Morning, London! Happy Thursday. Thirty three degrees in May. In England. Naturally the entire city immediately headed for the coast. Every seaside town within two hours of London was absolutely rammed. Windbreakers out. Ice cream queues round the block. SPF 50 applied with the urgency of a medical emergency.

One small tip if you're heading seaside this weekend: choose carefully. Some beaches were lovely. Fish and chips, buckets and spades, proper family chaos. Others looked more like a festival that had run out of stages. You'll know which is which when you see the cans.

Kids have one more weekend of freedom before school starts again on Monday. June is already looking suspiciously good. We’re not letting go of this energy without a fight.

Let’s go.

🥵 London Just Smashed the Hottest May Day Record. Again. For the second day in a row, the UK’s hottest ever May temperature has been broken, with 35.1C recorded at Kew Gardens. Yesterday’s record lasted about 24 hours before London said “hold my warm pint”. Tube journeys currently feel like slow-cooked suffering. Full story

🌕 A Rare Blue Moon Is Coming to London’s Skies. Look up this weekend and you might spot a rare Blue Moon glowing above London. This one is also a “micromoon”, meaning it will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than usual because it is farther from Earth. Clear skies not guaranteed, obviously. This is still Britain. Full story

🎵 Ed Sheeran Was Basically Everywhere Last Year. Ed Sheeran has been crowned the UK’s most-played artist of 2025, ahead of Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa. His songs were played an average of 574 times a day across radio, TV and public spaces. So yes, statistically speaking, you probably did hear Ed Sheeran in Pret this morning. Full story

🎪 Giffords Circus @ Chiswick House and Gardens
Date & Loc: May 28–Jun 1, Chiswick W4
Giffords Circus pitches up in the grounds of Chiswick House. Small tent, performers right up close.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £16 | Info

⭐ The Mandalorian and Grogu @ London cinemas
Date & Loc: now showing, various London cinemas
The first new Star Wars film in seven years is now in cinemas across London.
Age: 12A | Price: check your local | Info

⚔️ Jedi Training @ Hamleys
Date & Loc: May 28-31, Regent Street W1
Following the above, Young Padawans can now head to the fourth floor of Hamleys for lightsaber training, Jedi drills and a crash course in using The Force.
Age: Young Star Wars fans | Price: no cost | Info

📚 Family Station: May Half-Term @ British Library
Date & Loc: May 28–29, King’s Cross NW1
A relaxed drop-in creative space inspired by fairy tales, with crafts, games and plenty of hands-on bits to explore.
Age: All | Price: no cost | Info

🌸 A Line Florist by Anna Bruder @ Battersea Power Station
Date & Loc: May 28-31, Battersea SW11
A wonderfully odd pop-up where kids can build paper flower bouquets inside a black-and-white illustrated florist shop. Part art installation, part creative play session.
Age: All | Price: £10 | Info

🌈 Luminarium: Luxart by Architects of Air @ Battersea Power Station
Date & Loc: May 28–31, Battersea SW11
A giant inflatable maze of glowing tunnels, colour-changing chambers and dreamlike spaces taking over Battersea Power Station for half term.
Age: All | Price: from £10 | Info

👀 Eye Spy @ London Museum Docklands
Date & Loc: May 28–31, Canary Wharf E14
A clever little half-term activity inspired by Victorian optical illusions. Kids can make their own thaumatrope, handle historic toys and trinkets.
Age: 3+ | Price: no cost | Info

🎨 V&A South Kensington Half Term Week @ V&A South Kensington
Date & Loc: May 28–29, South Kensington SW7
The V&A has gone full crafty chaos for half term, with free drop-in activities inspired by nature, design and bio-whatever-they’re-calling-it-now. Tarot card making, fungi fashion, digital drawing, performances and sensory play for babies. One of the strongest free half term line-ups in London this week.
Age: Various | Price: no cost | Info

⏳ Discovery Days: Time Travellers @ Hyde Park Learning Centre
Date & Loc: May 28, Hyde Park W2
A free half-term drop-in packed with crafty historical chaos. Kids can make plant prints, try calligraphy, design the park of the future and even meet Queen Victoria.
Age: All | Price: no cost | Info

🌸 Spring Myths and Merriment @ British Museum
Date & Loc: May 28–29, Bloomsbury WC1B
The British Museum’s free half term festival returns with storytelling, creative workshops and even Morris dancing.
Age: 6+ | Price: no cost | Info

👾 There’s a Monster In Your Show @ artsdepot
Date & Loc: May 28–30, North Finchley N12
Tom Fletcher’s chaotic little monster has escaped the books and landed on stage in this colourful interactive musical for toddlers and younger kids.
Age: 2+ | Price: from £15 | Info

🎻 Play Along: Virtual Orchestra @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: May 28 (Thu), Southbank SE1
Kids can put on a VR headset, grab a virtual instrument and pretend they’re performing with a full orchestra.
Age: 5+ | Price: no cost | Info

🎪 Bop Stars Circus School @ Fulham Pier
Date & Loc: May 28 (Thu), Fulham SW6
Circus skills for kids without the stress of actually running away to join one. Juggling, plate spinning, ribbon work and even aerial silks.
Age: 3–8 | Price: £15 | Info

🏺 Young Archaeologists @ London Mithraeum
Date & Loc: May 28 (Thu), Bank EC4N
Kids can channel their inner Indiana Jones at this hands-on archaeology day exploring Roman London through real artefacts, puzzles and excavation-style activities.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🌼 Half-Term Bloom Bonanza @ South London Botanical Institute
Date & Loc: May 28 (Thu), Tulse Hill SW2
A lovely little nature morning with flower trails, seed-ball making, microscopes, botanical snacks and floral bookmark crafting.
Age: 5–14 | Price: no cost | Info

