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🛹 59 things to do in London this weekend with the kids (23–25 May)

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Jeff – Dads in London
May 20, 2026

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Hey DILFs!

Want to see the red samurai armour worn by Sanada Yukimura? Well... here’s the next best thing: a true-to-life replica!

Japan House is displaying a newly handmade version of the legendary warrior’s armour for a limited time – complete with the famous antlered helmet and red colour scheme. 

Sanada Yukimura became one of Japan’s great tragic underdog figures after dying in battle defending Osaka Castle in the early 1600s. Over the centuries that followed, he was transformed into a larger-than-life figure through books, theatre and folklore – and these days he also turns up regularly in video games, anime and manga.

This replica was created by Marutake, a specialist company in Kagoshima that usually makes armour for films and TV. Apparently a full suit like this requires around 30 different craftspeople to complete, including metalworkers, lacquerers, leatherworkers and braiders. Which is impressive and everything, but ultimately of limited practical value given that he still died in battle. Still, lovely detailing.

Enjoy this and/or all the other stuff on offer this long weekend! 

Until next week, 

Jeff xx

1: Fill a bank holiday weekend with dogs, DJs and sand pits

Pooches & Pints Dog Show, HOUSECATS Catitude Festival, Big Penny Foosball Challenger, Playground Project and Big Penny Beach Club
Saturday, Sunday and Monday, various times
Big Penny Social, 1 Priestley Way, E17 6AL
Price varies depending on event
Age guidance: mostly suitable for all (see separate listings for more information)

I’m the kind of parent who looks at an upcoming bank holiday weekend in the calendar and panics about how best to fill the time. If Big Penny Social were a human parent, it would be the type who’s frustratingly capable, well-organised AND super fun. 

Big Penny Social is a relentless overachiever year-round, but it really takes things to new levels of smug competence on bank holiday weekends. And if you can get over the feelings of resentment, supreme inferiority and wounded pride, it’s worth checking out what they have planned – because your family will love it, and you’ll almost certainly enjoy yourself too.

Working our way backwards… 

On Bank Holiday Monday there’s the now-famous Pooches & Pints Dog Show – and if you’re lucky enough to own a dog in London, you should consider it your civic duty to enter so that the rest of us can aww our way into happiness. Messy mongrels are just as welcome as their purebred (and highly strung) counterparts, and the prizes are tongue-in-cheek enough to reassure us that this is all just a bit of fun rather than Crufts 2.0.

Then on Sunday we have the HOUSECATS Catitude Festival between 13:00 and 18:00. HOUSECATS is a pro-uppercase dance outfit that keeps the spirit of house music alive with family-friendly raves. You’ll be surrounded by bubbles, glitter and glow sticks, and there’s also a chill-out zone and ice-cream. Most importantly, the whole thing starts at 1pm rather than 1am – and it’s over by dinner.

On Sunday AND Saturday, there’s the Big Penny Foosball Challenger. I don’t think kids can participate – and I don’t think there are many spots for the “amateur adults” games (lots of it seems to be for pros) – but it looks like jolly good fun to be part of the audience. And you’ll see some excellent table football rather than the sort usually played beside a sticky fruit machine.

Also on Saturday you can check out Playground Project – which loves jargon more than HOUSECATS loves a capital letter. It’s a “curated pop-up platform bringing together a handpicked selection of independent brands across kidswear and family lifestyle”. Playground Project is apparently “a more considered alternative to traditional markets”, with (prepare to puke) “shoppers browsing thoughtfully selected rails, exploring product-led displays and spending time within the space”. Don’t let the mumbo-jumbo put you off: I’ve checked out some of the brands listed and they are deeelightful. Pricey and wholly unnecessary, but delightful. And even if you can’t find anything you want to buy, there’s a (free) colouring station and (less free) tote-bag-making workshop for children.

