Morning, London! Happy Thursday. Half-term is arriving in shifts. Some families are packing for two weeks off. Others are still signing reading diaries.

If you’re in the first group, have a lovely time. Just give the others a few days before posting “much needed” from a sunlounger. They’ll be along shortly with exactly the same photo.

And yes, we can properly talk Halloween now. How’s your street looking? The effort seems to go up every year. One house puts out a pumpkin, someone else adds a skeleton. Then a neighbour gets a smoke machine and suddenly your pumpkin looks like you don’t care.

Quite enjoying it, honestly. More of this. Especially when someone else has to put it all away. As always, plenty happening across London. Half-term plans, Halloween outings and a few things with no ghosts involved.

Let’s go.

☂️ Nanny McPhee Is Coming to the West End. Emma Thompson's magical nanny is getting a stage musical at the Aldwych Theatre, opening 6 November 2027, and tickets are already on sale. A woman who sorts out unruly children with one tap of a stick, now with songs. Some of us will be taking notes. Full story

🐸 London Zoo Just Pulled Off a World First. Fifteen critically endangered Afia Birago's puddle frogs have been born at London Zoo, the first time anywhere. Each one is 5mm long, and you can go and see them. Bring a magnifying glass. Or a lot of patience. Full story

🏃 A Record Run Through the Royal Parks. More than 17,000 runners took on Sunday’s Royal Parks Half Marathon, the event’s biggest turnout yet. The 13.1-mile route wound through four royal parks, with Olly Murs and Tilly Ramsay among those taking part. Congratulations if you ran. If you held someone’s coat and shouted encouragingly, we’re counting that too. Full story

We’ve only just got back into the school routine but October half term is already round the corner. That was quick.

Don’t panic though, our friends at The Strings Club have got your back. Regular readers will know them by now: music-led holiday camps for 4–11-year-olds across London, and this October they’re giving things a Halloween twist.

Guitar, violin or ukulele to try, arts and crafts, games and plenty of time outdoors. Their Spooktacular Celebrations week includes:

👻 Ghoulish Singalong: stomping, wiggling and learning the moves to the Monster Mash.
🎨 Mask Makers: creating spooky masks, from friendly ghosts to wild monsters.
🎶 Fright Night Composers: teaming up to write their own Halloween-inspired music.
🧟 Zombie Kickball: running, kicking and dodging in a game with a spooky twist.

And a Grand Concert to round off the week.

Book a single day or the full week. Daily updates and photos too, so you can see what they’ve been up to.

📅 Week commencing 26 October
📍 Across London: Balham, Blackheath, Brockley, Bow, Clapton, Crouch End, Dulwich, Ealing, Fulham, Greenwich, Hackney Dalston, Hampstead, Islington, Kingston upon Thames, Nunhead, Richmond, Walthamstow and Wimbledon

New to The Strings Club? They’ve kindly offered our readers 10% off their first booking with code SCOOP.

👉 Find your nearest camp

🎤 Baby Broadway @ Holy Trinity Church
Date & Loc: Oct 15 (Thu), Wimbledon SW19
West End singers perform musical and film favourites, with bubbles, puppets and plenty of chances for small people to join in.
Age: 0–7 | Price: from £14 | Info

🌀 Wake the Tiger: Absurd City @ Westfield London
Date & Loc: Opens Oct 15 (Thu), Shepherd’s Bush W12
Explore secret passageways, hidden rooms and five wonderfully strange districts at this new immersive art adventure.
Age: All ages | Price: from £22 | Info

🧀 Larger Than Life: Starring Wallace & Gromit, Shaun and More @ Lightroom
Date & Loc: Now–Jan 4, King’s Cross N1C
Aardman’s characters take over the walls and floor in a new immersive show celebrating 50 years of stop-motion mischief.
Age: All ages | Price: from £15 | Info

🏀 High School Musical @ Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
Date & Loc: Now–Jan 3, Wembley HA9
Troy and Gabriella swap basketball practice for auditions in a new production packed with the film’s songs. Opened this week.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £20 | Info

🎶 Home Song @ Unicorn Theatre
Date & Loc: Until Nov 8 (selected dates), London Bridge SE1
A gentle musical journey from Ghana to London, with puppets, a cappella singing and sensory play made especially for babies.
Age: 6–18 months | Price: from £10 | Info

🍯 Winnie-the-Pooh @ London Zoo
Date & Loc: Until Nov 1, Regent’s Park NW1
Follow Pooh and Eeyore around the zoo on an illustrated story trail celebrating everyone’s favourite honey enthusiast turning 100.
Age: All ages | Price: incl with zoo adm | Info

