By Jennifer Lankford
As a student or a parent, nothing beats a day off from school, right? A break from the normal routine and the ability to sleep a little longer are something we all look forward to. But for many parents, this is followed by the age-old question from their kids: What are we going to do today? Thankfully, Downtown Cary Park (DCP) works hard to answer that question.
As an urban park just over two years old, DCP now produces over 700 events per year. School BreakOUT! Days are a prime focus of this programming, and their purpose is to fill this gap. Adam Bell, DCP Programming Supervisor, said the park created the School BreakOUT! Days to provide families with a low to no-cost alternative when traditional schools are on break.
According to the park’s website, School BreakOUT! Days are open to the public and suitable for all ages. But they are not a drop-off event; parents and guardians must stay with their child the entire day. Most importantly, they are designed to be a positive experience for all guests. All accessibility needs are addressed through a form on the DCP website.
So, what is a School BreakOUT! Day like? Bell explained that although each day might have a different theme, the basic framework for every program is the same. “We really develop our programs to hit on three pillars — education, entertainment, and wellness or well-being,” Bell explained. “All of [the days] may not hit on all three, but we intend to provide this type of framework for all of them.”
School BreakOUT! is an entire series. Each day of the series has a different theme. Bell said the February program focus in 2026 was the arts. During the week-long Wake County schools spring break, DCP will offer two Spring BreakOUT! Days. Current plans are for one day to focus on space, and the other day’s focus will be pirates. The park also hosts Summer BreakOUT! Days when kids are out of school for several months, and they have days again in the fall when schools are not in session.
In the past, some BreakOUT! Days have had a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) theme. For this type of programming, Bell said the park partners with various businesses and non-profit organizations. For example, the park has previously worked with the NC State University High-Powered Rocketry Club. They came to the park and performed demonstration rocket launches for guests. Bell said this gives the kids an opportunity to learn about STEM subjects in person, and it provides entertainment. “If you, as a kid, can see a rocket going up in the air, it’s a lot of fun and might make you interested in doing something like that as a career,” he added.
Jessie Ginsberg is an Apex mom of four children — ages eight, six, four, and two. She and her kids have attended a couple of School BreakOUT! Days, and they plan to attend more in the future. “One day had a carnival theme, and the kids were super excited about face painting and the whole vibe,” Ginsberg said.
Becky Finley, Ginsberg’s sister, and her two boys (ages four and two) went with the Ginsbergs to the carnival-themed School BreakOUT! Finley was expecting her third child at the time, and Ginsberg said her sister also enjoyed the day at the park with her kids. Both sisters moved to this area from Maryland. “A big part of why we moved here, for my family, was to come to a more family-friendly area. I think it’s so special that there are events like this during the week that are free, accessible, and fun.
Next, the Ginsberg family attended a STEM-themed School BreakOUT! Ginsberg said they enjoyed making their own bouncy balls that day, getting to launch the rockets in the green space, and the opportunity to interact with a robot by handing it a ball or a cube. In addition, they got to build and race LEGO cars. The kids wanted to stay the whole time because there was so much to do with lively and good energy,” Ginsberg said, adding that the days were nice and not too crowded, with lots of one-on-one experiences. “We will definitely go back,” she said. “We do a homeschool hybrid for our kids, and those days just happened to work schedule-wise. It was one hundred percent perfect for us,” Ginsberg added.
Attending School BreakOUT! Days give families an introduction to a variety of experiences in one location. Mad Science of the Triangle is one vendor that appreciates this opportunity. Instructor and Program Manager Carolyn Kesler said the Mad Science instructors love these days at DCP because they get to work with so many different kids. Kesler said Mad Science has been a vendor with the Town of Cary for at least 13 years, and they have worked with DCP multiple times since it opened. In November 2025, Mad Science had three booths (optical, sound, and bouncy balls) during the Fall School BreakOUT! Their booths can be discovery oriented, where kids can work with the equipment, or make and take (like the bouncy balls).