There’s more!! Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer, there’s Big Penny Beach Club, which is a massive sandpit that’s surrounded by deckchairs and cabanas. You’ll be able to lounge around doing nothing while your kids play in the sand, or you can make use of the gelataria, spritz bar, beer on tap, frozen cocktails, fish & chips, pop-up volleyball, kids’ games, DJs and special events throughout the summer.

Find out more: 

While you’re there… 

👍️ Walthamstow Wetlands is the main source of water supply for 3.5 million people, as well as an internationally important nature reserve that provides home and shelter to a range of wildlife. It’s a beautiful and peaceful area to visit, with plenty of walking paths and lots of bird-spotting to be had. Check out these photos for an idea of what it’s like.

Winston Churchill: The Painter
Daily until 29 November, 10:00–17:00
The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN
Adults £18, 12–17s £6, under-12s free

As a head of state who also had a fondness for watercolours, Winston Churchill was part of a surprisingly crowded club. Dwight D. Eisenhower, George W Bush, err Mao Zedong and oh em yes Adolf Hitler were all fans of both the visual arts and “the art of the possible” (or “the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedy,” depending on how you see these things). 

But Churchill’s relationship with painting was different from the others because, for a start, he was actually really bloody good. Like, annoyingly good. Like, “Why do YOU get all the skills and all I’m good at is opening jars and reaching high shelves?” good. 

And secondly, he painted while in office – not just before or after. In fact, he painted throughout WWII – using it as a survival mechanism of sorts, because his brain needed somewhere else to go for a few hours. He even wrote an essay called Painting as a Pastime, in which he explained that it “came to my rescue in a most trying time”, and that he finds painting to be “a joyride in a paintbox”.

That lifelong painting habit is now the subject of a major new exhibition at the Wallace Collection, bringing together more than 50 of Churchill’s works – many from private collections that are rarely seen publicly.

There are Moroccan street scenes, Mediterranean landscapes, portraits, still lifes and loads of paintings of Chartwell, Churchill’s house in Kent. Most have the sort of sunny confidence you normally associate with someone who has spent their entire life sitting on the beach reading a book rather than, say, running Britain during WWII.

While you’re there… 

👍️ I have it on good authority that there’s some sort of Churchill-themed family activity trail, which involves drawing and finding things connected to the exhibition. There’s nothing about it online, but I’ve been told it’s definitely a thing. 

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

Origo: Delcy Morelos
Daily until 31 July, check website for opening times
Sculpture Court, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
FREE

Colombian artist Delcy Morelos has built a gigantic earth structure in the Barbican Sculpture Court using 30 tonnes of soil, clay, hay, seeds and spices. It’s 24 metres wide and you can walk through narrow tunnels inside it, sit in the middle for a bit, and smell a lot of cinnamon and cloves.

The installation is called Origo, and Morelos has become known for these huge soil-based works over the past few years. She was part of the Venice Biennale in 2022 and won a major public art prize last year – but this is apparently the biggest outdoor piece she’s made so far. The Barbican says the work is inspired by Andean and Amazonian ideas about humanity’s relationship with the earth – which sounds a bit deep, but reviews of her previous installations suggest they can be rather affecting. 

One journalist visiting an earlier version in Mexico described people whispering about childhood memories after recognising the smell of the soil. Another visitor apparently lay on the floor staring at the walls for ages. I consider myself to be immune from these kinds of emotions, but who knows? “Maybe I’ll come out whispering about childhood memories as well.

And the photos do look striking. Especially against the Barbican itself, which has never once looked like it might smell of cloves.

While you’re there…

👍️ Filmmaker and “speculative architect” Liam Young is taking over many locations within the Barbican for a few months, for an immersive exhibition called In Other Worlds. It’s basically a series of giant sci-fi visions (in the form of films, costumes, props, movie miniature models, comics, tapestries and soundscapes) about how humanity might reorganise itself in response to climate change, AI, energy demands and environmental collapse. 

