Pickie sits right on Bangor's seafront, wrapped around a little boating lake with the marina and Belfast Lough just beyond. The first thing you'll spot is the swans — a whole fleet of giant white pedal boats bobbing on the water, and pedalling one out across the lake, kids up front and a grown-up doing the legwork, is the moment everyone remembers. Round the edge of the park the Pickie Puffer, a miniature train, chugs its loop past the huts and the flowerbeds, and there's a queue of small hands waiting for the next go.
Behind the lake the splash pads spring into life on a warm day — free to run through, so bring a change of clothes and let them at it — with an adventure play park right alongside, also free. Then it's whatever takes their fancy: a round of Pickie Golf, the little electric cars, disco ducks spinning on the water, the flume. You walk in for nothing and simply pay for the rides you fancy, a couple of pounds at a time, so a quiet visit costs next to nothing and a full-throttle one is up to you.
When they've run themselves out, the Pickie Café looks over the marina for a hot drink and a bite, and the Candy Shack has the ice cream. Take it out onto the promenade and stroll it along the front — that's the seaside day right there.
Plan your visit
Can I just turn up? Yes — walk in free.
There's no admission charge — you walk straight in and only pay for the rides you use. A swan pedal boat is £5.50 (up to four aboard), the Pickie Puffer train is £2.50 adult, £1.50 child, £7 for a family, and Pickie Golf is £4 adult, £3 child, £12 family. The splash pads and the play park are free. On busy weekends and holidays an all-day wristband is around £15 and covers most rides as often as you like — worth it if the kids want to go again and again (a couple of coin-op games sit outside it). Prices can change, so confirm on the day.
Pickie Café & ice creamToilets & accessibleFlat, buggy-friendly promenadePicnic spots by the marinaSplash pads & play free
Good to know:
The play park and café run year-round, but the rides and the water attractions are seasonal and weather-dependent — busiest and fullest through the spring and summer. On a quiet winter's day some rides may not be running, so check the Pickie Funpark website before you set off if a particular ride is the whole plan.
Before you set off
What to bring
👕A change of clothesThe splash pads are free and hard to resist on a warm day — kids will get soaked, so bring dry things and a towel.
💷A bit of cash or a cardRides are a couple of pounds each. Have some spending money ready, or budget for an all-day wristband if they'll ride all day.
🧥A light coatIt's right on the open seafront, so there's often a fresh breeze off the lough — grand for a walk, worth a layer.
👟Comfy shoesFlat, easy paths for a stroll along the front and round the marina afterwards.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Free to enter — you pay per ride. Swan pedal boats £5.50 (up to four people); Pickie Puffer train £2.50 adult / £1.50 child / £7 family; Pickie Golf £4 adult / £3 child / £12 family; splash pads and play park free. An all-day wristband is around £15 on weekends and holidays, covering most rides (a couple of coin-op games excluded). Confirm prices on the day.
Season & hours
The play park opens 7 days a week from 9am with gates locked at 4pm; the café and the rides run mainly at weekends and through the holidays (roughly 9am–4pm, weather permitting), with longer hours and more rides in peak season, spring to early autumn. Rides are seasonal and weather-dependent — check the website before a winter trip.
Best for
Younger children and families. Little ones on the swans need a grown-up aboard.
What's here
The giant swan pedal boats, the Pickie Puffer miniature train, splash pads, the adventure play park, Pickie Golf, Disco Ducks, kids' electric cars and flying rides, the flume, plus coin-op games like Hook a Duck.
Food
The Pickie Café overlooks the marina for hot food, drinks and treats, and the Candy Shack does ice cream and sweets. Picnic spots dotted around the front too.
Parking
Free public car park on Queen's Parade, a short walk round the marina, with limited disabled spaces adjacent to the park via Marine Gardens.
Toilets
Toilets on site, including accessible facilities. Victorian-style beach huts double as changing rooms.
Accessibility
Flat, level seafront setting — buggy and wheelchair friendly, with an AccessAble guide available online.
How long
Most families make two to three hours of it, more with a walk along the promenade after.
Questions
Before you go
Is it free to get in?
Yes — you walk in for nothing and just pay for the rides you use, a couple of pounds at a time. The splash pads and the play park are free too, so a quiet visit can cost next to nothing.
How much are the swan pedal boats?
Around £5.50 for a swan, with up to four aboard, so it's easy to share the cost. Little ones need a grown-up with them. Prices can change, so confirm on the day.
Is a wristband worth it?
If the kids want to ride again and again, yes — an all-day wristband is about £15 on weekends and holidays and covers most rides as often as they like. For a couple of goes, pay-per-ride works out cheaper.
Can they get wet at the splash pads?
They will — the splash pads are free and made for it on a warm day. Bring a change of clothes and a towel and let them run through.
Are all the rides always open?
The play park and café run year-round, but the rides and water attractions are seasonal and weather-dependent — fullest in spring and summer. If one ride is the whole plan, check the Pickie Funpark website first.
Where do we park?
There's a free public car park on Queen's Parade, a short walk round the marina, plus a few disabled spaces beside the park off Marine Gardens.
Getting there
Marine Gardens, Bangor, County Down, BT20 5AG — right on the seafront by the marina, about a 25-minute drive from Belfast, with free parking on Queen's Parade nearby.
Pickie has been part of Bangor's seafront for generations — a family funpark built around the old boating lake and pool, right at the gateway to the Marine Gardens and the long promenade beyond.
The giant swan pedal boats became its signature, the picture everyone knows Pickie by, and over the years the little Pickie Puffer train, the splash pads and the play park grew up around them. It stayed true to what it is: simple, cheerful seaside fun, free to walk into, right on the water — the kind of place a Bangor childhood is made of.