🦊 The London Glow

Morning, London! Happy Thursday. Yesterday’s sunshine felt borderline emotional. Same streets, completely different city. Apparently by the end of February, our days are almost an hour longer than at the start. We’ll take the win.

Last week’s trivia? Very much London. That was the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, aka the Neasden Temple. Built in just three years by thousands of volunteers, carved abroad, shipped over, and assembled here like the world’s most impressive Lego set. Europe’s first traditional stone Hindu temple. Consider me informative. Briefly.

Oh and the Winter Olympics kick off in Italy on Friday. Some of the best athletes on snow and ice, doing things your knees absolutely would not approve of.

Scroll, plan, forward this to someone who owes you a favour. And as always, keep the emails, tips, and requests coming.

. LONDON SNIPPETS .
Bits that caught our eye

🎓 London’s Getting a ‘Super University’. We mentioned this a while back. The universities of Greenwich and Kent are merging to form the UK’s first so-called super university, officially named the London and South East University Group. No capes, no time travel, just one giant institution that sounds like it could also run your local bus depot. Full story

🕺 Disco Takes Over the West End for Art After Dark. Art After Dark returns this February, lighting up the West End with a week of free late-night gallery openings, digital art and music. Piccadilly Circus will be home to a giant tower of disco lightboxes inspired by London’s 80s and 90s club scene. Galleries by day, dancefloor by night. Full story

🎭 Go-Ahead Given for London’s Biggest Theatre. A massive new 3,000-seat theatre is coming to the Greenwich Peninsula, with plans officially approved this week. Split across two 1,500-seat auditoriums, it will become London’s largest theatre by capacity. Construction kicks off in June, so get ready for big shows and even bigger interval queues. Full story

. WINTER SOUNDS .
Spreading the Love (and the Music)

We’re happy to welcome back our friends at The Strings Club, whose holiday camps have become a firm favourite with London Scoop families. 🎶

This February half-term (w/c Feb 16), their much-loved camps return across London, offering joyful, screen-free childcare with a big musical twist. Children can join for a single day or stay for the full week.

Founded by mum Amy Cunningham, The Strings Club blends music-making with carefully curated activities. Mornings are spent learning guitar, ukulele or violin with expert teachers, while afternoons mix sport, drama, dance, art and wellbeing. The week finishes with a Grand Concert, which is always a highlight.

Screen-free camps 📵 • Low 1:8 adult-to-child ratio 👶 • 500+ verified 5★ reviews ⭐ • Flexible booking and daily photo updates 📸

📍Camps run across Balham, Blackheath, Bow, Brockley, Crouch End, Dulwich, Fulham, Greenwich, Hackney, Hampstead, Islington, Nunhead, Richmond and Walthamstow.

P.S. Use code NEWCUS10 for a little saving on your first camp! Sibling discounts apply, and you’ll get a free day if you refer a friend. 🎁

 .TRIVIA .
Think you know your London?

. BRAIN BITES .
Wow your kid, and outsmart the other parents

London Fact: Every night at the Tower of London, there’s an ancient ritual that still happens exactly the same way. 🔑🏰 It’s called the Ceremony of the Keys, where the Yeoman Warders lock the gates of the Tower at 9.52 pm with lanterns, drums and a precise routine that’s been carried out for over 700 years without fail. It’s perhaps the oldest daily ceremonial tradition in the world.

Fun Fact: Octopuses have blue blood and a paper‑thin brain. Their copper‑based blood carries oxygen in cold water, and their brain wraps all the way around the oesophagus, so food literally passes through their brain. Wild design.

. EVENTS SCOOP .
What’s on this week?

🎸 The Strings Club @ Various locations
Date & Loc: Feb 16-20, across London
Five-star rated holiday camps that make half-term easy. Expect music-making, creativity and genuinely screen-free fun, all led by expert tutors.
Age: 4–11yrs | Info

🖼️ Art On Your Doorstep (National Gallery) @ Croydon
Date & Loc: Feb 4 onwards, Croydon
The National Gallery takes art outdoors, with full-scale reproductions of famous masterpieces popping up across public spaces. Croydon becomes the first London borough to host this free, walk-up exhibition.
Age: Everyone | Price: Free | Info

🦕 That’s Not My… Dinosaur @ Discover Children’s Story Centre
Date & Loc: Feb 5 (Thu), Stratford E15
A cosy, sensory storytelling session for babies and toddlers, inspired by the much-loved That’s Not My… books, with textures, puppets and gentle interaction.
Age: 0–3yrs | Price: £3.50 | Info

🐷 Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show! @ New Wimbledon Theatre
Date & Loc: Feb 5, Wimbledon SW19
Peppa, George and friends hit the stage in a bright, gentle show full of songs, giggles and muddy-puddle energy.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £19 | Info

