London Kids May Bank Holiday Weekend Scoop (May 23-26, 2014)

Half-term is here! And we’re kicking things off with a Bank Holiday weekend packed with cool things to do with kids in London.

Oliver Jeffers’ Up and Down on stage (and screen) in Hammersmith, Mammoths at Natural History Museum, Dinosaurs at Discover, Baby Discos at Southbank Centre and Tower Hill, Star of Bethnal Green Street Party, HMS Belfast Family Weekend, Museum of London’s Family Festival and a Bank Holiday Hoop Jam in London Fields.

Our May Half-Term guide will be out soon so do check back or sign up for our emails so you don’t miss a trick!

Fri-Sat: Pirate Gran at Arts Depot, 5 Nether St, Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley, N12 0GA (East Finchley tube)
The very brilliant Scamp Theatre (the team behind Stick Man) bring swashbuckling adventure to the stage. Follow Pirate Gran on one last hurrah on the high seas and don’t forget your pirate hats and eye patches! For ages 3+. 4.30pm (Fri) and 11am (Sat); £9-£11 (May 23-24)

Fri-Sun: Up and Down at Hammersmith Riverside Studios (pictured), Crisp Rd, W6 9RL (Hammersmith tube)
Don’t miss this magical adaptation of the best-loved book Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers about the continuing adventures of a boy and his penguin pal. Ga Ga Theatre brings the story to life in vivid colour with cinema projections as part of the show. Aimed at kids ages 0-5, suitable for all ages. 10am & 11.30am, £12/babies under 2 FREE (until May 25)



Fri-Sun: Mammoths: Ice Age Giants at Natural History Museum, Cromwell Rd, SW7 5BD (South Kensington tube)
Get ready to encounter some of the largest animals that ever walked the face of the Earth. See rare glimpses of real life skeletons with towering tusks and trunks, bringing the Ice Age sharply into life. All ages. 10am-5.50pm daily, adult £10/child £6/family of 4 £28 (May 23-Sep 7)

Sat: Chickenshed Theatre: Tales Big Day Out, Chickenshed Theatre, Chase Side, Southgate N14 4PE (Cockfosters tube)
A fun and hugely popular event for families with kids ages 0-7 that typically sells out, so grab tickets while you can! Get involved in an interactive workshop, watch a Tales from the Shed show, then come together for the Tales extravaganza in the amphitheatre. 10am and 2.30pm, £8/babies under 6 months FREE (May 24)

Sat: African Market at Old Spitalfields Market, 16 Horner Square, E1 6EW (Liverpool St tube)
Another immersive event with food, fashion and family fun with an African flavour, hosted by Open the Gate. Come for kids activities, face painting, tons of African stalls selling clothing, arts, crafts, natural hair and fair trade products. 11am-5pm, FREE entry (May 5)

Sat: Baby Loves Disco Seasiders at Gilt Bar, 14 New London St, EC3R 7NA (Tower Hill/Monument tube)
There are two sessions for this beach-themed afternoon disco for kids ages 0-5 and their carers. Grab your bucket and space and head to the dance floor for some daytime clubbing to feel good tunes spun by real DJs. Chill-out tent, bubbles, face painting, inflatables and crafts available to keep the party hopping. 12-2pm and 3-5pm, £9/non-walkers FREE (May 24)

Sat-Sun: HMS Belfast: D-Day Family Weekender, The Queen’s Walk, SE1 2JH (London Bridge tube)
Climb aboard one of the world’s last remaining war crafts from the D-Day battles to get a taste of what life was like. Make your own model and tattoo t-shirts, learn the secrets of Morse code and experience simulated firing of HMS Belfast’s 4-inch guns. 10am-5pm, adult £15.50/child under 16 FREE (May 24-25)

Sat-Sun: Museum of London Family Festival: The City We Live In, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN (St. Paul’s/Barbican tube)
Explore the best of London in this exciting family weekend where you can build a giant cityscape, discover and get stuck into London street art, learn about Epping Forest, join in a ‘sounds of the city’ musical workshop and more fun for babies, toddlers and up. Suitable for ages 2-11. 12-4pm, FREE (May 24-25)


Sat-Mon: Discover Children’s Story Centre: Dinosaurs Dig Discover, 383-387 High St Stratford, E15 4QZ (Stratford tube/overground)
A big Bank Holiday weekend for little people at Discover with activities for all ages. Enter the sand pit of bones (ages 0-3) to discover relics from the T-Rex era; or make your own dinosaur fossil (ages 4+) to add to the museum’s gallery. 11am-5pm; adult/child £5, family of 4 £18/under 2s FREE (May 24-26)

Mon: London Hoop Fest: Bank Holiday Hoop Jam in London Fields, Hackney (Hackney Central tube)
London Hoop Fest, the week-long festival for hula hoopers skilled and new, returns with a family-friendly day of spinning for Bank Holiday. Gather in glorious London Fields to have a go and learn a trick or two from the pros. Open to all ages and all abilities, you just might see us there! From 11.30am, FREE (May 26)

Mon: Star of Bethnal Green Street Party, 359 Bethnal Green Rd, E2 6LG (Shoreditch High St overground)
We had a blast at last year’s Street Party at Star of Bethnal Green and they’re doing it again this Bank Holiday. Come down for an afternoon of fun and shenanigans, with DJs, beer from Camden Town Brewery, face painting and puppet theatre for the kids and food from Randy’s Wings, Big Easy Po-Boys and Sorbitium Ices. 12pm-late, £3 adv./£5 door (limited tickets) (May 26)

Mon: Schlomo’s Beat Box Adventure for Kids at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX (Embankment/Waterloo tube)
One man and a mic turn the Udderbelly Festival tent into a sonic playground. Schlomo’s talent for funny noises, cool sound effects and hot beats make this record-breaking beatboxer a brilliant showman for all ages. 2pm, £10 (May 26)


We also like

The Anatolian Cultural Fete brings traditional Turkish culture to Clissold Park (Fri-Mon, 11.30am-8pm, FREE): catch Disney’s lively Aladdin at Everyman Cinema Screen on the Green in Islington (Sat, 10am, £5 adult + child); there are Kite Design Workshops at Alchemy Festival for ages 8+ at Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX (Sat and Sun, from 11am, £7); groove to the sounds of Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dancehall at Southbank Centre’s London Wonderground tent (Sun, 3pm, £8); and visit the Ally Pally Funfair at Alexandra Palace (daily until Jun 1, 12-7pm, £1 child entry