Morning, London! Happy Thursday! 🐍 The Year of the Snake is here - and millions across Asia and the world are welcoming it, with family, friends, prayers and plenty of food. I’ll be honest—I don’t know nearly as much about Lunar New Year as I should I’d like to, but I do know it’s a huge celebration filled with meaning, family, and great food. London’s an incredible melting pot of cultures, so why not use this as the perfect excuse to dive into its international festivities?

I’ve put together a special Snake Edition featuring the best events in town. And if you’re out there celebrating, snapping pics of the action—send them my way! I’ll share the best one in next week’s issue. 🎊

Also, in last week’s pizza poll battle, “Thin, crisp, and full of attitude” took the crown with 66.67% of the votes, leaving “Soft, fluffy, and full of love” in the dust. Sorry, deep-dish fans! 🍕

Let’s see what else we’ve got for you today:

• 🎙️ London Snippets: Bits that caught our eye

• ☎️ Trivia: Know your London?

• 🐍 Special Edition: Lunar New Year

• 📅 Readers’ Favourite: Family events this week

• 🧠 Casual Einstein: Two new playground-worthy facts

But first, the weather —the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across parts of England and Wales as a cold snap grips the UK. Twelve cities are bracing for heavy snowfall, but nothing for us, Londoners. This time, we’ll take the sun.

. LONDON SNIPPETS .

Bits that caught our eye

🏙️ London neighbourhoods ‘on the up’ in 2025. A new Gail’s? An Ole & Steen popping up nearby? Congrats, your area is officially ‘on the up’! Ha. Look, I know these things are subjective—we could debate West vs. East, North vs. South, or whether South West is in a league of its own for hours. But here are 3 areas getting some recent love from this property expert. Full story

🚌 Superloop Expansion. To be honest, I’ve never even seen one—let alone taken one—but the Superloop is a network of express bus routes connecting outer London boroughs, designed to make travel faster and more direct without trekking through central London. There are now ten more services in the pipeline, doubling the network. Have a look—maybe one of the new routes will be useful to you! Full story

🎬 Iconic West End Cinema Battles to Stay Open. A petition has been launched in support of The Prince Charles Cinema, in Leicester Square, after management warned that its future is at risk due to new terms imposed by its landlord. I used to watch loads of films there when I lived nearby—before kids, of course. It’s one of the last remaining independent cinemas in London! 😥 Full story

. TRIVIA .

Think you know your London?

. SPECIAL EDITION: LUNAR NEW YEAR .

Best events in Town

• Brunswick: This year the centre has planned an even more exciting lineup of entertainment, featuring two traditional Chinese lion performers, gigantic pandas, God of Wealth performers, Big Dolly Head performances, and incredible stilt walkers. (Thursday 30th) Bloomsbury, No Charge

• China Town / Trafalgar Square London’s Chinatown hosts the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of China, making it the place to be for festive vibes. Lion dance performances on Saturday 1st, New Year Parade on Sunday 2nd No Charge

  

• London Museum Docklands: Mesmerising dragon dances, enchanting folktales, vibrant crafts and lively community-led events. (Saturday and Sunday)

• Greenwich Peninsula: Transformed into a festival of Lunar New Year activity on Saturday February 1, ushering in the year of the snake with a host of performances, workshops and tasty treats. No charge

• Old Spitalfields Market: Two days of tea tasting, dumpling making, lantern crafting and more in a weekend-long pop-up curated by artist and designer Mei Hui Liu. Mix of free and ticketed events.

• Camden Town: Camden Market is coming to life on Saturday 1st February to welcome the year of the snake. Celebrate in partnership with local community groups, featuring a parade, music, dance and workshops. No charge

. EVENTS SCOOP .

What’s on this week?

🎨 Mini Masterpieces @ Dulwich Picture Gallery
Date & Loc: Jan 30th, Dulwich
Spark your child’s imagination through playful painting. Join these exploratory sessions for under 5s. Each session begins with a journey through the Gallery to discover the different people, places and animals in our paintings, followed by an art-making activity.
Age: Under 5 | Price: £16 (adult) | Info

🎭 Replay @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Jan 30th - Feb 1st, Southbank
Enter an endless world of play and invention in a limitless recycled playground for children and their grown-ups to tap into their imaginations.
Age: 6 months to 11y | Price: from £7.5 | Info

🎭 Ballet Shoes @ National Theatre
Date & Loc: Jan 30th - Feb 22nd, Southbank
In a crumbling house full of dinosaur bones and fossils, three adopted sisters – Pauline, Petrova and Posy – are learning who they are and what they want to be.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £25 | Info

