Pikelets: Tots Through Time (early years sessions)
Wednesdays in term time, 10.15 – 11.45am | The Commandery
Pikelets: Tots Through Time is The Commandery’s first early years programme designed to encourage little ones to explore, play and learn.
Each week, the session will take place in a new area of the museum and gardens, with the activities tailored to the space. Be a shape detective in the Great Hall, join in a tea party in the Georgian rooms, take part in sensory scavenger hunts in the beautiful walled gardens and much more. 🌻
Pikelets: Tots Through Time has been carefully designed for crawlers to pre-school children, with fun activities each week to help develop fine motor skills, counting, play-based learning and creative thinking – all within The Commandery’s unique museum setting.
“We’ve really enjoyed the sessions we’ve been to, the activities are always really well thought out.”
– Pikelets attendee, January 2026.
Sessions end with drink, biscuit and a story.
Facilities include a baby change, lift access, and onsite café Little Al’s at The Commandery, all in a convenient city centre location (WR1 2HU) with parking nearby. Pikelets takes place in term time only, so there is no session in the school holidays.
£5 per child (£2.50 per additional sibling).
If you wish to visit the museum after the session, you can enjoy a 50% discount on day admission (£4.50 for adult day ticket instead of £9).
Or call the telephone box office on 0333 666 3366.
The Last Battle: 375th Anniversary
Saturday 5 September 2026, 10am – 4pm | The Commandery
Commemorate the final battle of the English Civil War – the Battle of Worcester – with an exciting day of talks, displays and crafts, in the former Royalist headquarters.
Discover Civil War weaponry, with musket and pike drills from Worcester Reenactors, delve into the brutal world of 17th-century battlefield surgery with medical historian Kevin Goodman, and hear from the Battle of Worcester Society.
Younger visitors can decorate their very own wooden standard (flag) to take home!
Plan your visit
General admission applies (children’s crafts included); free admission to those with a season or residents’ pass. Find out more.
Book day tickets to The Commandery. Advance booking is not essential, you can just turn up, pay in the shop, and get stuck in!
Oak Apple Day 2026
Bank Holiday Monday 25 May, 10am – 4pm | The Commandery
Oak Apple Day returns to The Commandery! 🌳
Step back in time to 1660 and celebrate the restoration of the crown on Bank Holiday Monday in a fantastic day bringing history to life in Worcester.
Oak Apple Day marks the historic moment when King Charles II returned to the throne following the English Civil War.
Where better to commemorate this historic moment than at The Commandery, the Royalist Headquarters in the final battle of the Civil War?
Delve into an exciting day of living history for all the family – there’ll be:
- Fantastic reenactors to encounter as you make your way around The Commandery
- Musket firing in the gardens
- Pike and cannon drills for children (and grown-ups!) to get hands-on with
- History talks about Oak Apple Day and the English Civil War from Worcester Reenactors and The Battle of Worcester Society
- Wonderful refreshments available at Little Al’s Kitchen at The Commandery
Enjoy fun family activities: can you find all of the beautifully decorated royal carriages around the building? Then, create your own Oak Apple mobile in the craft room (general admission + £3.50 for trail and activities).
Oak Apple Day family craft
Oak Apple Day 2026 is part of a commemorative programme of events for the 375th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester, 1651.
Plan your visit
General admission applies (+ £3.50 for the carriage trail and craft activities); free admission to those with a season or residents’ pass. Find out more.
Book day tickets to The Commandery. Advance booking is not essential, you can just turn up, pay in the shop, and get stuck in!
What is Oak Apple Day?
The Commandery is one of the only places in the UK to still celebrate Oak Apple Day, also known as Restoration Day.
This spring tradition marks the anniversary of the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following the English Civil War – and has a special connection to the city of Worcester, the scene of the deciding battle in 1651.
Nine years after Charles II hid from Parliamentarian troops in an oak tree following the loss of his Royalist cause at the Battle of Worcester, he returned to the throne on his thirtieth birthday, 29 May 1660 – which became the annual celebration of Oak Apple Day.
Plan your visit to The Commandery and see what you can tick off the Top 10 Highlights list!
Family Trail | Royal Carriages!
Friday 22 May – Sunday 31 May 2026 (including Bank Holiday Monday 25 May) | The Commandery
Celebrate the restoration of the crown this May half-term holiday with a trail of colourful royal carriages.
Can you find all of the beautifully decorated carriages around the building? From dragons to swans, you’ll have never seen carriages quite like these!
Carry on to the craft room and make your own Oak Apple mobile to take home with you too.
There’s lots more to enjoy on Bank Holiday Monday as The Commandery celebrates Oak Apple Day – a traditional celebration marking King Charles II’s return to the throne in 1660. Find out more and plan your day out.
