HALLOWEEN: OCTOBER'S TOP 45 THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS
Trick and Treat the Kids this Halloween and Half-Term 2024
Give your little monsters something to cackle and scream about this Halloween, with our ultimate guide to the sprog-friendly spooky season and a suitably haunting half-term.
We've got more ghoulish activites than you can shake a broomstick at, from Halloween afternoon bus adventures, monster raves, haunted houses, creepy cooking schools, wizard wand-making, spooky adventures at iconic landmarks and Lego "brick" or treating.
There's also a gaggle of spook-free fun, plus plenty of free treats to keep them occupied.
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Hamleys FREE Halloween Celebrations
Hamleys Regent Street has a spooktaclar line-up of free entertainment this Halloween and half-term, from puppet shows, games and competitions to creepy crafting sessions.
Take a spooky selfie inside the brand-new Giant Pumpkin, then join Ragdoll Witch, Werewolf Racer, Beetlejuice Bubbles, and more of the terror-ific friends for energetic entertainment and hair-raising fun.
The Opening Ceremony will be followed by the Pumpkin Festival Parade as children search for the Pumpkin Ghoul lurking around the store.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Hamleys Pumpkin Trickster, learn some pranks in The Tales of Trickster Puppet Show or make a Pumpkin Mask and take part in the Little Monsters Costume Competition. A Trick or Treat Treasure Hunt will take place in all Hamleys stores.
Hamleys Regent Street, 188-196 Regent St., London W1B 5BT. 3 October - 3 November. FREE.
Hobbledown Heath’s NEW Pumpkin Picking Experience
Whimsical kid’s mecca, Hobbledown Heath launches its first pumpkin experience this month, for spooky photos and gourd-grabbing, followed by fun in its four themed villages with West London's ultimate adventure playground and zoo.
Hobbledown Heath, Staines Road, Hounslow, TW14 0HH. Thurs-Sun from 27 September - 3 November. Off peak £17. Peak £23. Under 2s go free
Haunted Halloween Quest at Leeds Castle
This Halloween, head to the beautiful Leeds Castle for a spell-seeking family adventure across its sprawling grounds, to save Rocky, the Stone Monster, from being banished back into the castle's stone walls.
Armed with a quest sheet, children will meet six magical beings along the way, uncovering clues and solving riddles, from witches, to goblins, the mysterious Keeper of the Castle, the Cursed Castle Hound, to Talon the Hawkman and finally, Rocky himself. Once all the missing pieces of the spell have been found, they will gather at the Halloween Ball to help Ember the Autumnal Witch break the spell and stop Rocky from being trapped in the stone walls for another 100 years.
Leeds Castle, Penfold Hill, Kent ME17 1RG. Tickets for Halloween event & annual pass: Adult £31.50, Child £22.50 (Age 3-16); Family £79 (2 + 2). Must be booked in advance.
Half Term Wicked Witches Spa
The impossibly sweet Bexleyheath kid's spa will have a witchy make-over this half-term, to trick and treat little ones with a spooky spa session.
Little monsters are invited to don their spookiest outfits to sip bubbly green drinks while enjoying a slimy spider foot soak, dark potion making, glitter face magic, black nail polish and creepy tattoos.
The venue is best known for its children’s party pampering sessions, which you can find more about here.
Sweet Spa Party, 44 Pickford Ln, Bexleyheath DA7 4QT. 29 October - 1 November. £55 for two children.
SEA LIFE London "Ascarium"
SEA LIFE London Aquarium resurrects its spook-splash-tic 'Ascarium,' for tricks and treats.
Visitors can meet Serafina the Sea Witch and help her solve magical challenges to keep her fellow sea creatures safe.
Little sea monsters will complete activity sheets as they go, while learning about the tricks of the amazing, ‘scary-not scary’ sea
creatures and earning SEA LIFE Halloween treats along the way.
SEA LIFE London Aquarium, Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7PB. 19 October - 3 November.
