🦊 London is hot & loud

Morning, London! Happy Thursday. We’ve officially entered the no one knows what day it is portion of the summer. Another set of schools is finishing this week and parents are already rationing snacks and patience like it’s wartime.

The sun has been blazing non-stop. Unless you were at Silverstone last weekend, where things briefly turned grey and British. Tip: if you're planning to judge the new Brad Pitt F1 movie, you might want to watch an actual race first.

And now, just in case we weren’t already melting, another heatwave is apparently rolling in. Good luck out there, especially if your kid insists on wearing glittery polyester.

Meanwhile, if you are not leaving for Spain or Portugal anytime soon, London is throwing everything it’s got at the school holiday calendar. We’re talking jousting at Hampton Court, giant flowers in Walthamstow, prehistoric dinos in King’s Cross, and pirates cannon-blasting their way through Greenwich. Even Trafalgar Square is turning into a giant chessboard.

Let’s get stuck in.

. LONDON SNIPPETS .
Bits that caught our eye

🚂 £16,000 to Chug Through Wales in Style. All aboard the Britannic Explorer, a new luxury train launching from London to Snowdonia this July. Think champagne, silky sheets, and slow scenic views at 75mph. Just 36 seats, double beds, and prices that make the Eurostar look like the bus. Giveaway for Scoop readers? Not unless I win the EuroMillions this week. Full story

🚶‍♂️ West End Wants You to Walk. Yet another bit of central London may soon swap engines for elbows. New plans could see Regent Street St James’s go fully pedestrian, stretching from Piccadilly Circus to St James’s Park. Greener streets, better crossings, and fewer honking taxis, just try not to get mown down by a cargo bike. Full story

🏢 London’s Got Deco Bragging Rights. It’s official. The greatest art deco building in the world isn’t in New York or Miami, it’s on Fleet Street. The Daily Express Building just nabbed the top spot, thanks to its glossy vitrolite façade and very 1932 energy. Glamour, but make it British. Full story

. CASUAL EINSTEIN .
2 for 1: Wow your kid, and outsmart the other parents

Fun Fact: You blink about 20 times a minute, which adds up to nearly 10% of your waking life with your eyes closed. 👀 Basically, your body is sneakily micro-napping all day long.

London Fact: London has a street called Ha Ha Road. 📍😄 It’s in Greenwich and named after a sunken landscape feature called a “ha-ha,” designed to keep livestock out of gardens without ruining the view. Not a joke. But kind of is.

. BLAST FROM THE PAST .
1949: London getting its groove back

. EVENTS SCOOP .
What’s on this week?

🎸 The Strings Club @ Various locations
Date & Loc: Jul & Aug, across London
Five-star rated holiday camps. Packed with music, creativity, and proper screen-free fun.
Age: 4-11yo | Info

🐘 Little Feet: Ancient India @ British Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 10, Bloomsbury
Explore the animals and myths of ancient India through storytelling, sculpture, and colourful craft-making. A sensory, drop-in session specially for curious under-5s.
Age: Under 5s | Price: no cost | Info

🦖 Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs @ Lightroom
Date & Loc: Jul 10 onwards, King’s Cross
Join Damian Lewis for a jaw-dropping immersive journey through dinosaur history, from towering titans to their present-day echoes. Big screens, big roars, and even bigger questions.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £15 | Info

📖 Peekaboo Art Workshop @ British Library
Date & Loc: Jul 11, King’s Cross
Explore Sharon King Chai’s playful board books, then create your own mirrored masterpiece with colour, texture, and cheeky bunnies.
Age: Under 5s | Price: no cost (book req) | Info

🎉 Design Challenge @ Young V&A
Date & Loc: Jul 12, Bethnal Green
Get hands-on with natural materials like mycelium and spider silk as you explore how the natural world inspires modern design.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🛡️ Henry VIII’s Joust @ Hampton Court Palace
Date & Loc: Jul 12-13 & 19-20, Hampton Court
Cheer as armoured knights clash on horseback in a spectacular Tudor joust, with falconry displays, royal drama, and maybe even a surprise visit from King Henry VIII himself.
Age: Everyone | Price: Incl. w/ admission | Info

🎨 Whitecross Street Party @ Whitecross Street
Date & Loc: Jul 12-13, Clerkenwell
A vibrant weekend of live mural painting, music, dance and spoken word, with hands-on fun for all ages. Art takes over the street and sticks around for a year.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🌞 Summer in the Park @ Greenwich Park
Date & Loc: Jul 12-13, Greenwich
Two days of music, circus, storytelling and creative workshops in the heart of one of London’s most scenic parks. Expect ceilidhs, krill puppets, food stalls and face paint.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🏴‍☠️ Golden Age of Piracy @ Old Royal Naval College
Date & Loc: Jul 12-13, Greenwich
Sword fights, sea shanties, and cannon fire, step into 18th-century pirate life with live music, costumed re-enactments, food from the past, and tales of real mutiny. A proper day out for would-be buccaneers.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £7 | Info

♟️ ChessFest 2025 @ Trafalgar Square
Date & Loc: Jul 13, Trafalgar Square
Thousands of chess lovers descend on the Square for a full day of giant sets, living chess, speed matches, blindfold challenges, and free lessons from UK Grandmasters. Yes, it’s nerdy. Yes, it’s brilliant.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🎨 Play Make Do @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 13 onwards, Southbank
A summer-long festival of family fun with everything from kite-making and salsa to storytelling, circus workshops, Tai Chi and play zones. Big vibes. Big imagination.
Age: Everyone | Price: some free, some paid | Info

