Activities for kids in Essex
Looking for activities for kids in Essex? Visit Old MacDonald’s Farm!
While there are a number of options for activities for kids in Essex, none are as fun-filled as a trip to our farm! Your day ticket includes unlimited access to all of our rides as well as a chance to meet the amazing animals that live with us, and also free entry into our soft play area. That’s enough to keep kids busy for hours on end.
We’re a Travellers’ Choice attraction for 2026 and the #1 thing to do in Brentwood on Trip Advisor, and it’s easy to see why when you visit. A full day of fun activities for kids awaits - so book your tickets today! We’re open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Book your tickets online
You can book your tickets online before visiting our farm.
Here’s what makes a trip to Old MacDonald’s Farm special
You can meet all of our animals
Children and adults alike love meeting the animals at our Essex farm. From the farmyard favourites including cows, chickens and goats, to those you don’t see at just any farm including meerkats, highland cows and alpacas, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Here are just some of the animals we have at our farm:
Goats
Highland cows
Shetland ponies
Cows
Chickens
Llamas
Meerkats
Donkeys
Alpacas
And that’s not all!
See the full list of animals at our farm here.
You can experience all of our rides for free
Your day ticket gives your family access to ride all of our rides as many times as you want! No extra costs for each ride means no nasty surprises on the day. Come and enjoy the thrilling crazy barn ride, the merry-go-round, the farm themed train ride and so much more. You can also enjoy our adventure play areas. Rides at our Essex farm include:
Merry-go-round
Gigantic snake slide
Doggy dog roller coaster
Farm themed train ride
Happy horses adventure ride
And more!
A full list of rides available at Old MacDonald's Farm can be found here.
Run, laugh and play in our soft play area
Our indoor soft play area is available to all of our guests for free. So come, play and soak up the fun indoors as well as outdoors.
We run special events throughout the year
Alongside our animals, rides and soft play area, we also run special events throughout the year including Easter, summer holidays, Halloween, Christmas and more.
Upcoming events at Old MacDonald's farm in Essex:
Gabby & Cakey visit Old MacDonald's Farm on the 5th September 2026.
Celebrate nan & grandad at our Essex farm on the 5th October 2026. Grandparents get a free cup of tea included in the entry ticket!
Come and see Bluey & Bingo during storytime sessions in our events area at intervals throughout the day on the 10th October 2026.
Enjoy the spooky season at our farm between 24th October and 1st November 2026. Pumpkin picking, magic shows and plenty of spooky fun to be had at our Essex Halloween festival!
A Christmas Journey at Old MacDonald's Farm
Celebrate the most magical time of the year at our very own Christmas event in Essex! We have a roaming Santa at our farm every day, massive polar bears, singing princesses and as much fun as the family can handle.
Celebrate a birthday at our animal farm
Take the birthday celebrations up a notch and hire our farm themed party room! As a popular Essex kids’ birthday party venue, we proudly host birthday celebrations throughout the year. For only £26.99 per child, every guest can have unlimited access to all of our rides, meet our wonderful animals, enjoy our soft play and have a delicious party meal and ice cream. One adult can enter for free for each child guest.
Bookings for kid’s parties at our Essex birthday party venue can be made here.
Need to recharge? Grab a bite at our farm cafe
Take a short break from the fun and enjoy all of the family favourites available at our farm cafe including hot dogs, burgers, chicken nuggets and more. Everything is prepared fresh on-site and we have vegetarian and halal options available.
How to find us
By Road
From the A12 AND M25 JUNCTION 28. Take the A1023 to Brentwood. Turn left at the first set of traffic lights into Wigley Bush Lane. Travel for half a mile until you reach the T-junction. Turn left into Weald Road and continue for 2 miles. Old MacDonald's Farm is situated on the left before you reach the junction with Chequers Road.
By Rail
The train service runs from Liverpool Street to Brentwood and Harold Wood.
By Bus
Please take the 294 to Bear Pub in Noak Hill. Please be aware that it is a 20 minute walk, partly without a pavement, to reach the farm. We do not recommend walking to the Farm, as some of the surrounding roads do not have pedestrian footpaths, making the route unsafe.
Parking
We have a large FREE car parking area which has ample parking even during the busiest of times.
Taxi
Licensed taxis are available from Brentwood and Harold Wood Stations.
For cheaper rates on taxi service please call MiniCab 4U on 01708 348 008 or 01708 377 975