Kids Go FREE at Howletts Wild Animal Park This Half Term
ALL kids under 15 can enter Howletts for FREE this October half-term, for fang-tastic treats, including a ghostly trail, pumpkins finding puzzles, and an indoor Craft Mine to get up close and personal with some creepy crawlies, beastly bugs and reptiles - and handle them, if you dare. Kent’s original wildlife park, is houses some of the world’s most endangered and rare animals. With over 390 animals, including Kent’s only giant anteaters, the largest herd of African elephants in the UK, more gorillas and their new babies than any other zoo in the country.
Howlett's Wild Animal Park, Bekesbourne Ln, Bekesbourne, Littlebourne, Canterbury CT4 5EL. Kids FREE. Adults, £25 from 19 October - 3 November.
Kent Life Halloween Spooktacular
Kent Life never disappoints at Halloween. Little monsters can trick or treat at its historic houses - but beware, you never know who lurks behind the doors. The sprawling, 28 acre destination is transformed for spooky season, and guests can enjoy pumpkin carving, creepy bugs, farm rides and fancy-dress competitions.
Kent Life, Lock Lane, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3AU. Saturday 26 October – 3 November, 10am – 5pm. Adults £12.50, Children (2-15) £12.50, Members Free.
Old MacDonald’s Halloween Spooktacular
With more spooky sprog shizzle than you can shake a broomstick at, Old MacDonald’s fright-fest includes a haunted house, magic school, rollercoaster, scary stories, a ghost trail with gift, pumpkin patch, free Halloween tattoos, witchy arts and crafts, shows and a chance to meet a dragon. And each kid's ticket includes a free pumpkin. Boom.
Old MacDonald’s Farm, Weald Rd, Brentwood CM14 5AY. 26 October - 3 November
Raver Tots Halloween Party
Get those tiny claws reaching for the lasers at this Ministry of Sound, Halloween rave-up for sprogs. The party features dancers, performers, cold pyro, bubbles, festival sized confetti blasts, multi coloured lasers and lighting, parachute games, giant balloons, licensed bar and face painting.
Raver Tots Halloween, Ministry Of Sound,103 Gaunt St, London SE1 6DP. 27 October
Hamleys Halloween London Bus Tour
Children can enjoy a deliciously spooky adventure through London, with entertainment from Hamleys Halloween guests and a Halloween-themed afternoon tea, specially crafted by cake alchemists, Brigit’s Bakery.
Enjoy pumpkin tarts, finger sandwiches, cupcakes, and freshly baked plain scones with jam and clotted cream on the bus, while fun fiends provide pranks and interactive entertainment.
Each child will also leave with a gift, plus a Halloween at Hamleys travel cup.
Hamleys Halloween London Bus Tour, Departs from Victoria Coach Station. 12 October - 31 October. From £45 per adult, £35 per child
Tulleys Pumpkins
Tulleys Farm owns Halloween. It’s an immaculately presented experience, with beautiful displays, an enormous patch and more than 30 spooky backdrops to pout in front of, plus roaming characters in gorgeous costumes - none of your nylon, Smiffys clobber here - more than a million pumpkins, a pumpkin bar, pumpkin house, street food, hot chocolates and a graveyard. And if you want to dial up the fright, you can attend their “pumpkin nights” and go picking after dark. Tulleys also hosts Shocktober Fest, one of the UK’s biggest Halloween events, with 10 scare attractions, rides, horror mazes and creepy circuses - although, this one is definitely not for sprogs.
Tulleys Pumpkin Farm, Unit 5, Turners Hill, Crawley RH10 4PD. 28 September - 31 October
Halloween Kids' Cookery and Crafts Masterclass at Colonel Saab
Luxury Indian restaurant, Colonel Saab is holding another one of its popular kids’ Halloween Cookery and Crafts Masterclass at their grand, Trafalgar Square restaurant on 28 October.
Little monsters will be welcomed from 1-3pm, where they will learn to make Meringue Ghosts, Spooky Cookies and (healthy) Witch Potion Smoothies.