🎤 Baby Broadway @ The Actors’ Church
Date & Loc: Oct 16 (Fri), Covent Garden WC2E
Sing and dance along to musical and film favourites with West End performers, bubbles and puppets in this relaxed family concert.
Age: 0–8 | Price: from £14 | Info

👻 Halloween at Kew @ Kew Gardens
Date & Loc: Oct 16–Nov 1, Kew TW9
Follow an illuminated trail past Dracula’s lair, a cursed tomb and the Headless Horseman, before letting loose at the Monster Disco.
Age: All ages | Price: from £18 | Info

🎃 Pumpkin Nights @ Hobbledown Heath
Date & Loc: Oct 16–18 & 23–31, Hounslow TW14
The pumpkin patch opens after dark for lantern-lit picking and autumn fun under the stars. Pumpkins cost extra.
Age: All ages | Price: from £10 | Info

🎃 Halloween: Once Upon a Pumpkin @ Lewis of London
Date & Loc: Oct 16–31, Barnet EN5
A fairy-tale trail, duck races and marshmallow toasting join the pumpkin patch at this ice cream farm. Pumpkins cost extra.
Age: Best for 2–8 | Price: from £4.95 | Info

📚 Family Festival: Stories, Sign and Shine @ British Library
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), King’s Cross NW1
A free afternoon of making, movement and storytelling, with BSL poetry and activities fully accessible for families with D/deaf children.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🎻 Aurora Orchestra: Meet the Instruments @ Kings Place
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), King’s Cross N1
A lively interactive concert where kids can sing, dance, play games and discover the sounds of different orchestral instruments.
Age: 3–7 | Price: from £15 | Info

🔨 The Misadventures of Thor @ Lyric Hammersmith
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Hammersmith W6
Puppets and two Viking storytellers reveal Thor’s less heroic moments, including being rescued by his three-day-old son. Awkward.
Age: 4+ | Price: from £12 | Info

🪐 The Quest for Planet P @ Half Moon Theatre
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), 11am, Limehouse E1
Help two little aliens find their perfect planet through dance, projections and storytelling, then join an interactive workshop.
Age: 3–11 | Price: from £9 | Info

😂 Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles @ Salvation Army Hall
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), West Norwood SE27
Children compete in ridiculous games and challenges to prove who’s the most awful. Finally, a competition they’ve been training for.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £13.20 | Info

🔧 Meccano Show @ Falconwood Community Centre
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Falconwood DA16
See working cranes, trains and funfair rides, then build your own model or try an electronics workshop. Bring cash for admission.
Age: All ages | Price: from £5 | Info

🎩 Make It: Hats @ V&A South Kensington
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), South Kensington SW7
Design and decorate an extraordinary hat with fashion designer Matthew David Andrews, using fabric, felt and a healthy disregard for sensible headwear.
Age: 5–13, sessions by age | Price: from £20 per adult-and-child pair | Info

🎨 Mini Fabric Patch Printing @ Hornsey Town Hall
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Crouch End N8
Design a foam stamp and print your own fabric patch to take home at the Muswell Hill Creatives Make and Mend Festival.
Age: 5–8 | Price: from £12 | Info

🍬 The Magic Sweet Jar @ Vauxhall City Farm
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Vauxhall SE11
Follow Louisa into a world made of sweets, with puppetry, live music and audience participation helping her take on the Sugar King.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £6 | Info

🎶 Margaret’s Music @ Herne Hill United Church
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Herne Hill SE24
Live instruments, puppets and colourful props accompany songs and stories in this interactive concert for the Herne Hill Music Festival.
Age: 0–7 | Price: from £6.60 | Info

🧹 Family Film Club: Kiki’s Delivery Service @ Barbican
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Barbican EC2Y
A young witch and her black cat start a flying delivery service in this Studio Ghibli favourite, screened in English.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £2.50 | Info

🐯 Mariesa Dulak: Tigers, Trains and Crocodiles @ Wimbledon Library
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Wimbledon SW19
Join the author of There’s a Tiger on the Train for stories, animal actions, sing-alongs and a dance to finish.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £7.50 | Info

🧜 Chris Riddell: The Underwater World of Mermaids @ Wimbledon Library
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Wimbledon SW19
Explore Chris Riddell’s mermaid world, with drawing tips and storytelling secrets from the former Children’s Laureate.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £7.50 | Info

