HERITAGE

And we’re off – make a beeline for Battersea Power Station and their summer long initiative The Battersea Games, where there’s a mixture of free and ticketed sporting events happening daily that are sure to tire out your tribe, check the full activity schedule here, 1 July – 3 Sept.

It’s Summer in the Courtyard at Somerset House, there are food and drink pop-ups for an impromptu picnic pitstops throughout August in the beautiful Georgian quad, or for even grander neoclassical charms, head to Buckingham Palace where the state rooms are now open until 24 Sept.

Take a trip to the Tudor side where a proper battle’s afoot at Hampton Court Palace when Henry VIII’s Joust returns, 2-6 Aug. The kids will be gobsmacked by real knights facing off, falconry displays and a glimpse of the big guy himself while you can enjoy a nosey around the Great Hall. For more Medieval fun, head to Eltham Palace and Gardens, 22 July – 3 Sept, where kids can have a crack at archery, jester workshops and squire training among other activities happening weekly.

And for some welcome R&R for you while the kids run wild, trot to National Trust’s hidden gems around the city – Morden Hall Park, Osterley Park and House near Middlesex, Fenton House in Hampstead and one of our favourites, Ham House and Garden in Richmond where there’s pretty riverside trails, woodland walks and glorious landscaped gardens to explore at the 17th-century house. 

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FESTIVALS

Ready to make some noise?! Good as there’s still plenty of festival fun to be had. Tom Kerridge’s foodie and music extravaganza Pub in the Park returns for a second sesh this summer at Chiswick House and Gardens, 1 – 3 Sept. On the menu are cookery demos, workshops, food stalls and guest chefs galore while McFly, Ronan Keating, Judge Jules and Squeeze handle the music.

For more foodie fun (go on then) head to Hampton Court Palace Food Festival and dine like the Tudor Queen that you are while the kids enjoy shire horse rides, face painting, arts, crafts and fete games, 26-28 Aug.

Battersea Park (above) will be hosting its first full scale series of concerts in over a decade. With different acts performing each night, think Hyde Park’s BST but more relaxed and child friendly, bring a picnic or pre book a bougie hamper from the The Luxury Picnic Co and choose from A Night at the Musicals (26 Aug), Proms in the Park (27 Aug) and 90s pop gem, Gabrielle performing with some special guests (28 Aug).

For some impromptu festi-fun, head south for Greenwich and Docklands International Festival a yearly (free) celebration of outdoor theatre and performing arts, 25 Aug-10 Sept. The schedule is jam-packed however Greenwich Fair (26 Aug), these neon robotic swans and the immersive theatrical performance, The Architect, particularly caught our eye.

Similarly jam-packed is the Kensington and Chelsea Festival, 1 July-23 Aug where there’s a mix of indoor and outdoor performances, family pop-up shows, activities and art installations including Luke Jerram’s latest enormous space related piece (more on that later).

Not a festival per se but there’s something you can all enjoy at the National Portrait Gallery‘s Summer Family Festival. Across select dates from 31 July-11 Aug, they’ll be kept entertained by photography workshops, painting and storytelling while you can have a nosey around the new digs.

Lastly, we couldn’t not mention Notting Hill Carnival in all its calypso coloured glory, (and probably the closest we’ll get to the Caribbean this year), 27-28 Aug. Sunday is known as the day for families so grab your feathers and your flock and rise at dawn for J’Ouvet, the traditional Caribbean celebration kicking off the carnival at 6am, followed by the children’s day and main carnival parades. There’ll singing, dancing, steel drumming and over 300 different food stalls to sample.

Have wellies will travel? Find our ultimate festival guide here for more family friendly festival fun outside the capital.

FOR TEENS

Turn their frowns upside down with some musical theatre. The iconic London Coliseum welcomes back the equally iconic We Will Rock You the Musical by Queen and Ben Elton, 16 Jul–27 Aug. For the Strictly fans, new musical La Bamba! starring 2014 winner, Pasha Kovalev, comes swinging into the Peacock Theatre, Holborn, 22 Aug-2 Sept. A fiery Latin love story about dance, music and passion with a hip-swinging soundtrack to boot. Failing these, of course there is always Hamilton which you can *finally* getting tickets for without a year-long wait.

The Gielgud Theatre is offering up something more serious (and spooky) with The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s masterpiece about Salem’s witch hunts whose all star cast – Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon), Caitlin FitzGerald (Succession) and Brian Gleeson (Bad Sisters) – is sure to score you some brownie points, until 12 Sept.

For your teen ballerina, Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet will be a sure-fire hit. This gorgeous reimagining of the classic tale, full of Bourne’s trademark passion, drama and seduction, is coming to Sadlers Wells Theatre, 1 Aug-2 Sept. Follow this with a ballet themed afternoon tea and tour of the Royal Opera House and you’ve got yourself one happy teen – for the day at least.

Though their faces will never let on, exhibition wise there’s something to bring a smile to every type of teen. Film buffs will love Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City pop-up exhibition at 180 The Strand, which features everything from original sets, costumes, props, and even the quintessentially fifties diner from the film, until 30 July.

Greta Thunberg wannabes will be thoroughly impressed by the latest group exhibition, Dear Earth: Art & Hope in a Time of Crisis, at the Southbank Centre‘s Hayward Gallery where 14 artists have responded to the current climate crisis through different mediums of art – powerful, moving and inspiring.

For your teen DIVA, the Victoria & Albert Museum‘s aptly named exhibit celebrates the fierce and fiery role of the ‘diva’ thoughout history from the 19th century until the present day and showcases some ahhhhhmazing outfits, which will pair quite nicely with a shopping trip (if your purse strings are up to it).

