London Kids Weekend Scoop (September 25-28, 2025)

From a Guinness World Record attempt in Greenwich to a Classic Car Boot Sale in King’s Cross, my top 12 London family weekend picks are bursting with colour and spectacle. Enjoy immersive Minecraft battling, family theatre, and more than one opportunity to hit the dance floor with your dear ones. Happy weekend!

Top 12 London Family Weekend Picks

Thu-Sun: Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion at Barbican Centre Art Gallery, Silk Street EC2Y 8DS (Barbican tube)
Get down and dirty at this blockbuster exhibition which has a focus on sustainability as well as designers who love to work with a surprise element. Look out for rebellious pieces by the likes of Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Hussein Chalayan. Torn jeans, upcycled outfits, mud-splashed outfits and more take the main stage. 10am-5pm (Wed-Sun), 10am-7pm (Thu & Fri); adult £20/Young Barbican £6/members and under 14s FREE (Sep 25-Jan 25)

Thu-Sun: Jurassic World: The Experience at NEON at Battersea Power Station, 2 Circus Road East, SW11 8DQ (Battersea Power Station tube)
Extended by popular demand! Due to close this weekend, the dinosaur experience is open through January. Meet ancient creatures like Velociraptors, Gyrospheres, Brachiosauri, and the old T-Rex. All ages. 10am-8pm (Fri-Sat & half term/holidays), 10am-5pm (Mon-Thu), 10am-6pm (Sun); adult from £32.95/child £25.95/under 3s FREE (until Jan 4)

Thu-Sun: Minecraft Experience, Corner Corner, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Canada Water, Maritime Street, SE16 7LL (Canada Water tube/overground)
Extended until February! Minecraft mania takes over at this immersive experience of battling, crafting and mining with AR. Each player gets a limited-edition half-zombie, half-villager cape! All ages, kids aged 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult 18+. 9am-6pm daily; from adult £24/child £20/premium Obsidian package £54/ages 0-2 FREE (until Feb 1)

Sat: Celebrate Film 100: Guinness World Record Attempt at Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NN (Cutty Sark DLR, Greenwich rail)
Love fancy dress? You’re invited to a Guinness Worlds Record attempt for the largest number of people gathered dressed as iconic film and TV characters. From Spiderman to Downton Abbey, all costumes are welcome. This event marks 100 years of filming for both Old Royal Naval College (backdrop location forBridgerton, Thor etc) and the renowned Elstree Studios. There will be film-themed food, cinematic prop stations, photo ops, food and drinks stalls and roaming entertainment including dinosaurs! All ages welcome (and just for grownups there’s a silent disco in the Painted Hall this evening). 10am-5.30pm, record attempt 2pm; FREE entry, VIP £13.50 (Sep 27)

Sat: How To Train Your Dragon (PG), at Barbican Cinema 2, Barbican Centre, Beech Street EC2Y 8DS (Barbican tube)
Experience the live action version of the How To Train Your Dragon movie at this weekend’s Family Film Club. Young Viking Hiccup befriends a dragon called Toothless and changes both their destinies and the fate of his clan. Rated PG. NB: no unaccompanied adults or kids. 11am; adult £5/child £2.50 (Sep 27)

Sat-Sun: Classic Car Boot Sale, Granary Square and area, King’s Cross, N1C 4DQ (King’s Cross St Pancras tube)
The cool cats converge at Granary Square King’s Cross again for this festival of vehicles and vintage fashion. This weekend  marks 10 years! Come for the people-watching and stay for the 100+ stalls, street food, live entertainment, family activities, classic cars, and a vinyl DJ on a Routemaster bus. The fun continues with activities at Coal Drop’s Yard and Lewis Cubitt Square. All ages welcome. 10am-6pm (last entry 5.30pm); adult and ages 12+ £7 adv, £8 door/child under 12 FREE (Sep 27-28)

Sat-Sun: Three Little Pigs at Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley St, SE1 2HZ (London Bridge tube/rail)
Oink oink oink. Three superstar piglets are off to make lives of their own but should they build their houses with hay, sticks or bricks? This fun co-production is filled with music, humour and a Big Bad Wolf who’s got a bit too much huff and puff. Ages 3-7. Various shows 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm & 2.30pm (Tue-Sun); adult from £14.50-£29.50/child from £12.50-£22.50 (Sep 27-Nov 2)

