13 UK Destination Dupes That Feel Like Travelling Abroad
Discover the best UK destination dupes that feel like travelling abroad, from coastal escapes to alpine views - Get...
by Michael Field / Travel Tips
Hayling Island Holiday Park runs a packed calendar of themed breaks, music weekends, and family events from April through to September 2026. Whether you’re planning a toddler-friendly midweek escape, a dog-lover’s dream weekend, or a full-on summer holiday during peak season, this guide covers every event so you can book the dates that match your family best.
Browse holiday caravans and lodges at Hayling Island Holiday Park through Sykes Holiday Cottages.
Dates: 20th-24th April | 6th-10th July | 7th-11th September
Tots Recharge is a mid-week break tailored for families with babies and toddlers. The activities are gentle and age-appropriate: sensory play, fairytale story-time, sing-alongs, and a tots-only silent disco keep little ones entertained at their own pace, while giving parents some breathing room.
The programme includes Little Senses sessions, Giggle & Wiggle, Memory Makers, and Lunch Box Live. Evenings bring a Tots Rave & Wave and a Pyjama Party, plus live music and entertainment for the grown-ups once the small ones wind down. There’s also a Giggle-o-meter Showdown, which is exactly what it sounds like; the loudest gigglers win.
Three dates across the season give you flexibility. The April and September windows are outside school holidays, making them especially good for families with pre-school-age children.
Dates: 27th-30th April | 8th-12th June | 14th-18th September
Midweek Retreat is designed for adults seeking a slower, more social break – ideal for couples, friend groups, or solo travellers who want relaxation without the family-focused intensity.
Mornings begin with Rise & Shine wellness sessions and a Morning Social. During the day, choose from creative workshops (glass decorating, pottery painting, candle making), aqua aerobics, and Mix & Mingle sessions. Evenings offer wine tasting, bingo, dance workshops, brunches, and Late & Live entertainment with live music.
Hayling Island’s coastal setting adds an extra dimension to this break. You’re within walking distance of sandy beaches, so you can pair a morning workshop with an afternoon stroll along the shore – a combination that’s hard to beat in June or September when the crowds have thinned.
Dates: 1st-4th May (Bank Holiday weekend)
The May Bank Holiday weekend brings three nights of tribute act performances to Hayling Island. Friday opens with a Reyonce a Beyoncé tribute, Saturday features Robbie Williams, Becky Hill, and Olly Murs tributes, and Sunday closes with Jessie J and Gaga tributes.
Alongside the headline acts, the weekend includes an “Icons of Music” fancy dress opening party, Bonkers Bingo & Beatz, a UV Glow Party, live Q&A sessions with the tribute performers, a tribute talent competition, and meet-and-greet photo opportunities. There’s also a Music Mastermind quiz for the superfans and Tribe sing-along sessions throughout.
It’s a high-energy weekend that works equally well for families and adults-only groups – the acts span enough genres to keep everyone happy.
Dates: 11th-15th May | 21st-25th September
Beyond Boundaries is a specialist midweek break created for individuals with complex disabilities, their families, and caregivers. The entire programme is built around inclusivity, flexibility, and individual choice; guests participate in as much or as little as they want.
The schedule includes Sensory Celebration Sessions, inclusive performance shows, and Move Your Way activities (supported stretch and flow, rhythm and roll). Calm and regulation spaces are available throughout the break for guests who need quiet time. Social and community moments bring people together without pressure.
Evening entertainment is adapted: a twilight sensory disco with adjustable stimulation, relaxed cinema nights, and a silent disco where each guest controls their own experience. Both the May and September dates are outside school holidays, keeping the park quieter and the environment more manageable.
Dates: 22nd-24th May | 10th-12th July
Flashback Fest takes guests on a musical journey through the decades – 70s Disco Inferno, 80s Neon Night, 90s Pop Party, and 00s Club Classics, each getting its own themed evening with live shows and DJ sets.
During the day, the park runs a three-channel silent disco (pick between the 60s, 80s, and 00s), a Retro Remix DJ battle where decades face off, Decades Karaoke Roulette (a wheel picks your era and song), and a Guess the Year game show. There’s a Decades Parade, a Family Flash mob, and a Decade Dress-Up Party with prizes for the best throwback outfit.