❄️ Blizzard @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: May 28–31, Southbank SE1
A dreamy acrobatic show from FLIP Fabrique imagining a world completely swallowed by snow. Circus-level stunts and visual poetry.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £18 | Info

👗 Style and Sketch: A Family Design Workshop @ The King’s Gallery
Date & Loc: May 29 (Fri), Buckingham Palace SW1A
A fashion-themed family workshop inspired by the Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style exhibition.
Age: Families | Price: incl. with adm. | Info

🏚️ The Place We Made @ Theatre Peckham
Date & Loc: May 29–30, Peckham SE5
A powerful theatre piece for teens about twelve young people escaping the adult world to build their own society deep in the Scottish Highlands.
Age: Teens | Price: Pay What You Can | Info

⚔️ Hands on Armour: Saturday Knight Live @ Wallace Collection
Date & Loc: May 30 (Sat), Marylebone W1
Meet real-life knights in shining armour, watch live medieval demos, try on replica armour and make your own mini knight to take home.
Age: 5+ | Price: no cost | Info

🧬 Mark Thompson’s Spectacular Science Show @ Leicester Square Theatre
Date & Loc: May 30 (Sat), Leicester Square WC2
Explosions, fire, flying objects and the sort of experiments that make children immediately ask to “try one at home”.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £18 | Info

🪩 Prancer the Dancer’s DanceDanceDiscoPartyFunShow @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: May 30 (Sat), Southbank SE1
Cabaret silliness, dancing and a lot of enthusiastic wiggling. A gloriously chaotic daytime disco party for kids with circus performers and dance routines.
Age: 2+ | Price: no cost | Info

🐢 Tortoise and the Hare @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: until May 31, Wimbledon SW19
A classic fable turned into a lively, toe-tapping show with puppets, music and just enough chaos to keep small attention spans locked in.
Age: 3–7 | Price: from £10 | Info

🎶 Baby Gospel @ Big Penny Social
Date & Loc: May 31 (Sun), Walthamstow E17
A family gospel concert packed with soul, Motown and singalong classics from London’s CK Gospel Choir.
Age: Everyone | Price: £14.50 | Info

🦢 The Ugly Duckling @ Puppet Theatre Barge
Date & Loc: until May 31, Little Venice W9
Andersen's story about not fitting in, told with puppets on the barge in Little Venice. A moving and careful piece of puppet work for a two-week run.
Age: 4–10 | Price: £12 | Info

🤡 Funny Business: Fraser Hooper @ London Clown Festival
Date & Loc: May 31 (Sun), Hackney E8
A gloriously ridiculous hour of non-verbal comedy featuring stunt ducks, eccentric dancing, audience participation and what’s apparently “the silliest boxing match you’ve ever seen”.
Age: All ages | Price: from £10 | Info

🎉 POP-KID @ Somerset House
Date & Loc: May 31 (Sun), Strand WC2
A daytime family pop party with big singalong hits, dancing, dress-up chaos and enough sugar-rush energy to make you question your life choices by 4pm. Basically clubbing, but with tiny trainers and emergency raisins.
Age: Families | Price: from £8.30 | Info

🏺 Young Archaeologists’ Club: Foreshore Walk @ Fulham Palace
Date & Loc: Jun 6 (Sat), Fulham SW6
Young history detectives can explore the Thames foreshore between Fulham Palace and Putney Bridge, searching for clues and hidden fragments left behind by centuries of London life.
Age: 8–16 | Price: £16 | Info

🎪 Great Exhibition Road Festival @ South Kensington
Date & Loc: Jun 6–7, South Kensington SW7
South Kensington basically turns into one giant science-and-arts playground for the weekend. Free workshops, live experiments, creative installations, talks, performances and hands-on activities spread across Exhibition Road, with the V&A, Science Museum, Imperial and more all joining in. One of London’s best free family weekends.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🧠 Maths Exploratorium @ Great Exhibition Road Festival
Date & Loc: Jun 6–7, South Kensington SW7
An interactive maths playground packed with puzzles, games, chess challenges and hands-on experiments.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

📚 The Story, Song, Wriggle and Rhyme Tent @ Great Exhibition Road Festival
Date & Loc: Jun 6–7, Kensington Gardens SW7
A lovely little drop-in zone for under-5s with songs, stories, rhymes and wriggling about.
Age: Under 5s | Price: no cost | Info

🧸 Teddy Bear Picnic @ Fulham Palace
Date & Loc: Jun 7, Fulham SW6
Pack the picnic blanket, grab the fluffiest member of the family and head to Fulham Palace for a teddy-themed day in the gardens. Outdoor theatre, games, crafts and small humans taking their teddy’s social calendar very seriously.
Age: All | Price: from £12 | Info

🕵️ Sherlock Holmes @ Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Date & Loc: until Jun 6, Regent’s Park NW1
A brand new Sherlock Holmes mystery set in Victorian London, performed outdoors in Regent’s Park. Fog, conspiracies and a bit of Baker Street.
Age: 12+ | Price: from £15 | 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

🫧 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

🐕 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

🦕 Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep @ Natural History Museum
Date & Loc: ongoing, South Kensington SW7
New exhibition at the Natural History Museum. Giant prehistoric sea monsters, huge fossils and the sort of creatures that make sharks look quite manageable.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £7.50 | 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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