Crafty wizards and witches will also teach them how to create paper bats, ghosts and witches, as well as carving pumpkins and Indian bottle gourds. They will then paint their pumpkin and gourd creations with non-toxic paints, with aprons and all materials supplied.
The experience is targeted at 5-11 year olds and is £20 - tickets go fast for these masterclasses, so book early, here
Colonel Saab, 40, 42 William IV St, London WC2N 4DD. 28 October, 1pm - 3pm. £20
Halloween at the Tower of London
Meet the spirits from thousands of years of the landmark’s history, on a family-friendly adventure through the Tower of London's haunted past. Children will come face-to-face with ghosts who spent their final moments here, from Medieval queens, to Wizard Earl concocting potions. You will explore some of the most eerie locations of the historic fortress, from The White Tower and Traitors’ Gate to the Bloody Tower. The Halloween Tower Tour is designed to spook not terrify, so is suitable for kids.
The Tower of London, London, England EC3N 4AB. 26 Oct - 3 November
Halloween at Hampton Court Palace
Explore Henry VIII's haunted palace, tiptoeing through the corridors and courtyards and disovering ghosts who are best kept to the past. Witches and alchemists have taken over parts of the palace. And in the Gallery of the Damned, you can witness eerie portraits coming to life, stop by the Council Chamber for a seance and check out the pumpkin art in the Haunted Garden, before enjoying a spooky treat and a ghost story in the cafe.
Hampton Court Palace, Hampton Ct Way, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU. 26 Oct - 3 November
Brick or Treat at Lego Land
The Lego Monsters are taking over with the return of its hit Brick or Treat. Highlights include Monster Street, haunted by ghoulish LEGO® creatures, featuring trick-or-treat crypts and the fang-tastic Monster Jam Harbour Show.
Little Monsters can throw shapes at Lord Vampyre’s Disco, with interactive shows and meet and greets with spooky Halloween LEGO characters like Skeleton Guy and Tiger Woman.
Supersized LEGO Pumpkin and skeleton heads, LEGO® inspired bats, mini pumpkins and spiders will decorate the spookified resort, which will also feature a Haunted House Monster Party Ride and Knights Kingdom's transformation into the Creepy Cobweb Castle,
Legoland, Winkfield Rd, Windsor SL4 4AY. 27 September - 3 November. Tickets from £29 pp. Kids under 90cm go free
FRAMELESS & Rochelle Humes' Weekly Tots Classes
FRAMELESS has partnered with Rochelle Humes’ My Little Coco brand, to make its popular Multi-Sensory Tots Classes a weekly Friday fixture.
Classes will run every Friday morning this month, with storytelling, music and sensory play, plus a FREE My Little Coco goodie bag throughout October.
Afterwards, families can also enjoy complete access to the full FRAMELESS galleries experience, with more than 90 minutes of stunning visuals set to a score, featuring 42 masterpieces by iconic artists like Van Gogh and Dalí, reimagined through cutting-edge digital technology.
FRAMELESS, 6 Marble Arch, London W1H 7AP. £25 for 1 adult and 1 preschool child, including goodie bag and access to galleries. Every Friday in October from 4 October
The Elmer Adventure
Tall Stories are masterful adaptors of much-loved children’s books, so the holy grail - Elmer - is in safe hands, in this eagerly anticipated production.
The show follows three adventurers who have loved the story of Elmer since they were childhood friends, and celebrate Elmer Day annually. They set off on a quest to find the real-life patchwork elephant in the jungle, and instead encounter the theatre audience, who also seem to be looking for the iconic elephant. They decide to work together, while telling three Elmer stories around the jungle campfire celebrating friendship, empathy and the celebration of being yourself.
Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX. 30 October - 3 November. Tickets from £16 pp
Kids Go for a TENNER to Port Lympne this Half-Term
This half-term, kids can go to Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve for £10, eat for £10 and enjoy an animal encounter or ranger safari for £10.
Home to over 900 rare and endangered species, the unique reserve is set against hundreds of acres of stunning Kentish savannah.
