🧺 43 things to do in London this weekend with the kids (11–12 July)

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Morning DILFs!

When I mentioned the Depot Open Days in last week’s newsletter, I noticed the entry price had mysteriously decreased: it used to be £19 for adults and £10 for children, but now it’s £16.63 for adults and £8.75 for kids. (You obviously won’t have noticed, because you’re a well-adjusted human being who has bigger things to ponder.)

I couldn’t for the life of me think why they’d lower the price – especially to something ending "63". Unless I missed the memo that "63" is the new "ending in 7"?

And you’re probably many steps ahead of me, but I’d completely forgotten the very good reason: “Great British Summer Savings”.

The government is temporarily reducing VAT on lots of family-friendly activities over the summer, meaning many attractions, cinemas, theatres and even some restaurants have reduced their prices.

I have no idea if it’ll actually encourage families to get out and about more over the summer, but hey: at least prices aren’t going up when so many of us are already throwing money at the school holidays.

I’d love to know:

Results in next week’s newsletter!

And now for everything you can do this weekend for a bit less...

Enjoy!

Jeff xx

1: Hear the stories Londoners told 250 years ago

Lamentable Tales, Merry Gestes and Pleasant Histories: Chapbook Stories from the Eighteenth Century
Sunday 12 July, 12:00–16:00
Dr Johnson’s House, 17 Gough Square, EC4A 3DE
Free with admission (adults £10, 5–16s £5, under-5s free)
Age guidance: suitable for all

I imagine plenty of parents will be relieved to discover that the storytelling session at Dr Johnson's House isn't simply someone reading A Dictionary of the English Language aloud from beginning to end. (Personally, that sounds right up my street, but I accept I'd be in quite a small minority.)

Instead, they've brought in Dave Tonge, who's a historian and "professional storyteller" – which is a job I'd never heard of before, but it sounds AMAZING. He describes what he does as "telling period-rich and often irreverent tales shared by the poorer folk long ago on heritage sites" – and that's pretty much what he'll be doing here, on the very notable site of Dr Johnson's old home.

Tonge will be reciting the sorts of stories and ballads that people would have swapped in Johnson's time in a pub or over coffee – from well-known ones like Robin Hood and Jack the Giant Killer to some more obscure, forgotten stories from 18th-century London.

It's a bonkersly tenuous link to Dr Johnson himself, but I can see why they've gone down this route. If you're trying to run child-friendly events in the house where a man wrote a dictionary, you basically have no choice but to cast the net a bit wider.

Having said that, I really do think they should consider the dictionary for their next family event – and I'm only half-joking. Johnson's definitions are far more entertaining than you'd expect...

Oats: "A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."

Excise: "A hateful tax levied upon commodities, and adjudged not by the common judges of property, but wretches hired by those to whom excise is paid."

Finesse: "Artifice; stratagem: an unnecessary word which is creeping into the language."

Patron: "One who countenances, supports or protects. Commonly a wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with flattery."

Fart: "Wind from behind.

'Love is the fart/Of every heart;/It pains a man when 'tis kept close,/And others doth offend when 'tis let loose.'"

Magnificent.

So while this storytelling session sounds like the better bet for most families, I do hope someone at Dr Johnson's House is plotting a future family event based around the dictionary itself. It'd be a hoot.

Find out more: https://www.drjohnsonshouse.org/post/lamentable-tales-merry-gestes-and-pleasant-histories-chapbook-stories-from-the-eighteenth-century

While you’re there…

👍️ You’ll be a short walk from the Hunterian Museum, which I’ve never visited but everyone else raves about while making throwy-uppy faces. It’s tucked inside the Royal College of Surgeons, and is a fascinating mix of science, history and weirdness.

There are over 2,000 anatomical specimens inside – including skeletons, preserved organs and medical tools – and some grisly exhibits on Victorian surgical techniques. Other grossnesses include a necklace of human teeth brought to England by the explorer Henry Morton Stanley, a set of dentures belonging to Winston Churchill, and the foot of an Ancient Egyptian mummy dissected by John Hadley in 1763 – ​​marking the first recorded dissection of a mummy in British history. Relevant extra info from Wikipedia: “For reasons that are unclear, an onion was attached to the foot at some point prior to the dissection.”

👉 Brief interruption in a horrible colour: if this newsletter has earned its keep, you can buy me a coffee. (Completely optional, of course.)

2: Attend the least serious dog show in London

Woolwich Woofs Dog Show
Saturday 11 July, 13:00–17:00 (dog show starts at 15:00)
Woolwich Works, The Fireworks Factory, 11 No. 1 Street, SE18 6HD
FREE (dog show entry £5)
Age guidance: suitable for all

When I was a kid, my mum worked for a pet charity – a job that offered two main perks: a laminator machine in our home office (objectively the most fun stationery appliance ever invented) and an annual trip to Crufts. If you've never experienced either, I recommend the laminator: its fun and usefulness can't be overstated. And unlike Crufts, it doesn't involve spending an entire day watching people obsess over bloodlines and pedigree charts.

