October is nearly here, with half term and Halloween just around the corner. I’m cooking up some delicious guides for the holiday period, in the meantime check out the London Kids Weekend Scoop. We’ve reviewed Fever Pitch the Opera and highlighted some cool activities from tarantula-petting (!) to Thunderbirds on the Emirates cable car. Enjoy!
REVIEWED: Fever Pitch the Opera! at Union Chapel
After Ezra told me he would rather ‘clean the house’ than watch an opera, I did wonder if I’d made a mistake bundling the babes along to Fever Pitch the Opera. But after years of ‘soccer mom’ duty, I figured it was payback time (mwa haha). Of course my little Gooners perked up at the sight of Arsenal scarves waving and familiar chants sung from the stage. Based on Nick Hornby’s semi-autobiographical tale of the journey into manhood and romance through football, this community opera has great central performances, spirited singing from locals, and clever staging.
I was impressed by how they captured the intensity of watching a football match — the crazy highs, the soul-crushing lows, and that desperate feeling of wanting somebody, anybody, to put the ball in the right net. It’s billed as opera although there are hints of West Side Story and even Once the musical, which might upset the purists but I certainly enjoyed that. I could see the boys’ eyes glaze over at points. But they were on the edges of their seats for the big clash finale. Afterwards they said it was ‘not amazing, but pretty good’. A fun show that should appeal to lovers of musicals and football, no matter what club you support.
What to do in London with Kids this Weekend!
Fri: Menagerie at the Museum: A Petting Zoo, The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History, 11 Mare Street, E8 4RP (Cambridge Heath rail/Bethnal Green tube)
Wander over to the Wunderkabinett to meet former residents of the Natural History Museum. Fondle Sophie the Tarantula, get close to Gizmo the Veiled Chameleon, tickle Winston the Bearded Dragon, stroke Sam and Delilah the Boa Constrictors, and more. Parental discretion advised. 5.30pm-10.30pm (Fri), 2.30pm-10.30pm (Sat-Sun, unless otherwise specified), dates vary so check website before visiting. NB: no kids admitted after 7pm; £5 per person (Sep 29-Dec 22)
Fri-Sat: Footloose at Peacock Theatre, Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, Holborn, WC2A 2HT (Holborn tube)
LAST CHANCE: Everybody cut footloose! A city boy transforms a small town through rock ’n’ roll. The ‘80s dance movie sensation has been remastered for the stage for 2017, with new choreography and music to have you dancing in the aisles. Ages 10+ recommended (scenes of a mild sexual nature). 7.30pm (Tue-Sat), 2.30pm (Sats & Wed 27), 2pm & 6.30pm (Sun); £15-£55/child under 16 half price (until Sep 30)
Fri-Sat: Half Moon Theatre: Three, 43 White Horse Road, E1 0ND (Limehouse DLR/Stepney Green tube)
Three is the magic number. From Three Bears to Three Musketeers, a talented trio of singing actors weave together popular folk tales with colourful set, props and songs to sing along to. For ages 3-8. On Sat (Sep 30) there’s a special Meet the Artists event at 12pm & 1.15pm, featuring author-illustrator Bridget Marzo (Tiz and Ott’s Big Draw), currently exhibited in the gallery. 10.30am & 1.30pm (Fri), 11am & 2pm (Sat); £7/babies FREE (Sep 29-30)
Fri-Sun: Thunderbirds are Go at Emirates Air Line Cable Car, Unit 1, Emirates Cable Car Terminal, Edmund Halley Way, London SE10 0FR (North Greenwich pier, North Greenwich tube/Royal Victoria DLR)
Immerse yourself in scenes from Tracy Island, taking to the skies in cabins themed as Thunderbirds vehicles. Watch on board footage from the TV series, along with clips of surrounding London landmarks. Take selfies and get nostalgic to the Thunderbirds soundtrack! Visit on Sep 30 (Thunderbirds Day) or during half term week for an exclusive goodie bag. All ages, advanced booking recommended. Boarding approx every 5 minutes Mon-Fri from 7am-9am, or every 10 minutes at other times, apart from every 12-13 minutes for night flights (7pm onwards). Tickets from £3.50 (single ride), £7 (return) or £8.40 (Discovery experience). Best value: Family Discovery Experience ticket (2 adults, 3 kids) for £27.50 (includes a non-stop return trip, an in-flight discovery film, souvenir guide and free entrance to the Emirates Aviation Experience). (Thunderbirds rides from Sep 29-Oct 29, cable car operates daily)
Sat: The Hartlepool Monkey at Stratford Circus Arts Centre, Theatre Square, Stratford, E15 1BX (Stratford tube/overground/DLR)
From the puppetering team behind War Horse, The Lorax and Elephantom, comes a 200-year-old legend about xenophobia in the heart of England. A French ship’s cabin girl and a chimpanzee (the ship’s mascot) are shipwrecked off the coast. Local townspeople mistake the monkey, in military uniform, for a spy. He’s put on trial and it’s up to local children to save the day… or will they? Dazzling puppetry and sea shanties punctuate this timely show examining prejudice and what it means to be human. This performance features BSL interpretation. For ages 10+. 2pm, £10 – £8 (until Sep 30, then touring)
Sat: Time Travel Club Family Day at The National Archives, Bessant Drive, Kew TW9 4DU (Kew Gardens tube/overground)