Kids can go behind the scenes with the gorillas, meet rhinos, feed wolves, lions and tigers, and as a special treat this half term, they can even join the baboon and bison scatter feeds for just £10, too.
Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve, Aldington Rd, Lympne, Hythe CT21 4LR. Kids £10 from 19 October - 3 November. Adults £35
Festival of The Girl 2024
Festival of The Girl is a ground-breaking event for girls aged 7-11. The not-for-profit aims to inspire, engage and to break down harmful gender stereotypes for girls and their families.
For 2024 the festival will be doubling in size, going from a one-day event to a weekend long event, meaning they can invite more than 1000 girls to take part. Their festivals give primary school aged girls access to an incredible line up of female role models, workshops and activities, to have fun, try something new, and leave with a boost of self-confidence.
Festival of the Girl. Business Design Centre, 52 Upper St, London N1 0QH. 5-6 October. Pay what you can option.
F1 Driving, Skywalks and Tours at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Little adrenaline junkies can get their kicks at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with a hat trick of high octane tours, from The Dare Skywalk - climbing to the top of the stadium, 46.8m above the pitch - to the UK’s first controlled descent from a stadium, once at the top. Plus a Stadium Tour for those who want to keep their feet on the ground. They can also experience a high tech Formula 1 driving experience, with an exciting track layout and LED steering wheels.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 782 High Rd, London N17 0BX
Michelin-Star Cookery School for Little Chefs
Michelin restaurant Pavyllon London will partner with the popular En Petit Pavilion on a series of 90-minute, kid’s cookery experiences, while parents enjoy lunch dishes from multi-Michelin-starred Chef Yannick Alléno. Starting on 15 September and running on the third Sunday of each month until January 2025, children will learn to craft from a range of cuisines, including French gastronomy, creating a main course and a dessert alongside En Cuisine’s passionate team.
The pièce de résistance? Mini master chefs will proudly present their fine dining creations to their loved ones at the iconic Pavyllon counter at the end of the class, dressed in their very own chef’s hat and apron, standing alongside the Pavyllon team.
Pavyllon London, Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane Hamilton Pl, London, W1J 7DR .
Every third Sunday of the month with sessions at 12pm & 1:30pm until 19 January 2025. Ages 6-12.
Price: £350: includes four-course set lunch menu for two adults and 1x children’s cooking class, plus a chef’s hat and apron. Additional children are priced at £50 each
The Paddington Bear Immersive Experience
Everybody’s favourite, Peruvian bear has had the immersive treatment, with The Paddington Bear™ Experience.
The marmalade-addled, interactive adventure across more than 26,000 square feet of Southbank’s London County Hall invites guests into a series of themed rooms, inspired by iconic locations from the Paddington stories.
Fittingly, it kicks off at Paddington Station, where guests will be greeted by a friendly Station Master and taken on a colourful train journey through London’s most famous landmarks, to the Browns’ charming, No. 32 Windsor Gardens home.
Once inside the famous, tree-adorned hallway, guests will embark on a multi-sensory adventure to help the Brown family and Paddington prepare for the all-important Marmalade Day Festival.
The Paddington Bear™ Experience, London County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB. Adult tickets £34pp. Children (2-15) £24. Under 2s go FREE
Mrs Doubtfire Dining Experience
Hellooo poppets! Hit West End musical Mrs Doubtfire has put the eat into theatre for a delicious new partnership with luxury London restaurant, Colonel Saab.
The award-winning Indian dining concept gives fans a multi-sensory, pre-theatre dining experience, featuring cocktails and dishes inspired by famous scenes, which transform before your eyes and are not what they seem - just like the title character of Shaftesbury Theatre’s comedy show.
Expect a "Run-By Fruiting" and a grand finale involving liquid nitrogen, in a cheeky nod to the famous kitchen fire scene, before heading around the corner to watch the show itself at Shaftesbury Theatre.
Colonel Saab, 193-197 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BD. £60 course five course meal and cocktail or £35 Mrs Doubtfire Set Lunch plus theatre tickets.
Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8DP
Barbie: The Exhibition
The wonder doll (and society’s) evolution is charted in this luminous exhibition, which opened this month, to coincide with Barbie’s 65th birthday.
Exploring her story through a design lens including fashion, architecture, furniture and vehicle design, her plastic-fantastic universe has engulfed the Design Museum, showing changing attitudes to women’s careers - Barbie has had more than 250 jobs - race, sexuality, fashion and body image.
Highlights include a rare first edition of the very first doll released by Mattel in 1959, the first Black, Hispanic and Asian dolls to bear the Barbie name, as well as dolls that reflect today’s diverse, multicultural society, including the first Barbie with Down Syndrome, the first to use a wheelchair, and the first to be designed with a curvy body shape.
Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High St, London W8 6AG. Until 23 February 2025. Adult from £14.38. Children from £7.19
Science Museum Astronights Sleepover
Budding scientists (aged 7-11) can spend the night at The Science Museum, exploring the museum out-of-hours, sleeping among space rockets, a Moon rock or in the world’s largest medical galleries. Young campers will experience the ultimate sleepover, with an evening full of activities, including science shows and interactive workshops.
This year’s Astronights programme is supported by official sponsor TEMPUR®, who will gift all campers a travel pillow to help budding scientists get some rest during this exciting night.The following morning, campers can refuel at breakfast, before exploring Wonderlab, their interactive gallery, with hands-on exhibits and immersive experiences, and catch a 3D documentary on their giant IMAX screen.
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD. Dates vary, £70pp standard, £100 VIP. 20 August
Monster Funfair at Discover Children's Story Centre
Stratford's immersive, sprog-storytelling Mecca has launched its new family adventure, taking visitors through a fantastical circus tent and into the woods. In amongst the trees you’ll find an amazing, marvellous, EXTRAORDINARY… Monster Funfair!
Created with the award-winning Nadia Shireen, this magical world also has a fairground mystery to solve – just who has stolen ALL the candyfloss?
Discover Children's Story Centre is brimming with entertainment across three floors, plus a wonderfully imaginative Story Garden. Creep through caves, find fairy worlds within magical trees, explore hidden ships, perform in a puppet castle, leap over alligators and man your own spaceships and rockets across two floors.
Discover Children's Story Centre 383-387 High St, London E15 4QZ. Ages 0-8
Art in the Docks - FREE
There are FREE art classes every Saturday morning at Art in the Docks, which can be booked online, with 30 spots for each class. Children are encouraged to use their imagination and gain confidence in a nurturing environment, hosted by ceramic artist Mariana Alemany. The classes are suitable for all ages, and all materials and equipment will be provided.
Art in the Docks, 25 Shackleton Way, London, E16 2XJ. Every Saturday. 10am-12pm. FREE.
Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre
Natural History Museum’s new show will be a real tweet for the whole family, inviting us to experience birds in a whole new way.
Swirl around with a murmuration, chirp along with the dawn chorus and see if you have the stomach to sniff a stinky seabird egg. From feeling their heartbeats to seeing through their eyes, get to know our feathered friends better.
Meet the wonderchicken - the world’s oldest bird - find out what a pigeon has in common with a ferocious T. Rex and discover how these winged wonders managed to survive the mass extinction that wiped out all the other dinosaurs.
Today there’s more than 11,000 species. From pigeons to penguins, ostriches to ospreys, birds live on every single continent on Earth, so what’s the secret to their success? From sucking blood to bathing in acid, our winged wonders have found surprising, clever and downright freaky ways to survive.
Natural History Museum, Waterhouse Gallery, Kensington, London. Until 5 January 2025. Adults £16.50pp. Children (4-16) £9.95pp
Rooftop Film Club
Head to the Bussey Building for some family-friendly, daytime rooftop cinema screenings of kiddie classics, from Wonka to Elemental, plus gorgeous views across London’s skyline.
