Easter Egg Hunts in Germany

Family focused events  in the holidays are a big deal in Germany and Easter is no exception. So take the opportunity this year to join in the festivities.  Two of the favourite activities at Easter are traditional egg hunts and 

Please note the Eggs used in the hunt will be the traditional brightly coloured hard boiled eggs! it might be a good idea to bring some chocolate, sweets etc to swap out the eggs as prizes. 

Rietberg Gartenschau  Egg Hunt 

Possibly the largest Egg hunt in NRW! With a reported 7,777 Eggs on Offer. at 27 min drive time from Sennelager it is a nicely packaged day out. Entry fees are 6 Euro for Adults and  2 Euro for kids from age 4. 

The Rietberg Gartenschau offers play areas and more on the day. In addition to the Egg hunt, a  spectacular magic show in the circus tent begins at 11 a.m., and at 3 p.m., the stage is set for acrobatics, artistry, and clowning in the Easter Circus. Puzzle lovers can challenge their brains and solve the tasks of the exciting Easter Rally.

The Easter egg hunt, magic and circus performances, and the Easter Rally are included in park admission. Adults pay €6 for a day ticket, and children ages 4 and up pay €2. Younger children and season ticket holders are admitted free.

Rietberg Gartenschau is a massive space with it's own her of water Buffalos, camping area, play parks and more. 

Buy tickets and see everything the park offers here

Bad Lippspringe Gartenschau - Easter Puzzle

From Saturday to Monday you have the chance to find 17 magic eggs in the garden park. When combined they will spell out the magic phrase (In German). Take this to the ticket office and claim a prize. 

Drive time is 15 mins. Entry 9.50 Euro Adults, Kids / teenagers have free entry up to 17 yrs. 

Maxipark Hamm - Easter Bunny Smartypants Hunt 

Download your mission sheet and figure out the clues and puzzles placed throughout the park. Maxi park is a 55 min drive from Sennelager entry Adults 6 Euro. children 3.50 euro up to 17 years. 

Anyone For Rocket league? Sennelager Needs a Team!

Anyone For Rocket league? Sennelager Needs a Team!

The BFBS Pro League is open to all members of the UK Armed Forces community.
This includes Serving UK Armed Forces personnel, Reservists, Cadets, Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel, Veterans, MOD Civil Servants, direct family members of serving personnel and members of the bereaved community.

All competitors must be 13 years or older.

https://bfbsesports.com/
https://youtu.be/C21PH5cISok?si=V1SmA-QWCvcA2i98

What's On this weekend

Pader Sprinter - Holiday tickets and free chocolate

Two great offers from Padersprinter this week. 

• Unlimited travel in NRW from 12th - 27th April for those aged 6 -20 on Buses, 2nd class regional trains and U-bahn / trams in cities. Cost 36.50 Euro.

 

• Win prizes on the bus every day from 14th - 21st April. all you have to do is look out for the questions shown on the bus screens.  Prizes on offer from shops and businesses in our area. 

What's on 

• Bonus Cinelink this Friday night - Bridget Jones 4 at WRVS 1900

• Osnabruck Spring Fair 120 rides and stalls can be found for the spring fest in the city Drive time 53 mins
• Maxipark spring market - Home & Garden, Crafts, food stalls all in the park. equal parts country park, kids play area, exhibition centre, Butterfly House with onsite restaurants and cafes. Maxipark offers a great day out.. Entrance is 6 euro for adults, 3 Euro for kids 3- 17, with 3 Euro charge for exhibitions in the main hall and the Butterfly house. Drive time 56 mins.

    

 

• Fort Fun reopens on the 12th, tickets are on sale for the Easter Hunt. Plus a special new ticket for 2025 which lets you ride the Trapper  Slider Alpine sled coaster before the main park opening hours. 

• Massive fair in Dortmund festival grounds until 27th Apr . The freDOlino is a family favourite each year. Tuesdays and Thursdays are special days, guests superheroes and princesses will be at the fairgrounds.  

