DADS IN LONDON

Plans worth leaving the house for.

🍦 39 things to do in London this weekend with the kids (20–21 June)

Jeff – Dads in London

Hey DILFs!

Are you going to West End Live this weekend? I’ve driven myself mad with this question every summer for the past two decades, and never ended up going. 

It sounds amazing on so many levels: free performances from more than 50 of the West End’s top musicals; a feeling of community (I imagine) with fellow Londoners; loads of extra activities to enjoy in the square if a particular song isn’t doing it for you; and a chance to introduce your children to the magic of theatre. 

BUT: there are also insane crowds (although I guess they look like they’re having fun?); queues literally a mile long to get in; a “one in, one out” policy once the square is at capacity; one WATER fountain for about 55,000 people; standing room only; and absolutely no shade from the sun or shelter from the rain. 

One year, I’ll get over myself and do it with the kids in tow. That year won’t be this year, but I hope you’re less of a wuss than me and that you’ll give it a go: I think we’re missing out on an incredible experience (AGAIN), and I’m already kicking myself for it. 

If you attend, will you report back? Please? And if you don’t go, perhaps you’d like to try out some of the many, many, many other things on offer below. 

Enjoy! 

Jeff xx

1: Attempt to outsmart a fountain

Jeppe Hein: Appearing Rooms

📍 Where: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
📅 When: Wednesday–Sunday until 31 August, 10:00–21:00
🎟️ Price: Free – just show up
👶 Age: Suitable for all

It seems to be an annual tradition that the Appearing Rooms are installed right after a heatwave and just in time for countless weekends in a row of rain. On the plus side, the area won’t be too packed if it’s raining. On the downside, there’s a chance you’ll get cold and wet when you’re already cold and wet. On the other plus side, look: it’s not exactly winter, is it? You’ll be fine. It’ll still be fun. And children never feel the cold anyway.

Now that I've painted such an irresistible picture, here's what you need to know.

The Appearing Rooms are an annual staple of the Southbank Centre – returning every summer with considerably more consistency than the summer itself. The concept and execution are simple: walls of water rise to create a “room”, but then disappear randomly and rise again somewhere else to create another “room”. The challenge is to stay one step ahead of the water – or to do the exact opposite if you’re an adventurous family and you have a spare set of clothes.

It’s fabulously fun, but be aware that if you do happen to visit on a sunny day, there isn’t much shade.

Find out more: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/activity/jeppe-hein-appearing-rooms/ 

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2: Run your hands across the surface of the Moon

Mirror Moon

📍 Where: Royal Observatory, Blackheath Avenue, SE10 8XJ
📅 When: New permanent installation: no end date! (Open daily 10:00–19:00)
🎟️ Price: Free with entry to the Royal Observatory (adults £24, 4–15s £12, under-4s free)
👶 Age: Suitable for all

See what I mean? Luke Jerram is EVERYWHERE. This time, we’re back in familiar Jerramesque territory: the Moon. He’s already created Museum of the Moon (an enormous illuminated Moon suspended from the ceiling), Tide (an acoustic installation that makes the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun on Earth physically audible) and Fallen Moon (a 10-metre, internally lit floating replica of the lunar surface). His latest lunar offering is Mirror Moon.

Mirror Moon is a giant, shiny steel ball shaped exactly like the Moon – and this one you can actually touch. Jerram used real NASA satellite data to carve every single mountain, valley and crater into its surface, meaning you’ll be able to feel with your hands what the Moon is actually like.

The polished, mirror-like surface is a bit different from what we’re used to with Jerram. Most of his giant celestial bodies (of which there are many) are essentially very sophisticated balloons, whereas this one is made from steel – apparently because it reflects the surrounding environment to remind us how the real Moon reflects light from the Sun. But given that this is the first one you're actively encouraged to touch, I suspect the durability didn't hurt.

It's called Mirror Moon because, according to Jerram, "the Moon is a cultural mirror to society. It reflects the ideas, dreams and beliefs that people bring to it." And because I’m a nasty cynic, my immediate reaction was, "Oh come on now – are you sure it wasn't the alliteration?"

But then I read an interview where he talked about how differently people responded to Museum of the Moon depending on where it was exhibited, and yeah OK fair enough: the guy has a point. In India, huge crowds turned up because of the Moon's significance in Hinduism. In the US, people connected it with the Apollo missions. In France, couples sat beneath it holding hands. It’s such an exceptionally interesting insight that I’m now officially on board with the name. 

Find out more: https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory/attractions/mirror-moon 

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3: Find out whether Yorkshire pudding belongs in a cone with sprinkles

The Ice Cream Project by Anya Hindmarch

📍 Where: The Ice Cream Project, 11 Pont Street, SW1X 9EH
📅 When: Daily until 16 August, 10:00–18:00 (Sundays 12:00–17:00)
🎟️ Price: Scoops £4.50 each

Last year the Ice Cream Project flavours included Ovaltine, Bisto, Irn Bru, Maldon Sea Salt, Twiglets, Quaker Porridge Oats, Bird’s Custard, and Filippo Berio Olive Oil. This year’s line-up includes OXO, Paxo stuffing, Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire puddings, Lurpak, Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Euthymol (bright pink antiseptic toothpaste, in case you weren’t aware).