Everybody gets comfy headphones and deckchairs and you can order pizza, snacks and drinks to your seats.
Dogs are also welcome, so the whole family can enjoy the Big Screen in the sunshine together.
Rooftop Film Club, Roof A, Bussey Building, 133 Rye Ln, London SE15 4ST. Children welcome to family film showings before 5pm.
Navrtar VR Arctic Expedition
Take the family on an Arctic expedition, without leaving London. They’ll learn about global warming in a whole, new way during the 60-minute experience, exploring the abyss of the Arctic; its icy tundras, hidden caverns and unique wildlife hidden in an extraordinary, underwater world. Guests in teams of six can teleport 100 years into the future to compare the effects of global warming. The sessions begin with a range of multi-player mini games to enhance the senses and test skills, before embarking on the Arctic expedition, exploring marine life and shipwrecks.
Navrtar, Dickens Yard, Longfield Ave W5 2UQ. Prices from £32pp.
LAST CHANCE TO SEE: The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks
Lightroom leapt inside David Hockney’s art for his jugggernaut of retrospective and now turns its immersive technology to space, with added Tom Hanks.
The Apollo 13 star narrates the audio-visual experience, which offers a unique new perspective on humankind’s past and future voyages to the moon.
Telling the stories of the Apollo missions in intimate detail, The Moonwalkers also provides an insight into the impending return of crewed surface missions by going behind-the-scenes of the Artemis programme, including interviews between Hanks and Artemis astronauts.
If your own trip to the moon is unlikely, the immersive gallery promises the next big thing, with its tech-wizardy taking visitors on a voyage to our closest celestial neighbour.
Lightroom, 12, Lewis Cubitt Square, London N1C 4DY. Until 13 October 2024. Tickets from £25
Dinosaur rEvolution
South East London’s hidden gem, The Horniman Museum launches its roarsome new dinosaur exhibition for February half-term. The show invites us to rethink everything we thought we knew about dinosaurs, exploring the relationship between dinosaurs and birds.
It includes five large, animatronic models, a gaggle of fossil skeletons and skull casts, as well as touchable, detailed graphics by the acclaimed artist Luis V Rey, dress up, games, and more.
It will also be your last chance to see its beloved, overstuffed, taxidermy walrus until 2026, when the Natural History Gallery will reopen after a two-year refurbishment.
Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ. until 3 November. Tickets from £9 per adult and £7 per child.
iFly Childrens’ Skydive
Anybody from the age of 3 to 103 can experience the superpower of flight at iFly, as long as they can comfortably wear a helmet.
The instructors allow children to safely feel the sensation of an exhilarating, 12,000 ft free-fall and flight, without jumping out of a plane.
Along with watching the instructor perform a mesmerising dance on air inside the vertical wind tunnel, your family can enjoy the extraordinary sensation of weightlessness, soaring around the glass tube and unlocking a core memory of their newfound super powers.
iFLY London at The O2, Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX. Tickets and vouchers to fly can be purchased by clicking here and are available from £69.99 per person
Wizard Exploratorium
Soho's magic-themed Wizard Exploratorium is a five-storey, geek wonderland, offering a 4D wand-making workshop, immersive trick shop and suitably magical afternoon tea encompassing tea brewing, molecular gastronomy, and technology.
Wizard Exploratorium, 26 Greek St, London W1D 5DE
Slimy Gootopia Sessions
Slime is a gloopy rite of passage for every child - parents quickly learn the art of removing it from hair and unwitting pets and it’s up there with ice cream in the kiddie delight department. Enter stage left: Gootopia, which brings its gloopy joy to Brixton and Lewisham. The venues have shelves of ready-made slime, slime ingredients, activator, and their ‘goo-to-go’ slime vending machine. They also offer a range of activities and experiences for kids of all ages, including slime workshops, birthday parties, school science workshops, drop-in slime-making sessions and live slime-making demonstrations by goo alchemists
Gootopia. Brixton and Lewisham locations.
