Our great family ideas for the February holidays

Creative activities 

Create badges, T-shirts and snacks | 15 to 19 February  

In addition to its open doors policy, the Champel community centre organises workshops for children and teenagers aged 8-18, at the dojo of the Ecole Corbusier. Participants will create their own badge (15 February), T-shirt (17 February) or concocter delicious dishes during a Top Chef competition (16 February). CHF 5 per workshop, registration required (limited number of places). 

Get in tune with your imagination at la Bulle d’Air | 15 to 19 February  

The Bulle d’Air activity centre organises music, dance, circus, theatre, clowns, storytelling, expression, painting and puppet workshops for children aged 4-8. Or how to get in tune with your imagination and hone your artistic vision at the Villa Dutoit, at the heart of an extensive park. From CHF 330 to CHF 700 per week, with the possibility of a discount. 

Map your favourite celebrations | 17 February

In the sensory and digital cartography workshops entitled “In search of celebrations”, children aged 8-12 are invited to talk about the celebrations they like to attend or would like to invent. Using maps, a deck of sensory cards and their own drawings, they can share anecdotes, places, habits and ideas that they incorporate into an interactive online map. Free, registration required (limited number of places). 

Get into the groove with an origami workshop | 17 February

Technical and aesthetically appealing, paper-folding is made easy for fingers of every age from 8 upwards, thanks to the origami classes run by Can Godoy at the Jonction community centre. A variety of topics will enable you to explore every facet of this Japanese art form. CHF 10, registration required. 

Customise your trainers | 17 February

Children and teenagers can head off to the Plainpalais community centre with a spring in their step to breathe new life into their trainers by customising them! From 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., CHF 5, registration required (limited number of places). 

Colour in famous people | throughout the holidays  

The Duchess of Maine and Mademoiselle de Nantes, Heracles, Jocko the monkey, madame Palatine, Ramses II, Sekhmet or Charles Emmanuel I Duke of Savoy: the MAH proposes a series of drawings to be downloaded, coloured in… and compared to the original works of art in the museum’s online collections! Free

Sports activities

Keep warm with Antigel Run | 13, 14, 20 and 21 February

Looking for a great experience and an invigorating breath of fresh air? Why not go for a family run beside the water along attractive, little-used paths proposed by Antigel Run? On 13 and 14 February, these will take you along the Seymaz (8.1 km course) while on 20 and 21 February, you can discover the banks of the Aire (7.4 km course). Registration required after downloading an application. 

Oh what a circus | 15 to 19 February  

Kids Up invites children aged 4 and over to discover the different circus disciplines throughout the week. Registration required, CHF 300 per week for half days, CHF 500 per week for full days (not including discounts for members).convie les vacanciers et vacancières dès 4 ans à découvrir, durant une semaine, les différentes disciplines du cirque. Sur inscription, CHF 300.- la semaine en demi-journée, CHF 500.- la semaine complète (hors rabais pour les membres). 

Walking with the family | Throughout the holidays

Whether you are strolling peacefully along the lake shore, communing with nature as you run through our parks and forests or discovering themed circuits or educational footpaths, there is no shortage of ideas for taking a walk or making the most of the view!

Nature and/or scientific activities

Brain games | 15 to 19 February

Holidays with a hint of science and critical thinking, observations and civic participation: that’s what’s on offer from the Petits débrouillards Genève at the 99 community centre with experiments, the construction of simple machines, kitchen chemistry and a hint of poetry. CHF 270 per week, registration required.

Get to know animals from near and far | Throughout the holidays

With flamingos, ducks and peacocks wandering free, a veritable festival of colourful plumage awaits visitors to the wildlife park of the Botanical Conservatory and Gardens. The birds rub shoulders with deer as well as endangered indigenous species of hen, sheep and goat from yesteryear, bred as part of the national protection programme, in collaboration with ProSpecieRara.

