20 Things to Look Forward to in Autumn 2020

It’s been a strange old year but there’s still a ton of stuff to get excited about as we head into the colder season. My annual 20 Things to Look Forward to in Autumn 2020 gets a virtual twist with at least a third of the action happening online. Ready, set, mark your calendars.

Bringing Up Race: Publication Day
There are just TWO WEEKS to go until the publication of Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World. I can’t wait to share this book with you and I hope you’ll share it with everyone you know. I was thrilled with its selection as a Best Book of September by London Evening Standard and it’s been featured on Good Housekeeping, BBC among others. Keep an eye on my blog/social media for details on Book Launch and other fun! Pre-orders are available on Amazon and Waterstones. (out Sep 24)

Live Life Well Weekender (online)
I’m delighted to be speaking on Bringing Up Children in Times of Prejudice at the popular Live Life Well Weekender. The three-day event is the second not-for-profit virtual well-being festival being hosted to help support the public’s health and well-being in these extraordinary times. FREE tickets for all front-line and key workers, students, low income or unemployed. Register for tickets via www.livelifewell.uk and follow the festival on @cheltenhamwellbeingfestival.com. Various times; nominal fee of £12 per household for General Admission provides visitors with access to the whole three-days of content, profits go to support the NHS CHARITIES NATIONAL COVID 19 APPEAL (Sep 11-13)

The Whistle Drop Tour: Hip Hop Family Edition, Arts Depot (online)
Whoop whoop. All aboard the Whistle Drop Tour! The Underground Creatives presents a musical adventure with a hip hop twist, recorded specially for Arts Depot. Get the whole fam bouncing and grooving on this boom bapping journey featuring beatbox, digital drum kits, rap, vocals and sampling. Ages 6-14. Available until 10am (Sun Sep 13); Pay What You Decide/suggested £5 (until Sep 13)

Big Fish Little Fish London & Kitchen Raves, multiple locations & online
The award winning family ravers are inching back towards the dance floor with a number of London events scheduled for autumn. You’ll have to keep an eye on their website and social pages to make sure things are still happening. But no matter what, they’ll be continuing with their massively popular (more than 500k visitors) virtual Kitchen Raves. Party time, excellent. Kitchen Raves are Suns at 2pm. NB: All live streams are FREE (never pay to access or it’s a fraudulent link) — view via the links on BFLF website or their Facebook page (Sep 13 & ongoing)

Telling Tales Family Festival, Shakespeare’s Globe (online)
The Globe’s annual Telling Tales festival for families moves online this autumn. Hot on our 20 things to do this Autumn, dive into these workshops and puppetry sessions for kids big and small. Sessions available: A Midsummer Night’s Dream puppetry workshop for ages 3+ (Oct 17); A Midsummer Night’s Dream workshop for ages 5-8 (Oct 10); Romeo & Juliet workshop for ages 9-12 (Sep 19-26); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oct 10); Macbeth Storytelling for ages 5-12 (Oct 17) and The Tempest Storytelling for ages 5-12 (Oct 17); Romeo & Juliet workshop for ages 12+ (Sep 19-26); Macbeth workshop for ages 12+ (Oct 3-17); Othello workshop for ages 15+ (Sep 19). All shows available online on set dates from 11am (times vary, confirm with booking); price range from £20-£45/pay the price that works for you (Sep 19-Oct 17)

London Mural Festival, multiple locations
If you need a lift, take a stroll around the capital and check out the first ever London Mural Festival. Broadcasting the creativity of more than 150 artists from all around the globe, the LMF is about bringing art to the people. It uses London as a giant canvas, letting viewers experience 20+ new large-scale murals across the city. Artists include Camille Walala, Dale Grimshaw, Marija Tiurina, Gary Stranger, Mr. Cenz, Mad C Pref, Zabou and Seb Lester. Daily, FREE (until Sep 30)

Shebaa’s Adventure to Jopplety How, Stratford Circus (online)
Shebaa The Sheep has no wool and feels very different from all the others in her herd. Then she stumbles across a book at her local library and goes on a quest to meet the The Wisdom Cow of Jopplety How. Can he grant her just one wish: to have a coat of wool? Concrete Youth presents a delightful, 25 mins multi-sensory show aimed at audiences living with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Available 24 hours online for up to a year after download; FREE (until Sep 30)

Totally Thames, various locations and online
The annual festival celebrating London’s river offers a varied and accessible programme for 2020. Highlights include Rivers of the World, an outdoor exhibit of river-inspired art created by young people around the world; Tidefest, a chance for families to actively engage with leisure opportunities on the river; and a screening of Story Storks & Co’s Whittington, all about Dick Whittington’s travels to London. There’s also live-streamed concerts like Kids Choir, boat trips and virtual tours. Get involved. Times vary, most activities FREE/some with fees or donations required – confirm with booking (until Sep 30)

Eat Out to Help Out at King’s Cross, King’s Cross/Granary Square/Coal Drops Yard, N1C (King’s Cross St Pancras tube)
The government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme offers UK restaurant diners a 50% discount at participating restaurants (capped at £10 per head). It was so popular that many venues are extending it through September. If you’re in and around King’s Cross, you can find a handy guide to what venues are taking part in the scheme via the Kings Cross N1C website. (until Sep 30)

Dub London: Bassline of a City at Museum of London
Beats and basslines are the heart of this exhibition spanning 50 years of dub, from its roots in Jamaican reggae to how it’s shaped London communities and identities. Explore a speaker stack that’s been at Carnival since ’83, a bespoke record shop, hear personal stories from London locals and icons, and browse a curated audio selection (bring your own wired earphones/headphones to listen). A fun history lesson for you and your young listeners. 10am-5pm; FREE with general museum entry (Oct 2-Jan 31)

