What’s On: London’s Best Family Events April 23rd-30th
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, St. George’s Day: Saturday. Come and watch the inaugural London Tournament, a tourney of medieval combat - knights from around the world will compete in full-contact battle to be crowned London Champion. There will be archery and falconry demonstrations, a medieval market, kids area, Punch and Judy, hog roast, beer … Morris Dancers.
Borough Market, St. George’s Day Celebrations: Sunday noon - 4pm. St. George is the patron saint of farmers, shepherds, butchers and England; what a better place to celebrate our saint than at Borough Market. The market will be open Sunday with traders creating special themed products for sale. If I understand correctly, the UK delegation of the Government of Catalonia will be handing out roses (I love London). After, check out The Complete Walk: 37 plays, 37 films on 37 screen from Tower Bridge to Westminster. Running Saturday and Sunday.
V and A, Magical Mayhem: Bring the kids to to the V and A to meet characters from Midsummer Night’s Dream. Saturday 11, 1pm and 3pm. Free, all ages, drop-in
Somerset House Pick Me Up Graphic Arts Festival Alan Kitching
Somerset House, Pick Me Up: Come take part in a wide variety of hands-on workshops including clay, block printing, 3D collage, digital animation, and illustrations at part of the Pick Me Up Graphic Arts Festival.
Pumphouse Gallery, How do we Want to Live Together? Artist Rosalie Schweiker is leading a project where children and adults can write down how they might like to interact together and think about using public spaces. Write or draw your values on coasters and choose values to be etched into glasses. Sunday noon-4pm, free, drop-in.
Foundling Museum, Spinning Tales: Saturday 10:30-noon, 1-2:30 & 3-4:30. Free with admission. Join artist Jan Cullen and create an optical toy that brings the story of child heroes to life. Ages 5+, sing up on the day (if your session is booked, head over to Coram’s Fields and wait for the next workshop).
Kensington and Chelsea NCT Nearly New Sale: head over to Westbourne Grove Church in Notting Hill from 10am-noon and grab some great bargains. Admission £2 per person, all sales are in cash.
Book Now for Villa Pia, Italy’s finest baby-friendly, all-inclusive, fabulously valued family holiday destination – fabulous savings for off-peak stays, perfect for families with children not yet in school. Read my review of Villa Pia
Family Performance This Weekend:
Half Moon Theatre, Lullaby Lane Friday 22nd, 10:30am and 1:30pm, ages 3-7. One day a girl is playing gin her garden and she spots something peculiar on the other side of the fence … tickets just £6 each.
Puppet Theatre Barge, Town Mouse and Country Mouse : Head over to London’s most enchanting theatre for a beautiful tale filled with humour. Saturday 11am and 3pm; Sunday 3pm. Adults £10, children £8.50. Check out my review and pub recommendation here
Unicorn Theatre, The Polar Bears Go Up: There are not many balloons in the Arctic, so when you find one, it’s precious. If it gets lost, you have to find it. How are they going to find their balloon in this cold and strange world? For ages 2-5
Little Angel Theatre, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt : My kids LOVED this production, read my review in Huffington Post from a few years back - great music and adaptation. Saturday 11am, 2pm. Sunday 11am (all age performance) and 2pm. Suitable for age 5-8; £10 adults, £8 children. Friday’s at 5pm shows are just £5.
Babies and Toddlers
Sure Start, South London Children Centre’s Parent Voice: Friday 6th May, 9:30-11am. Churchill Garden’s Children’s Centre. Join other parents to find out about the latest Children’s Centre news, what changes you would like to see and input on local issues or problems. Free creche, booking essential. Ring Catherine 0207 641 5676.
Monkey Music’s classes are structured, themed and action packed with beautiful puppets, hand crafted props, specialist percussion, dance, movement and magical bubbles. There’s lots of fun when summertime arrives in class too, finding buckets and spades and swimming under huge, wonderful sea themed parachutes.
Classes are divided by age and offer innovative curriculums for each stage of your little one’s development, beginning with specialist baby classes from 3 months up to 4 yrs old. It’s great for making grown up friends too!
Weekly classes are held in Chelsea, South Kensington Gloucester Road,
Belgravia & Pimlico
Click on the link below for full timetable and venue details.
http://www.monkeymusic.co.uk/area/chelsea-belgravia-knightsbridge-gloucesterroad-westminster
To book your complimentary class email us at
Spitalfields City Farm, Wild Club: This is a fabulous opportunity for children to help groom animals, take part in gardening, build campfires and more. Saturdays, mornings 10:30-noon children 4-7; afternoons 1:30-3pm children 8-12.
Little Diggers, Vauxhall City Farm: A gardening club for parents and toddlers with a range of activities that get children digging in soil and growing food. Thursdays 10-11:30, children ages 2-4, £4 per adult.
National Gallery, Welcome Wednesdays: Bring the paintings to life with music, storytelling, art and messy play for the littlest ones. Wednesdays, 10:30-11:10am.
Wimgore Hall Chamber Tots: Thursday 28th, 11:45: Tickets still available
Royal Albert Hall, Storytelling and Music Sessions: Could you think of a more stately venue to introduce 0-4 year olds to music, movement and storytelling? Join seasoned storytellers Paul Rubinstein, Olivia Armstrong and Becky Dixon to this fabulous, hands-on, musical storytelling session. Wednesdays, 10 am and 11:30, tickets just £5.
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, 11:00. This week’s feature: Disorder. Bring babies under 12 months to this amazingly plush cinema, relax with some coffee and catch a flick.
Clapham Picturehouse, Big Scream: Head to Clapham and see The Jungle Book on Thursday, Bastille Day on Sunday, both screenings at 10:30, £7.50.
Ritzy, Brixton, Big Scream: Fridays, 11am, £7.50. This week’s features:Bastille Day and Miles Ahead.
Family Cinema
Regent Street Cinema, How to Train Your Dragon 2: You can now bring your children to London’s beautifully restored, sumptuous cinema for screenings of better than average children’s films on Saturdays. 11:30am, just £1.75.
Le Institut Francais Movies: A Cat in Paris: Saturday 2pm, Moomins on the Riviera Sunday 11am. Tickets just £5.
BFI Families: An Introduction to Silent Comedy, Sunday 24, 11am; live music from The Lucky Dog Picturehouse. £4 for kids, – £11.75 for grown-ups.
Airside Andy: Check out this brilliant new game for children age 4-8; its safe, social and STEM. Great fun combining problem solving. Check out my Airside Andy review here.
Framed Film Club: Head to the Barbican for the Framed Film Club, this week’s feature: Eleanor’s Secret. Saturday 11am.
Curzon Cinema, Victoria: This week’s programme,Kids Club Minions. Saturday and Sunday, 10:30. £3.50 per person.
Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: This week’s programme: Labyrinth!!! tickets just £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2. (best £3 you will ever spend on a rainy Saturday)
Bloomsbury Curzon: 10:30 Saturday, this week’s screening is Kids Club Minions, £3.00 per person.
Ritzy, Brixton, Kids’ Club: Saturdays, 10:30am. £1.50. This week’s feature: Labyrinth.
Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, The Lorax, 9:30am. 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.
