🧺 39 things to do in London this weekend with the kids (18–19 July)

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Hey DILFs!

Last week, I told you about Great British Summer Savings – that thing where the government is temporarily reducing VAT on lots of family-friendly activities over the summer. And because we all love a poll, I asked you:

Will Great British Summer Savings change your plans this summer?

The results are in!

• “Yes – we’ll definitely do more days out”: 10%

• “A bit – every little helps”: 41%

• “No – we'll do the same amount that we normally do”: 49%

• “Not sure” – 0%

The real story here is that absolutely nobody chose "Not sure". Forget the VAT cut – I'm more impressed that not one of you was undecided.

Go DILFs!

And now for things you can definitely do (or definitely not do) with your savings this weekend...

Enjoy!

Jeff xx

1: Lose an argument with your own eyes

M.C. Escher: The Exhibition
Daily until 6 September, entry slots throughout the day
Embankment Galleries, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
Adults £24.50, 4–12s £15.50, under-4s free (family tickets are also available)
Age guidance: suitable for all

It feels weird seeing Somerset House sidle onto the immersive exhibition bandwagon – it's like hearing your mum say "skibidi", or your boss casually dropping "It's giving..." into conversation.

I can't really blame Somerset House for testing the immersive exhibition waters because that's where the audiences are. And if you're going to dip a toe into the genre, M.C. Escher is about as sensible a choice as you could make: his art was already interactive in your head long before someone started adding mirrors and projections, and I imagine he wouldn't have been the slightest bit offended by people turning his work into something you can walk through and fiddle with.

The exhibition follows Escher's life more or less chronologically, from his early landscapes and Italian sketches to the impossible staircases, tessellations and optical illusions that made him famous. Along the way, there are plenty of opportunities to do the immersivey stuff too: you can manipulate reflections, experiment with perspective, pose inside recreations of his impossible worlds, and generally prove to yourself that your brain is embarrassingly easy to fool.

A mini-highlight of the exhibition (for me, at least) was the focus on how Escher has managed to worm his way into popular culture. There are screens showing clips from The Simpsons and Futurama that feature his work, alongside examples of the countless ways it has influenced everything from album covers to fashion and architecture – all making the point that you've almost certainly encountered his work before, even if his name didn't ring any bells.

Apparently the highlight for almost everyone else is an interactive recreation of Escher's famous self-portrait in a reflective sphere. We somehow managed to miss it completely, and I really don't know how: we walked through the whole exhibition twice because my boys wanted to revisit their favourite bits, then (once we'd finally left) had to plead with the person on the desk to let us back in because they wanted to watch the animated version of Relativity one last time. So basically, we did three laps of the exhibition and still didn't come across it.

Either it was extraordinarily well hidden, or Escher somehow pulled one final optical illusion on us.

Find out more: https://fever.pxf.io/OYaWNK

While you’re there…

👍️ Waterloo Bridge has my favourite views in London. Look west to Big Ben, the South Bank and London Eye, and look east for Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and St Paul’s Cathedral.

👍️ Pose for a picture outside 10 Downing Street. I mean 10 Adam Street. The doors look identical, so you may as well try to fool as many people as you can.

2: Fall down the rabbit hole with Alice

Alice in Wonderland
Daily until 2 August, 12:00 and 15:00
Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street, W6 9BN
£25–£49 per person
Age guidance: 5+

(Note: the show will also be performed at Soho Theatre Walthamstow between 5 and 6 August.)

QUICK! Book TODAY with the code FAMILY25 to save 25% on 4+ seats (weekday performances only).

Alice in Wonderland must be one of the hardest books in the world to adapt. The story is essentially: meet strange person, move on, meet stranger person, move on. There's barely any plot to hang a production on.

Perhaps that's why so many versions end up feeling more like reinterpretations than straightforward adaptations. The trouble is, if you've bought a ticket for Alice in Wonderland, you probably want to see Alice wander around Wonderland, meeting increasingly peculiar people – not Alice reimagined as an action hero with a villain to defeat.

Fortunately, this particular adaptation by Penny Farrow understands that. She keeps almost all the moments you'd hope to see, while trimming away enough of the less memorable episodes to fit everything into an hour.

I should confess that I haven't actually seen this production. What I have done is read 15 reviews from the past year or so – and if they're to be believed, this thing looks fantastic. Review after review talks about colourful costumes, inventive puppets, clever theatrical tricks and a set that manages to conjure up Wonderland without relying on giant video screens or CGI. Alice's constant shrinking and growing is achieved through oversized props, a puppet Alice and cleverly scaled scenery, making her appear suddenly tiny or enormous depending on what's around her. Special mention to the puppets – particularly the Cheshire Cat and Dormouse – who are repeatedly praised for bringing boatloads of personality to the production.