And arty teens will love the National Portrait Gallery’s shiny new look as well as this shiny new exhibit of never before seen photos taken of The Beatles taken by a Beatle – Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64 Eyes of the Storm. Open until Sun 1 Oct.

PERFORMANCE

Enter stage left and snatch some sanity while someone else does the entertaining. First up the Southbank Centre who are time travelling (unfortunately not to September and back to school) with Zoe’s Peculiar Journey Through Time, 1-3 Sept. Then under the sea with SpongeBob the Musical, where Gareth Gates of Pop Idol fame will be playing Squidworth (above), and the theme tune will undoubtedly get stuck in your head – worth it for the happy kids? You be the judge, 26 July-27 Aug.

Follow the yellow brick road to the Palladium for a star-studded showing of the Wizard of Oz where Jason Mamford is on the prowl for some courage and Ashley Banjo is busting moves as the Robot without a heart, booking until 3 Sept.

There’s not one but two of Judith Kerr’s lovable feline characters coming to the stage this summer – Mog The Forgetful Cat will be at The Old Vic, 11-29 July (if she remembers) and her Tiger that Came to Tea will be sniffing out the Earl Grey at the Haymarket Theatre, 10 July-3 Sept.

The Horrible Histories clan, or more precisely the Terrible Tudors, will be taking over The Garrick Theatre, 27 Jul-2 Sept, for an immersive show about the most infamous kings and queens in history. Kids who love all things awful, amusing and gory (what kid doesn’t?) will love this.

Shakespeare but make it different? Even moody teens will crack a smile at the Olivier nominated Midsummer Mechanicals and their riff on the classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Supposedly fun for 5s to 105s, catch it at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, 22 July-26 Aug,

Kew al fresco theatre fun (sorry) as Alice in Wonderland wanders into the theatre at Kew Gardens with a lovely production for families 22 July – 28 Aug. While you’re there, check out the outdoor cinema listings at Kew the Movies, where three movies will be shown daily from 30 Aug-3 Sept with Moana, Encanto and Paddington among the hot picks for kids.

Win at Morden Hall Park by nabbing a seat at these open air shows – just don’t forget to pack a picnic – Peter Rabbit (4-6 Aug), David Walliams’ Bad Dad (17-18 Aug), The Wizard of Oz (28 Jul-1 Aug) and Doctor Dolittle (25 Aug).

Regents Park certainly understood the summer entertainment assignment with these outdoor gems. First The Tempest which has been reimagined for ages six and over, (until 22 July), the much loved, seriously life-like, prehistoric, interactive puppet show, Dinosaur World Live, returns 11 Aug – 3 Sept, and ages ten plus can catch Robin Hood steal from the rich and give to the poor until 22 Jul.

Itching to get them into opera? Opera Holland Park have got the show for you with their world premiere of Itch, a gorgeous comedy come adventure story, (based on Simon Mayo’s best selling novels), set to a sparkling operatic score, 22 Jul-4 Aug.

Ran out of stage (and patience)? Why not revisit some of these Westend gems, The Lion King, Matilda The Musical, Frozen the Musical, Back to the Future and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

EXHIBITIONS

Get them outside and off their phones with an arty tour around London. Now in its twelfth year, 18 different pieces of artwork can be found dotted around the financial district in the annual Sculpture in the City outdoor exhibition, until spring 2024.

Having the opposite effect as they most certainly will want to pap a pic on their phones of this – Luke Jerram’s newest installation of Mars (above). Like his models of the Moon and Earth before, Mars features incredibly detailed imagery of the Red Planet including its craters and mountains. Exhibited as part of the Kensington and Chelsea Festival and accompanied by a haunting soundtrack by award-winning composer, Dan Jones, this will certainly keep them quiet for while, 22 July-13 Aug.

Younger kids will enjoy the part art installation, part adventure playground, REPLAY, at the Southbank Centre – a tactile immersive display built entirely out of waste materials, repurposed for summer holiday fun! 8 Jul-3 Sept.

There’s more from the Horrible Histories lot at North London’s RAF Museum 22 July-3 Sept where all things gruesome about the history of flight are being explored in this interactive family exhibit. Similarly, the London Dungeons are all about the Rotten Royals, an immersive experience that the kids will love, you however may want to cower in the shadows as it will require some audience participation (gulp). Included with the price of a standard ticket from 22 July you will however need to book a time to attend it.

Lastly, if you’ve not managed to drag the kids to either of these yet, they are well worth a wander round – BBC Earth Experience at The Daiken Centre and Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur at The National History Museum.

OUTDOORS

Mix it up with some Urban Crazy Golf at The Horniman Museum and Gardens while taking in your favourite Horniman attractions from 10 July – we’ll personally be tee-ing off with the alpacas at the Animal Walk.

Keeping things cute and cuddly at London Zoo (happily ignoring the reptile house and spider walk through), where they have a Big Sumer of Fun planned. All summer through to 3 Sept, the zoo will be filled with all sorts of games, challenges and puzzles that your whole family will enjoy while animal spotting (of course).

Head west to the theme park come playground come petting zoo come summer holiday hero, Hobbledown Heath in Hounslow, for their first Hobbledown Hullabaloo! Where there’s powder paint dancing, water games, science experiments – basically a whole lot of crazy fun over and above the usual shenanigans on offer, 24 Jul-3 Sept.

That should keep them occupied (for now), if all else fails, there’s always TV for them and a Tramadol for you – just saying.