The standout moment is the Cinema in the Swimming Pool, screening Jaws. You watch it while you’re actually in the water. The May date catches the half-term window, while the July date falls just before the peak summer season kicks in.
Dates: 5th-7th June
A full weekend dedicated to dogs and their owners. Paws & Play celebrates the bond between pets and people with dog-friendly activities running all day: agility courses, the Doggy Dash (competitions, tricks, and races), Sniff & Seek treasure trails, a Dog Talent Show, and The Waggin’ Rights Cup, a Crufts-style competition that takes itself exactly as seriously as it should.
There are photo opportunities at the Paws & Play photo booth with props, pup portrait sessions, a paw-print art keepsake station, and pup pamper sessions. The social programme includes a Pup Social Hour, Picnic with the Pup, and Paws at the Pub serving dog-friendly beer alongside the regular drinks menu.
Hayling Island is a natural fit for dog owners – the beaches and coastal paths on the island give you space to walk between park activities. Sykes Holiday Cottages has several pet-friendly properties at Hayling Island Holiday Park if you’re bringing your four-legged friend along.
Dates: 19th-21st June
Meadow Fest arrives at Hayling Island a week before it heads to Billing Aquadrome, turning the park into a family-friendly music festival for the weekend. Live bands on the main stage, acoustic sessions, open mic jam sessions, DJ Sunset Sessions, and superstar tribute acts provide the soundtrack.
The daytime programme features an opening parade and warm-up party, Beat the Bay dance workshops, Kamikaze Karaoke, outdoor cinema, a foam party, a colour throw fest, and the Bay’s Big Talent Show. The silent disco runs in the evenings, offering a multi-channel experience where different music tastes can coexist (peacefully, somehow).
This is one of the most atmosphere-heavy weekends on the Hayling Island calendar. The coastal setting adds to the festival feel; live music, sea air, and a foam party is a combination that just works.
Dates: 26th-28th June
Glitter & Glory is Hayling Island’s Pride celebration, running the week after Billing Aquadrome’s. It’s a colourful, inclusive weekend packed with live music, tribute acts, DJ sets, and a full festival atmosphere; open to families, friends, couples, and everyone in between.
The signature event is the Glitter Parade, a park-wide celebration of self-expression. Other highlights include Lip Sync Battles, the Werk It Runway Catwalk competition, a Life’s a Drag Boujee Brunch, UV Glow Parties, and a Glitter & Groove silent disco. Immersive performers including stilt-walkers and LED dancers keep the energy high throughout.
The weekend closes with Love & Light, a lantern moment that brings the whole park together. There’s also a Pride Pledge Wall for sharing messages of love and support, and a daytime Pride Picnic.
Dates: 17th-19th July
The Summer Launch Party is the opening weekend of the peak season, a concentrated blast of the best activities from across the 2026 programme. The lineup includes Summer Cyclone (the park’s signature wet and messy event, branded here as The Big Splash Off), a Colour Throw Party, a UV Splat Battle in the Glow Dome, silent disco, foam party, and Flash mob Fame.
For younger kids, there’s Tots Rave & Wave and Art Attack: Masterpiece Mayhem. Agents of Adventure delivers an immersive undercover mission experience for families. The evenings bring headline live acts and tribute performances.
It’s designed as the biggest weekend of the year – the atmosphere is electric and the programme is crammed.
Dates: 17th July-31st August (every day)
After the Summer Launch Party, Hayling Island runs its Dynamic Days programme daily for the rest of summer. Each day of the week has a different themed event, giving every holiday a unique mix depending on your arrival and departure dates.
Friday – Festivity: A glow-themed day of interactive fun. The Glow Dome hosts the UV Splat Battle, there’s Tots Rave & Wave and Art Attack during the day, then live music, a colour throw party, Colour Catwalk, and FlashMob Fame in the afternoon. Evenings feature Body Marbling, LED dancers, and a laser show.
Saturday – The Big Splash Off (Summer Cyclone): Hayling Island’s version of the signature wet event. Foam, slip ‘n’ slides, water cannons, fans; it’s an all-out interactive water session that runs every Saturday through summer. This is the day kids talk about for weeks afterwards.
