Two more weeks to go (correction and apologies for panicking the bejeezus out of some of you)! We are away for the Christmas break, but I’ve managed to round up the best of family entertainment over the season. Here’s our London Kids Weekend Scoop packed with festive fun, highlights include:
Big Fish Little Fish Xmas Special, London Mothers Club A Family Affair, Chocolate Festival in Islington and Make Hackney Sparkle: Christmas at the Pictures with screenings of Frozen and the LEGO Movie and Big Apple Hot Dogs to nosh on…
Have fun!
Thu-Sat: Beegu at Arts Depot, 5 Nether Street Tally Ho Corner North Finchley London N12 0GA (Finchley Central tube)
The award winning book Beegu by Alexis Deacon is adapted for the stage in a hugely interactive production where we follow newly landed alien Beegu as she tries to make sense of this world. Meet the puppets after the show! For ages 3-8. 10.30am & 1.30pm (Mon-Thu), 10.30am, 1pm & 4pm (Sat), 10.30am & 1pm (Sun); £10 (until Dec 13)
Thu-Sun: LEGO Santa and Sleigh, Covent Garden, north east Piazza (Covent Garden tube)
We loved the LEGO Christmas tree in St Pancras, the Giant Advent Calendar and the gorgeous LEGO snow globe last year. For 2014, the star attraction in Covent Garden is a Santa and Sleigh pulled by Rudolph and 8 more reindeer, all made out of 700,000 bricks. You can even climb aboard and take a #LEGOsleigh selfie! Daily, FREE (until Dec 29)
Find more Christmas Attractions in our 30 COOLEST Things to do in London at Christmas
Thu-Sun: Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, W2 (Hyde Park Corner tube)
Grab your Christmas hat and skip on over to Hyde Park for the grand opening of its Winter Wonderland. It gets bigger every year, and you can always look forward to ice skating, a Giant Observation Wheel, a Magical Ice Kingdom, two shows of Zippo’s Circus, German chalets and funfair attractions. All ages. Opens 5pm-9pm (Fri Nov 21), then 10am-10pm daily; park entry is FREE, ride tokens cost £1 and rides start at £2 for kids rides, £3 for adults; book for special attractions and skating in advance at www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/tickets (Nov 21-Jan 4)
Read our Hyde Park Winter Wonderland Review from last year!
Thu-Sun: Winterville, Victoria Park (entrance near Crown Gate), E3 5TB (Mile End/Bethnal Green tube)
East London gets its own wonderland experience with Winterville, filled with colourful rides and illuminations, a Spiegeltent where live bands and entertainers perform, Robin Hood panto for all the family, Ice Rink and Roller Disco, delicious food stalls and much more! Until Dec 21: 3pm-10.15pm (Mon-Thu), 3pm-10.45pm (Fri), 10am-10.45pm (Sat), 10am-10.15pm (Sat-Sun); after Dec 21: 10am-10.15pm (Mon-Thu & Sun), 10am-10.45pm (Fri-Sat); New Year’s Eve 10am-8pm, New Year’s Day 10am-6pm; FREE entry, prices for attractions/rides and panto (Dec 2-Jan 1)
Thu-Sun: Ice Skate Vauxhall | Christmas Tree Maze at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, Kennington Lane, London SE11 5HY, UK (Vauxhall tube/rail)
Could this be a contender for coolest ice rink destination of the capital? Visit the Ice Skate Vauxhall rink for a skate around and then get lost as you wander through walls made up of hundreds of Christmas trees spanning nearly a square km. When you reach the centre, there’s a friendly guy in a suit waiting to greet you. There’s also a street food market on site and traditional rides. All ages. 11am-8pm (Sun-Thu), 11am-11pm (Fri-Sat); adult from £10.80/child from £7.65 (Nov 21-Jan 4)
Fri: NCT Kensington and Chelsea Christmas Party, St Cuthbert’s, 50 Philbeach Gardens, Earls Court, SW5 9EB (Earl’s Court tube)
Come along for a magical morning of shopping dozens of stalls for gifts, munching on seasonal treats, and meeting Santa and his elves. There will be hot Christmas punch and homemade cakes available, amazing goodie bags and tombola prizes too. Lovely way to support the local community and make some new mummy mates. 10am-12pm, family ticket (2 adults + 2 kids) £5 + booking fee – for families with more than 2 kids contact events.kensington@nct.org.uk to make arrangements (Dec 12)
Fri-Sun: The Chocolate Festival at Business Design Centre, Upper St, N1 0QH (Angel/Highbury & Islington tube)