And then there are the bits that sail happily over the children's heads. I'm hoping the political jokes and topical references get updated every year, because nothing dates faster than yesterday's current affairs.

The only criticism that kept cropping up was that the first half takes a little while to get going before the Queen of Hearts arrives and raises the energy levels considerably. But that feels more like a Lewis Carroll problem than a production problem. You can't really praise an adaptation for sticking closely to the source material, then complain when it faithfully reproduces its occasional shortcomings.

Find out more: https://www.aliceinwonderlandlive.com/home

While you’re there…

👍️ You’re pretty much surrounded – suffocated, some might say – by excellent pubs. Well, two pubs. Maybe three, but I haven’t been to the third. There’s The Dove, which has beautiful views over the river, wooden beams and other cosy pub-like interiors, and the smallest bar room in the world. It also has some requisite history: apparently, Charles II and Nell Gwynne once dined here.

Then there’s The Blue Anchor – which also has river views. It’s a bit more modern-looking but still gives oodles of “cosy pub” vibes. The food is fantastic at both these places.

There’s also the one I haven’t been to yet: The Old City Arms, which looks slightly less cosy but I’m sure is equally lovely. I can’t work out what food they serve, though: until about three years ago, it was definitely Thai food. These days it’s either both Thai and traditional pub grub, or they’ve got rid of the massaman curry and tom yum soup altogether.

👍️It's hard to imagine now, but Furnivall Gardens used to be packed with Victorian houses until they were destroyed during the Blitz. Today it's one of the nicest spots on the Thames to sit for a while and watch the swans, rowers, paddleboarders and narrowboats drift by.

3: Finally justify buying those roller skates

Kids Summer Roller Disco
Saturday 18 July, 12:00–15:00 (last entry at 14:00)
Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin Street, SE8 4RJ
Pay what you can: £8 standard, £5 pay a bit less or £10 pay a bit more (note: all attendees must pay, even if parent attendees watch from the sides)
Age guidance: under-16s

I don’t know about you, but I kind of feel that if a venue is putting on a family roller disco, it should provide the roller skates too. Otherwise it’s really just a hall with some music. Admittedly, it's a very nice hall. But roller skates do feel like quite an important component of the overall roller disco experience.

Clearly, though, I've got this very wrong. Deptford Lounge has been running these family roller discos for years, so there must be far more people with their own roller skates than I'd ever considered. I bet you're even wearing roller skates right now, aren't you?

Well, luckily for you, here’s somewhere you can show them off. Deptford Lounge regularly turns its main hall into an alcohol-free roller disco with lights, music and enough space for children to build confidence on their wheels (or demonstrate that they already possess far more balance than either of their parents). There's also a cafe on hand for restorative drinks once everyone's legs have given up.

And as your kids do own roller skates, this is a much cheaper way to put them to use than somewhere like Roller Nation (£15 per person, including skate hire). It's also probably safer than a skateboard-filled skate park – or, for that matter, the nearest stretch of pavement.

Find out more: https://deptfordlounge.org.uk/whats-on/event/kids-summer-roller-disco

While you’re there…

👍️ There are plenty of regular events at Deptford Lounge, and they’re all free! No booking needed: just turn up to any of the following.

📕 Saturdays 10:30–11:00: Under 5s Rhymes and Stories. Suitable for 0–5s and their families.
✏️ Saturdays 11:00–12:00: Colouring Club. Suitable for all the family.
✂️ Saturdays 14:00: Saturday Craft Club. Suitable for all the family.
🎞️ Saturdays 15:00–16:30: Family Film Club. Suitable for all the family.

4: Let your kids run wild through famous paintings

Frameless
Monday–Thursday 11:00–18:00, Friday 10:30–22:00, Saturday 10:00–22:00, Sunday 10:00–18:00
Frameless, 6 Marble Arch, W1H 7AP
Pricing varies considerably, depending on time of day, family entry, etc. – see website for more information
Age guidance: suitable for all

I’ve mentioned Frameless in passing before, but it’s now time to give them a proper write-up – partly because they gave me free tickets, and partly because I’ve been so many times now (with my own money) that it felt a bit like I was keeping one of London's easiest parenting wins to myself.

Frameless has four giant projection galleries that each take a different approach to famous art. Some let you step inside entire paintings, while others animate individual details and scatter them around the room.

My four-year-old and I have always gone on a Friday morning, when tickets are £21 for both of us. That’s still not cheap, but it’s also not vastly more expensive than a soft play session or a Mini Mozart class – and here, you can stay for as long as you want. Even better, while I sit down and he runs around chasing Seurat's dots, he's actually picking up a surprising amount about art.