Sat-Sun: Family Threads exhibition at Balcony Gallery (above World Gallery), Horniman Museum, 100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23 3PQ (Forest Hill overground)
Head to Horniman for a pop-up exhibition of family photos between the early 1900s to 1970s. Exploring the threads that bind us across the Diaspora, these images span Nigeria, South Africa, Trinidad, Antigua and the UK.  Inspired by Pearl Hodgson West who traced her family’s history back to the 1700s include their migration from the Caribbean to the UK. All ages. 10am-5.30pm; FREE (Sep 26-Nov 25)

Sun: Big Fish Little Fish Ultimate Family Rave at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ (Farringdon tube/rail)
The Glastonbury playing, globally renowned family ravers are back at iconic London nightclub Fabric for another big session. BFLF throw massively popular daytime parties full of nostalgic dance music, fancy dress, and family fun for ages 8-98. This weekend, Australia’s Anthony Pappa is on the decks, joined by Mark XTC in room 2. There’s also a baby chill out area, arts and crafts, face painting (separate charge), buggy parking, baby changing, confetti cannons, bubbles, foam, giant balloons, and parachute dance finale. 2pm-4.30pm; adult £15.02/child £11.86/pre-walkers FREE (Sep 28)

Sun: Chineke Junior Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX (Waterloo/Embankment tube/rail)
Made up of majority Black and ethnically diverse musicians aged 11-22, Chineke! Junior Orchestra is the sister ensemble to the Chineke! Orchestra. Celebrate 10 years of this bold and brilliant collective as they perform Dukas’ Fanfare from La péri, Avril Coleridge-Taylor’s tone poem Sussex Landscape and Mussorgsky’s 1874 Pictures at an Exhibition. The senior orchestra will be playing in the evening (7.45pm). Ages 7+. 2.30pm; from £12 (Sep 28)

Sun: Adventures in Science at Jacksons Lane, 269a Archway Road, N6 5AA (Highgate tube)
Crafty Fools presents a wild and wacky science adventure in the company of ‘The Magical Mr West’ (one half of magic duo Morgan & West). With a wisecracking crow by his side, Mr West uses demos and contraptions to explore everything from supersonic speed to malicious misinformation. Perfect for ages 5+ and grownups. 11am & 2pm; from £14 (Sep 28)

Sun: How Does It Feel to be Loved Children’s Disco at The Phoenix, 37 Cavendish Square, W1G 0PP (Oxford Circus tube)
Dance the afternoon away with your friends and fam at this popular monthly party. Fresh from End of the Road Festival, the HDIF Kids Disco spins classic soul, pop and indie tunes for a mellow crowd. Boogie with your babes and chase your cares away. All ages welcome, from babies upwards (no admission without at least 1 child in your party). 12pm-4pm; adult £6 (15 plus), child £2 (14 and under) (Sep 28)

We also like
Schmooze with collectors at Saatchi Gallery’s British Art Fair (Thu-Sun); London Museum Docklands hosts a family friendly Mudlarking Weekend, part of Totally Thames festival (Sat-Sun); hurry to nab one of the last tickets left for Aurora Orchestra’s Meet the Instruments for ages 4-8 at Southbank Centre (Sun); it’s Harvest Time at Brixton Windmill with kids activities to boot (Sun); Captain Sandy and the Sea Monster closes this weekend on the Puppet Theatre Barge, now docked in Richmond (until Sun); Supertato is a storytelling adventure for ages 2-7 at Discover in Stratford (ends Mon)

Booking Ahead

• Free Family Fun Day at Half Moon Theatre (Oct 4)
• Apple Day at Fulham Palace (Oct 5)
• Fly-Kid Family Rave with MC Grammar at Outernet, WC2 (Oct 11)
• Diwali on the Square, Trafalgar Square (Oct 12)
• Family Barn Dance at Cecil Sharp House, NW1 (Oct 12)
• AstroNights Sleepovers at Science Museum (Oct 17, Nov 15 & Dec 6) 
• Bloomsbury Festival, WC2 (Oct 17-19)
• Black Lives in Music 5th Anniversary with DJ Spoony at Kings Place (Oct 18)
• Little M: A Reimagining of The Little Mermaid at The Place, WC1 (Oct 24-25)
• Judith Kerr’s Mog The Forgetful Cat at Southbank Centre (Oct 29-Nov 2)
• Paddington the Musical at Savoy Theatre, WC2 (official previews from Nov 1)
• Fly-Kid Family Raves at Pop Brixton (Nov 2, Dec 31)
• Sisters of Soul: Celebrating Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald at Kings Place (Nov 16) 
• Zootropolis 2 (out Nov 28)
• Fireside Tales Punchdrunk Enrichment in Brent, HA9 (Dec 6-Jan 4)

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**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!**