Halloween's arrived early. This week there's a pumpkin patch, a scarecrow festival, a costume swap and a comedy show where the kids put you on trial. If yours aren't into the spooky stuff, there's still a roller disco, a football match and a musical in the mix.
What's your go-to with the kids on a wet Saturday? Hit reply and tell me, along with your area. I'll share the best ones next week.
I checked every organiser's page again on Sunday 11 October. Some of these will be gone before the weekend, so tap the link and book before you leg it out of the house.
12 PICKS · 4 AREAS
With The Kids
Three for each part of Dublin this week. Find your area below, or read the lot if you don't mind a drive.
City Centre
Matilda the Musical: chilled performance
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Docklands · Sunday 18 October, 2.30pm, 2 hours 35 minutes with an interval
From €29.80 a ticket · ages 6+, no under-3s
In a chilled performance the house lights stay on and nobody minds if you nip out and back in. The show itself is the full thing. If your kid has never sat through a musical, this is the one to try it on.
Halloween Kids Morning: Paint Your Own Trick or Treat Bag
This Must Be The Place, Smithfield · Sunday 18 October, 12 noon
€18.13 to €22.42 a ticket, adults need one too · ages 4 and up, with an adult
They paint a tote bag now and then carry it door to door on Halloween. And there's tea, coffee and biscuits in it for you.
Monster Mia: family film preview
ODEON Point Square, North Dock · Sunday 18 October, 11am to 12.30pm
€6.34 a ticket, everyone needs one · recommended for 8 and up
A girl who doesn't fit in at home ends up at a school full of monsters. It's a family preview as part of Cinemagic.
North Dublin
Pete's Pumpkin Patch
Reynoldstown Farm, Naul · Saturday 17 or Sunday 18 October, 10am to 12 noon or 1pm to 3pm
€12.50 each with a pumpkin, so €50 for two adults and two kids · all ages
Everyone picks their own pumpkin. Parking is free, in a field. They say bring wellies and raincoats. Believe them.
Scarecrow Festival
Skerries Mills Community Garden, Skerries · Sunday 18 October, 11am to 4.30pm, with stories from 1pm to 4pm
No price listed, all are welcome · no booking mentioned
Handmade scarecrows all over the garden, plus crafts and face painting. There are prizes for costumes, so get them dressed up before you leave. It's all outdoors, so bring the coats.
Trick or Treat: Kid's Revenge
Skinny Batch Bakery, Lusk · Sunday 18 October, from 12 noon
€5 a ticket · under-14s with a parent or guardian
Comedian Steve Cummins hosts, and the kids put the grown-ups on trial. You're in the dock. Plead guilty early.
South Dublin
Dún Laoghaire CoCo Market
The LexIcon down to the People's Park · Sundays, so 18 October; October hours aren't listed, summer hours were 10am to 4pm
No admission charge listed
Hot food at the LexIcon end, crafts in the park, and a playground for whoever's had enough of both.
Junior Explorium
Blackglen Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18 · daily, 9.30am to 5pm, in two-hour sessions
Prices only in their booking system, under-2s free · built for ages 2 to 7 · book ahead, no walk-ins once it's full
Indoor and outdoor play for the small ones, so it works whatever the weather does. Older brothers and sisters need a child ticket too, and tickets aren't refundable.
Music Cubs, Sandymount (Family Cubs, 0 to 5s)
Railway Union Sports Club, Dublin 4 · Saturday 17 October, 10.30am
€18 for the drop-in class · ages 0 to 5
Live music, drums, shakers and parachute play. If you've a baby and a toddler, it's one of the few things that suits both.
West Dublin
Halloween Kids Costume Swap
North Clondalkin Library, Dublin 22 · swap on Thursday 15 October, 5pm to 7pm; drop costumes in by 14 October
Free · registration required
Drop off what they've outgrown before the swap and collect tokens at the desk. Use them on the night. It's first come, first served, so get there early.