• Family Day each Wednesday, 50% off all rides and reduced prices at all stalls.  Fireworks at nightfall on Saturday, April 19th and 26th .Drive time 1hr 20mins

• Family Day Dalheim Monestary On Sunday 1100 - 1700. Head to Dalheim for a day of interactive crafting,  kids get to try  making Pretzels, felting, soap making, also watch  carpentry, and blacksmithing. and more 6 Euro adults., 3.50 kids - 7 Euro per child for the craft experience. Drive time 27 mins

• Free Entry at the Heinz Nixdorf Muesum 10th -12th Apr -  Paderborn's beloved inventor and entrepreneur  would have been 100 this year so the museum is celebrating with a weekend of events. Expect, music, extended hours and activities. Drive time 10 mins 

Equestrian themed events

• Cavalluna the spectacular horse show is at the Seidensticker Halle in Bielefeld for three 3 nights from the 11th April tks from 44 Euro. The show is a big production which tours Europe. Drive time 28mins.  

• Icelandic Horse show at the annual registration event in Munster. Your chance to see the colourful Icelandic horses up close. Tickets 10.45 euro for kids, 15.57 euro for adults. if you love horses with mullets then this is the show for you! Drive time 1 hr 20 mins

Breakfast meeting for mums and Children under 6 years

 

Padre Nick will happily act as a taxi service for this event. Garrison mums with children under the age of 6 years are invited to join an international breakfast. 

Have you shared your views on Service family life? Time’s running out!

The Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FamCAS) 2025 closes in 1 week! Don’t miss your opportunity to tell us what you think about Service family life.

Each year, Defence invites a random sample of Service partners to complete the Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FamCAS). This survey is your chance to tell us about your experiences and views in relation to various aspects of Service family life.

You can see if you are in this year’s sample, and can access the survey, by using the online tool. The survey closes on Monday 7 April 2025 at 23:59.

Why complete the survey?

Your feedback will help us to understand what Service life is like for your family, which will help us to make informed decisions on what changes to prioritise and develop policies to address your family’s challenges and needs. Whether it’s with childcare and children’s education, housing, deployment, or employment.

Who can complete the survey, and how?

To find out if you can take part in FamCAS 2025, please use the online eligibility tool. You will be asked to enter a token/access code, which is your partner’s Service number. This is needed for security reasons only. Please be assured that all survey responses are anonymous.

If eligible, the tool will direct you to the survey. We recommend using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

If you have any questions about this year's FamCAS, please email: Analysis-Surveys-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk.

Information and support

Check out our new Families Hub, which signposts to support, guidance and organisations to help you navigate Service family life.

Visit Discover My Benefits to find out about the range of benefits, opportunities, and support for you and your family.

Seeing the blooms

From Germany to Holland, you have many great options for visiting the most beautiful blooming gardens.

Spring & Summer 2025 could be really great years for flower blooms. lets get started with a rundown by date order.


Cherry Blossom

Just as in Japan every spring many German cities and towns celebrate the arrival of the cherry blossom.  Enjoy a range of events and the simple pleasure of a walk under the blossom in the following locations. 

Though the exact timing of when the blossoms appear varies each year. The window is roughly 14 days in early to mid April. 

• Bonn 

The Old capital of west Germany  offers a great weekend break . The city is compact and historical features are well preserved. Bonn is just south of Cologne along the Rhine.  

 

Heerstraß ealong with Breite Straße are the main avenue of cherry trees in the city.

 

• Dusseldorf - Rhienpromenade 11th Apr Other places to see Sakura trees can be found around the city.

A small fair on the Rhienpromenade and some special ticketed events can be booked. Dusseldorf is home to a significant Japanese community. To enjoy a tea ceremony at the traditional Eko house in the city visit the park in a neighbourhood on the west bank of the Rheine.

The website Mr Dusseldorf has a really useful page on their site showing all the best spots to visit in Dusseldorf for cherry blossom. 

Tulips 

• Keukenhof - Netherlands  Opens March 20th Probably the most famous spring garden in all of Europe. Tickets are on sale now online here. A longer trip no doubt. You will be rewarded with spectacular gardens and blooms to see. 

Rhodedendrum Gardens

• Bremen This free park in Bremen has a massive area and botanical garden. in Spring you can find Tulips, Snowdrops and seasonal flowers. By the summer the Rhodedendrums take over. The drive time is 2 hours 20. 
• 
  

Botanical Gardens 

These locations have botanical gardens or open air gardens ready for you to visit. If the weather is not great the indoor botanical gardens are a good choice for a rainy day visit. 

What's on this weekend

Lot's of things to do and see this weekend. Hopefully the temperature will start to rise now that the clocks have changed. 