Are you in the “Sounds vile; no way” camp? That’s fine – but don’t come crying to me when your TikTok fame never materialises because you refused to try toothpaste-flavoured ice cream for the benefit of the algorithm.

Or do you think it sounds intriguing and you’d love to try it out? For some reason, you’re not alone: thousands of people queue at Anya Hindmarch’s ice cream shop each year to try out her increasingly questionable flavours. So prepare for TWO HOURS worth of Would You Rather? and at least 120 renditions of “How much longerrrrrr?”

If you value your time more than you value your money, you could skip the line by booking yourself an Afternoon Tea with a twist: a blind tasting of 15 scoops with wafers and sprinkles, guessing the flavours as you go with your own tasting score card and “branded Ice Cream Project pencil” (oooh!). It’s £50 per person, which, fyi, is the same price as 79 Cornettos from Tesco.

If all this sounds like an elaborate excuse to sell expensive ice cream, it may help to know that Anya Hindmarch has spent years turning familiar brands into luxury products, with bags and accessories inspired by everything from Heinz and Kellogg’s to Cadbury and Corn Flakes. Whether that’s clever reinvention or simply borrowing somebody else’s brand recognition, I’ll leave up to you.

Find out more: https://www.anyahindmarch.com/pages/the-ice-cream-project 

4: Immerse yourself in Spain's most passionate art form

Gala Flamenca

📍 Where: Sadler’s Wells Angel, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN
📅 When: Saturday 20 June, 15:00 and 19:00
🎟️ Price: £15–£90
👶 Age: 5+ (under-5s won’t be allowed in)

We recently went to Madrid and booked a 5pm flamenco performance – which is NOT a time of day when flamenco normally takes place. There were microphones and speakers – even though flamenco traditionally takes place in much smaller, more intimate venues. The venue offered paella for dinner (at 5pm) – even though paella is strictly a lunchtime meal in Spain, and NO ONE eats dinner before 9pm. And all the guests were drinking sangria – which is very much a “tourist trap” drink when ordered in bars.

Basically, we saw the most tourist-friendly version of flamenco imaginable. But it was still a fantastic introduction for the family – especially when a guy came up on stage afterwards to explain what makes flamenco special.

Thanks to him, I now know how much improvisation is involved in flamenco (answer: a lot). Rather than marching through a fixed routine, the dancers, singers and musicians are constantly reacting to one another using their voices, movements and stomping. The goal is to make you feel those emotions too – not just be impressed with the fancy footwork. 

You get all that at Gala Flamenca, even though it's a highly polished theatre show that tours around the world in big venues rather than small, dimly lit bars. Yes, there are microphones and yes, there are speakers. Yes, there’s a 3pm performance and a 7pm performance. On the plus side, there are no rice dishes on offer – nor did I spot any beverages that appeared to have had a fruit salad dropped into them.

Gala Flamenca is basically a showcase of flamenco talent, with dancers, singers and musicians taking turns in the spotlight. One performer is renowned for his lightning-fast footwork. Another combines twirling shawls with sasstastic poses. A third has been described as singing as though she's emptying out her entire soul in front of the audience. In other words, there's quite a lot going on.

It may not be the most “authentic” version of flamenco you’ll ever see, but if you’re new to it like I was, that won’t matter in the slightest. 

Find out more: https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/gala-flamenca-2026/ 

5: Play "guess how much this costs" at London's biggest art show

Summer Exhibition 2026

📍 Where: Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD
📅 When: Tuesday–Sunday until 23 August, 10:00–18:00 (Fridays until 21:00)
🎟️ Price: Adults £23, under-16s free

(Image from 2025)

It’s back! The RA’s Summer Exhibition is one of the cultural highlights of my year – which is no doubt helped by the fact that it doesn’t feel like a traditional gallery viewing in the slightest. It’s very buzzy, very lighthearted and very full of chatter – and I’m pretty sure it’d be that way even without the wine bar in the middle of one of the galleries.

The exhibition is stuffed with contemporary paintings, sculptures, photography and prints, which have all been accepted for inclusion by a panel of professional artists. There’s such an assortment of art that you’re bound to appreciate some of it – even if others feel like a gigantic piss-take.

When you enter the exhibition, you’ll be given a tiny, ridiculously thick catalogue – one that you’ll struggle to read if your eyesight is anything less than 20/20. (On the plus side, some of the artwork definitely benefits from a bit of myopia.) The catalogue contains all the artworks and their prices, because – fun fact – everything is available for purchase. As you probably won’t be in the market for a scarily realistic model of a dead cat for £66,000, you can instead play a brilliant game of “Guess how much this costs” with your family. I promise this is so much more fun than the game we used to play there: “Could we afford this if we sold the flat?”

Sooner or later, you’ll spot something and think, “Hang on, I could have done that.” Conveniently, the Royal Academy agrees that this is at least theoretically possible, because anyone can submit work for the Summer Exhibition: all you need is £40 and an internet connection.

… And if you sell just one successful artwork, that £66,000 dead cat might suddenly become attainable. 

Find out more: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/summer-exhibition-2026

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.