We’re coming to the end of a long and mostly beautiful summer, but there’s still plenty things to do with the kids in town over the last few days of school holidays.
London Mela in Gunnersbury Park, Little Creatures Family Festival at London Zoo, Angel Canal Festival, Anorak Magazine Summer Fete in Dalston, SouthBanquet at Southbank Centre, Klezmer in the Park at Regent’s Park, Ickle Pickles Summer Party, The Magic Flute Kids Outdoor Opera Screening…
How many of our 31 Things to Do with Kids in London this Summer did you try? Or our Top 20 Free Family Activities?
Fri-Sun: Little Creatures Family Festival at London Zoo, Regent’s Park, NW1 (Baker St/Regent’s Park tube)
Take your little monkeys along for weekend of splashy fun, featuring interactive theatre, roving entertainers, rainbow fairy trail, bouncy castle and of course animal magic. 10am-6pm, regular zoo prices (Aug 30-Sep 1)
Fri-Sun: Groove on Down the Road, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, SE1 (Waterloo/Embankment tube)
We’ve fallen head over heels for Zoo Nation’s brand new hip hop musical: it’s a vibrant reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz, showcasing a new generation of dancers ages 10-19. Go and see it before it runs, leaps and tumbles away! 2pm, 4pm, 7pm (varying dates); £10-£32/concs. half-price (limited availability) (Aug 10-Sep 1)
Fri-Sun: The Man Who Planted Trees, Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, SE1 (Waterloo/Embankment tube)
Last weekend to catch this wonderful show about a man and his dog set out to plant a forest to transform a barren landscape, in what’s described as a unique blend of comedy, puppetry and storytelling. Interactive elements engage the senses in a vibrant show, back after a smash-hit run in 2011. 12pm & 3pm, £12/concs half-price (Aug 22-Sep 1)
Fri-Sun: Dinosaur Zoo at Open Air Theatre, Queen Mary’s Garden, Regent’s Park, NW1 (Baker St tube)
Regent’s Park transforms into a Jurassic park as Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo roars onto the scene, thrilling the crowds with cute baby dinos and tooth-gnashing giants. We caught a preview of these dinosaurs at the Imagine Festival earlier this year and can’t wait for the full show! 2.15pm (Mon-Wed), 11.30am & 2.15pm (Fri), 9.45am & 11.30am (Sat-Sun); £15-£20/family ticket £15 (Aug 9-Sep 8)
Sat: Anorak Summer Fete (pic) in Dalston Square, N2 (Dalston Junction overground)
The trendy kids mag hosts its summer party in line with the Dalston Children’s Festival. Loads on the schedule including teddy bear picnic, paper pizza decorating, hopscotch and (since it’s Dalston) a Pin the Beard game. 12-6pm, FREE (Aug 31)
Sat-Sun: SouthBanquet: A Feast for 500 at Southbank Centre, SE1 (Waterloo/Embankment tube)
Celebrate the Festival of Neighbourhood and the last days of summer at a weekend of ethically sourced food, events and music by family bands features delicious vegetarian or a pot luck platter of organic pork, kebabs, chops and more. Also interactive food events taking place throughout the day. Activities 12-7pm, banquet 7pm onwards, £15 (Aug 31-Sep 1)
Sat-Sun: Feast in the Fields, The Brewhouse, Railway Arches 369-370 Helmsley Place, E8 (Hackney Central overground/Bethnal Green tube)
A two-day smorgasbord of the best in street food, bespoke beers, gelato, live music and East London trendies. The monthly gathering features a rotating menu of street stall lovelies and musicians. Kids come free and there’s the whole of London Fields to roam if they get restless after! 12pm-2am, adult Feast entry £3/early bird Beer & food ticket adv. £7/door £9/child FREE (Aug 31-Sep 1)
Sun: London Mela in Gunnersbury Park, W3
For the 11th year in a row, this vibrant celebration of South Asian culture takes over the park. There will be delicious food stalls, funfair rides, sports activities, crafts for all ages and of course live music from the likes of Bally Sagoo, Falak iiSuperwomanii, Harshdeep Kaur and AS Kang. Plus retelling of the story of Rama and Sita that blends puppets and special effects, and a dazzling fireworks finale! 1-9pm, FREE (Sep 1)
Sun: Klezmer in the Park at Regent’s Park Bandstand, NW1 (Baker St tube)
A fun filled afternoon of family entertainment with music from The Turbans, Yiddish Twist Orchestra and more; plus kids zone with hands on history lessons, balloon band, magical storytelling and klezmer krafting. 1-6pm, FREE (Sep 1)
Sun: The Magic Flute Outdoor Opera Screening at The Crystal, 1 Siemens Brothers Way, Western Gateway, London, E16 (Royal Victoria DLR)
Grab a slice of highbrow entertainment at the Siemens Festival Nights outdoor opera festival in Royal Victoria Docks, with a special screening of The Magic Flute for little ones on Sunday. Also on the bill for grown-ups are Falstaff (Fri), La Traviata and Don Carlo (Sun). The Magic Flute from 11am, £5 adv. tickets (proceeds to charity) (Sep 1)
Sun: Ickle Pickles Summer Party, at Streatham and Clapham Girls’ School, 42 Abbotswood Rd, SW16 (Tooting Bec tube)
Ickle Pickles is south London’s annual event for families, raising money for the neonatal unit at St George’s Hospital, Tooting. Bouncy castles, fairground rides, stalls, face painting, live entertainment, workshops and more all take place from 11am-5pm, adult £1/child FREE (Sep 1)
LOCAL PICK
Sun: Angel Canal Festival, adjoining City Road Lock, Basin and Towpath, Islington, N1 (Angel tube)
Head to Regent’s Canal for this annual festival featuring more than 80 stalls along the towpath, funfair rides and bouncy castle, Punch & Judy, boat trips and have-a-go canoe sessions, and Arsenal in the community doing penalty shoot-outs. 11am-6pm (Sep 1)
We also like
Watch or dive into the Great London Swim at Royal Victoria Dock (Sat); pop into Selfridges for face painting and storytelling with Mischka Aoki, the luxury kids label (Sat, 2-6pm); see teeny tiny wonders at the Dolls House and Miniatures Fair at Alexandra Palace (Sun);and one for the grown-ups, Future Cinema presents Dirty Dancing, a live cinema experience, still tickets left for one night only (Sun)
Photo credit: Rob Flowers’s Hole in the Head Art via Anorak