22nd Mar - 21st April - Hannover Fruhlingsgfest

The fair on the Scuhtzenplatz boasts two party tents, lots of rides and entertainment. The fair opens 1500 most days, check the website here for exact timings. Wednesdays are traditionally family days at the Spring Festival, with rides offering discounts of up to 50 percent, and on Fridays there is a fireworks display starting at 9:45 p.m.

4th - 5th apr Apr

Themepark weekend some of the biggest attractions in the region re open Safariland, Heide Park , Movie park all re open Fort fun follows on the 12th.

Check out the Top Rhurcard offers for the parks this year if you buy the card for 20205 you get a free entry to one of the parks and the 50% discounts on a second visit.

ruhrtopcard.de

4th Apr -13th Apr

BIE- Happy! Bielefeld Spring fair. the funfair comes to Bielefeld with Fireworks on Friday the 4th at 2100 ish. Visit the Cycle track in Bielefeld. 

• Happy Hour : April 4th from 3-6pm (Pay once - Ride twice)
• Friday 4 April : Brilliant fireworks at about 9 pm
• Family Day on Wednesday 9 April Reduced prices at all stores

Visit the website for full details

6th Apr

Paderborn Frankfurter Weg Street fair 

Family fun day on Frankfurter weg. Activities and small rides for the kids. The stores on the road will be open for the day also. A small event  near Paderbini land. 

22nd Mar - 3rd November 

 

"We Love Playmobil – 50 Years of Play" Hamm Maxipark.
All play heads will love the giant dioramas put together by Playmobil.

 
Experience PLAYMOBIL like never before. Elaborate lighting compositions, tailor-made sound effects, and multimedia installations create a unique world of experience. 

The excellent family park in Hamm is a great place to visit and definitely one to enjoy in the summer. with multiple play areas and a splash zone the kids will love it. 

Through, music, video mapping, and animation, you can see Playmobil brought to life. Tickets to enter the park (Family tickets 12 -16 Euro) and 3 Euro pp for the exhibition.  More info here.

Give Us Time & Walling2Recovery breaks

 

Find out more here 

This weeks events adventure and travel

Fri 15th Paderborn Museum 

The City Museum invites families to an exciting guided tour, ( German Language) which will take place on March 15th at 1500.

The tour is aimed at young and old alike and promises an entertaining experience for all ages. The tour focuses on objects discovered by city archaeologists during excavations in the city centre.  Following the tour, a hands-on activity will create small souvenirs.

The tour lasts a maximum of 90 minutes and costs 5 Euro per family.  Register at c.ferres@paderborn.de or by calling the City Museum (05251 8811247).

Fri 15th Mar - Bad Lippspringe Forest Lights
The garden show starts the new season with the spectacular forest lights. For the eighth time, hundreds of spotlights and artistic light objects transform the park into a magical forest.

The 3D video installation with new animated images is not to be missed. 9.50 euros for adults and 3.00 euros for children and young people aged 3 to 17. Details here

Thursday 14th Mar Loseke Family Movie Night
Go along to the Loeseke community Centre for a 1700 Screening of Paddington in Peru.

Sat & Sun 16th & 17th Mar - Motorcycle fair
Free entry, lots of exhibitors for all aspects of motorcycling, live music, face painting, children's bouncy castle. Snacks and drinks, as well as coffee and cake are available.
Motorrad Berlage, Bachstraße 12, 33178 Borchen, Germany, Kirchborchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Paderborn. 15 -20 mins drive time.

Emsdetten Spring market 14th -17th Mar
Over 100 exhibitors from the areas of home and garden, health and lifestyle, clubs and organisations, automobiles and travel, as well as finance and pensions will be presenting themselves in halls and open spaces in the city centre.

There is also a supporting program with many highlights, and on Sunday, when shops are open, retailers invite you to stroll and shop from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Drive time 1hr 25 mins. 

Verl Model Trains & Toy Fair 16th March 1000- 1500
Indulge your passion for model trains at this local event less than 20 mins drive time. One for the traders and collectors. The website is not clear there maybe admission charged at the door.

Sunday 16th Mar WRVS Movie Matinee
Moana 2 will be screened from 1400

Bakers needed for the Coffee social on 19th March bring bakes along for the BFBS big salute.

Street Food Market Cologne 21st - 23rd Mar
The street food fair is held throughout the year with the first event on the 21st March. Lots of stalls to try about 30 vendors at each event. Tickets 4 Euro pp more details on the website Drive time 2 hours.