Fortunately, not all dog shows take themselves quite so seriously. Woolwich Woofs Dog Show returns this weekend with categories including Waggiest Tail, My Dog's Got Talent, Fetch-it Fido! and my favourite, Beautiful Bitch.

The annual competition takes place in Woolwich Works' courtyard, where dogs of any pedigree and no pedigree at all will tackle obstacle courses, show off their talents and spend an afternoon being enthusiastically applauded for acting like dogs.

There'll also be a fully stocked bar for celebrations and commiserations, and hot dogs on sale for anyone comfortable with that particular menu choice.

You don't need a dog to attend, of course. You don't even need to know a single thing about dogs. But an appreciation for silliness will go a long way, so please bring that with you. And if you happen to own a laminator, bring that too: it’ll almost certainly come in useful for something.

Find out more: https://www.woolwich.works/events/woolwich-woofs-dog-show-2026

While you’re there…

👍️ Just across the river from Woolwich Works, via the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, you’ll find Royal Victoria Gardens – a large riverside park in North Woolwich.

There’s a playground, a splash pool and plenty of open space along this stretch of the Thames, where you can enjoy a gorgeous river view and watch boats pass by. It was originally laid out as a Victorian pleasure garden, so it used to host things like concerts and fireworks, but now it’s a straightforward place to walk, sit, or let the kids run around.

There’s also a large historic steam hammer in the park, which has been left there from the area’s dockland past – a reminder that this was once a much noisier place to spend an afternoon.

3: Discover why Frida Kahlo became everywhere

Frida: The Making of an Icon
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

If Frida Kahlo's paintings leave you cold and you don't know what all the fuss is about, this exhibition is almost designed for you. It's not really a showcase of her work: it's more interested in exploring how one painter ended up on mugs, T-shirts, Barbie dolls and half the tote bags in museum gift shops around the world.

Instead of just lining her paintings up in order, the show looks at Frida from a few different angles – not just as an artist, but as a partner, a political figure, someone who spent much of her life in pain, and, later on, a cultural phenomenon. It also looks at how she’s been embraced by feminists, LGBTQ+ communities and people celebrating Mexican culture, and asks whether we've projected those ideas onto her rather than fully understood who she really was.

To help us figure out the answer, we're shown letters, photographs, clothing, jewellery, home videos, the medical corsets she wore throughout her life and, of course, a selection of her paintings.

Spoiler alert: we learn that she contracted polio as a child, then survived a horrific bus crash at 18 that left her with lifelong injuries and chronic pain. She was confined to bed for months and began painting herself using a mirror mounted above her bed – and it's those self-portraits that would eventually make her one of the most recognisable artists in the world.

Of course, plenty of artists have extraordinary lives without ending up on T-shirts and tequila bottles, so Tate suggests there isn't really a single explanation for how Frida became so famous. To different people, Frida became different things: an artist, a feminist icon, a disability icon, a queer icon, a symbol of Mexican identity and, eventually, a global brand.

I like that the exhibition doesn't seem interested in reducing Frida to whatever modern audiences have decided she was. Instead, it simply presents her life and lets you make up your own mind. She painted her famous monobrow and moustache, for example, but never claimed she was making some grand statement about beauty standards. And she painted miscarriage, infertility and physical suffering at a time when almost nobody else was painting those subjects, but never claimed to be doing it for political reasons. And she had relationships with both men and women, but never discussed them in the context of LGBTQ+ rights. As she said herself: "I painted my own reality." The exhibition never pretends to know what Frida herself would have made of the labels attached to her today.

To me, this isn't really an exhibition about Frida Kahlo's art. It's more about how we gradually turned a complicated human into a symbol that different people found meaningful. So if you've always found her paintings a bit underwhelming, don't let that put you off. In fact, it may even improve your experience: as several disgruntled reviewers have pointed out, there aren't actually that many paintings on display.

Find out more: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/frida-kahlo-the-making-of-an-icon

4: Watch knights knock each other off horses

Henry VIII's Joust
Saturday and Sunday: joust at 11:00, 13:30 and 16:00 and falconry at 12:30 and 15:00 (also 18–19 July)
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

Henry VIII’s favourite sport will be taking place at this annual event at Hampton Court Palace, to celebrate the fact that Ol’ Swipe-Leftalot once nearly died under a horse while taking part, and never played again after the accident. Weird thing to celebrate, but sure. Why not.

Henry VIII’s Joust is a day-long armour-clanking spectacle where you get to watch a jousting performance at a timeslot of your choice, then witness a falconry display with commentary from people who know exactly how to keep your child interested in the dietary habits of a kestrel for a full ten minutes.

But birds shmirds. You can watch an owl do clever things at London Zoo. You’re here for the magnificent, noble and absurdly brave sport of “people on horses trying to knock each other off with giant pointy sticks”.

