Morning, London! Happy Thursday. The World Cup is underway. England got off to a great start, winning 4-2 last night. Big smiles at school drop-off this morning. Of course everyone is trying not to get carried away. Too late. Also, plenty of dads (and mums?) seem to have used their free travel pass to go catch a bit of the action in the USA. House chores for a month in return?

Fair play to the Scots too. The Tartan Army seems to have spent the last week making friends, collecting stories and generally having a great time in Boston. Well done.

So. Four weeks until the summer holidays. Sports days. Summer fairs. End-of-year everything. Have class reps are began the annual search for their replacements yet? Nobody make eye contact. "It doesn't take much time." That's a lie. Stay strong.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads.

Let's go.

🧸 Paddington Is Heading to Broadway. Fresh off its award-winning West End run, Paddington: The Musical is crossing the Atlantic and heading to Broadway in 2027. The good news? It will continue running in London too. From a bench at Paddington Station to New York. Not bad for a bear with a suitcase. Full story

🎬 Camden’s Getting Its Own Version of Hollywood. A £1 billion film and TV district has been given the green light in Camden. The huge development will create a new screen industry hub, with construction set to begin in 2027. If all goes to plan, NW1 could soon be swapping guitar shops for film sets and aspiring actors ordering flat whites between takes. Full story

🏊 London’s First Floating Lido Opens This Week. Canary Wharf is about to get London’s first floating lido, with a 50-metre outdoor pool sitting right in the middle of Eden Dock. The water is unheated and it will be open 364 days a year. Perfect for the brave and the cold-water enthusiasts. Full story

One of our favourite family days of the summer is back! 🎉

The Place’s Family Dance Day returns to Coram’s Fields Saturday 18 July, with a packed day of performances and dance workshops for under-12s and their grown-ups.

The line-up includes BUG, where performers dressed as giant insects come to life in funny, funky dances, Prisma, a magical dance show inspired by children’s books, and No Sugar No Milk, a high-energy mix of physical theatre, martial arts and circus stunts.

There will also be dance workshops and interactive storytelling for the younger ones Basically, plenty to watch, plenty to do, and a very good excuse to spend the day out at Coram’s Fields.

The best bit? It’s completely free and you can just turn up on the day.

📍 Coram’s Fields, WC1N
🗓️ Jul 18 (Sat), 11am to 4pm
More info

🎸 The Strings Club Holiday Camps @ various locations
Date & Loc: Summer 2026, across London
The team at Strings Club run some brilliant five-star rated holiday camps. Music, games, crafts and plenty of screen-free fun to keep the kids busy while school’s out. Use code LSCOOP10 for a little help.
Age: 4–11yo | Info

🐱 Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Jun 18-Jul 19, Islington N1
Based on Dermot O’Leary’s bestselling books, this fast-paced adventure follows ninja cat Toto as she sets out to stop a deadly king cobra loose on the streets of London.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £13.50 | Info

🖐️ Hopeful Monsters @ Half Moon Theatre
Date & Loc: Jun 19-20, Limehouse E14
A mesmerising non-verbal show where hands transform into strange creatures, giant beasts and everything in between. Part puppetry, part visual theatre.
Age: 5+ | Price: £9 | Info

⚔️ Arthur @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: Jun 20-Aug 9, Wimbledon SW19
A brand-new musical adventure inspired by the legend of King Arthur.
Age: 6–12yo | Price: From £10 | Info

🌟 West End Live @ Trafalgar Square
Date & Loc: Jun 20–21, Westminster WC2N
Outdoor performances from the biggest West End shows at Trafalgar Square. Two days of casts performing live in the open air, no tickets needed.
Age: Everyone | Price: No cost | Info

🎬 Safety Last! + Live Musical Accompaniment @ Barbican Centre
Date & Loc: Jun 20 (Sat), Barbican EC2Y
A silent-film classic gets the live treatment as pianist John Sweeney accompanies Harold Lloyd's famous skyscraper-climbing comedy. Nearly 100 years old and still guaranteed to have kids (and parents) gripping their seats.
Age: 6+ | Price: £2.50 child / £5 adult | Info

