1. Sea songsters and shanty men take to the stage today and tomorrow at the Lancaster Easter Maritime Festival. The annual celebration at St George's Quay includes Punch and Judy shows, nautical dramas and street entertainment. Maritime Trail guided walks start at 1.30pm and 5pm outside the Maritime Museum. To find out more, call Lancaster Tourism Services on 01524 32878.

2. Modern art made fun for families is on offer in The Great Art Adventure at Tate Liverpool, which runs today with a team of artists leading interactive tours of the exhibition Telling Tales: Narrative Impulses in Recent Art.

Children can create their own pin-up stars at Pin-Up Activity Space, a family workshop for children aged five and up which is running from 1-6 April and accompanying the display Pin-up: Glamour and Celebrity Since the Sixties. Both activities take place from 1.30-4.30pm and there is no need to book. Check www.tate.org.uk or call 0151 702 7400.

3. Satisfy your sweet tooth at the Easter Festival of Chocolate in Weymouth, Dorset. Events include egg hunts, puppet shows and performances by Keeko the clown. Turn up at Brewers Quay today and tomorrow from 10.30am-4pm to enjoy the fun. For a full programme of events, call 01305 777622.

4. Every Easter Monday traditional working horses arrive in London at Battersea Park for the Harness Horse Parade. Judging begins at 9.30am, and the main parade tours the park at 11.30am. A special parade of horses pulling ornate carriages and other historical vehicles is at 12.30pm. Call 01733 234451 for more information.

5. Find out how much you weigh on other planets and become a member of a space crew in the Exploring Space exhibition at Eastleigh Museum in Hampshire. The exhibition was created specifically for families and has plenty of hands-on activities to keep curious young minds occupied. The museum is open from Tuesday to Friday, 10am-5pm, and on Saturday from 10am-4pm. Call 023 8064 3026.

6. A rockpool ramble and Easter egg hunt will take place outside the Souter Point Lighthouse starting at 11am on Easter Monday. The lighthouse, located in Whitburn, Tyne and Wear, was the first in the world to be powered by electricity and is now maintained by the National Trust. Contact the lighthouse on 0191 529 3161.

7. The sculptural work of the primary teacher cum avant- garde Spanish artist Jose Antonio Portillo is on display in London at the Royal Festival Hall ballroom floor from 10am-10pm until 10 April. Special Easter holiday family storytelling workshops will take place on 3-6 April at 3pm. Children can also meet the mysterious Tall Tales Teller who lives inside the exhibition at 2pm. No advance booking is necessary. More information is available on 020 7921 0908.

8. There has yet to be a male victor at the annual Great Junk Egg Race in Chorlton Water Park, Manchester. A hard-boiled egg and a plastic bottle are the only things required to enter. Materials such as CDs, paint and bamboo are on hand to decorate the bottle and make it into a cart. The egg-holding cart is then released down the hill and the one that travels the furthest wins. Last year's champion egg rolled 20.6 metres. Chorlton Water Park on 0161 881 5639 for details.

9. Catch groups of morris dancers on tour in Cornwall and Norfolk on Easter Monday. The Trigg Morris Men will start their day at Launceston Market Square in north Cornwall at 10.30am and can be contacted on 01637 880 394. The Morris men of King's Lynn (01553 768 930) will travel the north-west coast of Norfolk, starting in front of the Rose and Crown in Snettisham at 11.30am.

10. The plant-conservation charity Plantlife is inviting families to walk through their local countryside this Easter and choose their favourite wildflower. Place votes on www.plantlife.org.uk, and early in 2003 a wildflower will be selected to represent each UK county, based on the most popular choices. For wide open spaces, walk through one of 11 national parks around the UK including Snowdonia, the Peak District and Exmoor. For other national park locations, check out www.cnp.org.uk.

11. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has all kinds of activities today for children. There will be a series of mask-making and dance workshops from 11am to 4.30pm, tours with characters in Victorian dress around the galleries, and activity backpack adventures for children aged five to 11. To check times, look at www.vam.ac.uk or call 020 7942 2000.

12. The World Coal-Carrying Championship started in 1963 after an argument between two Yorkshiremen about who was the fittest. Men run with 50kg of coal on their backs, and women with 20kg, for just under a mile starting from Gawthorpe village green in West Yorkshire. The women's race starts at noon on Easter Monday and the men's follows afterwards. Shorter children's races start at 11am. Read all about it on www.gawthorpe.ndo.co.uk.

13. The Edinburgh International Science Festival is on at the Royal Botanic Gardens starting on 6 April. Families can enjoy the interactive Science-Seekers exhibition and Bug's Life, a display of hands-on demonstrations with algae and fungi. The grounds themselves are worth visiting, as they include 10 glasshouses and a world-famous rock garden. The exhibition is open from 10am-5pm. See www.rbge.org.uk or call 0131 552 7171 for more details.

14. Students can try on the equipment of a First World War soldier and make a trench periscope at one of a variety of workshops and presentations at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London, on 6 and 7 April. Pupils of every age can learn about trench warfare through a series of specially designed events reflecting National Curriculum guidelines. To find out more look at www.national-army-museum.ac.uk or call 020 7730 0717.

15. Children turn up in their decorated bonnets today for the informal Easter Bonnet Parade and Egg Hunt at Lickey Hills Country Park, just south of Birmingham in Rednall, the event takes place from 2pm-3pm today. For more information, call 0121 447 7106.

16. Easter Storytime at the Beaumont Leys Library in Leicester promises a morning of stories, craft activity, competitions and prizes. Running from 10.30am-noon on 3 April, it is suitable for children aged four to 11. The library can be contacted on 0116 299 5460.

17. See newly born Easter chicks, kid goats and lambs at two city farms in London. Other animals for children to meet include donkeys, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens and geese. The Hackney City Farm (020 7729 6381) is open daily from 10 am-4.30pm and Stepping Stones Farm in Stepney (020 7790 8204) is open daily from 9.30am-6pm.

18. Easter egg rolling is an annual event in Preston, Lancashire. In the Victorian era, they were real, but today children use chocolate eggs. This year's event will be held from 10am-4pm on Easter Monday in Avenham Park. There will be a Punch and Judy show, brass and samba band performances and an Easter bonnet parade at 2pm. Find out more on www.visitpreston.com or call 01772 253 731.

19. Wee People's City cuts Glasgow down to size. The award-winning play adventure area at the Lighthouse features a 3-D model of the city where children aged three to eight can learn and have fun. Opening hours are today from 12pm-5pm, tomorrow from 10.30am-5pm, and 11am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday. See www.thelighthouse.co.uk or call 0141 221 6362.

20. Cardiff will celebrate Easter with the Big Fun circus event in Britannia Park today and tomorrow. Circus workshops run from 11.30am-12.30pm and circus acts perform on the hour at 1-4pm. The event is run by the Cardiff Harbour Authority on 02920 873 690 (recorded information). Families can also wave goodbye to Spirit of Cardiff, which is setting off from the Oval Basin at midday today for a round-the-world record attempt.