Sunday – Agents of Adventure: The park becomes a live, undercover world. Guests join The Agency and receive encrypted instructions that trigger a park-wide mission featuring hidden QR codes, augmented reality, timed challenges, code-breaking puzzles, live actors posing as storyline characters, and social media check-in points. The finale is The Code Breakers Chamber, a gameshow-style challenge where the winning team enters the Vault of Victory.
Monday – Festivity: A second glow-themed day with the same programme as Friday, giving Monday arrivals their own Festivity experience.
Tuesday – Funspire: The classic family fun day, built around a rotating main event that changes weekly, wrestling, Dino Raptors, or Animal Encounters. Look forward to street theatre pop-ups, a Games Gauntlet (tug of war, buzzer battles, minute-to-win-it challenges), a creative corner for making festival crowns and flags, and a big park picnic with live music fill out the day.
Wednesday – Curiosity Lab: The science day. Experiment 42 is a stage show of large-scale experiments – elephant’s toothpaste, smoke cannon blasts, cloud explosions with liquid nitrogen, and colour cascade towers. The Brain Bender Arena offers memory challenges, logic puzzles on the big screen, an “Invent It in 60 Seconds” challenge, earthquake table towers, timed combination locks, and Glow Goo slime time. Roaming lab characters add to the atmosphere.
Thursday – Once Upon A Time: A fairy-tale day featuring a summer pantomime (Cinderella in 2026) with a unique twist, the audience votes to choose between two different endings, both wrapping up with a pop party. Fairytale training academies include fairy flight school, a wizardry workshop, a pop star party, and a prince and princess parade. Storybook photo experiences, fantasy walkabouts, and a fantasy feast pizza challenge (the big cheese pull) round out the day.
Hayling Island’s weekly schedule means every seven-night stay covers the full rotation of events. If your family has specific interests, science-mad kids will love Wednesday’s Curiosity Lab, fairytale fans will gravitate to Thursday’s Once Upon A Time, you can plan your arrival day to frontload the events that excite them most.
Hayling Island Holiday Park sits on the Hampshire coast, within walking distance of sandy beaches and close to the South Downs National Park. On top of the events programme, the park has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a gym, Crazy Caves indoor play area, an amusement arcade, restaurants and bars, a kids’ club, and an adventure playground. The park was awarded the David Bellamy Gold Award for Conservation.
Portsmouth is a short drive away, with the Historic Dockyard, Gunwharf Quays, and Spinnaker Tower all within reach for day trips.
Sykes Holiday Cottages has a range of holiday caravans and lodges at Hayling Island Holiday Park, from standard caravans to premium lodges with hot tubs and private decking. Several properties are pet-friendly, and there are wheelchair-accessible options available. Arrivals are on Fridays and Mondays.
Hayling Island runs 10 themed breaks between April and September 2026, plus a daily Dynamic Days programme throughout the peak summer season (17th July-31st August). Themed breaks include Tots Recharge, Midweek Retreat, Tribute Fest, Beyond Boundaries, Flashback Fest, Paws & Play, Meadow Fest, Glitter & Glory, and the Summer Launch Party.
The park is approximately a mile’s walk from Hayling Island Beach. The island has several beaches, and the coastal paths make for easy walking with dogs or pushchairs.
The Tots Recharge breaks (April, July, and September) are specifically designed for families with babies and toddlers. During peak summer, the Festivity days (Fridays and Mondays) and Once Upon A Time (Thursdays) include activities geared toward younger children. Browse family-friendly stays at Hayling Island Holiday Park to find the right fit.
Several properties at Hayling Island are pet-friendly – check individual listings through Sykes Holiday Cottages. The Paws & Play weekend (5th-7th June) is a dedicated dog-lover’s break with agility courses, a dog talent show, and dog-friendly beer. Hayling Island’s beaches and coastal paths are great for walks between park activities.
Both parks run the same themed breaks and Dynamic Days programme, but the weekly schedules differ slightly – for example, Agents of Adventure is on Fridays at Billing but Sundays at Hayling. Billing Aquadrome is an inland park in Northamptonshire centred around a lake, while Hayling Island is a coastal park in Hampshire within walking distance of sandy beaches. Some events like Meadow Fest and Glitter & Glory run on different weekends at each park, so you could visit both if you wanted.
by Michael Field / Travel Tips
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