General admission applies to all visitors + £3.50 for the carriage trail and craft activities; free admission to those with a season or residents’ pass. Find out more.
Book day tickets to The Commandery. Advance booking is not essential, you can just turn up, pay in the shop, and get stuck in!
Family Fun | Brilliant Birds!
Family Fun | Brilliant Birds!
Early May Bank Holiday Monday 4 May, 10am – 4pm | The Commandery
Be inspired by the beautiful birds that live around The Commandery – from the water-loving heron by the canal to the robins that visit the gardens, there are lots of birds to spot (and to listen out for!)
On the Early May Bank Holiday Monday, follow this one-day-only trail as you explore the building and gardens, and find all of the brilliant birds that can be seen regularly at The Commandery.
Then, fly over to the craft room to decorate your very own wooden bird glider! There are puzzles and colouring sheets to enjoy too.
General admission applies to all visitors + £3.50 for the family trail and activity bag. Free general admission to Season and Worcester Residents’ Pass holders – ask in the shop or plan your visit to The Commandery here.
Museum Detectives Family Trail
Term-time only (Tuesday 14 April to Friday 22 May) | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Visit in 2026 and become a museum detective at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum!
Eight items on display have been highlighted, can you find them all? You’ll be able to draw and label what you find on your trail sheet.
£1, purchase your trail from the Art Gallery and Museum shop.
Free entry to the Art Gallery and Museum (closed Mondays). Plan your visit.
Family Trail | Secret Gardens
Saturday 28 March – Sunday 12 April (closed Mondays and bank holidays) | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Explore the Art Gallery and Museum with your Secret Garden Map!
Find all kinds of characters – from frogs and insects to fairies and gnomes – and match them up with their hiding places on the map.
£1, purchase your trail from the Art Gallery and Museum shop.
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm, and Sunday 10am – 3pm.
Free entry to the Art Gallery and Museum (closed Mondays). Plan your visit.
You might also enjoy…
Bags of Fun | Secret Gardens, £2.50 – Saturday 28 March – Sunday 12 April (closed Mondays and bank holidays)
Get Arty: Secret Gardens, £5.50 – Thursday 2 April and Thursday 9 April 2026, 10.30 – 11.30am
Bags of Fun | Secret Gardens
Saturday 28 March – Sunday 12 April (closed Mondays and bank holidays) | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Bags of Fun are back for the Easter holidays! They’re filled with brilliant activities all about secret gardens… what will you create?
- Create a garden drawing and use a split pin to turn the sky from day to night
- Design a paper plate rainbow hanging decoration
- Make mini puppets of fairies, gnomes, and frogs
- Decorate a butterfly mask
The Art Gallery and Museum is fully equipped for young creatives to get going on their making. Each activity bag has multiple themed activities inside along with colouring and puzzle sheets.
£2.50, purchase your activity bags from the Art Gallery and Museum shop.
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm, and Sunday 10am – 3pm.
Free entry to the Art Gallery and Museum (closed Mondays). Plan your visit.
You might also enjoy…
Family Trail | Secret Gardens, £1 – Saturday 28 March – Sunday 12 April (closed Mondays and bank holidays)
Get Arty: Secret Gardens, £5.50 – Thursday 2 April and Thursday 9 April 2026, 10.30 – 11.30am
Family Fun | Get Arty: Secret Gardens
Thursday 2 April and Thursday 9 April 2026, 10.30 – 11.30am | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Come and get arty in the Easter holidays at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum!
Imagine discovering a secret garden… what would you find in it?
In this fun creative session, make your very own secret garden – create the house, collage some grass and a pond, make lolly-stick fences, and make bunting to decorate it! You can even mould some clay toadstools to make your secret garden extra magical.
Get Arty is on: Thursday 2 April and Thursday 9 April, 10.30 – 11.30am.
£5.50 per child; please book via the link below. A parent or carer must stay during the session. Free entry to the Art Gallery and Museum.
You might also enjoy…
Bags of Fun | Secret Gardens, £2.50 – Saturday 28 March – Sunday 12 April (closed Mondays and bank holidays)
Family Trail | Secret Gardens, £1 – Saturday 28 March – Sunday 12 April (closed Mondays and bank holidays)
Spring Makers’ Fair at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Saturday 9 May 2026, 10am – 4pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Enjoy browsing a range of stalls dotted around the Art Gallery and Museum offering a broad selection of unique and exquisite gift opportunities your loved ones – or yourself!
Little Al’s Café at the Balcony will be open for drinks and homemade food, and you can visit exhibition John Singer Sargent: an American in Worcestershire (tickets are required for this exhibition) while you’re here.
Free entry. Plan your visit to Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum.
Would you like a stall?
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with event organiser Tracey Ayre at tracey.ayre@worcester.gov.uk.