Legoland Windsor is among the attractions participating in the Great British summer savings scheme. The government's temporary VAT cut aims to ease the cost of living for families this summer. Starting Thursday, families can enjoy reduced prices at Legoland, cinemas showing Toy Story 5, and more.
What Is Happening?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has temporarily cut VAT from 20% to 5% on family-friendly activities from 25 June (when schools break up in Scotland) until 1 September (when children return in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland). The reduced rate applies to children's and family tickets for cinemas, theatres, concerts, shows, exhibitions, and admission to attractions like amusement parks, zoos, soft play centres, nature reserves, and wildlife parks. It also covers children's meals in restaurants. Businesses can choose to pass on the savings.
Potential Savings
If companies pass on the reduced rate, a family of two adults and two children could save £20 on a theme park outing, £17 for a wildlife park, £1.50 off children's cinema tickets, and £2 off children's meals.
Participating Attractions
Big names include Peppa Pig World, Alton Towers, and Legoland. Merlin Entertainments, which owns 20 venues including Alton Towers and Legoland, has updated ticket prices to show summer VAT savings. Advance tickets for both parks now start at £29.75, down from £34. Longleat safari park in Wiltshire has also updated its system, bringing the cost of advance tickets for a family of four to £122.30, a saving of £17.50.
The Odeon, Vue, and Cineworld cinema chains are taking part. Odeon says a family ticket (two adults and two children) will drop from £32 to £28.50 during the scheme.
Restaurant Deals
Greene King (over 2,500 outlets), McDonald's, Wetherspoons, and Nando's are among those passing on the tax saving on children's meals. Nando's Nandino meals will decrease from £6.95 to £6.08, while Wetherspoons children's menu meals drop from £5.75 to £5.03. McDonald's is cutting the price of a typical Happy Meal by 27% to £2.99. There is no legal requirement for businesses to do this, and some may not pass on the full saving.
Conditions for Meals
The discount applies only to children's meals eaten in a restaurant or cafe, not takeaways. The meal must be advertised as a child's meal. If a children's meal includes a drink or additional courses for a single price, the entire package qualifies. Meals with alcohol do not qualify. McDonald's has extended the Happy Meal discount to drive-thru and takeaway customers ordering via its app, excluding home delivery.
Other Details
Season tickets, like Merlin passes starting at £139, are not included. The reduced rate for cinema, theatre, exhibition, and show entry applies to children's tickets and is extended to adults only as part of a family package. For attractions and soft play centres, the reduced rate applies to all tickets.
Refunds for Existing Bookings
Businesses are not required to issue refunds, but the government expects refunds for additional VAT paid on prepaid bookings. Longleat will automatically refund the difference for bookings covered by the offer. However, Hever Castle in Kent states the offer is not retrospective and existing bookings cannot be cancelled and rebooked for the discount.
Paul Kelly, chief executive of the British Association of Leisure Parks Piers and Attractions, notes that issuing refunds may be logistically difficult and financially burdensome for some companies.
Extra Perks
The scheme includes free travel on local bus services for children aged 5-15 in England during August, potentially saving a family with two children £27. This does not apply in London (where free travel already exists) or in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Additional savings can be found via cereal packet offers, National Rail's Days Out Guide with 2-for-1 deals, and Merlin Entertainments' offer to visit two parks for the price of one.