🌿 World Wetlands Day @ London Wetland Centre
Date & Loc: Feb 5–8, Barnes SW13
Celebrate World Wetlands Day with free entry to London Wetland Centre. Explore these incredible nature superheroes.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

🎩 I Want My Hat Back Trilogy @ Little Angel Studios
Date & Loc: Feb 5-May 9, Islington N1
A charming stage adaptation of Jon Klassen’s much-loved picture books.
Age: 3–6yrs | Price: £13.50 | Info

🎨 Art After Dark @ Piccadilly Circus
Date & Loc: Feb 5–10, West End W1
A week-long celebration of London’s nightlife with large-scale public artworks, light installations and late-night culture across the West End — including Piccadilly Circus. Best enjoyed after dark.
Age: 13+ | Price: No cost | Info

🌳 Brave Bettie @ Half Moon Theatre
Date & Loc: Feb 5–10, Limehouse E14
A magical woodland adventure about courage, friendship and finding your voice, following Bettie as she fights to protect the forest she loves. Warm, thoughtful and beautifully told.
Age: 3–8yrs | Price: £9 | Info

📸 Water Pantanal: Fire @ Science Museum
Date & Loc: Feb 6-May 31, The Studio, Level 2
A powerful free photography exhibition exploring the beauty of the Pantanal wetlands and the devastating impact of wildfires and climate change.
Age: 12+ | Price: No cost | Info

🎲 Let’s Play, Korea! @ British Museum
Date & Loc: Feb 7 (Sat), Bloomsbury WC1B
Try traditional Korean games (yes, the Squid Game ones 👀) with the London Korean School, plus handmade Korean treats to sample along the way. A lively, cultural drop-in.
Age: 7+ | Price: No cost | Info

🎨 Family Days @ Saatchi Gallery
Date & Loc: Feb 7 & 14, Chelsea SW3
Hands-on art workshops inspired by The Long Now. On Feb 7, build colourful paper mâché sculptures. On Feb 14, design and decorate handmade Valentine’s cards. Book a 30-minute slot between 11am–3pm.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

🌸 Orchid Festival @ Kew Gardens
Date & Loc: Feb 7-Mar 8, Princess of Wales Conservatory
Kew’s annual orchid takeover returns with dazzling displays inside the tropical conservatory, a proper winter mood-lifter.
Age: All ages | Price: incl. with adm | Info

🧙‍♀️ The Mountain Witch @ Lyric Hammersmith
Date & Loc: Feb 7 (Sat), Hammersmith W6
A magical, immersive dance and music adventure where children help an ancient witch set the seasons right. Expect live music, movement, and plenty of gentle audience participation.
Age: 3–8 | Price: £12 | Info

🏮 London Lunar New Year Fair 2026 @ Woolwich Works
Date & Loc: Feb 7–Feb 8, Woolwich SE18
A vibrant weekend celebrating East Asian cultures with street food, crafts, live performances and hands-on workshops welcoming the Year of the Horse.
Age: All ages | Price: £1.50 | Info

🐰 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland @ Studio Theatre
Date & Loc: Feb 8 (Sun), North Finchley N12
A playful, imaginative retelling of Lewis Carroll’s classic, brought to life with live performance, handmade puppets and plenty of curious characters. Down the rabbit hole, minus the chaos.
Age: 3+ | Price: £13.75 | Info

🧳 Last Unicorn Airways @ Jacksons Lane
Date & Loc: Feb 8 (Sun), Highgate N6
All aboard for a magical theatre adventure. Two playful baggage handlers unpack a globe-trotting journey where every suitcase tells a story, full of imagination, movement and gentle humour.
Age: 4+ | Price: £14 | Info

✨ UCL Illuminated @ UCL Quad
Date & Loc: Feb 11–13, Bloomsbury WC1E
A striking after-dark light installation transforming UCL’s historic quad with projections, colour and sound. Expect a short evening wander that feels a bit magical and very London, plus indoor exhibitions and activities to explore along the way.
Age: All ages | Price: £5 | Info

🎭 Ruby’s Worry @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: Feb 11–22 (Wed–Sun), Wimbledon SW19
A gentle, beautifully made stage adaptation of Tom Percival’s much-loved book, using music, puppetry and storytelling to help kids explore worries and feelings in a reassuring way.
Age: 3–7 | Price: £14 | Info

🎨 Imagine Festival @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Feb 11–21, Southbank SE1
Southbank Centre’s much-loved half-term festival returns, turning the whole site into a giant playground of creativity. Expect hands-on workshops, performances, installations and plenty of chances for kids to make, move and imagine.
Age: All ages | Price: Various (many free events) | Info