Shamrock Rovers v Sligo Rovers (women's league)
Tallaght Stadium, West Stand · Saturday 17 October, 3pm kick-off, gates open 2pm
Adult €10, child under 12 €5, so €30 for two adults and two kids · online, or at the ticket office on the day if it's not sold out
A Saturday afternoon kick-off is about as kid-friendly as league football gets. At a tenner for an adult, it's a cheap first match.
Roller disco at The Rink
Finches Business Park, Longmile Road, Dublin 12 · Wednesday 8pm, Friday 6pm and 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am, 1.30pm and 4pm
Family (2+2) €42 midweek or €48 at the weekend, €12.50 or €14.50 a skater · all ages, skates from a junior size 8
Check your youngest's shoe size against the smallest skate before you promise anything. Every adult signs a waiver when you get there.
2 IDEAS FOR A NIGHT OUT
With the missus
Two for a night out. Sort the babysitter before you sort the tickets.
The Music of Coldplay by Candlelight
Mahony Hall, The Helix, Glasnevin · Friday 16 October, 8pm
Balcony seats €25 each plus €3 fees per ticket, so €56 for the two of you · under-16s with an adult
If one of you loves Coldplay and the other tolerates them, this is the compromise. Look at the seating map before you settle on the balcony.
Neon Painting: Poolbeg Towers
Pawn Shop, 15 Dame Street · Friday 16 October, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Listed at €29.93 each, so just under 60 quid for the two of you · no experience needed
You paint the Poolbeg Towers on a canvas under UV lights. An artist talks you through it, so neither of you needs to be any good. There's no BYOB, and the venue isn't wheelchair accessible.
2 PICKS · SOLO OR WITH MATES
Useful dad picks
Flat Season Finale
Leopardstown Racecourse, Foxrock · Sunday 18 October, races 1.55pm to 5.10pm, subject to change; racing on Saturday 17 October too
From €15 each, booking fees not listed · under-14s go free
Sunday is the Wicked Family Day: pumpkin patch, Halloween games, fancy dress and a kids' disco. With the kids going free, it works as a family day as much as a dad one.
Eoghan Daltun: rewilding talk
IADT Digital Media Building, Kill Avenue, Dún Laoghaire · Monday 12 October, 1pm to 2pm · free
He's been rewilding his patch of West Cork. There's a Q&A after. It's a lunchtime talk, so it only works if you're finished early, off on the day or work nearby.
1 PICK · COUNTY WICKLOW
Worth The Spin
One for a dry day, a short drive out of the county.
Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall
Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow · daily, gardens 9.30am to 5.30pm, waterfall 10.30am to 5.30pm
Family tickets €34 for the gardens and €19.50 for the waterfall · child prices for under-16s · pay at the waterfall when you get there
The gardens and the waterfall are separate tickets. Last admission is half an hour before closing, so don't leave it too late in the afternoon.
2 IDEAS FOR HER DAY OFF
Just for the missus
For her day to herself. You've got the kids, so find the wipes without ringing her.
Rachel Allen live at Arnotts
World of Home, Henry Street · Saturday 17 October, 1pm to 2.30pm · free
A free cooking class with Rachel Allen, in among the Miele kitchens. It's an hour and a half of watching someone else cook, and nobody asks her for a snack the whole time.
Play with Possibility: vision board workshop
Community Well Studio, Donabate · Saturday 17 October, 10am to 1pm
€47.10 with materials, tea and nibbles included, no refunds
A morning of meditation, journaling and cutting up magazines. She brings the board home. Good for someone who never gets an hour to think about what she actually wants.
What I did
Last week I said I was taking my two nephews to FootGolf for their birthdays. We did it, at Footee, up in the Dublin Mountains near Tallaght.
It was a lovely couple of hours. Holes four and five came with a downpour and feck all shelter, but apart from that it was a great way to spend a bit of time with the two of them. The views are stunning, and it's actually good fun.
I think I finished nine over, which isn't bad. The lads were maybe 30 shots worse off. But sure, who's counting?
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The Dublin Dad is only a few weeks old, so every forward really does help.
That's the lot for this week.
Mind yourselves, lads.
Alan,
The Dublin Dad