Morning, London! Happy Thursday. Bonfire Night and Regent Street switches on its Christmas lights tonight.. oh and the street goes traffic-free from 5 to 9pm.

I do like a fireworks display. Particularly the bit when everyone thinks it’s finished, a few people clap, then another one goes off. Coats half-zipped. One family already halfway to the car park. Nobody quite willing to leave in case there’s a better ending.

… and someone filming the whole thing. Presumably for the annual rewatch.

Anyway, as expected this week’s list is mostly things that go bang, plus a sneaky early helping of Christmas. Ear defenders for them, a flask for you. Dry-ish weekend and around 10° for the week. For November, that’s basically Ibiza.

Clearing out the wardrobe? Wrap Up London is collecting coats, kids’ ones included, until 22 November.

Let’s go.

🦖 The T. rex Has Its Christmas Jumper On. The Natural History Museum’s animatronic T. rex is back in festive knitwear for a sixth year. This one’s a nod to Sophie the Stegosaurus, took 12 hours to make and is 12½ times the size of a child’s jumper. Free to see. Still no word on how it gets its arms in. Full story

🎄 St Pancras Has Built a Spinning Advent Calendar. This year’s 11-metre tree is based on a German Christmas pyramid, with three rotating tiers and 24 little windows around it. From 1 December a new window opens every day, along with a competition for Eurostar trips to Germany and hotel stays. Yours at home has a slightly melted chocolate. Bit of a step down. Full story

🪄 The UK’s Largest Official Harry Potter Shop Is Open. The Oxford Street flagship opened on Wednesday: two floors of Diagon Alley, a full-sized Knight Bus, a Gringotts dragon and a Leaky Cauldron pouring Butterbeer. Expect your wallet to be Obliviated somewhere near Ollivanders. Nobody under 12 is leaving without a wand. Full story

🎆 Fireworks Night @ Coram’s Fields
Date & Loc: Nov 5 (Thu), Bloomsbury WC1N
Catch the 6pm fireworks after the stage performances. The free queue opens at 3.30pm; grown-ups need a child with them to get in.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

👼 Christmas Lights Switch-on @ Regent Street
Date & Loc: Nov 5 (Thu), West End W1
Walk beneath the illuminated angels while Regent Street is closed to traffic, 5–9pm. For once, you can stop in the middle for a photo.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🎇 Fireworks in the Park @ Wimbledon Park & Morden Park
Date & Loc: Nov 5 (Thu), Wimbledon Park SW19 & Nov 7 (Sat), Morden Park SM4
Pick your park, then your bedtime: the earlier display is designed for children, with a funfair to explore before the sky lights up.
Age: All ages | Price: from £9.54 | Info

🐀 The Pied Piper: A Rat’s Tale @ Little Angel Studios
Date & Loc: Nov 5–7, Islington N1
The famous story, finally told from the rat’s side. Thursday’s 4.45pm show is £8.50 for everyone.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £8.50 | Info

💤 The Sleep Show @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: Nov 5–8, Wimbledon SW19
A pyjama-party dance show about busy brains, bedtime wriggling and trying to fall asleep. Stay for a play session afterwards.
Age: 3–6 | Price: £14 | Info

🐭 The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse @ Puppet Theatre Barge
Date & Loc: Selected dates until Nov 15, Little Venice W9
Two mice swap homes in a 45-minute puppet show aboard a canal boat, with nursery rhymes to sing along to.
Age: 3–7 | Price: £14 | Info

🏛️ Lost Worlds @ Old Royal Naval College
Date & Loc: Nov 6–8 & 11–15, Greenwich SE10
Walk through the Painted Hall and chapel as dinosaurs and the lost city of Atlantis appear on the walls around you.
Age: All ages | Price: from £10.50 | Info

🪔 Diwali Weekend @ Wembley Park
Date & Loc: Nov 6–8, Wembley HA9
Start with free henna on Friday, join Saturday’s dance party or visit the weekend market for Diwali sweets and rangoli.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost entry | Info

❄️ Snow Globe Climb @ Up at The O2
Date & Loc: From Nov 6 (Fri), North Greenwich SE10
Climb over The O2 and step inside a snow globe at the summit, 52 metres above the Thames. Minimum height: 1.2m.
Age: 8+ | Price: from £44 | Info

🏮 Diwali @ National Maritime Museum
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Greenwich SE10
Make a lotus lantern, try rangoli and follow the dhol drummers on a lantern parade. Book free museum entry to guarantee your spot.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🍫 How to Build a Chocolate Bridge @ Royal Institution
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Mayfair W1S
Engineer Roma Agrawal puts unlikely building materials to the test. The question is how much weight chocolate can carry before it snaps.
Age: Best for 7–13 | Price: from £10.85 | Info

🔎 Little Miss Marple @ British Library
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), King’s Cross NW1
Solve a mystery with storyteller Vanessa Woolf as Agatha Christie meets the Mr Men and Little Miss gang. Free, but booking is essential.
Age: 4–7 | Price: no cost | Info

✏️ Drawing Futures @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), South Bank SE1
Turn a drawing into a 3D design with architecture duo MATT+FIONA. Drop in from 1.30pm, or book the relaxed 11am session.
Age: 5–11 | Price: no cost | Info

🪩 Ballroom Boogie x Toasty Tots XL @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), South Bank SE1
BORN N BREAD bring DJ sets and singalongs to the Clore Ballroom from 2.45pm. Free to drop in, with no booking needed.
Age: Best for 5–11; all ages welcome | Price: no cost | Info