🩰 Chicos Mambo: TUTU @ Sadler’s Wells
Date & Loc: Feb 11-21, Holborn EC1
A laugh-out-loud, high-energy dance show where six male dancers parody ballet classics in flamboyant tutus.
Age: Everyone | Price: £18 | Info

💜 Fields of Tender @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Feb 12 (Thu), Royal Festival Hall SE1
A gentle, immersive dance experience with music, movement and visuals, created for disabled and neurodivergent children in a relaxed, sensory-friendly space.
Age: 5–10 | Price: From £22 | Info

🎨 Mundo Pixar @ Wembley Park
Date & Loc: opens Feb 13, Wembley
Step inside the worlds of Toy Story, Coco, Cars and more in this large-scale immersive Pixar experience, packed with life-size sets.
Age: All ages | Price: from £22 | Info

🐝 The Very Busy Bumblebee: The Ballet @ Woolwich Works
Date & Loc: Feb 14 (Sat), Woolwich SE18
A sweet, funny intro to ballet for little ones, following Beatrice the bumblebee on a buzzy adventure about friendship and caring for nature. Short, colourful and gently interactive.
Age: 0–8 | Price: £11.50 | Info

🧵 Meet the Designer @ Young V&A
Date & Loc: Feb 14 (Sat), Bethnal Green E2
Drop in to meet textile designer Amanda Vesthardt in The Shed and explore sustainable making, recycled materials, and experimental techniques in action.
Age: Families | Price: No cost | Info

🩰 Sleeping Beauty Ballet @ Blackheath Halls
Date & Loc: Feb 15 (Sun), Blackheath SE3
A family-friendly take on the classic ballet, with dazzling dancers, colourful costumes and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score. Short, magical and ideal for younger audiences.
Age: 2–14 | Price: From £10 | Info

⚔️ Samurai Festival @ British Museum
Date & Loc: Feb 16–18 (Mon–Wed), Great Court WC1
A free, three-day half-term festival inspired by the Samurai exhibition, with origami helmets, banner-making, storytelling and live drumming. Hands-on, cultural and genuinely fun.
Age: 6+ | Price: No cost | Info

🛠️ Design Camp: Sustainable Prop Making @ Design Museum
Date & Loc: Feb 19 (Thu), Kensington W8
A full-day creative workshop where young designers learn prop-making using sustainable materials, inspired by film and storytelling (think Wes Anderson vibes). Hands-on, practical and very cool.
Age: 11–14 | Price: £75 | Info

🎭 Lost Atoms @ Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
Date & Loc: until Feb 28, Hammersmith W6
A bold, emotional love story from Frantic Assembly, following two people across memory, loss and the moments that shape a relationship. Funny, intense and heart-breaking in turns.
Age: 14+ | Price: £10 | Info

🌧️ Mudfest 2026 @ London Wetland Centre
Date & Loc: Feb 14–22 (Sat–Sun), Barnes SW13
Stomp, splash and squelch your way through half-term with muddy, hands-on activities celebrating all things gloriously messy. Wellies very much encouraged.
Age: All ages | Price: Incl. with entry | Info

🧺 Little Red Riding Hood @ Discover Children’s Story Centre
Date & Loc: Until Feb 22, Stratford E15
An immersive, interactive play space inspired by the classic fairytale, where little ones explore Grandma’s cottage, dress up and follow the trail of the Big Bad Wolf.
Age: 0–8yrs | Price: from £5 | Info

🐿️ Squirrel @ Unicorn Theatre
Date & Loc: Until Feb 22, London Bridge SE1
A thoughtful, visually rich theatre show about friendship, change and finding your place.
Age: 6mo–4yrs | Price: from £10 | Info

🎼 Family Sundays @ Royal Opera House
Date & Loc: Various dates, Covent Garden WC2E
These go fast but still some dates available. A relaxed family day with creative activities, short performances and chances to explore music, dance and storytelling inside the Royal Opera House.
Age: Families | Price: £20 | Info

🦖🕺 Dino Disco for Kids @ Natural History Museum
Date & Loc: Various, South Kensington SW7
Jan dates sold out but availability for other dates. A family-friendly silent disco inside the museum, complete with headphones, dancing dinosaurs and multiple DJs to choose from. Big energy, big smiles.
Age: 6–12yrs | Price: £20 | Info

🦸 Superhero City Adventure @ Kensington Gardens
Date & Loc: Ongoing, Kensington Gardens SW7
A self-guided outdoor adventure where kids follow clues around the park, solving puzzles and completing missions to become city superheroes. Easy to start anytime.
Age: 4–8yrs | Price: £6 | Info

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