Things to do in London this weekend with kids
When it comes to things to do in London this weekend with kids, we've got a whole lotta fun lined up for the whole family.
Celebrate Hopefield Animal Sanctuary's 40th birthday
Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, just out of town in the Essex countryside, is celebrating its 40th anniversary (pictured top) with a special Bank Holiday weekend family fun event, packed with inflatables, a beer tent, BBQ, bubble dome, arts and crafts, live entertainment and lots more.
When: 27-29 May, 10am until 4pm.
Where: Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood CM15 9BZ www.hopefield.org.uk/events/40th-fun-weekend/
Take a guided tour of Shakespeare's Globe
Join a Family Globe Theatre Guided Tour, ideal for those with children aged 7-11 years old. This fab tour introduces younger visitors to Shakespeare’s London and to the theatrical world he created.
Who went to the theatre in Shakespeare’s England? What was a penny groundling? What was the smell like at the Globe? Step into the Globe Theatre here at Shakespeare’s Globe and learn about Elizabethan theatre and stage practices. From blood and gore to poetry and prose, this adventure is sure to be a hit with the while family. When: From now until Autumn 2023 Where: 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT Cost: Family tickets from £46 www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/family-globe-theatre-guided-tour/
Go on a most Shrekcellent adventure
We checked out Shrek's Adventure! London recently and had a blast. Check out our review here and then book tix for your own rib tickling activity winner.
When: Open daily, 10am to 5pm
Where: Shrek's Adventure! London, Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 7PB.
Cost: Adults from £30 (online discount), and children from £24 (age 3 to 15 years). Children age 2 and below are free. www.shreksadventure.com
Get your craft on: for free
Head along to the Kids Craft club for a fun, free event at Wood Street Library. When: Every Saturday, 3pm-4pm
Where: Wood Street Library, 1 Troubridge Square, Walthamstow, London E17 3GN
Cost: Free www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wood-street-library
Ditch the kids and go on a date
For a night full of laughs sail on over to The Boat Show Comedy Club aboard The Tattershall Castle, which you'll find on Victoria Embankment. You deserve this, parents.
When:,Every Friday and Saturday, 7pm
Where: The Tattershall Castle, Victoria Embankment
Cost: From £18 per person.
Fling yourself off of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Now here's a fun-packed adventure the kids are sure to love: the Dare Skywalk over at Tottenham Hospur FC! You'll need a head for heights when climbing to the top of the stadium before standing at more than 46 metres high above the famous pitch below. And if you're over 12, then you can also fling yourself off the side: abseil style! Which is exactly what Mum was about to do in that pic above.
The Dare Skywalk is open to children from the age of 8, and for younger fam-members there's the rather excellent stadium tour for families: check out our review of that right here.
When: Various times Where: Lilywhite House 782 High Road London N17 0BX Cost: From £44 for adults and £33.50 for kids. Member discount available.
www.experience.tottenhamhotspur.com/the-dare-skywalk/
Blast down the Thames
Now here's a high speed activity that's guaranteed to thrill! Revved up and raring to fly, the Thames Rockets team will take you on a sightseeing tour like no other and one packed not just with high speeds, but with lots of humour and banter too. The perfect combo! There are all kinds of tour options happening, so take a look at our review here, pick the adventure you fancy the most (you can't go wrong with any of them) use the link below to book. When: Daily, various times
Where: Boarding Gate One, The, London Eye Millennium Pier, London SE1 7PB Cost: From £39.95 for kids and £44.95 per adult (before discount code)
www.thamesrockets.com/ultimate-london-adventure/?offer=londonforkidz
Hop aboard a floating museum
For an interactive gem of a day out it doesn't get much better for families than hopping aboard HMS Belfast. We recently checked it out and it was a huge success with the kids: even the teenager! All the wins and a surprisingly cool adventure. Read our full review here. When: Open daily 10:00am - 5:00pm
Where: The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2JH
Cost: Adults from £23.60. Members and under-fives free.
www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast
Take a terribly good Thames Tour
Sticking with a Thames theme, Horrible Histories Terrible Thames Tour has relaunched for another season and makes for a history lesson with a difference. Walk the plank over to our review here before booking your tickets.
When: Daily sailings. Please book in advance. Where: Tower Bridge Quay, London
Cost: Adults £25 (15+). Child £15 (4-14). Infants Free (0-3). Family & group tickets also available.
Flex your paleontologist skills: VR Style
New adventure kid on the block DIVR Labs has brought a prehistoric world to Westfield London and we had a blast checking it out. With its state of the art VR system and a huge arena to explore, this is a roarsome activity the whole gang will love. Suitable for kiddos age around 7 and up, this Virtual Reality experience will take you on a mission around prehistoric terrain that features not just mindbogglingly real swamps, volcanoes and landscapes, but also a life-sized T-rex amongst other dinos. A huge hit here for Team London for Kidz and, if you're game, we happen to have a 15% saving for you. Just pop the code TRACY15 in at checkout and voila: a lovely saving.
When: Daily, various times
Where: Westfield London Shopping Centre Ariel Way, London W12 7GF Cost: From £27.45 per person (before discount) www.divrlabs.com/global
Shop at a Farmer's Market
Shady tree lined Phillimore Walk is the perfect place for a farmer's market and that's what you'll find there this Sunday: rain or shine. We're talking fresh food in the fresh air including from freshly caught fish and shellfish, seasonal fruit, vegetables, pies, bread, seasonal game, free range and organic eggs plus poultry, meat, preserves, flowers and much more. Happy browsing!
