Enjoy Halloween and Half-Term fun at Julia & Axel: Thirty Years of Favourite Stories at The Lowry, Salford
Including witches, baddies and dragons – there’s loads of Halloween & Half Term fun on offer at Julia & Axel: Thirty Years of Favourite Stories at The Lowry, Salford this October
Julia and Axel: Thirty Years of Favourite Stories celebrates the much-loved and longstanding partnership between writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo, Zog, Room on the Broom, The Highway Rat, The Smeds and the Smoos, Stick Man and many more) and was curated by The Lowry in collaboration with publishers Alison Green Books, Scholastic Children’s Books and Macmillan Children’s Books.
The exhibition celebrates Julia and Axel’s brilliantly creative partnership and how this has developed over 30 years and has been visited by record-breaking numbers since it opened in June.
Throughout the exhibition there are lots of fun opportunities for children to be creative themselves as they are guided to write their own stories, draw pictures, dress up, and play fun games inspired by the books.
And the Julia and Axel-themed fun is not confined to the Galleries space, with activities taking place throughout The Lowry. From selfie ops with a large Gruffalo statue outside The Lowry’s main entrance to earning a gold star at the Zog Academy in the Pier Eight lounge, and story sessions at The Highway Rat Storytelling Camp, and interactive role play at The Gruffalo Play Kitchen, there’s loads happening at The Lowry for families for the duration of the exhibition.
Spooky seasonable additions to the exhibition and venue-wide activities for Half Term include:
- Four of Axel Scheffler’s original Room on the Broom illustrations going on display for the first time.
- A new interactive Room on the Boom game to play in the exhibition plus a box of witchy dressing up costumes for little ones.
- Spooktacular activities in the Zog Academy including witches hats and dragon wings for all the little dragons, learn spooky roars and catch the pumpkin seeds.
- Storytime sessions in The Highway Rat Storytelling Camp including Room on the Broom, The Baddies and The Gruffalo
- A free Room on the Broom postcard for any child wearing a witch or wizards hat. Can be collected at the till in the Exhibition Shop or the main Lowry shop. (From 24th to 31st October, whilst stocks last, 1 postcard per child.)
- The Baddies and Room on the Broom colouring sheets and Room on the Broom origami and dress up in The Lookout creative space.
- And more!
The exhibition is free but timeslots are required, which can be booked in advance on The Lowry website. They may also be available on arrival at The Lowry – however these will be subject to demand on the day and availability may vary so booking in advance is recommended to ensure entry. At busy times a queueing system may be in place and last entry is 30 minutes before the galleries close.
The Galleries are open Tuesday to Friday 11am-5pm and Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm.
For families with access requirements who would prefer to experience the Galleries in a calmer and less busy environment there is a relaxed hour every Sunday from 9am-10am.
The Lowry is closed on Mondays. For more information, and to book, visit: https://thelowry.com/whats-on/julia-and-axel-thirty-years-of-favourite-stories/
And running at The Lowry from Tuesday 24th to Sunday 29th October is Tall Stories’ hit stage show The Smeds and the Smoos. Soar into space with this exciting adaptation of the award-winning book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler – also seen in the BBC TV animation on Christmas Day. On a far-off planet, Smeds and Smoos can’t be friends. So when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back? For more information visit https://thelowry.com/whats-on/the-smeds-and-the-smoos/