🎬 Family Film Club: Coco @ Barbican
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Barbican EC2Y
Follow aspiring musician Miguel into the Land of the Dead at this 11am family screening. Bring tissues alongside the popcorn.
Age: 6+ (PG) | Price: from £2.50 + booking fee | Info

🎷 Groove into the Woods @ Half Moon Theatre
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Limehouse E1
A live jazz trio follows three friends into a fairytale forest where a troll might be around the corner. The 11am show is the one to book.
Age: 3–7 | Price: £9 | Info

🔔 Diwali Dance & Stories @ Discover Children’s Story Centre
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Stratford E15
Find out how dancers tell stories with their feet, try moving to the rhythm of ankle bells and share a cup of chai.
Age: 3+ | Price: £10 entry, workshop included | Info

🎇 Blackheath Fireworks @ Blackheath Common
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Blackheath SE3
Fairground rides, street food and a giant singalong on the heath before the fireworks.
Age: All ages | Price: from £5 | Info

🎆 Beckenham Charity Fireworks @ Croydon Road Recreation Ground
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Beckenham BR3
The quieter 6pm display still has a few small bangs. Stay for the full-volume version at 7.30pm if everyone’s up for it.
Age: All ages | Price: from £6.36 | Info

🎆 Crystal Palace & Anerley Fireworks @ James Dixon Primary School
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Anerley SE20
A charity display set to music at 7pm, raising money for the school. Pre-book only, nothing on the gate.
Age: All ages | Price: from £5, under-5s free (still need a ticket) | Info

🎇 Walker Ground Fireworks @ The Walker Ground
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Southgate N14
Rides and inflatables from 5pm, then fireworks and a drone show at 7.30pm. Walk if you can; the roads close.
Age: All ages | Price: from £9.50, under-5s free | Info

💪 Gladiators Live @ OVO Arena Wembley
Date & Loc: Nov 7–8, Wembley HA9
See the TV Gladiators take on their contenders in the arena, right through to the Eliminator. Cheering at the telly is optional practice.
Age: All ages | Price: from £55.15 | Info

🎆 Battersea Park Fireworks @ Battersea Park
Date & Loc: Nov 7–8, Battersea SW11
Sunday is family night: gates open at 4.30pm, with fairground rides before the 7pm fireworks. Saturday’s display starts later, at 8.30pm.
Age: All ages | Price: from £11.50 | Info

✨ Fireworks & Drone Festival @ Alexandra Palace
Date & Loc: Nov 7–8, Alexandra Palace N22
Sunday brings a jungle rave for the kids, marshmallow toasting and a 6pm fireworks and drone display over London.
Age: All ages | Price: from £6.50 | Info

😴 Mr Sleepybum’s Dream Machine @ Woolwich Works
Date & Loc: Nov 8 (Sun), Woolwich SE18
A homemade dream machine unleashes dinosaurs, robots and car chases in Jody Kamali’s interactive comedy show. Expect plenty of slapstick.
Age: 3–8 | Price: £13.50 | Info

🦆 The Duck with No Luck @ Wimbledon Library
Date & Loc: Nov 8 (Sun), Wimbledon SW19
The London Mozart Players give a very unlucky duck an orchestral soundtrack, with the book on screen and songs to join in with. 12pm or 3pm.
Age: 3+ | Price: £10–£15 | Info

🐸 The Wind in the Willows @ artsdepot
Date & Loc: Nov 8 (Sun), North Finchley N12
Join Mole, Ratty and Badger on the riverbank as Mr Toad discovers motorcars. Told with puppets and an original score.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £13.75 | Info

🌱 Grow @ Jacksons Lane
Date & Loc: Nov 8 (Sun), Highgate N6
Dive beneath the sea and explore the jungle in a half-hour dance adventure where little explorers can join in.
Age: 3–7 | Price: £12.50 | Info

🪩 Snow Ball Family Rave @ Between the Bridges
Date & Loc: Nov 8 (Sun), South Bank SE1
Jungle DJ Aphrodite takes over the dance floor beside the London Eye for a daytime rave with Big Fish Little Fish.
Age: Best for 0–8 | Price: from £10.80 | Info

🌺 Remembrance Sunday @ RAF Museum London
Date & Loc: Nov 8 (Sun), Colindale NW9
Join the museum’s remembrance service among the aircraft. Arrive by 10.45am for the 11am silence.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

💡 Christmas Lights @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: Nov 11–22, Wimbledon SW19
Two friends try to light up a snowy little house in a playful show made especially for toddlers.
Age: 1–4 | Price: £16 | Info

🐉 Basilitrix @ Upstairs at the Gatehouse
Date & Loc: Nov 11–15, Highgate N6
A girl ventures beneath Warsaw to find her missing sister and comes face to face with a basilisk in this Polish folk-rock musical.
Age: All ages | Price: £16 standard | Info

⛸️ Skate @ Somerset House
Date & Loc: From Nov 11 (Wed), Strand WC2R
The courtyard rink opens for winter, with an extra-long 90-minute session at noon on opening day for anyone still finding their feet.
Age: Check skate sizes | Price: from £11 + £1.50 booking fee | Info

🐴 Lord Mayor’s Show @ City of London
Date & Loc: Nov 14 (Sat), Mansion House EC4N
Find a spot along the route for marching bands, decorated floats and 250 horses as the new Lord Mayor sets off at 11am.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost to watch from the street | Info

🙏 If this makes your week a bit easier, pls think of two parents who’d love it, or drop it in a WhatsApp group. Takes 20 seconds. Please don’t ignore me 😂.
Appreciated, kind Londoner!

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P.S. Planning ahead? Our 2027 school holiday dates and Christmas with kids guide are up on our guides site.