Blog post content
Summer Camp Week 1 Highlights: The Adventure Begins!
What an incredible start to summer at Barracudas 2026 camps! With 18 camps now open, we're revving up the fun factor and getting excited for what's to come.
Our Weekly Theme 'Time Travel Adventures' is inspiring children with fun tweaks on some firm favourites and our Friday Finale celebrations. All while enjoying our unrivaled range of activities and specialist sessions.
A Week Packed with Choice and Adventure
One of the things that makes Barracudas unique is our incredible variety of activities. With over 80 activities available and children choosing what they do in every session, there really is something for everyone.
This week, children enjoyed a fantastic mix of favourite activities and premium experiences, including:
Motorsports
Archery
Aqua Slide
Swimming
Dodgeball
Arts and Crafts
Multi-Activity Sessions
At camps without pools, children stayed cool with exciting outdoor water games, including soaker challenges, sponge games, and plenty of splash-filled fun.
Making a Splash Across Camp
Swimming sessions were a huge hit this week, with children enjoying time in the pool while developing water confidence and having fun with friends.
Our teams received excellent feedback for swimming sessions at camps including Chelmsford, Farnham, Harpenden, High Wycombe, Huntingdon, Maidenhead and Twickenham, where experienced lifeguards and camp teams helped create safe, engaging and enjoyable experiences for every swimmer.
Meanwhile, Aqua Slide sessions at Chelmsford proved especially popular, delivering high levels of excitement and engagement throughout the day.
New Adventures and Exciting Activity Trials
This summer we're introducing and trialling even more exciting experiences for children.
At Cambridge St Faith's, children have been loving the introduction of Dragon Boats and Axe Throwing. The Dragon Boats have been particularly popular, with children excited to jump aboard and take part in this unique challenge.
Over at Cambridge Long Road, Battle Archery and Laser Tag have added extra action and adventure to the week. The excitement and energy around these sessions have been fantastic, and our marketing team even joined the fun to capture some memorable moments.
Brilliant Teams Creating Amazing Experiences
Behind every successful camp is an incredible team of staff working hard to create a safe, welcoming and fun environment for every child.
Across our sites, many camps have been praised by our Area Team for their experienced leadership teams, excellent organisation and high-quality sessions.
Some standout moments from Week 1 included:
A fantastic Active Play session at Bushey led by Early Years Group Leader Maya.
Strong swimming, motorsports and dodgeball sessions at Chelmsford.
Excellent organisation and high levels of engagement at Croydon.
A warm welcome and impressive camp set-up at Ely.
Experienced teams delivering high-quality sessions at Farnham and Twickenham.
Outstanding leadership from busy camps such as Streatham & Clapham, where staff continue to deliver exceptional experiences for children and families.
It's always wonderful to see returning staff mentoring new team members and helping create the positive, energetic atmosphere that Barracudas is known for.
Friday Finale Fun!
No Barracudas week would be complete without our Friday Finale celebrations!
Children rounded off their Time Travel Adventures by celebrating everything they had achieved throughout the week. From showcasing their creativity and teamwork to recognising new friendships and personal accomplishments, Friday Finale gave everyone the chance to reflect on an action-packed week of fun.
There were plenty of smiles, cheers, and proud moments as children celebrated together before heading home ready for even more adventures next week.
Captured Moments Around Camps
Looking Ahead
If Week 1 is anything to go by, we're in for an incredible summer.
With exciting weekly themes, premium activities, specialist sessions, swimming, water fun, and endless opportunities to make memories, there's still plenty of time to join the fun.
A huge thank you to all our amazing staff, children and families for helping make the first week of summer camp such a success.
With a further 29 camps opening next week, we can't wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store!
