It’s a girl-powered weekend with a range of activities and events that examine womanhood and gender identity. I’m really keen on checking out the Reframed exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery, sounds absolutely fascinating. In your favourite London weekend guide for families, you’ll find a mix of outdoor and indoor fun from children’s theatre to a balloon regatta.
Thanks so much for the wonderful comments and messages about A World for Me and You, it’s been thrilling to see the book in people’s hands. I’ve been told it’s so beautiful you could frame it and that it makes a wonderful gift (even for grownups). You can find it on Amazon, Waterstones, Bookshop and other good bookshops. Do keep sharing your thoughts and pictures with me, I love to see it!
Your Favourite London Weekend Guide for Families
Thu-Sun: Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic at British Museum, Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG (Tottenham Court Rd tube, Euston tube/rail)
This groundbreaking exhibition takes us through 5,000 years of feminine worship and spirituality, exploring witches, spirits, goddesses and demons. How has female power been perceived, adored, feared and transmuted through the ages? From Pele, Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes to Hindu goddess Kali, to the gender-transcendent Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion. Co-curated by high-profile women e.g. Leyla Hussein, Mary Beard, Elizabeth Day, Rabia Siddique and Deborah Frances-White, the exhibition includes sculptures, sacred objects and artworks from six continents. All ages welcome. 10am-5pm (daily), late opening Fris until 8.30pm; adult £12/concs £10.40/under 16s FREE (May 19-Sep 25)
Thu-Sun: Reframed: The Woman in the Window at Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, SE21 7AD (West Dulwich tube/rail, North Dulwich rail/overground)
Forget the man in the mirror, who’s that woman in the window? Reframed is the first exhibition to address this common motif in art, from ancient civilisations to present day. View sculptures, photography, film, paintings, prints and more by the likes of David Hockney, Cindy Sherman, Rachel Whiteread, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Rembrandt. Explore the layered meanings and what each work reveals about gender and visibility. 10am-5pm (Tue-Sun & Bank Holidays); adult £16.50/child FREE (until Sep 4)
Thu-Sun: Community Sensory Garden in the Courtyard at St Martin in the Fields, 12 Adelaide St, Trafalgar Square WC2N 4HZ (Charing Cross Rd tube/rail)
Enter this pop-up sensory garden created for Chelsea Fringe and to mark the Queen’s Jubilee just around the corner. It’s designed to stimulate all the senses through beautiful foliage and greenery, tactile surfaces and objects. Chill in hammocks, walk around the zen garden, play with bubbles from the bubble machine and more. A tranquil spot for a family picnic or lunch break. 10am-7pm; FREE (May 21-29)
Thu-Sun: Mini Golf by Craig & Karl at Canary Wharf at Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf E14 (Canary Wharf tube/rail/DLR)
If you’re in and around Canary Wharf this weekend, why not tee up for some free mini golf? Back for another season, this novelty course designed by artists Craig Redman & Karl Maier injects colour and fun into the local area. Grab a club and a ball from the event stewards and enjoy a cracking game with your family. All ages and abilities welcome. 12pm-6pm daily; FREE (ongoing)
Thu-Sun: Being Human at Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Rd, NW1 2BE (Euston Square tube, Euston tube/rail, King’s Cross St Pancras tube/rail)
What does it mean to be human in the 21st century? Check out this interactive exhibition of 50 artworks and projects, divided into 4 sections: Genetics, Minds & Bodies, Infection, and Environmental Breakdown. Kids will be fascinated (and potentially grossed out) by a perfumed bronze sculpture that smells of breast milk, audio from an epidemic jukebox, scenes of a fast food outlet slowly flooding, or a vision of a refugee astronaut carrying belongings to a faraway destination. 10am-6pm (Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun), 10am-8pm (Thu); FREE (ongoing)
Fri-Sun: The Paper Dolls at Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, SW19 1SB (South Wimbledon tube)
When a little girl makes a string of paper dolls, she takes them by the hand on a fantastical adventure. Whirling through the home and garden, they fly through the air, until they are confronted with some very sharp scissors… Another adaptation from one of Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson’s picture books, The Paper Dolls brings Donaldson and illustrator Rebecca Cobb’s vision to the stage using original music and enchanting puppetry. A little girl makes a string of paper dolls and leads them on a whirling, twirling adventure… until they run into some rather sharp scissors! For ages 3-7. 10.45am, 1pm & 3pm; from £14 (May 20-Aug 7)
Sat: Superpowering Girls and their Grannies Workshop at Arts Depot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley N12 0GA (Finchley Central tube)
