Summer holiday family days out in Essex
Enjoy a summer holiday family day out in Essex at Old MacDonald's Farm!
If you’re looking for a fun family day out in Essex during the summer holidays then come and visit us at Old MacDonald's Farm in Brentwood! With plenty of amazing animals, rides and events to keep the whole family entertained for hours you’ll absolutely love your time at our Essex animal farm. We always make sure our farm is packed full of fun during the school holidays, so come and see us and have an amazing day.
We’ve been awarded the Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2026 and we’ve been voted the #1 thing to do in Brentwood on Trip Advisor. We’re open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Book your summer holiday adventure online
You can book your tickets online before visiting our farm.
Here’s what’s on at Old MacDonald's Farm this summer
Indoor soft play to keep the kids happy!
Access to our indoor soft play area is included in your day tickets, so let the kids play freely and bring the fun inside! Nothing burns off the summer holiday energy like soft play.
Rides & attractions (all included in the cost of admission!)
All of our rides are free to use as many times as you want. With 16 rides to choose from, the family will be busy for hours! All included within the cost of admission, you can experience everything from the thrilling crazy barn ride to the gigantic snake slide - as well as our adventure areas! Rides at our Essex farm include:
The thrilling crazy barn ride
Happy horses adventure ride
Gigantic snake slide
Merry-go-round
Farm themed train ride
Doggy dog roller coaster
And more!
A full list of rides available at Old MacDonald's Farm can be found here.
Plenty of farm animals for the family to meet
The main attraction at Old MacDonald's Farm has to be our amazing animals! From classic farm animals including chickens and goats to animals that we bet you don’t see every day including highland cows and alpacas - there’s something for everyone! So come and meet our farmyard friends. Here are just some of the animals we have at our farm:
Cows
Chickens
Goats
Donkeys
Llamas
Alpacas
Meerkats
Shetland ponies
Highland cows
And that’s not all!
See the full list of animals at our farm here.
Birthday party venue hire
We’re just not a fun family day out - we’re also a popular Essex children’s birthday party venue! From only £26.99 per child, and with one adult entry ticket for free per child, you can bring your celebrations to our animal farm and enjoy meeting all of our animals, unlimited access to all of our rides and a party meal and ice cream in our farm themed party room.
Bookings for kid’s parties at our Essex birthday party venue can be made here.
Fantastic events for the family throughout the year
We’re known for our family-friendly events, and when you come to visit us you’ll see why. With events booked throughout the year, there’s plenty of choice for you & the family. We also make sure the summer holidays are packed full of fun events to keep everyone entertained all day long.e’re known for our family-friendly events, and when you come to visit us you’ll see why. With events booked throughout the year, there’s plenty of choice for you & the family. We also make sure the summer holidays are packed full of fun events to keep everyone entertained all day long.
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.
Refuel and recharge at our farm cafe
Enjoying the summer holiday fun can work up an appetite! So take a break and enjoy our farm cafe where you can find all of the family favourites including burgers, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and more. All of our food is prepared fresh on-site and we always have halal and vegetarian 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