Kesler said DCP asked Mad Science to set up a superball booth in conjunction with showing the “Big Hero Six” movie. “That movie is so good about incorporating the STEM topics,” Kesler explained. “The character Honey Lemon is a super female chemistry whiz. Her purse has chemicals in it that allow her to create balls that do different things.” Kesler said their booth worked well with both the movie and that character, and the kids loved it. She looks forward to Mad Science participating in more DCP School BreakOUT! Days.
Past themes for BreakOUT! Days were ninjas, dinosaurs, and a Back-to-School Learning is Fun day last summer, which incorporated arts and crafts plus animals. The goal for that day was to get kids back into learning after a long summer out of school.
For the arts theme BreakOUT! Days, DCP partners with the Cary Arts Center. They provide instructors, and the park also brings in other community partners to facilitate art activities. “This is an opportunity for the instructors at the Cary Arts Center to get some face time with the public, and to provide various arts activities as well,” Bell explained.
On average, Bell said, 800 to 1,000 people attend School BreakOUT! Days, but those numbers are affected by the time of year. The February event, for example, usually has lower attendance because it is held in the park’s Academy Pavilion due to the cold weather. But he said the BreakOUT! Days held in the spring, summer, and fall bring out a large number of people.
One event’s theme was “Wicked,” and the programming was built around the movie. DCP showed the “Wicked” movie on the park’s Great Lawn that evening, and Bell said that day was one of the largest in terms of attendance.
Bell said people have been really good about staying with their kids. It is part of the marketing, and that has not been a problem so far. He added that he has personally witnessed many memorable moments during these School BreakOUT! Days. He enjoyed watching kids see a rocket shoot 50 feet into the air, and the Morehead Planetarium performed demos for families. Bell said during the “Wicked” Day, seeing kids interact with the Elphaba and Glenda characters from that movie was also huge. Bell loves seeing a kid’s face when they pick up a snake, pet a turtle, or see an owl on a professional’s arm in the park. Another “wow” moment for Bell was when the park hosted a ninja course with obstacles for kids to enjoy.
“I don’t believe there is one defining moment,” Bell said. “I think the defining moments are all of the themes and the opportunities that we’re able to provide to kids when they are off from school.”
How did School BreakOUT! come to be? Bell said, “Overall, when looking at programming for the park, one of our main goals is to provide for the community. We understand that Cary has many families, and during those breaks, parents are wondering what they can do with their kids without spending a lot of money to provide an activity for them.” He added that Lauren Rice is the DCP program support specialist who coordinates the School BreakOUT! Days. As part of her job, Rice utilizes her background knowledge from working with the YMCA. Her history working with families and their kids taught her that there is a gap, and a need to provide families with alternatives when school is out.
Bell said the DCP program staff constantly questions if a program is the best use of the park’s time and resources. For example, the summer BreakOUT! events during the park’s first year of operation were scheduled mid-day (around 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). They realized that in the summer, those hours are the hottest part of the day. In 2025, the park shifted summer events to start around 3 or 4 p.m. and extended them into the evening when it is cooler.
“Switching themes year after year also keeps the programming fresh because we’re thinking of different ways to entertain, educate, and incorporate the well-being aspect,” Bell said. He added that changing themes gives the park opportunities to collaborate with other local businesses and partners, which keeps these events new and fresh.
Bell pointed out that during the School BreakOUT! Days, the park tries to stagger activities to keep families engaged in the DCP. If a family doesn’t want to attend a particular performance, they can explore other areas of the park instead.
The DCP School BreakOUT! event days are open to all. Bell said most of the attendees are from the Cary and Triangle area and added that there are always new people discovering this programming. “That is what is exciting to us because we’ve been here since the inception and the opening of the park. We have people who ask us if we do this all the time, and we say yes,” he said. It’s no wonder that people are impressed that the park is providing a need and bridging a gap for families.
For more information and to access the DCP calendar of events, visit www.downtowncarypark or contact Guest Services by dialing 311 or (919) 469-4000 if outside of Cary.