Budding ornithologists | Throughout the holidays

Every year, hundreds of thousands of birds spend the winter in Swiss waters. Geneva is home to two internationally renowned waterfowl and migratory bird reserves, one on the northern shore (from Versoix to Geneva) and the other along the banks of the Rhone from Geneva Bay to the border in Chancy (Rhône-Verbois), as well as a national zone on the southern shore (from Port Noir to Hermance). You can spend hours observing our feathered friends, even in the city centre – for example from the bay of the Ile Rousseau. The document entitled Les oiseaux d'eau hivernants (wintering waterfowl), published by La Libellule, will help you identify one or two. 

Discover the living collections of the CJBG | Throughout the holidays

In contrast to other museums, the Botanical Conservatory and Gardens of Geneva are still open. They provide a perfect opportunity to discover nature in its winter cloak, to stroll through the living collections and learn more thanks to the information boards scattered around the different sectors of the garden. Free 

Stories and imagination

Paying homage to your neighbours | 18 and 19 February  

There is little that tickles our imagination more than the sounds that come from neighbouring apartments. All it takes is a little noise through a partition for us to imagine an extraordinary tale… As part of their online programme, the municipal libraries serve up online readings for children aged 4-6 (10.15 a.m.) and 6-8 (11 a.m.) paying homage to our neighbours. Free, registration required

Listen to The Little Prince and other stories | Throughout the holidays   

“The stars are set alight in heaven so that one day each one of us may find his own again.” In its series of podcasts, the Théâtre de Carouge performs The Little Prince and several other stories, read by a joyful team of actors under the guidance of Aude Bourrier. The perfect way to plunge into an imaginary world without leaving home! Free

Discover epic tales via podcast | Throughout the holidays  

Terrible Scylla, the lion’s skin, who’s afraid of the wolf, Undine, the lady in the water, the stone fairies, the poisoned arrow, the sirens’ song: so many stories of heroism and love inspired by the collections of the MAH and told via podcast. Free

Shiver with the monsters | Throughout the holidays

Boris Bruckler (comic strip centre in Lausanne) and Raphaël Oesterlé (Ecole supérieure de bande dessinée et d’illustration Genève), curators of the “It's Alive ! La Fabrique des monstres” exhibition, whisk young and old away to meet the monsters that haunt our imagination. Fear, laughter and compassion guaranteed! Free

Revel in the stories of our streets | Throughout the holidays

With smartphone in hand to scan the QR codes scattered around the city and earphones firmly in place to hear the voices of the actors bringing the stories to life: plunge into the stories of the city’s districts, between imagination and real life, thanks to Hypercity. Set a course for Cité and les Rues Basses to hear the first story, online and in the urban area since the start of the month! Free

Des jeux en pagaille

Make it a full house, with bingo and a raclette party | 15 February

There will be lines, double lines and full houses at the Plainpalais community centre, with an afternoon and evening of bingo served up with raclette, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. CHF 5, registration required (limited number of participants). 

Visit the games library | 15 to 19 February  

The games libraries will remain open during the holidays, offering a wide range of games for children aged 7 to 12, without needing to be accompanied by an adult. Limited number of places, more information from each games library. 

Save the baby monster | 18 and 19 February 

A full-scale immersive game will plunge the public, aged 12 and over, into the monstrous world of the exhibition “It’s Alive! – La fabrique des monstres” in the comic strip. With family or friends, you will have to solve a series of puzzles in order save the baby monster from the claws of evil creatures. 2.30 p.m., free, registration required 

Fun with the family | Throughout the holidays

The 7 errors with Hodler or at the Rath, the game of the goose, invent your helmet or do puzzles with different levels of difficulties: the MAH proposes a series of games for all the family, concocted with the help of the illustrator Adrienne Barman. Free Gratuit

Play with an orchestra | Throughout the holidays

Memory musical, instrumental puzzle, challenges to identify the sounds of instruments by listening to excerpts from the Bolero: the “espace ludique” of the OSR offers young and old the chance to have fun online with the orchestra and all its instruments. Free. 

COVID-19 measures

We would like to thank the participants in advance for complying with the sanitary measures, including disinfecting your hands and mandatory wearing of a mask for anyone aged 12 and over. In light of the quickly changing health situation, we advise you to check all information with the partners concerned.