MCM Comic Con London
22–24 May, different opening times each day
Excel London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, E16 1XL
Adults from £27 per day, 5–10s from £7 per day, under-5s free
Age guidance: suitable for all

When I first took my son on the newly opened Elizabeth Line, it was on the same day as Comic Con 2022. Even now, four years later, he still thinks of it as a commuter line for superheroes who are too tired to fly or whose jet packs have run out of batteries. 

We’ve never actually been inside Comic Con, but our Iron Man-filled train journey made us realise it’d be fun just to stand outside the venue and watch various fanfiction favourites come and go. You could do that too, or you could buy tickets and actually go inside to experience it in full. 

And WHAT an experience it’ll be (he says, having never been). It’s hard to summarise it here – especially when most of my word count went towards an unrelated anecdote about a train journey – but I’ll try. To me, it seems that the highlights this year include: 

  • Meet-and-greets with Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Kevin Eastman (the co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Alan Tudyk (Duke Weaselton in Zootopia, Heihei in Moana, and Pico the toucan in Encanto) and many, many more. 

  • Cosplay Central – with cosplay showcases, cosplay workshops, tips on getting your perfect cosplay picture, and the cosplay hospital (where a team of volunteers will glue-gun, pin, sew or tape your outfit back together, free of charge). 

  • Pop Asia – where you can learn the steps to your favourite K-Pop track, watch martial arts demonstrations, and try manga drawing, origami, calligraphy, and even some Japanese and Korean.

  • The Creator Pavilion – “home to influencers, creators and crafters who have carved out their niches, built engaged communities, and leveraged various platforms… to share their passions, expertise, and creativity with their audiences”. 

  • The Treehouse – an area specifically for families, with a family gaming zone, face painting, crafting, a kids’ chill-out space and a dedicated kids’ cosplay showcase. 

There’s an awful lot to do and see, and experienced visitors advise that you plan your day(s) in advance to avoid overwhelm and tantrums.

🌟 The Golden Ticket: an extra weekly email about the events seriously need to book ahead for. (Because the best things book up waaay in advance.)

🌟 Access to my complete database of future events (the ones you’ll need to book), so you can browse, plan and book any time.

Holy Pop!
Daily until 9 August, various timeslots throughout each day
Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
Pay what you can

I’m not saying I’d queue to look at Nina Simone’s chewing gum behind glass. I’m just saying that if I unexpectedly encountered Nina Simone’s chewing gum behind glass, I’d probably spend several minutes looking at it instead of reacting the way I normally react to chewing gum found in public. And I barely even know who Nina Simone was: I just know that she was famous.

Humans are very strange about famous people. We cry over them, queue for them, build little shrines to them in our homes, and occasionally travel to beaches in Wales to leave socks beside the grave of an elf.

Holy Pop! is about that instinct. The exhibition explores the weirdly devotional ways people commemorate celebrities, fictional characters and public figures.

Across three rooms, it moves from private obsessions to public mourning: shelves full of memorabilia, handwritten notes, rare records, fan photographs, souvenirs and various other objects that would feel wildly unhinged in almost any non-celebrity context. One display recreates artist Emma Hart’s shrine to Prince, featuring around 250 carefully preserved items stored in a cabinet in her living room. Elsewhere there’s footage of the David Bowie memorial in Brixton, plus photographs of the very real pilgrimage site that has formed around Dobby’s grave in Pembrokeshire.

The exhibition ends with perhaps the purest example of all this: that single piece of chewing gum once chewed by Nina Simone, retrieved after a concert by musician Warren Ellis and kept for decades because people are, as we’ve just been shown, quite bonkers.

Other listings

This section now 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.