🎺 Harmonise! @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 14, South Bank
Young musicians from Brixton Hill Music Centre and In Harmony Lambeth join together to showcase their amazing musical skills in a spectacular concert.
Age: Everyone | Price: £6.50 | Info

🕵️ I Spy Family Day @ The National Archives
Date & Loc: Jul 14, Richmond
Mini agents can crack codes, build spy cars, meet WWII operatives and design disguises at this top-secret family takeover inspired by the MI5 archives. Gadgets, face paint and ciphers included.
Age: Everyone | Price: £5.0 | Info

🍎 Food Adventures @ Museum of London Docklands
Date & Loc: Jul 14, Canary Wharf
A sensory musical session for toddlers, exploring the sights, smells and sounds of food from around the world. For little ones from walkers to age 4 (younger siblings welcome too).
Age: 2-5yo | Price: no cost | Info

🐯 The Tiger Who Came to Tea @ Theatre Royal Haymarket
Date & Loc: Jul 14 onwards, West End
The doorbell rings... and in walks a giant, tea-guzzling tiger. Packed with magic, singalongs and teatime chaos, this beloved family show is back for its 11th West End summer season.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £10 | Info

🖼️ Young Artists’ Summer Show @ Royal Academy of Arts
Date & Loc: Jul 15 onwards, Mayfair
From vampire dogs to wizard frogs, this free exhibition showcases imaginative works by young artists aged 4–18 from across the UK. Big talent, small creators.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🌼 Mini Morris: Giant Flowers @ William Morris Gallery
Date & Loc: Jul 17, Walthamstow
Toddlers aged 2–5 can hunt for blooms, sing songs and make giant flowers to take home in this outdoor crafting session inspired by the gallery gardens. Includes a snack and lots of mess.
Age: Under 5s | Price: no cost | Info

🌿 The Secret Garden @ Keats House
Date & Loc: Jul 18, Hampstead
A magical outdoor retelling of the classic story, brought to life with puppetry, music and plenty of heart by The Plandits theatre company. Set in the lush gardens of Keats House.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £17 | Info

🐺 Big Bad Wolf: The Musical @ Broomfield Park
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Palmers Green
Join literature’s most misunderstood villain in this rock-and-roll fairy tale packed with music, mischief and a twist on the classic stories. An open-air family show from The Plandits.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £6 | Info

🚇 Transport Explorers: Live Show @ London Transport Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 19–25, Covent Garden
A high-energy, interactive theatre show for curious kids who love things that go. Expect laughter, learning and loads of transport-themed fun.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £12 | Info

🎨 Pavilion Family Day @ Serpentine
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Hyde Park
A day of art, play and creativity in this year’s Serpentine Pavilion, with hands-on fun and performances for the whole family, all under a striking new design by Marina Tabassum.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

💃 Family Dance Day @ Coram’s Fields
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Bloomsbury
A full day of free outdoor dance, juggling, storytelling and creative workshops, from ballet-meets-beatboxing to tutu juggling and kid-led choreography. London's liveliest family dance party is back.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🎭 UNIQLO Tate Play: Thunder, Crackle and Magic @ Tate Modern
Date & Loc: Jul 19 onwards, South Bank
Step into three wildly theatrical sets in the Turbine Hall, packed with dragons, puppets, and playful chaos. Costumes on, imagination in overdrive, it’s part stage, part playground, all magic.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🌱 Feeding Tomorrow @ Science Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 24 onwards, South Kensington
A new free exhibition all about the future of food, how it’s grown, made, cooked and eaten, and how science is helping make it more sustainable for the planet.
Age: 7+ | Price: from no cost | Info

🦋 Llama Library storytelling and crafts @ Horniman Gardens
Date & Loc: Jul 30, Lewisham
Meet the author and illustrator behind the laugh-out-loud Llama Library, then get crafty and make your own cheeky llama to take home.
Age: 4-8yo | Price: £7.50 | Info

🧱 The Play Pavilion @ Hyde Park
Date & Loc: Ongoing until August, Hyde Park
An immersive LEGO powered world where kids (and grown-ups) can build, explore and let imaginations run wild. Part art, part playground.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🌍 Our Story with David Attenborough @ Natural History Museum
Date & Loc: Ongoing, South Kensington
Get ready to immerse yourself in the epic tale of people and planet in this new 360° experience, presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £20 | Info

🦖 Jurassic World: The Experience @ Battersea
Date & Loc: Ongoing, Battersea
Step through the iconic gates and explore 10 immersive zones from the blockbuster dino franchise.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £25 | Info

🎭 The Paper Dolls @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Ongoing, Islington
When a little girl cuts out a string of paper dolls she takes them by the hand and together they go on a fantastical adventure whirling through their home and garden.
Age: 3-8yo | Price: from £13 | Info

🎭 Krafty the Urban Fox @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Ongoing, Islington
Follow a curious fox on a magical night-time city adventure.
Age: 2-5yo | Price: from £13 | Info

📚 Story Explorers: Imaginary Worlds @ British Library
Date & Loc: Ongoing, King’s Cross
Sold out for July, but August has slots. Expect books, sounds, odd creatures, and a furry octopus.
Age: 2-9yo | Price: no cost (book req) | Info

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