The format of jousting is simple: two knights on horseback must charge at each other from opposite ends of a barrier (called the tilt) with long wooden lances. The goal is to score points: 1 point for a hit on the opponent’s shield or body, 2 points if the lance breaks on impact, and 3 points for “unhorsing” their opponent. There aren’t many other rules, other than “Don’t aim for the head, because that’s mean.”

The joust and falconry displays are both included in Hampton Court Palace admission: you don’t need to pre-book anything else. It means you also get access on the day to all the other things HCP has to offer. My favourites include:

• The Magic Garden (children’s playground)

• The world’s largest grape vine (useful for winning any pub quizzes about horticultural superlatives)

• The Great Hall (evidence that Henry had taste)

• Cumberland Art Gallery (all the greats)

• Pond Gardens (misleading name: no pond)

• And, of course, the maze

Find out more: https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/henry-viiis-joust/

5: Discover the laundry event with no washing

Laundry Day
Saturday 11 July, 10:30–16:00
Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin Street, SE8 4RJ
FREE
Age guidance: suitable for all

When there were just two of us in the household, we had an actual designated day of the week when we'd do the laundry. Now (and for the past eight years), laundry no longer gets its own special day: it's something that happens literally every single day.

So when I first read about an event called Laundry Day, I immediately started reminiscing about those Saturdays in the 2010s when we'd put on a couple of loads, shove a vacuum half-heartedly around our one-bedder, dunk some bleach down the loo and call it a day. It was laundry day and cleaning day combined, and it was the closest thing we had to a domestic ritual. WOW was life different back then.

As it turns out, this Laundry Day (with those all-important capital letters and italics) has absolutely nothing to do with any of that: it’s much more useful.

For starters, there'll be a clothes-swapping workshop from Make Mee Studio, where you'll learn how to give old clothes and homewares a second life instead of replacing them.

You’ll be in good hands: Make Mee Studio runs creative workshops all year round, teaching adults and children how to make and repair everything from tote bags and cushion covers to dungarees and rucksacks. They also run free community projects and drop-in sessions throughout the year, making upcycling skills accessible to as many people as possible.

Laundry Day also includes a sustainable clothes swap for the LGBT+ community and allies. So if you have clothes in good condition that you've fallen out of love with, there's a decent chance somebody else will enjoy them just as much as you once did.

The whole thing bears absolutely no resemblance to my old dedicated laundry day each week, and I very much doubt I'm alone in that. But what it lacks in spin cycles, it more than makes up for in useful skills.

Find out more: https://deptfordlounge.org.uk/whats-on/event/laundry-day-3/

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.

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.

Perfect Conditions for Flying
Saturday and Sunday, 11:00–18:00
Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Road, NW3 6DG
FREE

Apples and Snakes Word Cup – Showcase Final
Sunday 12 July, 13:00
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
FREE – no ticket required
Age guidance: 12+

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

Bearpit Karaoke July 2026 (see my write-up here)
Saturday 11 July, 16:00–20:00
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, SE11 5HL
FREE – booking required
Age guidance: suitable for all

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)

Discover Children’s Story Centre: reopened!
Daily 10:00–17:00
Discover Children’s Story Centre, 383–387 High Street, E15 4QZ
Adults and children aged 1+ £11, children aged 0–1 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!

Julio Le Parc: Light. Colour. Action. (see my write-up here)
Daily until 3 May 2027, 10:00–18:00 (until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG
Adults £15, 12–18s £5, under-12s free

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

Petit Pierre from Paris
Saturday and Sundays until 12 July, 11:00 and 15:00
The Well Walk Theatre, 49 Willow Road, NW3 1TS
£15.90 per person (last few tickets remaining)
Age guidance: 3+

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

The Ice Cream Project by Anya Hindmarch (see my write-up here)
Daily until 16 August, 10:00–18:00 (Sundays 12:00–17:00)
The Ice Cream Project, 11 Pont Street, SW1X 9EH
Scoops £4.50 each

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

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Until 18 July, 12:30 and/or 19:45
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, The Regent's Park, Inner Circle, NW1 4NU
From £15 per person
Age guidance: 10+

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

Anish Kapoor
Until 18 October, Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00 (Saturdays until 20:00)
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
Adults £22, 12–16s £8, under-12s free

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.”

M.C. Escher. The Exhibition (full review coming soon!)
Tuesday–Sunday until 6 September, 10:00–19:00 (Sundays until 17:00)
Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
Adults £24.50, 4–12s £17.50, under-4s free

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

Cleopatra: The Experience (see my write-up here)
Daily until 12 July, timeslots from 10:00
Immerse LDN, Excel Waterfront, ExCel, E16 1XL
Adults £27, 4–15s £22, under-4s free
Age guidance: suitable for all

Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends (see my write-up here)
Daily until 15 November, 10:00–17:45
Young V&A, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA
£11 per person (under-4s free)

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain – The Best Bits
Most days until 31 August, various start times depending on the day
Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ
£21.25–£45 per person
Age guidance: 5+