👾 5 things to do in London this weekend with the kids (2–3 November)

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Hello DiLFs!

Did half term go wonderfully? Was it fun, or more a case of trying to WFH while they helped themselves to crisps and computer games? If you’re desperate for some proper quality time together after a week of “Because I said so,” I have a LOT of events and activities for you to enjoy below. 

But if you’d rather do something more low-key (while still enjoying what the city has to offer), I found a brilliant map online you might like: The Most Efficient Sightseeing Tour of London. It’s about five miles long and covers most of London’s best bits. If you pop in a couple of breaks for lunch and snacks, I reckon it could be a great day out. 

Whatever you do, congrats on surviving! 

Jeff xx

PS I’ve just emailed everyone who bought The Big London Christmas List to warn them about a bunch of festive activities that are selling out fast. Don’t let these events slip through your fingers! Get the list for a £3 donation (which works out at about $3.93 on the payment platform I use) and I’ll keep you updated on which ones you need to book NOW!

1: Pick your vibe at the Southbank Centre: balloons and glue sticks or violins and virtuosity

Happy Birthday Elmer! 
Sunday 3 November, 10:30–14:30 (crafting) and 12:30–14:30 (party and DJ in a separate room)
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
FREE – no ticket required

María Dueñas Plays Sibelius
Sunday 3 November, 15:00
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
From £10 adults and £7.50 children (under 16), depending on seating area

This weekend at the Southbank Centre, you have two options so wildly different you’d wonder if they’re even in the same postcode. One is all about celebrating a rainbow-splashed elephant, while the other is a Sibelius concerto – so I’ll let you decide which sounds more your speed.

You could actually try both, if you wanted to. Elmer’s birthday party involves drop-in crafting activities between 10:30 and 14:30, and party games and music (with a live DJ!) between 12:30 and 14:30. The Sibelius thing starts at 15:00, and features the award-winning violinist María Dueñas perform Silbelius’s Violin Concerto – “one of the undisputed pinnacles of the violin repertoire”. There are other pieces of music at the event, but Silbelius is the main draw. And it’s suitable for ages 7+. 

So: plenty of time for a thoroughly dichotomous day. 

Find out more:

https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/happy-birthday-elmer/ 

https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/maria-duenas-plays-sibelius/ 

2: Get festive about the afterlife, Mexico-style

Hackney Bridge Day of the Dead Festival
Sunday 3 November, 13:00 onwards
Hackney Bridge, Echo Building Units 1–28, E15 2SJ
£7.70 per person (under-3s go FREE and don’t need a ticket)

All my knowledge about Day of the Dead comes from the Disney movie Coco. If you slept through it, I’m jealous that you weren’t prodded awake every five seconds by young people who fundamentally disagree about popcorn-sharing etiquette. 

But at least I can explain what I know about this Mexican holiday. It’s when families honour deceased loved ones by sharing memories of them and welcoming their spirits back to the world of the living for a celebration. It’s a lovely, happy occasion (except in the film, where things go a bit skewiff for a while). 

And for some reason – even though there really aren’t that many Mexican people living here – there’s going to be “the biggest festival of the Day of the Dead outside Mexico” at Hackney Bridge this Sunday. Which is fine by me: after the glut of August festivals that simply celebrated “IT’S SUMMER WOOOOO”, I’m well up for a more imaginative reason to party. 

Hackney Bridge’s Day of the Dead Festival is a Saturday night/Sunday day affair. You can only attend the Sunday daytime bit if you’re con niños – but that’s when all the good stuff happens anyway. The event starts with a dance group “displaying a vast array of beautiful dresses and regional dances from Mexico… with special guests” – and I’m banking on Salma Hayek being one of those guests because who else could it be??? Frida Kahlo in spirit form? Ooh maybe. 

There’ll also be a Mexican street market featuring arts and crafts, Mexican street food stalls, workshops for both adults and kids, a parade, and – because every festival needs face painting – there’ll be face painting. 

Find out more: https://hackneybridge.org/em_event/londons-day-of-the-dead-festival/ 

While you’re there… 

OK I had no idea Hackney Bridge was actually IN Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. (And to clarify – because I had no idea and you might not either – Hackney Bridge is a kind of “destination hub”, with events, street food, markets, and so on. From what I can gather, there’s absolutely no bridge in sight.)

And there’s so much to do and see at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Out come the bullet points! 

• Swim in the world-famous and architecturally interesting London Aquatics Centre. (Or you can just watch for free from the waiting area.)

• Sit in the stands of the velodrome at Lee Valley VeloPark, where Sir Chris Hoy won a bazillion medals in the 2012 Olympics. (You can also have lessons in many different types of biking.)

• Visit a ton of parks, playgrounds, gardens, open spaces, waterways and rivers. 

• Take a look at all the artwork scattered around the park. 

• Follow a dedicated trail around the park. (There are a few different ones – including a art trail and a children’s trail.)

• Tell everyone you’d LOVE to ride the 114.5-metre slide of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, but it just so happens to be closed until 2025. Shame.  

3: Have a big-screen adventure that’s not Marvel

Family Film Week
Saturday and Sunday, various times 
Cinema 2, Barbican Centre, Beech Street, EC2Y 8DS

It’s Family Film Week at the Barbican – and because it’s the Barbican, it's safe to assume you won’t find these films at your local Odeon. Here’s what you can watch this weekend: 

The Boy and the World (PG)
Saturday 2 November, 11:00
Adults £5, children £2.50 (plus a booking fee of £1.50)

SELLING OUT QUICKLY!

This dialogue-free animation follows a young boy’s journey from his home in the countryside to strange lands as he searches for his father. Somehow, the boy ends up in cotton fields, robotic factories, city slums and some futuristic worlds in the sky. DUDE, FGS: sat-nav would have saved you so much effort. 