🐻 Outdoor Theatre: The Jungle Book @ Fulham Palace
Date & Loc: Jun 20 (Sat), Fulham SW6
Mowgli, Baloo and friends swing into Fulham Palace's walled garden for an outdoor theatre adventure packed with music, audience participation and jungle-sized fun.
Age: All | Price: from £14 child | Info

🐱 Puss In Boots: A Cats Adventure @ Churchill Theatre
Date & Loc: Jun 20, Bromley BR1
Puss in Boots sets off on a colourful musical adventure to find friendship, with original songs, interactive moments and plenty of larger-than-life characters along the way.
Age: 2+ | Price: from £15 | Info

👱 Rapunzel @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Jun 20 (Sat), Islington N1
Rapunzel is stuck in a tower, her hair is being chopped off for profit, and she's had quite enough of it. Funny, music-filled retelling!
Age: 4+ | Price: From £12 | Info

🎬 Encanto Outdoor Cinema Sing-A-Long @ Kew Gardens
Date & Loc: Jun 20 (Sat), Kew TW9
Pack a picnic blanket and warm up those vocal cords for an outdoor screening of Disney's Encanto in the beautiful surroundings of Kew Gardens.
Age: 4+ | Price: From £10.50 | Info

🚂 June Steam Up: Father's Day @ London Museum of Water & Steam
Date & Loc: Jun 20-21, Brentford TW8
See giant Victorian steam engines roar into life as this fascinating museum fires up its historic machinery. Engineers will be on hand to explain how it all works, making this a great outing for curious kids (and dads who secretly love big machines).
Age: All ages | Price: from £5 | Info

📦 Not-A-Box: 0–5s Storytelling @ Discover Children’s Story Centre
Date & Loc: Jun 20-Jul 27, Stratford E15
Inspired by the beloved Not a Box book, this gentle storytelling show invites little ones to turn an ordinary box into rocket ships, mountains and magical adventures. A good first theatre-style experience for younger children.
Age: 0–5yo | Price: £3.50 | Info

🌞 Folk Family Day @ Museum of the Home
Date & Loc: Jun 21 (Sun), Hoxton E2
Celebrate the summer solstice with a day of folk-inspired family activities. Make paper fish, decorate a mini playhouse and create your own cyanotype print using natural materials and sunlight.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

🎪 The Secret Circus Musical @ Museum of Comedy
Date & Loc: Jun 21 (Sun), Bloomsbury WC1N
A quirky circus musical packed with puppets, live music and plenty of silliness.
Age: All ages | Price: from £9 | Info

🎨 Summer Family Festival @ Dulwich Picture Gallery
Date & Loc: Jun 21 (Sun), Dulwich SE21
A big family day out packed with art, nature and hands-on fun. Make nature crowns, throw wildflower seed bombs, try face painting, explore interactive art spaces and join creative workshops across the gallery grounds.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost (some paid activities) | Info

🌱 The Magic Garden @ V&A South Kensington
Date & Loc: Until Oct 10, South Kensington SW7
Dig into the hidden world beneath our feet at this hands-on family workshop inspired by roots, fungi and soil. Using recycled materials, children can create sculptures that grow into a giant collaborative artwork throughout the day.
Age: 5+ | Price: No cost | Info

🦊 Natural History Pop-up @ Horniman Museum
Date & Loc: until Jun 30, Forest Hill SE23
A chance to get up close to some of the Horniman’s natural history favourites while the main gallery gets a refresh. Fossils, foxes, koalas, kiwis and plenty of curious specimens to spark questions from small explorers.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

🛹 Skate 50 @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: until Jun 21, Southbank SE1
A celebration of London’s legendary skate scene with photography, video and stories from the Undercroft over the last 50 years. Cool enough that even non-skaters will suddenly want Vans.
Age: All | Price: Pay What You Can | Info

🐴 Shire Horse Carriage Rides @ Hampton Court Palace
Date & Loc: Jun 19-28 (weekends), Hampton Court KT8
Clip-clop through the palace gardens behind a team of magnificent Shire horses on a 20-minute carriage ride through 500 years of history.
Age: All | Price: £5 per ride (under 2s free) | Info

