Our London weekend guide for kids and families has everything from puppet theatre in the woods to beach rugby in central London. Get involved! And don’t forget, only a few days left to Win a Family Ticket to LolliBop Festival.
Bounce Festival in Richmond, Peppa Pig on the EO Railway Steam Trains, La Tempesta in Queens Wood, Beach Rugby in Covent Garden, Dinosaur Zoo in Regent’s Park, Design a LEGO City at Royal Academy, Ice Cream Making at London Canal Museum, Bugs and Blooms Family Day at Geffrye Museum…
Have a good one!
Fri-Sun: La Tempesta in Queens Wood, Muswell Hill Rd, Highgate N10 (Highgate tube)
Scarabeus Aerial Theatre and Little Angel Theatre in a unique collaboration of puppetry and performers, suspended in the trees, telling a tale of a family whose house is swept away by a flood. For ages 2+. A lovely, interactive production in a gorgeous setting. 12pm & 3pm (no shows Mon Aug 12), £8.95 adv/£10 door (Aug 8-18)
Fri-Sat: Doom Bar London Beach Rugby, Covent Garden Piazza, WC2 (Covent Garden tube)
Come and watch exciting 5-a-side touch rugby on Covent Garden’s pop up beach, as London Beach Rugby host a free tournament on the pitch featuring 200 tonnes of imported. 11am-6pm, FREE (Aug 9-10)
Fri-Sun: Dinosaur Zoo at Open Air Theatre, Queen Mary’s Garden, Regent’s Park, NW1 (Baker St tube)
Regent’s Park transforms into a Jurassic park as Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo roars onto the scene, thrilling the crowds with cute baby dinos and tooth-gnashing giants. We caught a preview of these dinosaurs at the Imagine Festival earlier this year and can’t wait for the full show! 2.15pm (Mon-Wed), 11.30am & 2.15pm (Fri), 9.45am & 11.30am (Sat-Sun); £15-£20/family ticket £15 (Aug 9-Sep 8)
Sat: Family Day: The Spirit of Utopia at Whitechapel Gallery, 77-78 Whitechapel High St, E1 (Aldgate East tube)
Get ready to throw some clay at this family art workshop inspired by The Spirit of Utopia. Families can make pots with studio potter Viktoria Redman, create stories for fictional plants and explore moon farming with architects and urban growers, Wayward Plants. 12-4pm, FREE (Aug 10)
Sat-Sun: Bounce Festival in Old Deer Park, Twickenham Rd, Richmond TW9 (Richmond overground/tube)
The first ever Bounce Festival in Richmond promises to be a jam-packed family weekend of activities for ages 12 and under. There will be everything from cooking and crafts, to sports and science, to live entertainment, all designed to spark the imagination. 10am-6pm, £18 adv/£20 door/family £60 or £70 door (Aug 10-11)
Sat-Sun: The Queens Knickers at Southbank Centre, Purcell Room, QEH, SE1 (Waterloo/Embankment tube)
Dilys, the Queen’s maid, has lost Her Majesty’s pants, causing a panic of epic proportions and a national state of emergency. A hugely entertaining adaptation of Nicholas Allan’s book, for ages 4+. 12pm & 3pm (no shows on Friday), £12/concs. half-price (until Aug 20)
Sat-Sun: Peppa Pig visits the Epping Ongar Railway, North Weald/Ongar Stations via Epping tube
We’re huge fans of this heritage travel experience and excited to hear the famous Peppa Pig will be making appearances this weekend, along with real live pigs and their furry friends at the petting area. Say hello to Peppa, as you ride the vintage bus, steam and diesel trains. There’s also a bouncy castle, face painting and Punch & Judy shows throughout the day. All-inclusive tickets, valid all day from 9am, adult £13/child £7/under 3s FREE (Aug 10-11)
Sun: Family Studio: Design and Build your Own LEGO at Royal Academy, 6 Burlington Gardens, WC2 (Piccadilly tube)
As part of the exhibition, families are invited to come and build a new version of London, using more than 70,000 LEGO bricks. A large image of the Thames will be specially installed for this session and real life model makers and architects will be on hand to give tips and ‘constructive’ advice! 11am-2pm, drop-in, FREE (Aug 11)
Sun: Bugs and Blooms Family Day (pic) at Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Rd, E2 (Hoxton overground)
Enjoy a day in the gardens listening to summertime tunes from the Toots, making Whirly Windmills, handling Mini Beasts and playing Garden Games with a chance to win prizes. 12-4.30pm, FREE (Aug 10)
LOCAL PICK
Sat: Celebrate Ice at London Canal Museum, New Wharf Rd, N1 (King’s Cross tube)
Learn the history of the ice trade and make and taste ice cream, the Victorian way at this celebration of the museum’s history. Meet Mrs Marshall, the Queen of Ice Cream, hear a brass band playing in the ice well, and join in with making a giant sculpture representing the ice trade! 10am, adult £4/child £2/under 4s FREE (Aug 10)
We also like
Tuck into the Eat15 Street Food Festival in Stratford (Sat); free outdoor theatre continues at Watch this Space outside the National Theatre (Sat-Sun); kids activities are on the packed line-up for Hack the Barbican, described as a playground for arts, technology and entrepreneurship (through Aug)l summer bandstand sessions continue at Horniman Museum in Forest Hill with the Afro American Project filling the garden with the sounds of South America and the Caribbean (Sun)