Special Offers Top Rhur Card is offering a free theme Park visit for 2025
Check out the website for the Top Rhur Card at 69 Euro for Adults and 43 Euro for kids. The card offers one time free entry to 90 attractions and 50 attractions with 50% discounts that are reusable.




Ryan Air Launches Munster (FMO) to London Stanstead (STN) Flights
From 30th Mar, Ryanair is launching a new route from London Stansted to Münster/Osnabrück (FMO), with four weekly flights. 

Muster airport is about 1hr 15 mins drive time north of Sennelager. so not much longer than the drive to Dortmund airport. Check availability on the Ryan air website.

Get out this weekend

We talked about Wildparks on the radio update for this week. A great way to enjoy the nice weather this weekend.

We have put a Google map together with a mix of free and paid for locations to visit.

Stay up to date on the weather here 

Month of the Military Child – April 2025

To find out more about this year’s Month of the Military Child, please visit: www.neversuchinnocence.com

You can watch the Dandelions music video, a song written by the Armed Forces Children's Choir for Month of the Military Child, on YouTube: Dandelions Music Video.

Paderborn Karneval details 2025

The big parade kicks off 14:14 on Sat 1st March.

Here is the route in Paderborn:

Hathumarstraße – Mühlenstraße – Kisau- Westernmauer – Marienstraße – Marienplatz – Rathausplatz – Kamp – Kasseler Straße – Heiersstraße – Ükernplatz – Mühlenstraße -Hathumarstraße - Maspernplatz-Ost.

© City of Paderborn

Road closures
Closures begin on March 1st, from 8 a.m. on the side streets. Followed by further closure measures on the inner ring.

Due to the current security situation in Germany, this year in particular, it is pointed out that neither driving into nor leaving the closed area of ​​the inner ring is possible from 12 p.m.

The procession is expected to end around 6 p.m. However, the respective sections of road can only be reopened once the street cleaning, which is carried out by the ASP, has been completed.

Karnival 2025

The Karneval season is back, here you can find out about the range of events leading up to the main parade parties on "Rose Monday."

This year Rose Monday is the 3rd of March. Most cities and towns will be staging parades. Some like Cologne have a whole week of celebrations. 

Our home state NRW can rightly claim to be the capital of Karneval. With the OG event in Cologne which has held over 200 Karneval parties. Aachen, Bonn, Dusseldorf, and Paderborn all stage events. 

Bielfeld creative fair & craft market 1st Feb 2025

This year, the 'BielefeldKreativ' trade fair will be complemented by the Bielefeld arts and crafts market in the old part of the town hall.

Location: Stadthalle Bielefeld, Willy-Brandt-Platz 1, 33602 Bielefeld

Date 1st - 2nd Feb 2025 1000 - 1800

Book tickets here

Phoenix des Lumières – Digital art center in Dortmund

The Dortmund centre presents new exhibitions on the 24th of January. As part of the Phoenix West cultural centre on a old iron works. The blast furnace was converted into a public space. 

Since 2023 it has served as a giant canvas for spectacular exhibitions. 

Now in its second year you will be able to find brand new exhibitions. Walk through ancient Egypt. See nature up close alongside the works of French oriental artists. 

The exhibitions are giant projections in the main hall. 

Watch the video below to get a better idea of how the exhibitions look.

Adult tickets are €16.00

5-17 Years €10.00 

Family ticket 2 adults and two children 5 -17 years €42 

You can book tickets and see more information here

World Cup Ski Jumping 2025 Willingen

31st Jan - 2nd Feb - Willingen World Cup Ski jumping. Join the 20,000 strong crowd each day. Take the opportunity to watch this unique sporting event whilst you are in Germany. 

Tickets are available from 20€ - 85€ 

Click /tap the  image to expand the size.

Winterberg outdoor events Jan - Feb 2025

The hills of the Hochsauerland region are a hub of outdoor activities each winter.

(c) Community of Willingen

Skiing may not be everybody's idea of a good time. You can enjoy the scenery at a much slower pace. There is no need to get trapped indoors this winter. 

Winterberg and Willingen are part of the Hochsauerland. which is a region of hills dotted with ski resorts and villages.  The hills are over 800m in some areas. This offers great scenery and activities. 

Below are a few of the specific offers which you can buy tickets for. 

• Moonlight hikes - guided German language Hike for 2 hours in the snow. Price includes snow shoe hire
• Pony days - you can wither "rent" a pony for a short hike or children are welcome to ride.  pay for 30 or 60 mins timeslots. various dates 
• Beer hikes  A  guided walks which lets you learn about and try the famous Winterberg Landbier 

Hikes are dependant on the weather, your guide will make contact prior to start times to advise any issues.

