What’s On For Families This Week in London
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This Weekend for the Whole Family
Covent Garden Piazza, Royal Opera House, Deloitte Ignite: Sunday 27th December events from 11am. Head over to Covent Garden Sunday for an range of activities celebrating Opera and performance. There will be performances in the piazza, in the Opera House along with stage crafting and singalong sessions. Its a wonderful festival, great fun even to walk around and enjoy the costumes and music if you aren’t able to make a performance.
Duke of York Square, Trotter’s 25th Birthday Party: Saturday 26th, 11am-5pm. Come and celebrate London’s favourite independent children’s clothier with games, activities, competition and fun for the entire family. Emma Chichester Clark and Rob Biddulph will be hosting interactive reading sessions, you must book for these but the rest of the festival is free and the rest of the activities are drop-in.
Upcoming:
Big Fish Little Fish: Take the kids to a family rave!! What I would give to be able to recover after a night of dancing … but an afternoon of dancing, with the littles? This may just tick the box. The entire family from the babies (there is a Villa Baby Chill Out Room) to the grannies can enjoy all the fun. Sunday’s Rave is sold out, however, you can enter to win tickets to Sunday 18th October in Hackney Wick or Sunday 15th November in New Cross at Villa Pia, or just book tickets and your diary.
NCT Nearly New Sale: The items for sale include baby and children’s clothes, books, toys, maternity wear along with baby and maternity equipment. Saturday 10th October, 10-noon, £2 at the door, Westbourne Grove Church.
This Weekend for Slightly Older Children (and perhaps their younger siblings)
Wigmore Hall and Wallace Collection Family Day, Behind Closed Doors: Come and see what happens to the lords and ladies at the Wallace Collection when the grown ups go home. Meet quirky characters, make up spooky stories and compose your own music to perform on stage at Wigmore Hall at the end of the day. Saturday 26th, 10:30-3:30pm, £15 adults, £12 children.
Royal College of Music and Royal Albert Hall, Ignite Workshop: Instrumentalists from beginners to level 5 can explore wild and wacky weather as part of a mini orchestra. After, children will hear Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed by Nicola Benedetti at the Royal Albert Hall - Sunday 27th, agers 6-12, tickets £25 for one adult and one child.
Geffrye Museum, Ceramics in the City: Head over London’s museum of the home on Saturday 26th, 2-4pm where children can paint a ceramic item. On Sunday, come back from 2-4pm and create ceramic inspired headwear.
Pumphouse Gallery, Sunday Social, What Heals? Take part in a collaborative drawing project where child and adults explore what heals us by recording activities (healthy eating, practicing sport, spending time with friends) on the sides of hexagons. These hexagons will be passed around and record many different ideas. Sunday 12-4pm, all ages, free, drop-in.
Parasol Unit Sunday Family Workshop, Exploring the Abstract: Join artist Nicola Pomery in a family workshops using drawing and sculpture to explore shape, form, colour, line, shadows. The workshop will include playful drawing actives as well as collaborating on a large-scale sculptural relief.
Babies and Toddlers
Royal Albert Hall, Storytelling and Music Sessions: bring children ages 0-4 to Royal Albert Hall on Wednesdays for a magical experience with storytellers Paul Rubinstein and Olivia Armstrong where singing, storytelling and musical instruments are woven into one story session. £4, 11:30am
Classes Quickly Filling Up - Monkey Music
Monkey Music: Chelsea, Gloucester Road, South Kensington, Belgravia and Pimlico. This is the best-loved mum and baby activity in the area. Monkey Music’s award winning specialist music classes have been running since 2003, teaching and entertaining hundreds of babies each week. Autumn classes are soon to begin, click here to see the various venues and learn more about Monkey Music Westminster and Chelsea. Book your first FREE class 020 8767 9827 or [email protected]
Pimlico Toy Library: Pimlico Toy Library has a new web site showcasing all their wonderful children’s workshops and baby playtimes. This is a fantastic resource for any parent or carer, the toys are fastidiously cleaned and the art workshops are brilliantly planned with high quality materials.
Electric Cinema, Electric Scream: Mondays. This week’s feature: Mistress America. Bring babies under 12 months to this amazingly plush cinema, relax with some coffee and catch a flick.
Ritzy, Brixton, Big Scream: Fridays, 11am. £7.50. This week’s features:Just Jim, Life and Mia Madre.
Family Cinema
BFI Families, Steamboat Bill Jr. A Buster Keaton classic!! Great day out for all, enjoy the Southbank after. £4 for children, £11.75 adults.
Curzon Cinema, Victoria: This week’s programme, Song of the Sea. Saturday and Sunday, 10:30. £3.50 per person.
Le Institiut Francais, Inside Out: Head over to South Kensington and enjoy this fantastic feature film exploring children’s emotions in a highly educational and entertaining way. The film will be screened in English Saturday 26th, 11am. Tickets £5 each
Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: This week’s programme: Annie. £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2. (best £3 you will ever spend on a rainy Saturday)
Barbican Family Film Club: This week’s feature is All Dogs Go to Heaven. Tickets are £2, bring the kids and escape the cold while you chill and watch a movie. Great price. 11am, all ages.
Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, Strange Magic. 10:30am. Check out the Electric Cinema with its plush, red velvet beds, sofas and armchairs. Looks like a great way for Dad to occupy the kids on a Saturday morning.