Chiswick Flower Market, Chiswick High Road, W4 2DR (Turnham Green tube)
West London gets its own market to rival Columbia Road, the first new flower market to open in London in 150 years! Brand new since Sep 6, the Chiswick Flower Market features a breathtaking array of flowers, plants, house plants, bedding, grasses, succulents, speciality offers, bouquets and other gardening goodies. It’s held on the first Sunday of every month in the High Road’s market place, outside the police station. Sounds bloomin’ lovely. 9.30am-3pm; FREE entry (Oct 4/Nov 1/Dec 6 and every first Sunday)

Winter Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD (Piccadilly Circus tube)

Summer is a state of mind at the RA as for the first time in history, their Summer Exhibition falls in Winter. Check out an uplifting range of art works, including new pieces by Tracey Emin, Rebecca Horn, Anselm Kiefer, Julian Schnabel, Gillian Wearing and Ai Weiwei. Every ticket or artwork you buy helps to support the RA’s mission to champion artists and help raise a generation of dreamers and creators. 10am-5pm; £20-£22/free for Friends of RA (Oct 6-Jan 3, 2021)

BFI London Film Festival, multiple locations and online
Experience 12 days of UK film premieres in cinemas at BFI Southbank, around London and the UK, or from the comfort of your couch. The 64th BFI London Film Festival welcomes all to the show, with all feature films, shorts, panels, talks and events available online via BFI Player. This year, they also want audiences to take the place of the festival’s official jury — so do join the fun. Check age ratings for family-friendly films. Various times and locations; tickets from £10-£12/prices may vary (Oct 7-18)

Gruffalo at Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE (Kew Gardens tube/Kew Bridge rail, overground)
Head into Kew’s deep dark wood and who will you bump into? Pick up your trail pack and discover which furry creature is hiding out in the woodland. Follow footprints, marks and feathers, and discover a secret world of plants and animals along the way. You might just run into some familiar characters including the Gruffalo himself. Trail-hunters are invited to dress up as the little brown mouse. 10am-9pm; (Oct 17-Nov 1)

Arctic at British Museum (Sainsbury’s Exhibition Gallery), Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG (Russell Square/Holborn/Tottenham Court Rd/Goodge St tube)

An immersive look at the Arctic, home to rich cultures for nearly 30,000 years. Learn about the indigenous peoples and how their creativity and resourcefulness has enabled them to thrive under often difficult conditions. Find out also about how climate change is affecting their communities and its knock-on effects on the rest of humanity. Essential viewing for all ages. 10am-3.50pm (Sat-Thur) and 10am-7.10pm (Fri) – timed slots, book ahead; adults £18, Members and under 16s free (Oct 22 – Feb 21, 2021)

The Drive In London, Troubadour Meridian Water, Harbet Road, Edmonton, London, N18 3QQ
The magic of the American drive-in experience continues through autumn, offering a contact-free way to hang out with your family and friends. Live events, movies, classic cinema refreshments and sound broadcast straight to your car’s FM radio are all on the menu. Line-up includes Knives Out, Tenet, Bill & Ted, Back To The Future, Grease and more. Also West End Musical Drive-In with live performers. Various screenings, arrive 45 minutes before showtime; £35 per movie/live event prices vary (until Oct 24)

The Luna Drive-In Cinema at Thorpe Park, Staines Rd, Chertsey, KT16 8PN
The travelling show for all movers and movie lovers will be riding into Thorpe Park this autumn. Watch a mix of popular films (Back to the Future, Rocketman, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Get Out, The Greatest Showman and more) while safe and happy in your vehicle bubble. Refreshments served and contactless payments only. Various times and films (check age ratings for movies); from £29.50 per car (2 people) (until Nov 1)

Mulan, Disney+ (streaming)
Disney’s hotly anticipated, live action movie features an all-Asian cast including Liu Yifei as Mulan, plus Li Gong, Jason Scott Lee, Donnie Yen and Jet Li among others. It’s a visual feast with a super-strong core, telling the story of the legendary Chinese maiden who dressed up as herself as a male warrior to save China from invasion. Now streaming exclusively with Premier Access on Disney +. Watch for £19.99 (plus Disney+ subscription) before it becomes available to all Disney+ users. (until Nov 2 for Premier Access; then streaming from Dec 4 on Disney+)

EFG London Jazz Festival, multiple locations (live and online)
Every year, the Jazz for Toddlers sessions at the popular EFG London Jazz Festival sell out in a hot minute. For 2020, most likely you’ll get a chance to catch this online. The full programme for this year’s event is yet to be released, but promises a jazz extravaganza under the theme Living in Two Worlds — since it’s both live and digital. Keep an eye on their YouTube and Facebook or the website for more bookings info. The festival’s first two shows go on sale from Fri Sep 11 and the official launch is Sep 24 — save the date! (Nov 13-22)

Fairy Tales at Discover Children’s Story Centre, 383-387 High Street Stratford, E15 4QZ (Stratford tube/overground/DLR)

Discover reopened this September after months of lockdown and they’ve gone to extra care to make things safe for little visitors. They’ve reduced capacity and divided playtime into three 2 hours sessions so everyone has space to explore. Werewoves, aliens, giants, wolves and regular old humans are invited into a magical world of gingerbread houses, magic beans, trolls and treasure caves. Perfect for ages 0 to 8. 10am-12pm, 12.30-2.30pm or 3-5pm; adult/child £6.50/family £22/Fairy Tales + £2 (ongoing)

Don’t forget to follow me on @BabesaboutTown on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to keep up with all the latest!