The film “touches on themes of environmentalism, industrialisation, political upheavals and family bonds” – which makes me think it was after an award of two. What’s that? It was nominated for an Oscar a while ago? There you go then. 

There’s also a free, pre-film workshop (11:30–14:00) for attendees in which you can create your own magical wands using natural and recycled materials. The wands “will represent not only the magic seen in the films, but also symbolize [z???] the power of friendship and collaboration, as participants can ‘enchant’ their wands with positive qualities such as kindness, loyalty and teamwork.” I mean… if kids don’t use the wands to yell “ABRACADABRA! I’ve magicked away your willy!!!” I’ll be amazed. 

That Christmas (PG)
Sunday 3 November, 10:45 and 13:00
Adults £5, children £2.50 (plus a booking fee of £1.50)

SELLING OUT QUICKLY!

We booked tickets ages ago and are VERY excited to see this animated adaptation of Richard Curtis’s trilogy of children’s books, which “follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness [and] Santa Claus making a big mistake”.  

The voice cast includes Brian Cox, Jodie Whitaker, Guz Khan and Bill Nighy, and ohmygod I’ve just realised that Richard Curtis has simply adapted Love Actually for children. Hasn’t he? If that’s the case, at least it’s about half an hour shorter. 

The Imaginary (PG)
Saturday 2 November, 14:00
Adults £5, children £2.50 (plus a booking fee of £1.50)

Probably not for the worriers of the world. It’s about Rudger, an imaginary friend in crisis mode after his creator, Amanda, ends up in a coma. (Yes: a coma. In a kids’ film.) Imaginary friends don’t last long without believers, so Rudger sets off through a mix of real and imaginary dangers to try to bring Amanda back – all while hoping he doesn’t fade away first.

The free wand-making workshop mentioned above is available (11:30–14:00) before this performance too. 

While you’re there… 

👍️ Postman’s Park is a beautiful little pocket park nearby, which opened in 1880 and was a popular lunchtime garden with workers from the nearby Old General Post Office. It’s also home to the Watts Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, which commemorates “ordinary people who died saving the lives of others and who might otherwise have been forgotten”. The history of the memorial is super interesting, if you’re up for a quick read. 

👍️ Guildhall has a genuine Roman amphitheatre in the basement (discovered in 1988 while digging in preparation for re-building the gallery). It’s open every day for you to stand where crowds would have gathered to watch animal fights, public executions and gladiatorial combats. 

4: Bring a classic storybook adventure to life (mail included)

Family Workshops: The Jolly Postman
Saturday 2 November, 11:00–12:00 and 13:00–14:00
British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB
FREE (but needs to be booked)

FREE TICKETS ARE GOING FAST! (If it’s fully booked by the time you arrive at the site, give The British Library a call to find out about the possibility of walk-ins.)

Once upon a bicycle, 
So they say, 
A Jolly Postman came one day
From over the hills
And far away… 

And so begins one of the best children’s books ever created. If your parents didn’t buy you The Jolly Postman or read it to you when you were younger, you’re officially allowed to hold a grudge until the end of time. 

The story, told entirely in rhyme, follows a postman who delivers letters to all the usual fairytale crew – Cinderella, The Three Bears, The Big Bad Wolf, The Wicked Witch, etc. Each page includes real, pull-out letters, postcards and invitations in little envelopes, and I’m getting misty-eyed just thinking about it all. 

Whether your children are already familiar with The Jolly Postman (good parent!) or not (use this opportunity to redeem yourself!), I’m pretty sure they’ll enjoy this themed workshop at the British Library. There’ll be an interactive storytelling of the book, followed by a chance to dress up and create crafts, and then a sing-along with stories, spells and chants on a story walk adventure through the Library. 

Find out more: https://thebritishlibraryfamilyevents.seetickets.com/tour/family-workshops-the-jolly-postman 

5: Watch one of the best Pixar movies, in one of the best cinemas, for one of the best prices

Monsters, Inc.
Saturday and Sunday, 11:00
The Garden Cinema, 39–41 Parker Street, WC2B 5PQ
Pay what you can

Monsters, Inc. is only #11 on the Rotten Tomatoes ranking of all Pixar movies – but ALL FOUR Toy Stories are in the top 10, so it’s obvious something dodgy is going on. (I'm not sure what, exactly, but we all know that Monsters, Inc. belongs in the top 5 – and shenanigans are clearly afoot if it’s not.)

It’s never really shown at the cinema anymore because it came out in 2001 (wait whaaaaat? It came out TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGO???), but this weekend, The Garden Cinema is doing the right thing and recognising its brilliance (and its tie-in with Halloween) with two screenings. Not only that, but it’s “pay what you can”. 

If you attend on the Sunday morning, there’s a free activity for children after the film. 

Seeing a film at The Garden Cinema feels like much more of an experience than any regular cinema: it’s a beautiful art deco-style, truly independent place with classy drinks, proper good coffee, and the kinds of hipster snacks you feel better about buying than Haribo. 

Find out more: https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/monsters-inc/

While you’re there… 

👍️ You’re temptingly close to Sir John Soane’s Museum (totally free to visit) – a bewildering place that’ll make you feel better about your own living room clutter. It’s the former house of architect John Soane, who effectively donated it to the nation after his death because he despised his son and didn’t want him to inherit anything. 

The house is pretty much as Soane left it – and yes, that includes the sarcophagus in the basement, the hundreds of sculptures, and the innumerable Chinese ceramics, Greek vases and Roman glasses. If you’re a neat freak, you’ll self-combust. Get The Big London Christmas List 2024!