(One example: in a room called The World Around Us, seven famous paintings are projected all around you, with elements of each one animated to bring the scenes to life. And as a direct result, my kid now knows his Canaletto from his Van Gogh.)

Here’s the downer. If you can’t go on a Friday morning for the parent & toddler sessions (which seem to be suspended over the school holidays anyway), the costs are extreme. Even with the Summer VAT Savings thing applied, it’s £27.56 for adults and £19.25 for 3–15s. Babies go free, though, so be sure to bring a truckload of them along to improve the maths.

I should mention there’s also a family ticket, which gives you four entries for £75.24 – providing a £10ish discount on individual tickets. But it’s still hardly a bargain – especially as you’re essentially paying to wander around a series of giant projections.

But I still think it’s worth it, because it solves that perennial parenting problem of trying to find an activity that everyone will enjoy. Toddlers will like chasing the projections, older children will like spotting the artists and details, and adults will get to experience familiar paintings in a completely different way (especially if they find traditional galleries a bit hard work). And everyone gets to be somewhere cool, dark and air-conditioned for a while.

Plus, it’s easy. No one has to whisper. No one has to read the blurb. No one has to queue for a two-minute ride. You can drift between rooms, sit on the floor, let kids run about in semi-educational darkness and occasionally point out that the thing swooshing past their head is by Kandinsky.

Basically, it's a place where you won't feel like you're compromising on anyone's fun. So while the price still makes me wince, it's a place I'd happily recommend.

Find out more: https://frameless.com

While you’re there…

👍️ Marble Arch Mound didn’t get enough coverage for what a complete shitshow it became. Created to boost domestic tourism after the Covid lockdown, it opened with a £4.50 entrance fee to widespread disappointment, closed almost immediately to be "improved", reopened for free, stayed free because hardly anyone wanted to pay, was torn down just six months later (dismantling fee: £660,000), and ended up costing around £6 million in total.

Anyway! You can no longer view the rest of London from Marble Arch Mound, but you can view Marble Arch from the ground – which is a much more satisfying experience. It was built in 1827 as the grand entrance to Buckingham Palace, before being moved to its current home in the 1850s after the palace expanded and outgrew it.

👍️ You're practically inside Hyde Park at that point, so you may as well take a stroll down to the Serpentine – which I always consider to be London's way of saying, "Sorry about Oxford Street". Added bonus: it delays your return to the Central line for another hour or so.

👍️ If you’re a fan of Middle Eastern and North African food, Frameless is actually at the bottom of Edgware Road – so you just have to walk north to find all the hummus, baba ganoush, shawarma, stews, tagines and baklava you could ever wish for.

5: Spend the day dancing in Coram's Fields

Family Dance Day
Saturday 18 July, 11:00–16:00
Coram's Fields, 93 Guilford Street, WC1N 1DN
FREE
Age guidance: suitable for all

I didn’t think three words could ever excite me more than “Free kombucha delivered” (because I’m that kind of London dad), but “Family Dance Day” is a decent contender. And while I’m no closer to experiencing the former – despite submitting myriad haikus to win a lifetime supply – I’m less than a week away from enjoying the latter.

Family Dance Day is being organised by The Place – an organisation that provides dance classes, workshops and contemporary performances in its venue near King’s Cross. For Family Dance Day, they’re moving to Coram’s Fields nearby, where there’ll be much more space for the theatre shows, interactive storytelling, dance classes and arts and crafts activities scheduled throughout the day.

The full itinerary hasn’t been announced yet, but we do know there’ll be a performance called BUG – where “performers dressed as giant insects come to life in funny, funky dances inspired by the natural world, complete with live electronic music and playful sound effects”. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, I genuinely don't know what to tell you.

There’s also something called Prisma, which is advertised as “a magical dance show inspired by children’s books”, and No Sugar No Milk – “an exhilarating spectacle combining physical theatre, martial arts and circus stunts”. At this point I've become so excited about the whole thing that it can really only go one of two ways: either it'll be the highlight of my year, or I'll spend the journey home muttering, "They didn't even look like bugs."

Find out more: https://theplace.org.uk/events/family-dance-day

Other listings

This section brings together both new events I don’t have room to expand on and selected older ones from past newsletters that are still running. If you see a “(see my write-up here)”, that’s your cue to click through and rediscover whatever Past Me felt strongly enough to write about.