For the love of chocolate! The annual gastronomic feast for those crazy about all things cocoa hits Islington’s Business Design Centre. Come along for samples and demos from master chocolatiers, take part in delicious workshops and pick up chocolate gifts for your favourite people. Highlights include new collaborations, such as The Direct Cacao Zone, The Cocoa Spa featuring LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, and The Truffle Making Workshops with MyChocolate. 1pm-8pm (Fri), 10am-7pm (Sat) and 10am-3pm; adult £7 or £8 at door/child £4 or £5 at door/under 5s FREE(Dec 13-15)
Sun: Big Fish Little Fish Xmas Special, BFLF The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9HD (Balham tube)
It’s the final rave of the season for the 2-4 Hour Party People! Groove to the sounds mixed by DJ Jon More (Coldcut) and Iain Baker (Jesus Jones), gawp at hula hoop performer Siobhan Firefly, make Christmassy crafts, and enjoy the play area, baby-safe space, cake stall, and bar. BFLFers also get 25% off Sunday Lunch at the venue. Recommended for ages 8 and under and their parents/carers. 2-4.30pm; adult £8 adv/£10 door, child £4.50 adv/£5 door, non-walkers FREE (Dec 14)
Sun: London Mothers Club: A Family Affair at Broadway Bar & Grill, 474-476 Fulham Road, London, SW6 1BY (Fulham Broadway tube)
There’s a hot hot hot line up for the Christmas affair thrown by London Mothers Club to get you and your minis ready for the festive season. Amanda’s Action Club, Buff London facials, BKD baking workshops and more family-friendly action that includes pampering for parents, delicious food, live DJ and other fab entertainment. Plus tickets to this event will support the brilliant charity Kids Company. All ages. 12-5pm, £15 for up to 4 people, £10 per additional adult. (Dec 14)
Sun: Storytime Sunday at The Doodle Bar, 33 Parkgate Rd, SW11 4NP (Battersea Park rail/Sloane Square tube)
The Storytime series at Doodle Bar this Sunday features Waterstones award winning artist Nicola O’Byrne discussing her cleverly illustrated book ‘Open Very Carefully’ (Nosy Crow), and leading a variety of creative activities. Kids and parents can also interact and invent their own stories alongside Bright Star, Ben Mantle who will be promoting his funny festive tale ‘Rudey’s Windy Christmas’ (Harper Collins). Signed copies of books will be available to buy on the day. 10am-12pm; £5, booking is essential as places are limited (Dec 14)
Sun: London Gay Symphony Orchestra Family Concert, St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, Holborn Viaduct, EC1A 9DE (Holborn tube)
Peter and the Wolf is on the musical menu as actress Nina Wadia (Eastenders) introduces the LGSO’s first ever family concert. There are also highlights from Ravel’s Mother Goose and Grieg’s Peer Gynt, mulled wine, mince pies and seasonal surprises. 5pm, £5-£12 (Dec 14)
Mon: Make Hackney Sparkle at St John-at-Hackney Church, Lower Clapton Rd, E5 0PD (Hackney Central overground/Lower Clapton Rd rail)
For the third year in a row Hackney Council and elevenfiftyfive join forces to present a sparkling evening of entertainment for all the family. Catch pedal-powered screenings of Frozen and the LEGO Movie, munch on mince pies and street food including yummy dogs from the Babe Papa aka Big Apple Hot Dogs, sip on mulled wine and local ales, listen to carols, maybe even catch a moment with that guy in the red suit. Pedal pushers will be rewarded with free cake and there’s also an in-house cycle surgery and bike shed. Doors 4pm, Frozen screening 5pm-6.45pm, LEGO Movie screening 7pm-9.10pm; FREE entry (Dec 15)
We also like
Don’t miss the spectacle of the London Pantomime Horse Race in Greenwich; catch Disney’s Christmas Carol at Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley (Sat); there’s Frozen Sing Along at Rio Cinema in Dalston (Sat); shop for gifts at the Crafty Fox market in the Bussey Building, Peckham (Sat-Sun); hear FREE live music at St Pancras International Christmas Music Programme (until Dec 24)
Images courtesy of elevenfiftyfive, Winterville, The Chocolate Festival
That Chocolate Festival looks ah-mazing, it all does. Merry Christmas gorgeous xx