Museum of Illusions (see my write-up here)
Open daily, permanently, 10:00–19:00 or 20:00 depending on the day
Museum of Illusions, 15–17 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 1BJ
Adults (15+) £29, 5–14s £24, under-5s free
Age guidance: suitable for all

Michael Rosen's Birthday
Saturday 23 May, 11:00
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
Free
Age guidance: 5+

Boxed In
Until Saturday 23 May, various start times
Half Moon Theatre, 43 White Horse Road, E1 0ND
ÂŁ9 per person
Age guidance: 3–6

Rapunzel
Saturday 23 May, 11:30 and 14:00
The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, SE8 4AG
ÂŁ9.50 per person
Age guidance: 5–10

Luminarium: LUXART by Architects of Air
Until Sunday 31 May, various start times each day
Power Station Park, Battersea Power Station, Riverside Walk, SW11 8EZ
ÂŁ10 per person

A Line Florist by Anna Bruder
Until Sunday 31 May, various start times each day
Battersea Power Station, SW11 8EZ
ÂŁ10 per person

Splats and Spindles: Six English Regional Chairs
Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–17:00
Museum of the Home, 136 Kingsland Road, E2 8EA
Free – no booking required

Elizabeth I: Queen & Court
Until 10 July, weekdays 09:30–18:00
Philip Mould & Company, 18–19 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
Free – no booking required

James McNeill Whistler
Until 27 September, various timeslots throughout each day
Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG
Adults £24, 12–18s £5, under-12s free

Hamley Bear and the Secret Treasure Mission: Thames Rockets
Sunday 24 May, various timeslots
London Eye Pier, Boarding Gate 1, SE1 7PB
Adults ÂŁ64.95, under-14s ÂŁÂŁ54.95
Age guidance: no age restriction

Eye Spy
Until Sunday 31 May, 10:30–13:00 and 14:00–16:00 each day
London Museum Docklands, No. 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, E14 4AL
Free – no booking required
Age guidance: 3+

Family Station: Explore and Play
Until Friday 29 May, 11:00–15:00 each day
British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB
Free, drop-in
Age guidance: suitable for all

Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep
Until 3 January 2027, timeslots between 10:00 and 16:30
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD
Adults £17.50, 4–17s £8.75, under-4s free
Age guidance: 8+

Family Fun Workshop: Eid Letters: Creative Calligraphy for Families
Saturday 23 May, 11:00–12:30 and 14:30–16:00
Leighton House, 12 Holland Park Road, W14 8LZ
ÂŁ5 per child; accompanying adult free
Age guidance: 5–10

Bubble Explorers
Until Friday 23 October, various timeslots each day
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD
ÂŁ4.50 per person (under-2s free)
Age guidance: 7 and under

Tales from Acorn Wood
Until Tuesday 26 May, 11:00 and/or 14:00
artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, N12 0GA
ÂŁ15 per person
Age guidance: 1+

Greenwich Dog Show
Sunday 24 May, 10:00–18:00
Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, SE10 9NN
Free (booking required)

The Big Bahooey
Until Monday 25 May, 10:00–18:00
Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9AU
Free with palace admission (adults £32, children 5–15 £16, children 0–4 free)
Age guidance: suitable for all 

Let's Get Creative: Story Cloths and Family Tapestries
Sunday 24 May, 13:00–16:00
Orleans House Gallery, Orleans Road, Twickenham, TW1 3BL
Free
Age guidance: 4–11

The Rapping Princess
Until 21 June, various start times each day
Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, SW19 1SB
ÂŁ11 per person
Age guidance: 3–6

The Flying Bath
Until 12 July, various start times each day
Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, N1 2DN
Adults £15.50, 1–17s £13.50
Age guidance: 2–5

Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape
Until 19 July, various start times each day
Little Angel Studios, Sebbon Street, N1 2EH
Adults £15.50, 1–17s £13.50
Age guidance: 5+

The Ugly Duckling
Puppet Theatre Barge, Blomfield Road (opposite 35), W9 2PF
Until 31 May, various start times
Adults £15, 2–16s £12
Age guidance: 4–10

Skate 50 (see my write-up here)
Various dates until 21 June, various timeslots
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
Pay what you can: £0–£10 (free for skateboarders)
Age guidance: suitable for all

Zurbarán (see my write-up here)
Daily until 23 August, 10:00–18:00 (Fridays until 21:00)
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN
£20–£22 (off-peak/peak), under-18s free