🎭 Family Freestyle @ Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Date & Loc: Jan 31st, Islington
Does your child love to move? Family Freestyle will get you and your little ones dancing together and having fun.
Age: 2-4y | Price: from £4 | Info

❄️ Winter Lights @ Canary Wharf
Date & Loc: Jan 30th-Feb 1st, Canary Wharf
Now in its ninth year, the trail takes you through 12 spectacular temporary installations, alongside its ever-popular permanent light artworks—showcasing some of the most innovative light artists from around the world.
Age: All | Price: No cost | Info

🎭 Family Film + Q&A: Wallace & Gromit @ Barbican
Date & Loc: Feb 1st, Barbican
Come along to see the latest from Aardman – the artistry of the models, the animation craft – up on the big screen in all their glory! The directors of the film – Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham – will both be attending in person for a Q&A following the film.
Age: 9-13y | Price: from £2.5 | Info

🎻 Bach to Baby: Family Concert
Date & Loc: Feb 1st - 8th, Ealing/Greenwich/Dulwich/Balham
Live music, feeding, crying, dancing & nappy changing. Classical concert series for families to enjoy live music together.
Age: 0-5y | Price: from £15 | Info

🎭 The Snowy Day @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: until Feb 2nd, Wimbledon
The Snowy Day is specially designed for 1-4 year olds and their grown-ups, featuring one dancer, original music and an enchanting set.
Age: 1-4y | Price: from £14 | Info

🎭 Design Baby: Play Build Play @ V&A
Date & Loc: Feb 5th, South Kensington
Play with unusual and experimental materials and mix them up with your little ones! Explore the space and sensory areas. Share your experience with other families and create new connections.
Age: 0-3y | Price: No cost! | Info

🌌 Light Festival 2025 @ Battersea Power Station
Date & Loc: until Feb 23rd, Battersea
This interactive art trail features eight must-see light installations by British and international artists, with several making their UK or London debut. Shining both inside and outside the Power Station from 8am to 11pm daily.
Age: All | Price: No cost | Info

🔬 Wonderlab @ Science Museum
Date & Loc: Daily, Kensington
This hands-on experience will spark curiosity, fuel imagination, and change the way you see the world!
Age: 7-14y | Price: from £15 | Info

🌍 SOIL: World at your feet @ Somerset House
Date & Loc: Jan 23rd onwards, Embankment
This ground-breaking exhibition unites visionary artists and thinkers from around the world to explore the remarkable power and potential of soil.
Age: All | Price: From £10 (under 5 free) | Info

🎭 Pig Heart Boy @ Unicorn Theatre
Date & Loc: Jan 26th onwards, London Bridge
Is it better to have a pig's heart that works … than a human heart that doesn't? This captivating new adaptation follows a boy in urgent need of a heart transplant, who yearns simply to reclaim his life.
Age: 9-13y | Price: from £8.5 | Info

🎪 Come Alive Show
Date & Loc: ongoing, Earls Court
Drawing inspiration from The Greatest Showman, "Come Alive" offers a circus extravaganza filled with all your favorite hits from the movie.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £95 | Info

🎭 Home Song @ Unicorn Theatre
Date & Loc: Feb 7th onwards, London Bridge
In this multi-sensory show, meet young Adwoa and her mum as they embark on a journey to find the true meaning of home, from the bustling streets of Kumasi to the vibrant heart of London.
Age: 6-18 months | Price: from £19.5 (adult + baby) | Info

🎭 Barbie: The Exhibition @ Design Museum
Date & Loc: until Feb 23rd, Kensington
A major exhibition exploring the design evolution of one of the world’s most famous dolls: Barbie.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £7 | Info

✨ Churchill in Cartoons @ Imperial War Museum
Date & Loc: until Feb 23rd, Lambeth
This free exhibition at IWM London marks 150 years since Winston Churchill’s birth, exploring how satirical cartoons shaped public perception during his lifetime—and how they continue to influence our view of him today.
Age: Everyone | Price: No cost | Info

As always, we appreciate you giving us feedback on this section to keep making it better and more useful:

 . CASUAL EINSTEIN .

2 for 1: Wow your kid and outsmart the other parents

Here are two cool facts to help you sound like the smartest parent on the playground:

Fun Fact: Wombat poop is cube-shaped. No, they don’t use a tiny mould—wombats have uniquely structured intestines that shape their poop into cubes so it doesn’t roll away. Nature is cool! (Wombats are ground-dwelling cousins of koalas, with serious digging skills.)

London fact: London’s iconic red buses weren’t always red. Back in the early 1900s, different companies used different colours—total chaos. One company went all-in on red, and by 1907, the whole city followed. Imagine if they’d picked lime green instead!

. SPREAD THE LOVE .

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