🌲 The Luck Child & Other Strange Tales @ Jacksons Lane
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), Highgate N6
Daniel Morden tells tales of dark forests, talking animals and mysterious strangers, with plenty of booing and cheering along the way.
Age: 8+ | Price: from £10 | Info

👻 Ghosts & Ghouls Family Tour @ Shakespeare’s Globe
Date & Loc: From Oct 17 (selected dates until Jan 30), Bankside SE1
Explore Shakespeare’s ghosts, witches and supernatural stories on a family tour of the Globe, with exhibition entry included.
Age: All ages; some scary content | Price: from £18 | Info

✨ Surinderella @ artsdepot
Date & Loc: Oct 17–18, North Finchley N12
Cinderella gets a Bollywood makeover, complete with fame-hungry stepsisters, a glamorous godmother and a cow with serious dance moves.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £15 | Info

🎭 Black History Month Family Craft Hub @ The Mall Wood Green
Date & Loc: Oct 17–18, Wood Green N22
Make carnival masks, beaded bracelets and colourful accessories inspired by Notting Hill Carnival at this free drop-in craft weekend.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🚀 Toto @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: Oct 17–Nov 1 (selected dates), Wimbledon SW19
A donkey dreams of becoming an astronaut in a new musical adventure involving a carrot-powered rocket.
Age: 3–8 | Price: from £10 | Info

🎸 Nick Cope Family Show @ artsdepot
Date & Loc: Oct 18 (Sun), North Finchley N12
The CBeebies favourite brings his guitar, funny songs and animated characters for an hour of musical silliness and singing along.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £15 | Info

🩰 Alice in Wonderland: The Ballet @ Jacksons Lane
Date & Loc: Oct 18 (Sun), Highgate N6
Follow Alice into Wonderland for a 40-minute ballet with the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and a very demanding Queen of Hearts.
Age: Best for 2–14 | Price: from £10 | Info

💃 Family Sunday: Roots in Motion @ Royal Opera House
Date & Loc: Oct 18 (Sun), Covent Garden WC2E
Celebrate Black culture through ballet, hip hop and African dance, with costume dressing-up, animation workshops and a family dance party.
Age: Best for 3–10 | Price: £20 | Info

🏡 Sunday Fun-Day @ Lauderdale House
Date & Loc: Oct 18 (Sun), Highgate N6
Drop in for artist-led crafts inspired by the house’s history, then explore its Tudor beams, fireplaces and nearly 500 years of stories.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🖍️ Ed Vere: Waffles & Julius @ Wimbledon Library
Date & Loc: Oct 18 (Sun), Wimbledon SW19
Hear a story about friendship and unwanted hugs, then draw its two characters along with their creator, Ed Vere.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £7.50 | Info

🙌 Goodfellas and Little Legends @ Citizen Hub Wimbledon
Date & Loc: Oct 18 (Sun), Wimbledon SW19
Two hours of active games and play for children and their dads or other male role models. Free, but booking required.
Age: 2–11 | Price: no cost | Info

⚔️ Sword Fighting Demonstration @ Shakespeare’s Globe
Date & Loc: Oct 18–29 (selected dates), Bankside SE1
Watch the Globe’s fight team demonstrate Shakespearean stage combat, then get a closer look at the weapons and try handling them.
Age: 4+ | Price: £15 | Info

🎪 Cirque Berserk! @ Garrick Theatre
Date & Loc: Oct 21–31, West End WC2H
Acrobats, aerialists and daredevil motorcyclists take over the stage for a short West End run, including the motorcycle Globe of Death.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £17.50 | Info

🔎 Culture Quest Treasure Hunt @ British Museum
Date & Loc: Oct 23 (Fri), Bloomsbury WC1B
Track down museum treasures, solve clues and collect photographic evidence before the prize-giving. A separate free museum entry booking is also required.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £8 | Info

😂 The Funny Life of Teachers @ Museum of Comedy
Date & Loc: Oct 24–25, Bloomsbury WC1A
Stand-up for children from James Campbell, with ridiculous stories and plenty for the accompanying grown-ups to laugh at too.
Age: 6+ | Price: £14 | Info

🪔 Diwali on the Square @ Trafalgar Square
Date & Loc: Oct 25 (Sun), Westminster WC2N
Celebrate the Festival of Lights with music, dance workshops, puppet shows and vegetarian street food. No booking needed.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

💀 Day of the Dead Family Festival @ Horniman Museum & Gardens
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Forest Hill SE23
Mexican music, dancers and giant skulls fill the gardens, with mask-making, storytelling and a discovery trail for children.
Age: All ages | Price: from £6 | 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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