The Great British Summer Savings scheme, a government initiative reducing VAT from 20% to 5% on qualifying family activities and meals, runs from 25 June to 1 September 2026 across the UK. It covers children's meals, family cinema and theatre tickets, and major attractions such as theme parks and zoos. Households with children are expected to benefit most, while businesses gain from a boost in summer trade. The system works on an opt-in basis, so not every qualifying venue participates. Several businesses in Wales have confirmed their involvement, including nationwide chains like Burger King and Butlin's, as well as independent cafés, small businesses, and soft play centres.
Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, Tenby
Folly Farm Adventure Park & Zoo is participating, offering a 12.5% discount on standard day admissions, holiday park admission tickets, and children's meals. This award-winning attraction in Pembrokeshire blends a zoo, vintage fairground, indoor and outdoor play areas, and accommodation. It is home to over 100 species, including the only giraffes in Wales, African lions, and Eastern black rhinos. Popular exhibits include the Pride of Pembrokeshire lion reserve, Penguin Coast, and Kifaru Reserve for rhinos. Visitors can also enjoy vintage rides in the indoor fairground.
Go Ape, Margam
Fly through the treetops with a 15% discount at Go Ape using promo code VATSUMMER at checkout, valid on bookings until 1 September. Go Ape Margam, located in the 1,000-acre Margam Country Park in Port Talbot, features the UK's biggest Tarzan Swing with a six-metre free fall, Tandem zip lines up to 180 metres long, and views of Wales' largest roaming deer herd.
Dan-yr-Ogof, Bannau Brycheiniog
Dan-yr-Ogof, one of the most extensive cave systems in Western Europe, offers reduced entry tickets. The 15km-long caves, uncovered almost a century ago, feature underground lakes, rivers, and two 40-foot waterfalls. Rock formations include stalagmites and stalactites dating back millions of years. A dinosaur park with over 200 life-sized models adds to the appeal.
A Welsh Coal Mining Experience, Rhondda
The Rhondda Heritage Park Museum, officially 'A Welsh Coal Mining Experience', offers family tickets at 15% off. This Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2026 winner provides an immersive look into the region's industrial past at the site of the Lewis Merthyr Colliery, closed in 1990. Features include a guided Black Gold Underground Tour led by former miners, a dram room, and an on-site cafe.
Treetop Golf, Cardiff
Treetop Golf on level P3 of St David’s shopping centre offers two indoor 18-hole mini golf courses with a rainforest theme. The courses, designed by Castle Golf, include interactive elements like singing frogs, a 60ft mystic river, and hidden drop holes. Entry prices are reduced under the VAT scheme.
Tredegar House, Newport
The National Trust is cutting VAT on admission tickets and children's meals at its cafés. Tredegar House, a late 17th-century red brick mansion set within 90 acres of gardens and parkland, was home to the Morgan family for over 500 years. The estate once spanned 40,000 acres across Monmouthshire, Breconshire, and Glamorgan. In 2012, Newport council leased it to the National Trust, which restored it and added a second-hand bookshop and the Brewhouse café. The grounds offer shaded woodland, a lake with swans and ducks, and Oak Avenue leading to Ruperra Castle.
Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly
Managed by Cadw, Caerphilly Castle passes on the reduced VAT rate from 25 June to 1 September. The largest castle in Wales and second-largest in Britain recently underwent an £8 million restoration, adding state-of-the-art digital exhibits. The Great Hall has been decorated to reflect its 1320s grandeur, featuring a royal feast scene. New interactive exhibits tell stories of power struggles and the Fourth Marquis of Bute, who funded reconstruction in the 1920s. A gift shop offers guidebooks and products.
Great Orme Mines, Llandudno
The Great Orme Mines, awarded the title of 'The Largest Prehistoric Copper Mines in the World' by Guinness World Records in 2005, offer VAT-reduced tickets. Over five miles of tunnels have been explored, with a 200-metre underground visitor route through two levels. The tour takes about 45 minutes and includes a visitor centre with a Bronze Age village model, original artefacts, and mining tools. Temperatures range from 5°C to 8°C, so warm clothing is advised.
Dyffryn Gardens, Wenvoe
Dyffryn Gardens, a National Trust site, features wild play areas with log balance beams and stepping stones, plus a historic house and café. During the summer holidays, 'Summer of Play' events transform the gardens into a vintage festival with giant garden games, creative activities, and mud kitchens. The Grade I listed gardens are in full summer bloom.
Cinemas and Restaurants
Odeon and Cineworld are participating; Odeon says a family ticket for two adults and two children drops from £32 to £28.50. Family-friendly films this summer include Toy Story 5, Moana, Minions & Monsters, and PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. Restaurants passing on the tax reduction for children's meals include Greene King, McDonald's, Wetherspoons, and Nando's. Nando's 'Nandino' options drop from £6.95 to £6.08, Wetherspoons reduces a children's meal from £5.75 to £5.03, and McDonald's cuts a typical Happy Meal by 27% to £2.99. Other participating restaurants include Frankie & Benny's, Ask Italian, Bill's, and Las Iguanas.
Theme Parks Outside Wales
Merlin Entertainments, operating Alton Towers, Chessington, and Legoland, has revised ticket prices to reflect 'summer VAT savings applied', with advance tickets starting at £29.75 (reduced from £34). An annual pass for Alton Towers is available for £64 (down from £68), offering entry on 339 days of the year for just 19p a day. The park features rides like Wicker Man, Oblivion, and Th13teen.