Go back 1,000 years, delving into England’s exciting history. Pick up a passport on arrival and collect stamps for each activity. Interactive sessions include Second World War Spies when you can design your own espionage toolkit, creating a Wanted poster for Victorian child criminals, making a treasure chest, and a special show about Shakespeare. Best for ages 3-11, younger ones welcome. More Time Travel Club events take place on Oct 24, Nov 4, Nov 18 & Dec 2. 10am-4pm, £8/some activities FREE (Sep 30)
Sat: Alice’s Adventures at Royal Opera House (top picture), Royal Opera House, Bow St, Covent Garden, WC2E 9DD (Covent Garden tube)
Curiouser and curiouser… follow the Royal Ballet down the rabbit hole into a topsy turvy world of theatrical wizardry and eye-popping costumes. Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland gives the Lewis Carroll fable an inventive twist, featuring a tap-dancing Mad Hatter, a disembodied Cheshire Cat, and a playing card corps de ballet. Blending live music, puppetry and projection, it’s a colourful treat for the young and the young at heart. One of our Autumn hot list picks, hurry for last remaining tickets for Saturday! Recommended for ages 5+. 1.30pm & 7pm (Sat 30); £30-£125 (Sep 27-Oct 28)
Sun: Wake Up Gigs: Family Friendly Live Music, Concrete Space, Tea Building at 56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ (Shoreditch High St overground)
Wake Up Gigs brings new bands and baby makers together for an afternoon of music and dancing. Husband and wife creators Adam and Sarada create a party atmosphere for folks otherwise stuck at home with young kids. This Sunday it’s the aptly named band, Childcare + Harvey Causon on stage. The event features soft play area, crafts, baby changing, buggy space, licensed bar and Pizza East on offer. There’s Brick Lane market nearby or Spitalfields City Farm just down the road. All ages from babies upwards. 1pm-5pm; adult £12.50/child £5/babies, toddlers and infants under 3 are FREE (Oct 1)
Sun: Dark Arts at The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, Aerodrome Way, Leavesden, Hertfordshire, WD25 7GS (Watford Junction rail)
Snot, blood, drool… and pumpkins! See the Great Hall decorated with over 100 floating pumpkins, as in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. There’s also wand combat training with choreographer Paul Harris, and the chance for a live duel with Death Eaters in the Studio Tour’s backlot. Original Death Eater costumes are on display, including masks worn by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s followers. All ages welcome. First tours from 9am, last tours from 6.30-6.45pm (closing time 3 hours after last tour); adult from £37-£39/child from £29-31//family from £118-£115/ages 4 and under FREE but require ticket. Advanced booking only. (Oct 1-Nov 12)
Sun: Disco Loco Rainbow Rave, at Hackney Showroom, Hackney Downs Studios, Amhurst Terrace, E8 2BT (Dalston Kingsland/Dalston Junction overground/Rectory Rd rail)
Ease on down to Hackney this Sunday for a Rainbow Rave, celebrating family diversity. Special guest Jay Jay Revlon will be performing and teaching voguing. Enjoy 3 hours of music from Emilia Harmony and Reverend Milo Speedwagon, hosted by the wonderful MC Chu-i. In the studio, you’ll find music from Mark Rostron and heaps of ‘rainbow crafty shiz’. Licensed bar and refreshments on offer. All ages welcome, from babies ages 6 months and up. 3-6pm, £3 per person adv/door, non-walkers FREE (Oct 1)
We also like
Hurry to nab tickets for the family workshop at House of Illustration: Memory and Mark Making (Sat); there’s a traffic-free zone for the NFL on Regent St (Sat); it’s the last weekend of Totally Thames festival (ends Sat); browse for good food, fashion and tunes at Canopy Market at King’s Cross (Fri-Sun); and who will be victorious at the Hampstead Heath Conker championship? (Sun, 2.30pm-5pm)
London Kids Cinema Listings
A selection of movies from some of our favourite family friendly cinemas in London.
Barbican Cinema Framed Family Film Club, Cinema 1, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS (Barbican tube)
Framed Film Club: Jamila Gavin presents Arrietty, 11am; Child £2.50/Adult £3.50 (Sep 30)
Electric Cinema Kids Club, 191 Portobello Rd, W11 2ED (Notting Hill tube)
The Magic Roundabout at 9.30am; adult/child £5 (Sep 30)
Phoenix Cinema Kids Club, 52 High Rd, East Finchley N2 9PJ (East Finchley tube)
Captain Underpants at 12pm; Adult/Child £3 (Sep 30)
Regent St Cinema Kids Kino Club, 309 Regent St, W1B 2UW (Oxford Circus tube)
Fantasia at 11.30am; £1.75 (Sep 30)
Soho Hotel Children’s Film Club, 4 Richmond Mews, W1D 3DH (Piccadilly Circus tube)
Cars 3 at 10.30am (10am brunch); £10 (film only), or £20 (includes buffet brunch at 10am + popcorn and drinks for film) (Oct 1)
COMING SOON
BFI Southbank: BFI Families, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XT (Waterloo/Embankment tube)
Whistle Down the Wind at 1pm; adult £11.75/child £4 (Oct 22)
Booking Ahead
Polka Theatre: Child of the Divide (Sep 29-Oct 15)
Beowulf (ages 8+) at Unicorn Theatre (Oct 1-Nov 5)
Rave-A-Roo at Ministry of Sound (Oct 7)
Dance Umbrella featuring Origami and Dot (Oct 11-28)
Big Fish Little Fish family rave with DJ Aphrodite & Lonely Planet giveaways at Fire & Lightbox, Vauxhall (Oct 14)
Gerry Cottle’s Magic Circus on Ealing Common (Oct 19-29)
Harry Potter: A History of Magic (Oct 20-Feb 28, 2018)
Kidtropolis at ExCel London (Oct 23-26)
Hitchcock for Kids at Ragged School Museum http://www.raggedschoolmuseum.org.uk/
DON’T MISS my 17 hottest picks for London in Autumn
London Kids Weekend Scoop (Sep 21-24, 2017)
