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School’s Out! Have fun for less with the Great British Summer Savings scheme

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29th July 2026

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The summer holidays promise a fun-filled time for the family but trips out and treats can be expensive. The Great British Summer Savings scheme is designed to help cut the costs. The Government has reduced VAT on eligible activities from 20% to 5% across the country and expects businesses to pass these savings on to customers. This means many attractions, activities and meals out will be cheaper. 

From now until 1 September, families will pay less for: 

  • Children’s menu meals served in restaurants 
  • Children’s and family tickets for cinemas, theatres, concerts, shows and exhibitions 
  • Admission tickets, for both children and adults, to a range of attractions, including: amusement parks, fairs, museums, zoos, soft play centres, circuses, adventure parks, nature reserves, wildlife parks and more. 

Plus, children aged five to 15 will be able to travel free on local bus services throughout August. 

Here are just some participating attractions in West Sussex: 

  • Out of Bounds, near Horsham 
  • Tilgate Zoo, Crawley 
  • Fishers Farm Park, Wisborough Green 
  • Cineworld, Crawley 
  • The Dome Cinema, Worthing 
  • Wakehurst Place, near Ardingly 
  • Fishbourne Roman Palace, Chichester 
  • Butlin’s Bognor Regis 
  • Any National Trust venue 

Restaurants
Nando’s says its “Nandino” meals will come down from £6.95 to £6.08 while on the Wetherspoons children’s menu a £5.75 meal drops to £5.03. McDonald’s is slashing the price of a typical Happy Meal by 27% to £2.99. 

Some other restaurants taking part in West Sussex are: 

  • Smith & Western 
  • Ask Italian 
  • Bill’s 
  • Banana Tree, Haywards Heath 
  • Carlo Lounge, East Grinstead 

Search your postcode
These are just a few of the attractions and restaurants in the county where you can get a deal. There are LOTS more offers available, so simply go to https://summersavings.gov.uk/ pop your postcode in and discover the reductions near where you live. And don’t be afraid to ask! 

A few things to bear in mind
There is no legal requirement for businesses to do this and some struggling hospitality businesses may decide not to or only pass on part of it. The reduced rate for cinema, theatre, exhibition and show entry applies to children’s tickets and is only extended to adults as part of a family package. For attractions (and soft play centres) the reduced rate applies to all tickets except season tickets. The discount only applies to children’s meals eaten in a restaurant or cafe, not takeaways.