Don’t let the weather dampen your get up and go this weekend, not when it’s Eurovision Night on Saturday! Seriously though, we’ve found loads of delicious family friendly activities in London for you and your brood. Let us know if you discover somewhere fabulous too!
Thu-Sat: Kidnapped at Hackney Empire, 291 Mare St, E8 1EJ (Hackney Central overground)
A company of five brings the tale of Robert Louis Stevenson dramatically to life in a new adaptation following the Highlands adventures of David Balfour. Expect sword play, ship wrecks and stormy weather. For ages 6+. 10am and 1pm (Thu), 1pm & 7pm (Fri), 7pm (Sat); £8-£20 (May 10-12)
Sat: Postman Pat Live at Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, E15 1BX (Stratford tube/overground)
Everybody’s favourite mail man has been busy of late, starring in his own movie and now appearing live at Stratford Circus. It’s Showtime features the Great Greendale Talent Show where a broken-down karaoke machine puts Pat centre stage. Ages 3-7. 12pm & 3pm; £12/£10 concs./£40 family of 4 (May 10)
Sat: May in a Day at Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Rd, NW1 7AY (Camden Town tube)
Shake out the cobwebs and welcome May with some good old-fashioned barn, Morris and maypole dancing. The popular annual folk festival features textile-based arts and crafts, stories and live music for all the family. 2-5pm, adult £6/child under 18 £4/family of 4 £18/under 2s FREE (May 10)
Sat: Kiddy Kamarade and Silent Poetry Disco at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Rd, E1 6LA (Shoreditch High St overground)
Love the sound of this event, where little ones 8 and under and their families can join a carousel of poets in an afternoon of word play, music and movement (12-3pm). This will be followed by the Silent Poetry Disco (3-6pm) for all ages featuring digitally-enabled poetry performances from the Archive of the Now. Bring a QR reader smartphone or tablet with headphones or download tracks from the archive (see web site) to your MP3 player ahead of the disco! 12-6pm, FREE (May 10)
Sat-Sun: Genesis Cinema 15th Birthday Celebrations: Kids Weekend, 93-95 Mile End Rd, Whitechapel, E1 4UJ (Stepney Green/Whitechapel tube)
The fantastic East End cinema is celebrating 15 years with an array of festivities including a Kids Weekend. Come along for daytime silent and vintage movies from Charlie Chaplin (Sat) and Laurel and Hardy (Sun). Plus bouncy castle, face painting, snacks, music and more. Grown-ups can party till late with live DJs. 12-5pm, FREE entry (May 10-11)
Sun: BFLF presents Camp Bestival’s Travelling Circus at The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9HD
The 2-4 hour party people join forces with award-winning family festival Camp Bestival for the first of two shindigs (next week’s is in Hackney Wick). There will be a dress-up box and photo booth, glitter cannon and motion capture projection, baby chill-out and toddler play tunnel, licensed bar and top DJs. And by Jove, there will be dancing! 2-4.30pm, adult £8 adv, £10 door/child £4 adv, £5 door/non-walkers FREE (May 11)
Sun: Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival, St Paul’s Church, Bedford St, WC2E 9ED (Covent Garden tube)
Every year Punch and Judy professors and fans from all over converge in Covent Garden for an afternoon of parades and puppet theatre performances. It’s a very colourful affair for the kids, and lots of nostalgic fun for grown-ups. All day, FREE (May 11)
Sun: Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall at Southbank Centre London Wonderground, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX (Embankment/Waterloo tube)
She’s back, baby! After sell-out shows last year, Monski Mouse is spinning those big tunes for little movers at the London Wonderground Spiegeltent. Retro hits and funky rhymes keep all ages grooving at this afternoon dance party especially for under 5s. 3pm, £8 (May 11-Sep 7)
Sun: Jacksons Lane: Rockpool, 269a Archway Rd, N6 5AA (Highgate tube)
Prawn and Crab, two very different creatures, get stranded in a rock pool after a big storm. Find out what happens when their little pool starts to drain away in this exuberant (and partially submerged) show by award-winning company Inspector Sands. Splashy fun and rock music for ages 3+. 12pm & 3pm, £8.95 online (May 11)
Sun: LPO FUNharmonics: Musical Roald Dahl for Kids at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX (Embankment/Waterloo tube)
Take the kids on another musical adventure led by CBeebies Chris Jarvis and some of the country’s finest musicians. Noses is the second of three concerts inspired by Roald Dahl’s Dirty Beast poems. 12-1pm, adult £10-£20/child 50% off (May 11)
We also like
Magic, bubbles and more fun for ages 2-5 in Spoon and Bottom at Lauderdale House in Highgate (Sat, 10am & 11.30am, £4.50); Doodle Beach Party at Doodle Bar in Battersea with the brilliant Mrs H and the Sing Along Band (Sat, 11am-8pm, FREE); enchanting storytelling on the canal in A Child’s Garden of Verse at Puppet Theatre Barge in Little Venice (Sat 11am & 3pm); delicious grub from Roti Chai and Horn Ok Please to herald the upcoming Alchemy Festival of South Asian culture at Southbank Centre (from Thu until May 26, 12pm-late, FREE entry)
Calendar: What’s Hot for London Kids and Families in May 2014
Great round-up as always. Loving the sound of Kiddy Kamarade – wish I could have gone to that but can’t tomorrow. Might check out the baby disco instead – right up A’s street as she loves a bit of booty shaking!
I love the sound of the May in a Day event – there’s something about May days and May fairs that signal the start of summer :-)
It sounds great doesn’t it? I still haven’t been to any of the folk dances at Cecil Sharpe House but look forward to it!
Aww hope we get to booty shake with you and A soon! I wish I could have gone to Kiddy Kamarade too but we were in Bournemouth. We’ll be at Big Fish Little Fish this coming weekend if you fancy joining x