NIGO: From Japan with Love
Daily until 4 October, 10:00–17:00 Monday–Thursday and 10:00–18:00 Friday–Sunday
Design Museum, 224–238 Kensington High Street, W8 6AG
Adults £19, 6–17s £10, under-6s free

Tortoise and the Hare
Various dates until 31 May, various start times
Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, SW19 1SB
ÂŁ10 per person
Age guidance: 3–7

Paulo Nimer Pjota: Encantados
Wednesday–Sunday until 23 August, 12:00–18:00 (Wednesdays until 21:00)
South London Gallery, 65–67 Peckham Road, SE5 8UH
FREE – no booking required

David Bowie: You're Not Alone (see my write-up here)
Until 10 September (most days), 10:30–16:30 or 17:30 depending on the day
Lightroom, 12 Lewis Cubitt Square, N1C 4DY
Adults £29.50, 3–18s £19.50, under-3s free (family discounts available at certain times of day)
Age guidance: suitable for all

Early Netherlandish drawings (see my write-up here)
Daily until 20 September, 10:00–17:00 (until 20:30 on Fridays)
British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG
FREE

Paint! Pattern! Print! The Textiles of Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell (see my write-up here)
Tuesday–Saturday until 13 September, 11:00–18:00
Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF
Adults £11.50, 12–17s £9.50, under-12s free

The Wallace Collection at War
Daily until 25 October, 10:00–17:00
The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN
FREE

Konrad Mägi
Tuesday–Sunday until 12 July, 10:00–17:00
Dulwich Picture Gallery, College Road, SE21 7AD
Adults ÂŁ18, under-18s free

The Coming of Age
Tuesday–Sunday until 29 November
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE
FREE

The Last Princess of Punjab
Daily until 8 November, 10:00–18:00
Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, W8 4PX
Free with admission (adults £24.70, 5–17s £12.40, under-5s free)

Mundo Pixar Experience (see my write-up here)
Until 28 June, 09:00/10:00–20:00 (earlier start time on weekends)
Fulton Road, Wembley, HA9 0TF
Adults £34–£36, 2–15s £22–£24, under-2s free
Age guidance: suitable for all

Fairy Tales (see my write-up here)
Until 23 August, various timeslots throughout each day (usually 09:30–16:30)
The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB
Adults £13.50, 5–16s £13.50, 1–5s £6.75, under-1s free
Age guidance: 3–10

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

Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art (see my write-up here)
Daily until 1 November, 10:00–18:00
Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ
FREE
Age guidance: suitable for all

David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting (see my write-up here)
Tuesday–Sunday until 23 August, 10:00–18:00
Serpentine North, West Carriage Drive, W2 2AR
FREE, but booking required

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
ÂŁ11 per person (under-4s free)

Ramses and the Pharaohs' Gold: The Exhibition (see my write-up here)
Daily until 31 May (various timeslots)
Adults £32.05, 5–15s £28.05, under-5s free
Battersea Power Station, 2 Circus Road East, SW11 8DQ
Age guidance: 5+

Voyage to the Deep – Underwater Adventures
Daily until 1 November, 10:30–17:30
Horniman Museum & Gardens, 100 London Road, SE23 3PQ
Adults ÂŁ9.80, children ÂŁ7, under-3s free
Age guidance: 2+

Octonauts: Adventure at the Horniman
Daily until 1 November, 10:00–17:30
Horniman Museum & Gardens, 100 London Road, SE23 3PQ
FREE

Tracey Emin: A Second Life (see my write-up here)
Daily until 31 August, 10:00–18:00
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG
Adults £14, 12–18s £5, under-12s free

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style (see my write-up here)
Daily until 18 October, 10:00–17:00
The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA
Adults £22, 5–17s £11, under-5s free

🌟 The Golden Ticket: an extra weekly email about the events seriously need to book ahead for. (Because the best things book up waaay in advance.)

🌟 Access to my complete database of future events (the ones you’ll need to book), so you can browse, plan and book any time.