This sounds fun. Come hang out with your granny and The Gramophones Theatre Company who are at Art Depot with their aerial theatre show Aidy the Awesome (playing Sun May 22, 11am & 2pm, from £9). In this special workshop, you can make up your own Superhero character, design and decorate masks to take home, do a superhero warm up, come up with catchy slogans and super powers and create your superhero dude adventure tales. It’s set to be an AWESOME afternoon. Aimed at kids ages 4-8 and their grannies (or grandmother figures). 2pm & 4pm; £6 each – hurry, limited availability! (May 21)
Sat: Arundel Square Mini Nearly New Sale and Get Together, Arundel Square, Barnsbury N7 8AS (Highbury & Islington tube)
The weather’s fine so gather your kids and buddies along for this local event. Scout for bargains from pre-loved treasures including baby, children’s and adult clothes, homewares and more. You can also sell your own stuff (contact aruendelsquareinfo@gmail.com for details), so it’s a perfect time to clear out your cupboards and have a spring clean. Visitors can also input on plans for the new Arundel Square playground for ages 0-14, set to be installed this summer. Share your ideas for how to make a playground that’s out of this world. Bring a picnic and come out in this lovely square. All ages welcome. Nearly New Sale from 12.30pm-2pm; Playground consultation from 12pm-3pm; FREE entry (May 21)
Sat: Family Film Club: Box of Delights Shorts Programme at Barbican Cinema 2, Barbican Centre, Beech Street EC2Y 8DS (Barbican tube)
Spend a relaxing morning at the movies with your kids watching eight award-winning short films from the British Animation Awards. This cheerful collection, especially curated for the youngest movie buffs, is filled with characters, music and colour but no dialogue. All ages welcome, recommended for 4+ (adults must be accompanied by a child). 11am; adult £3.50/child £2.50 (May 21)
Sat-Sun: Food Forever at Kew Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE (Kew Gardens tube/Kew Bridge rail, overground)
It’s a wonderful weekend to wander through the gardens at Kew and discover the future of food. This summer exhibition delves into how we can transform our relationship with food to help the planet (and our bodies). Wander through four new art installations, take part in drop-in workshops, hear talks, sample menus from guest chefs and stick around for After Hours events. 10am-7pm daily; included with admission fee: adult from £15/child 4-15yrs from £5/family tickets from £23 (May 21-Sep 18)
Sat-Sun: Gender Ecologies Project at Granary Square, N1C 4BH (King’s Cross St Pancras tube/rail)
Visit Granary Square over the weekend for the launch of this 5-day project that explores sustainable construction and the role of women in the climate revolution. It’s part of a wider gender programme and linked to the British Council’s Pakistan-UK season focusing on low-tech, low-impact designs. A group of female students will build a bamboo structure enclosed with textiles by women weavers in Bangladesh, Pakistan and the UK, along with a Pakistani chulah (traditional earthen cooking stove). Come for talks over a cup of chai, spoken word performances, live music, presentations from the Camel Book Project, and some tasty Pakistani street food. Various times; FREE entry (May 21-26)
Sun: Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta, multiple London locations
Keep your eyes to the skies early this Sunday morning and you might just see a flotilla of balloons soaring over central London. The annual balloon regatta is a charity event that’s very much weather dependent, so each year has multiple dates pencilled in. If it happens, you can expect to see up to 50 hot air balloons take flight over landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Trafalgar Square and the Tower of London. From 5.30am; FREE (May 22)
We also like
There’s songs and poems with your under 5s in Rug Rhymes, led by National Poetry Library staff at Southbank Centre (Fris); support the theatre industry through Acting for Others: West End Flea Market, a charity event with memorabilia, autographs and celebrity sightings at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden (Sat); get ready for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by watching this weekend’s Historic Barge Race along the Thames, from Greenwich to Westminster (Sat); visit London’s “newest and most innovative playground” – Prospect Park Playground is now open at Battersea Power Station (daily 8am-8pm)
BOOKING AHEAD
To Kill A Mockingbird at The Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (now booking, best availability from Jun 6)
Amy Adams in The Glass Menagerie at Duke of York’s Theatre (May 23-Aug 27)
Bring Your Own Baby Comedy at Arts Depot, North Finchley (May 26)
Party at Half Moon Theatre (May 27-Jun 11)
Sootyland at Crealy Theme Park & Resort, Devon (opens May 28)
Candlelight: A Tribute to Taylor Swift at Southwark Cathedral (May 28)
FUN DMC May Half Term Special at Colours, Hoxton Square (May 29)
Superbloom at Tower of London (Jun 1-Sep 18)
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, nationwide (Jun 2-5)
Giffords Circus at Chiswick House & Gardens (Jun 16-27)
Windrush Day at National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (Jun 22)
Sun and Sea at The Albany, Deptford SE8 (Jun 23-Jul 10)
Peppa Pig My First Concert: Mozart to Muddy Puddles at London Coliseum (from Jul 24)
The Golden Hinde Night Voyage, SE1 (Aug 28)
Dino Snores at Natural History Museum (Oct 1)
**NB: Please note that all event timings and prices are subject to change/cancellation at short notice, so always check ahead with the venue before making a trip!**