When: Every Sunday, 10am-2pm
Where: Phillimore Walk, High Street Kensington W8 7RX
Cost: Free admission
www.lfm.org.uk/markets/high-street-kensington/
Have an awesome time at Lego Club
It's free and it's awesome: yep, it's the weekly Lego Club held at Blackfen Community Library every Saturday. Unleash your inner Master Builder and have a fun, family time whipping up creations galore. If the whole team are on board then make sure to book a family table to play and create together on.
When: Every Saturday, 10-11am
Where: Blackfen Community Library and Rooted Coffee House, Blackfen Road, Blackfen DA15 9LU
Cost: Free but make sure to register.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/saturday-lego-club-for-kids
Discover a love of art at Tate Modern
Entry to the gallery remains free for everyone, with a charge for some exhibitions, and we love that Tate Modern has a whole programme for families. Booking is needed for exhibitions, but tickets are available on the door, and we think Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms will definitely score big with the family. You don’t need to be an expert to look at or talk about art and Tate encourages this for kids with plenty of activity ideas designed with them in mind. It's ok to talk at Tate and noise is encouraged! Check out its website before you go for the family fun that includes workshops, tactile activities and plenty more.
When: open daily, 10am - 6pm
Where: 53 Bankside, Bankside SE1 9TG
Cost: Free admission
Check out a quirky, free museum
An aquarium, a butterfly house (closed for refurb right now) and the vast collections of well-travelled Victorian tea trader and philanthropist Frederick John Horniman, this wonderful gem of a museum is a treasure trove packed with anthropology, natural history and a stack load of curiosities. It's free to get into the museum and gardens but do book your spot ahead of time.
When: Open daily except Wednesdays
Where: 100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23 3PQ
Cost: Free (small charge for the aquarium, butterfly house and some exhibitions). Donations welcome.
Keep the kids busy with messy play
We love, love, love everything about Art Play nestled in the Shoreditch part of the city, and can highly recommend its cool weekend classes. These child-led sessions provide your little ones with the freedom to explore and create through sensory activities (and you don't have to do the clearing up!). All the wins.
When: Every Saturday, various times
Where: Art Play, 56 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EZ
Cost: Various depending on class.
Get down to a city farm
We've got not 1, not 2, not even 3 but 10 udderly fabulous farms and animal sanctuaries for you to check out in and around London this weekend and beyond.
www.londonforkidz.com/post/10-city-farms-in-london-plus-animal-sanctuaries
Take a flight with the Red Arrows!
How cool is this happening over at the Science Museum? Fly Kids is a pay-as-you-go flight simulator that lets your child experience the sights and sounds of flying with the Red Arrows during one of their aerobatic displays, and is suitable for little ones age 2 to 5 years. For the bigger kids there is the equally as cool Red Arrows 3D. When: Open daily, 10.20–17.00. Last ride at 17.00
Where: Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD
Cost: It's free admission into the museum, but Fly Kids is £2 per child and Red Arrows is £5 per child.
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/fly-kids
Discover London's dark history
If it's a day out with a difference you're after when it comes to things to do in London with kids, then Clink Prison Museum is exactly the kinda gruesomely good adventure you're after. Read our review on one of the best museums in London when it comes to hands-on, historic family fun and then get yourselves over there this weekend. When: 10am-6pm daily Where: 1 Clink Street, London SE1 9DG (nearest station: London Bridge)
Cost: From £6.50 per person
Check out the oldest natural history collection in the UK
Pickled brains, bones aplenty and over 68,000 zoological specimens: For an unusual day out in London with kids it doesn't get much quirkier than this! Head over to The Grant Museum of Zoology for a fascinating journey around the animal kingdom through a heap of family activities: all for free!
When: Every Saturday 11am-5pm
Where: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, 21 University Street, WC1E 6DE
Cost: Free, and no booking currently required
www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/grant-museum-zoology
Go on a free walking tour
The City of London has been plagued by disaster for Centuries and this free walking tour will take you to some of the historical sites you might not otherwise know about. From Pudding Lane (where the Great Fire of London started) to Roman ruins, mass plague graveyards to execution sites from the middle ages, this is a fascinating, guided tour not to be missed. When: Every Saturday, 2.30pm sharp
Where: Monument Station: look out for your guide carrying a green umbrella
Cost: Free
www.freelondonwalkingtours.com/tour/fire-pestilence-and-plague-tour
Take your Monopoly skills to the next level
Located in the heart of London, Monopoly Lifesized is an immersive, on-your-feet version of the world’s favourite family game brand played on a 15m x 15m lifesized Monopoly board! Try the Junior Monopoly Board to find out who is going to be Monopoly Champ on this race against the clock to solve a mystery, crack some codes and, of course, buy some of London's most iconic buildings. Bagsy Mayfair.
When: Check website for game times.
Where: 213-215 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7PS
Cost: From £32.50 per person www.monopolylifesized.com
Need more inspo when it comes to things to do in London this weekend with kids? Then how about:
Family guide to the Tower of London
Hobble on down to Hobbledown Adventure Farm
Nice buns, hun: best burgers in London
Best museums in London for families
Head over to Wands & Wizard Exploratorium
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