Soho Village Fete
Sunday 19 July, 12:00–18:00 (show up at the start if you want to get in!)
St Anne’s Churchyard, 55 Wardour Street, W1D 6QU
FREE – no ticket required

Family Activity: Messages from the Heart
Sunday 19 July, 11:00
St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4JJ
FREE – no ticket required
Age guidance: 5–13

Henry VIII's Joust (see my write-up here)
Saturday and Sunday: joust at 11:00, 13:30 and 16:00 and falconry at 12:30 and 15:00
Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, KT8 9AU
FREE with entry ticket (adults £32, children 5–15 £16, children 0–4 free)
Age guidance: suitable for all

Frida: The Making of an Icon (see my write-up here)
Until 3 January, 2027, 10:00–18:00 (until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG
Adults £25, 12–18s £4.37, under-12s free

There’s a Tiger in the Garden
Until 9 August, various start times (see website)
Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, SW19 1SB
£15 per person
Age guidance: 3–7

Disney’s The Lion King Exhibition (see my write-up here)
Daily until 31 August, 10:00–18:00
London Zoo, Outer Circle, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY
Free with zoo admission (adults £34.50, 3–15s £24.10, under-3s free)

The Magic Garden
Daily until Saturday 10 October, 10:00–16:00
V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL
FREE
Age guidance: 5+

In Other Worlds: Liam Young (see my write-up here)
Tuesday–Sunday until Sunday 6 September, 10:00–17:45 (until 19:45 on Fridays and Saturdays)
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
Adults £19, 5–15s £6, under-5s free

House of Dreamers (see my write-up here)
Daily until 30 September, timeslots throughout the day
Immerse LDN, Excel Waterfront, ExCel, E16 1XL
Adults £28.90, 3–12s £23.90, under-3s free
Age guidance: suitable for all

Immersive Gamebox London (see my write-up here)
Open daily, with various timeslots throughout each day
Various locations: Southbank, Shoreditch, Westfield Stratford City, Wandsworth and more
Prices vary depending on the type of game you play and how many games, but they start at £21 for a 30-minute game (£18 for 3–11s)
Age guidance: most games are most suitable for 8+, but there are some games suitable for 5+ and 3+; the website has more information

Everyman on the Canal (see my write-up here)
Daily until 16 August, films at 12:00, 14:30, 17:00 and 19:30
Regent's Canal Towpath, N1C 4PQ
FREE
Age guidance: depends on the movie!

Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica
Tuesday–Sunday until 6 September, 10:00–17:00 (until 19:00 on Thursdays and Fridays)
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
Adults £19, under-16s free

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026
Until 7 October, 10:30–18:00 (Fridays and Saturdays until 21:00)
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, WC2H 0HE
FREE

Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience
Daily until 30 August, various timeslots throughout the day
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD
Adults £22.90, 10–17s £20.35
Age guidance: must be 10+

Jeppe Hein: Appearing Rooms (see my write-up here)
Wednesday–Sunday until 31 August, 10:00–21:00
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
Free – just show up
Age guidance: suitable for all

Summer Exhibition 2026 (see my write-up here)
Tuesday–Sunday until 23 August, 10:00–18:00 (Fridays until 21:00)
Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD
Adults £23, under-16s free

King’s Cross Pétanque (see my write-up here)
Until Wednesday 30 September, 09:00–21:00
Pancras Square, King's Cross, N1C 4AG
FREE – just turn up
Age guidance: suitable for all

1996: 30 years on (see my write-up here)
Mondays–Saturdays until 19 September, 09:30–various closing times depending on the day
Barbican Music Library, Barbican Library, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
FREE – no booking required
Age guidance: suitable for all

Arthur
Until 9 August, various start times (see website)
Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, SW19 1SB
£10 per person
Age guidance: 6–12

The Art of Mini Golf
Until 26 July, various timeslots (see website)
Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, SW11 5TN
£15–£25 per person (depending on time/date)
Age guidance: “The Art of Mini Golf is not recommended for children under 9 years old. Entry is at parents’ discretion. Please note that one artwork contains drug references and imagery that young viewers may find disturbing.”

Pirate Pixie & The Mermaid
Various dates until 26 July, 10:45 and (usually) 14:15
Whippersnappers, College lodge, Old College Gate, College Road, Dulwich Park, SE21 7BQ
Adults £17.50, children £28.50
Age guidance: 3–7

Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait (see my write-up here)
Daily until 6 September, 10:30–18:00 (Friday and Saturday until 21:00)
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, WC2H 0HE
Adults £27, under-26s £5, under-12s free

Serpentine Pavilion 2026 by LANZA atelier (see my write-up here)
Until 25 October 2026, check website for precise timings each day
Situated by Serpentine South, Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA
FREE