entry, pre-booked ticket required. - The Grand Canal towpath: free to walk or cycle. - Donadea Forest Park: car park charge only, then free to use.

Matching activities to age

Toddlers and under-5s. The Jungle Den toddler zone, Kildare Farm Foods, the Lake Walk at Donadea and library story times all work without much walking or queueing. Clonfert and Lullymore have soft play for the very small alongside outdoor space for older siblings.

Primary-school children. The widest choice by far: the Kildare Maze, Clonfert, Lullymore, Jungle Den play sessions and Tag & Run, GAA and FAI camps, and easy stretches of the canal greenway.

Pre-teens and teenagers. Options narrow, and it is worth being honest about that. The Irish National Stud, longer greenway cycles, the Aylmer Walk, swimming at Naas or Athy, and sports camps aimed at the upper age bands are most likely to land. Soft play frames, Jungle Den's included, are designed for ages 4 to 12.

How to choose

1. How long have you got? Under two hours: a play session, a library event, a short canal walk. Half a day: Donadea, the Kildare Maze, Castletown. Full day: the Irish National Stud, Lullymore, Clonfert. 2. What is the forecast? If uncertain, prioritise sites with both indoor and outdoor space: Clonfert, Lullymore, or an indoor centre outright. 3. What ages are you covering? Mixed ages are best served by sites with separate zones rather than a single activity. 4. Does it need booking? Camps and timed experiences do. Farm visits vary. For indoor play, check the venue page, since guidance differs by page.

Frequently asked questions

What summer camps are available in Kildare? The county covers three broad types. For sport, GAA Cúl Camps run through local clubs and FAI football camps cover ages 6 to 14. For performing arts, Starcamp runs camps for ages 4 to 12. For a mixed activity programme, Jungle Den runs a summer camp from 10:00 to 14:00, at €130 per child for the week or €30 for a single day, combining crafts, baking, science, games and Tag & Run. Smaller providers add STEM and art options. Dates and venues change annually, so confirm with the organiser.

What can children do in Kildare on a rainy day? Indoor play at Jungle Den in Naas or Newbridge, the indoor play centre at Lullymore, soft play at Clonfert Farm, swimming at K Leisure in Naas or Athy, or a free library event.

Are there free summer activities in Kildare? Yes: Summer Stars at any Kildare library, Castletown parklands in Celbridge, the Grand Canal towpath, and free entry to Kildare Farm Foods open farm with a pre-booked ticket.

Where can families spend a full day? The Irish National Stud near Kildare Town, Lullymore near Rathangan, and Clonfert Farm near Maynooth all support several hours, and all three have food on site.

Do I need to book Jungle Den play sessions? Jungle Den's FAQ and Play Areas pages describe standard play sessions as walk-in, while its homepage and location pages encourage online booking and recommend checking availability at busy times. Check the page for your venue before travelling, and arrive early during school holidays.

Can we turn up and play lasers at Jungle Den? No. Lasers is available as part of a party booking, for ages 6 to 13, and the laser party runs after hours at the Naas centre. Tag & Run is available as part of specific party and school-trip options rather than as a general drop-in activity, so check the current venue or package details if you want to include it. 

Final thoughts

Line up three things and the holidays largely look after themselves: one camp week to break up the summer, two or three outdoor places you would happily return to, and one indoor option you can fall back on at short notice.

Keep the free options in genuine rotation rather than saving them for a tight week. Castletown, the canal path, the library and Kildare Farm Foods will absorb a lot of summer between them. And check opening hours before every trip, because seasonal timetables here vary more than you would expect.