If you're looking for something to do with the family over Easter that doesn't involve spending a small fortune, the Burrell Collection has rather good news.
Glasgow's magnificent museum in Pollok Country Park is running free drop-in family sessions throughout the spring holidays, from Friday 4 April to Sunday 19 April. The Discover! Spring Holiday Weekend Sessions invite families to get hands-on with the collection through crafts, music and object handling — and not a penny changes hands.
What to Expect
The sessions are designed for families with children of all ages. Visitors can explore the collection through guided creative activities, handle real objects from the museum's extraordinary holdings, and take part in music and craft workshops led by the Glasgow Life Museums Learning Team.
No booking is required — simply turn up during the advertised session times and join in.
A Collection Worth Celebrating
For anyone who hasn't visited since the Burrell reopened in March 2022 after its £68.25 million refurbishment, this is the perfect excuse. The A-listed building now offers 35 per cent more gallery space, with 225 displays spread across 24 galleries.
Sir William Burrell and his wife Constance spent more than 75 years assembling what was described at the time of its donation to Glasgow as "one of the greatest gifts ever made to any city in the world." The collection spans 5,000 years of Chinese art, exquisite medieval stained glass, tapestries, arms and armour, and paintings by Manet, Cézanne and Degas.
The Wagner garden carpet — one of the earliest surviving Persian garden carpets in the world — is now on long-term display for the first time in decades.
Make a Day of It
The Burrell sits within Pollok Country Park, Glasgow's largest green space, and the park deserves a visit in its own right. Families can combine a museum session with woodland walks, the gardens at Pollok House, adventure play areas and picnic spots throughout the grounds.
Paths and roads have been improved since the refurbishment, and NextBike cycles and e-bikes are available for hire. There are electric vehicle charging points for those driving, and the park is well served by public transport — First Bus services stop nearby, and Pollokshaws West railway station is a short walk away.
The Bigger Picture
There is no shortage of Easter activities across Glasgow this spring — from Big Kid Circus at Glasgow Fort to the Glasgow Science Centre's Building Wonders programme. But there is something particularly heartening about a world-class museum throwing open its doors and saying: come in, it's free, bring the children, touch the objects.
This is public arts funding doing precisely what it should.
The Burrell Collection, Pollok Country Park, Glasgow G43 1AT. Discover! Spring Holiday Weekend Sessions run on selected dates between 4–19 April 2026. Free, drop-in, no booking required. Visit burrellcollection.com for session dates and times.