Pampering for all the family at Pan Pacific London
Family activities that involve lying down and being pampered? Count us massively IN.Pan Pacific London has partnered with luxury children’s brand Bonpoint, to create a unique offering for the hotel’s dedicated Wellbeing Floor. The first partnership of its kind in the UK, the duo have created a range of unisex skincare treatments and packages for children aged 6 – 16 years old, that provide an opportunity for parents to spend quality time with their children and teens and enjoy a spot of pampering. Pan Pacific Family Pampering, 80 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7AB. Treatments start from £100.
Power Up at the Science Museum
Following five successful runs, Power Up will make its permanent home at the Science Museum from July, allowing visitors to try over 160 consoles and hundreds of the very best video games, all year long. With the new Power Up annual passes, visitors can return whenever they fancy, to journey through the world of gaming. Experience the evolution of gaming – from classics such as Pong and Street Fighter to the latest PlayStation and Xbox – while discovering the science and history behind gaming’s most iconic developments.
Power Up Ticketed, daily passes: £10, annual passes: £15 . Age: 5+. Science Museum, Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD
Get the Kids Climbing the Walls
Get the kids climbing the walls at London’s Parthian Climbing centre in Wandsworth.
The 25,000 square foot beast combines climbing with lifestyle, thanks to its café, bar, gym, retail and co-working space. And it is the first indoor climbing facility in the UK to feature an exact replica of The Titan Olympic bouldering wall, which will be used at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
They offer a range of kids’ sessions and courses for ages 3 and up. There are instructors for little ones taking on their first climbing experience, as well as the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (NICAS) for a progressive syllabus. They also host kids’ parties, for 1.5 hours of climbing activities and games which are the perfect antidote to ‘Fun Freddie’ wrestling a balloon into a drooping sausage dog.
Parthian Climbing Centre, 52 - 58 Garratt Ln, Wandsworth, London SW18 4TF
Avora Family Experience
Up an unassuming, Shoreditch street is a secret portal to another planet. And on school holidays and Sundays, you can take your kids for a well-deserved break from Earth, on planet Avora.
This otherworldly adventure will see you encounter scientists, mocktails, aliens, army villains and closes with a child-pleasing, farty finale.
Avora: Family Immersive Adventure 5C, 127 Hackney Road, London, E2 8GY. Sundays, 12pm – 3:30pm. School Holiday weekdays. £24.50 per child (6-13) £29.50 per adult.
The Gunpowder Plot at Tower of London Vaults
Older children (12+) will be catapulted into the most exciting history lesson of their lives, in this explosive new, immersive experience, starring Harry Potter’s Tom Felton. Your mission is to go undercover and unmask the mysterious figures behind history’s most infamous plot. But when you’re surrounded by traitors, who can you trust? With surprises around every turn, descend into the vaults and experience a combination of live and digital actors, virtual reality and fancy pants technology like motion simulators and special effects, transporting you back to London 1605 in the heart of the Gunpowder plot.
The Gunpowder Plot, 8-12 Tower Hill Vaults, London, EC3N 4EE
Play Captain on a GoBoat River Picnic
If you’re looking for somewhere to spend a genuinely relaxing few hours for parents and children (plus dogs, if you have one) we recommend a GoBoat trip.
You can enjoy a picnic as captain of your own, electric boat through Canary Wharf, Paddington, Kingston, Thames Ditton or Birmingham.
GoBoat UK, Open 7 days a week from 9am - dusk. Prices start from £85 for 1 hour and £125 for two hours on the 8-person boats. GoBoat Canary Wharf, 22 Churchill Place, London, E14 5RE
Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
Brigit's Bakery launched the first, official Paddington Bear afternoon tea bus tour, celebrating the capital.The double-decker has built-in screens, so that Paddington and Mrs Bird can provide an animated guide to the tour, which includes some of Paddington's favourite landmarks, like Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Nelson’s Column, Downing Street, St. Paul's Cathedral, Borough Market, Green Park and Piccadilly Circus. The tour takes just under two hours, while you scoff treats including glittering shortbreads, designed to look like nibbled marmalade sandwiches, mini pizzas, smoked salmon and cucumber pretzels, turkey ham and cheddar or cream cheese and cucumber finger sandwiches and naturally, marmalade sandwiches. And for those who share the bear’s sweet tooth, the homemade sweet treats included a rice pudding studded with chocolate honeycomb, chocolate cupcakes crowned with Paddington’s chocolate paws, lemon meringue tarts, chocolate macarons and freshly baked scones with cream and jam. Brigit’s Bakery also provide vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal afternoon teas.
Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus tour Departs from Trafalgar Square, Wednesdays to Sundays. Prices from £45 adult, £35 child.
Whizz Down The ArcelorMittal Orbit
How about hurling your children down the world’s tallest slide? The 178m long ArcelorMittal Orbit was the iconic landmark of the 2012 London Olympics and is now an attraction with three adventure experiences. Families can speed down the winding slide, abseil, or walk around the glass orbit at the top. You can also pretend it's a high-brow, cultural experience, because the orbit is also a sculpture by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond. And it beats the usual views of grubby swings and bins, because here you can check out the stunning views of Queen Elizabeth Park. To ride the slide, children must be at least eight years old and over 1.3m.
ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 5 Thornton St, London E20 2AD. From £10.75.
Cutty Sark Rig Climb Experience
Originally climbed when the ship first arrived to Greenwich in 1954, visitors can now recreate this, by clambering up the famous masts of the Cutty Sark.The Rig Climb Experience invites kids and brave parents to step up from the main deck onto the ship’s ratlines and climb up its top mast, as hundreds of sailors did during the Cutty Sark’s heyday. Once at the top, climbers will experience a controlled descent from the rigging. Participants will be rewarded with some of the best views in London, overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard and Tower Bridge.
Cutty Sark King William Walk, London SE10 9H
Snot, Sick and Scabs at the Centre of the Cell
Deliciously disgusting and sneakily educational centre in a futuristic, light-studded pod suspended above the laboratories of the Blizard Institute in Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Children can learn about the heart, teeth or senses, see scientists at work and enjoy their delightfully vile ‘Snot, Sick and Scabs’ session.
Centre of the Cell, 4 Newark St, London E1 2AT
Out-of-Hours at the British Museum
Your little ones can walk in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks, Pharoahs or journey through the cultures of China at The British Museum's family-friendly, out-of-hours tours. Taking place between 8.50 – 10am, before the galleries are open to the public, you can beat the unsavoury crowds. And from 4 - 25 March, children can explore Roman history through Minecraft, create a Japan-themed family photo (11 March) and make mosaic masks inspired by the Aztec gods on 18 March.
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG. Under fives go free. £16.50 for 5-15 year olds. £33 Adults
Monopoly Lifesized
Go big or go home… or straight to jail at Monopoly Lifesized, an immersive, on-your-feet version of the classic, family game, played on a 15m x 15m lifesized Monopoly board. Enter the 4D experience and compete in challenges for your chance to buy properties. Stage a heist in Mayfair, compete against a clock to build some of London’s iconic buildings, solve a baffling murder mystery or step into the world of codebreakers. The 80-minute experience is suitable for kids from 9 and older and is open every day except Mondays.
Monopoly Lifesized, 213-215 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7PS. Tickets £49 pp
Crystal Maze LIVE Experience
Older children (from 8 onwards) can take on this immersive adventure, which brings the hit 90s TV show to life.Run around like mentalists, yell, complete a host of difficult challenges and end the game in a fetching, satin bomber jacket.
Crystal Maze Live Experience, 22 - 32 Shaftesbury Avenue W1D 7EU
Holiday to Space at Royal Observatory Greenwich
Join Ted and Plant as they explore the Solar System in search of the best place to take a holiday in an intergalactic morning adventure, including a planetarium show and interactive workshop. Recommended Age: 3 - 6 yrs. Open 10am-5pm daily
Royal Observatory Greenwich Park, Blackheath Avenue SE10 8XJ
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