Free Hiking & Maps 

From easy 1.2 km hikes with no steep hills to a 9.2 Km hike on 800 m hills.  The region has lots to offer.

Visit the following website link to see more details and maps for each hike. The website has details of each route and relative difficulty. 

Ski Lessons in Hochsauer Land

Winterberg, Willingen are great ski resorts for those starting out on the slopes.  

Here you can find the details of Ski schools in the area which offer lessons in English. 

Always contact the school to confirm they still have English speaking instructors available.

You will find courses for lots of ages  Adults, Children, Tots. in addition learning skiing or snowboarding. 

Winterberg

• https://www.ski-winterberg.de/
• https://www.skischule-winterberg.com/en/
• https://skischule-winterberg.kursbiachle.de/shop/simple-assistant
• https://www.poppenberg-winterberg.de/en/winter/ski-school/

Willingen

• https://otc-willingen.de/
• https://www.dsv-skischule-wiwa.de/de/
• https://ski-willingen.de/
• https://sportwelt-ettelsberg.de/

Check the local weather in the resorts here:

• https://www.accuweather.com/en/de/winterberg/59955/weather-forecast/170519
• https://www.accuweather.com/en/de/willingen/34508/weather-forecast/178593?city=willingen

Check out the live webcams set up on the slopes for each resorts:

• Winterberg
• Willingen

Grand Military Gold Cup at Sandown racecourse on Friday 24th January 2025

Grand Military Gold Cup at Sandown racecourse on Friday 24^th January 2025

Including employer engagement, Regimental associations and 3^rd Sector stands. 

The Grand Military Gold Cup is an historic National Hunt steeplechase, run at Sandown Park and taking place in Jan each year. First run in 1841, the race is restricted to serving Military amateur riders and is the showcase event in a day of celebration of the Armed Forces.

Please see the poster for a discount code that reduces the ticket cost for the following:

• Serving Members of the Armed Forces
  
• Veterans
• Personnel from any organisation who has signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

Link to book tickets is https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/sandown/events-tickets/grand-military-gold-cup-day/

News from Winterberg - Could be good snow this weekend

The desire for snow and winter sports is growing week by week. And this news comes at just the right time: the weather services are predicting snowfall over the weekend. This week, the range of activities is growing slowly. But if the weather forecasts are correct, there could be a larger range of winter sports available for the first time on the third weekend of Advent.





A wintry white mountain world: This is what it will look like again this weekend, as shown in this archive photo. It is now becoming increasingly wintry and the range of winter sports on offer is growing.




Ski and snowboard
There are currently three lifts running in the Winterberg ski lift carousel. If possible, the Büre-Herrloh lift will create the connection between Poppenberg and Rauher Busch from Saturday. If the snowfall on Saturday is heavy enough, one or two more lifts could be added. The open slopes then promise good to very good winter sports conditions.

lift operation




Tobogganing /Sledging
The toboggan lift in the Ruhrquelle ski area is expected to be operational again from Saturday if possible and will then be open daily. If there is enough snowfall, a toboggan lift could be added on Saturday or Sunday at the Kappe and on the Astenstraße in the Winterberg ski lift carousel, one in the Neuastenberg ski village and possibly one in Olpe-Fahlenscheid. 

If the snowfall arrives in sufficient volume , tobogganing in the countryside will also be possible without a lift.

Tobogganing



Winter hiking
The weekend promises real snow experiences, albeit with unsettled weather. After a stormy Friday, the wind is easing. However, there is still a "decent breeze" blowing in the mountains. To warm up, we recommend visiting a hat. In Willingen, the walk up the mountain is particularly pleasant. There is a cable car for pedestrians. On the mountain peaks, it should also be possible to take a sledge with you on paths that are not pushed.

Winter hiking



Prospects
If the snowfall currently predicted for this weekend does happen, the first major winter sports offer of the new season could be available. 

Dec 2024 Event calendar

• 14th or 21st Opening Party Ski Area Bödefeld Hunau
• 12th, 20th 21st FIL Junior World Cup, LugeVeltins Ice Arena Winterberg
• 12th & 30th: Torchlight hike from the valley station of the Ettelsberg cable car in Willingen
• 31st: New Year's Eve floodlit skiing in Neuastenberg ski village