♠️ Alice in Wonderland @ Jacksons Lane
Date & Loc: Jun 23 (Tue), Highgate N6
Seven-year-olds take on Wonderland in this imaginative retelling of the Lewis Carroll classic. Curious characters, unexpected comedy and plenty of creative ideas.
Age: Everyone | Price: No cost | Info

🎪 Baby Sensory Circus @ Story Centre
Date & Loc: Jun 24 (Wed), Stratford E15
A colourful mini circus adventure for little ones, featuring a 10-minute clown performance followed by hands-on sensory play.
Age: 0-4 | Price: £10 | Info

🎪 Greenwich Village Summer Fair @ St Alfege Church Community Hall
Date & Loc: Jun 27 (Sat), Greenwich SE10
A community summer fair packed with free fun, including a bouncy castle, face painting, balloons, crafts, music, a fire truck and even Boppin' Bunnies.
Age: 0-8 | Price: No cost | Info

📚 London Children's Literature Festival @ Barnes
Date & Loc: Jun 27-28, Barnes SW13
Barnes turns into a giant playground for book-loving kids with more than 100 events, workshops and performances. Authors, illustrators, comedians, LEGO, chess, live music and enough stories to keep even the most reluctant reader entertained.
Age: All ages | Price: Various (some free) | Info

🎻 Mozart’s Jupiter by Heart @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Jun 28 (Sun), South Bank SE1
Sit among the musicians as Aurora Orchestra performs Mozart's Jupiter Symphony entirely from memory. A family-friendly concert that puts you right in the middle of the action. Selling out fast!
Age: 7+ | Price: from £22 | Info

🫧 Bubble Explorers @ Science Museum
Date & Loc: until Jul 12, South Kensington SW7
A live bubble show for younger kids at the Science Museum, featuring experiments and giant bubbles.
Age: 7 and under | Price: £4.50 | Info

🛁 The Flying Bath @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: until Jul 12, Islington N1
Julia Donaldson and David Roberts' story about a bath that flies off into the night, with catchy songs, rubber ducks and everyday heroes.
Age: 2–5 | Price: £13.50 | Info

💃 Family Dance Day @ Coram's Fields
Date & Loc: Jul 18 (Sat), Bloomsbury WC1N
One of our favourite family days of the summer is back. Catch giant dancing insects in BUG, a magical book-inspired performance in Prisma, and circus-meets-martial-arts mayhem in No Sugar No Milk. There are workshops and interactive activities throughout the day too!
Age: Under 12s & families | Price: No cost | Info

🐕 Dog Man: The Musical @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 30–Aug 16, Southbank SE1
Based on Dav Pilkey's bestselling books, hilarious and heartfelt in equal measure, with a dog for a hero. Tickets on sale now for the summer holidays.
Age: 5+ | Price: £27 | Info

🧚 Fairy Tales @ British Library
Date & Loc: until Aug 23, King's Cross N1C
The British Library opens a fairy tales exhibition with books, original illustrations, theatre costumes, puppets and pop-ups.
Age: 3-10yo | Price: £11.50 | Info

🎨 Allen Jones: Taking Shape @ Camden Arts Projects
Date & Loc: until Aug 30, Camden NW1
Six decades of work by one of Britain's most influential Pop Artists come together in this free exhibition of paintings, sculptures and a major new piece created especially for the show.
Age: Older kids & teens | Price: No cost | Info

🦁 Disney’s The Lion King Exhibition @ London Zoo
Date & Loc: until Aug 31, Regent’s Park NW1
The masks, puppets and costumes from Disney’s The Lion King have taken over London Zoo for the summer. Get a close-up look at the craftsmanship behind the West End hit and spot iconic characters.
Age: All | Price: incl. w. adm. | Info

🎵 Luke Jerram: Stepping Out @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: until Sep 30, South Bank SE1
Turn a walk into a musical adventure at this interactive artwork where your footsteps trigger changing sounds and melodies.
Age: All | Price: No cost | 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!

Got any comments or suggestions? Feel free to reply; I’d love to hear from you.

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