Morning, London! Happy Thursday. Half-term’s nearly over, the clocks have gone back and it’s dark by 5pm. The kids have taken this personally.

Big week ahead. Halloween on Saturday. Bonfire Night next Thursday, and on the same evening Regent Street switches its Christmas lights on. Pumpkin, sparkler, mince pie. No notes.

The good news is it’s a lovely 16° out there until the weekend. Proper sunshine-through-the-leaves stuff. Make the most of it. Are we gonna have to pay for it with a freezing winter? Come on don’t be pessimistic.

Plenty to do before sending the kids back to school. Let’s go.

🌱 Adopt a Plant From the Barbican. The Conservatory closes for restoration in January, so its plants are becoming free cuttings. The final ballot opens today at 2pm (700 tickets for 2 Dec). Your windowsill has some explaining to do. Enter here

🎤 Freddie Mercury Has Moved Into the V&A. Eight of his stage looks are now on a free trail around the V&A in South Kensington, including the Bohemian Rhapsody catsuit and the crown and cloak from the 1986 Magic Tour. In one gallery the cases light up in time with Bohemian Rhapsody. No booking, takes about 35 minutes, runs until 17 Jan. Expect requests for a cape. Full story

🚇 Poems on the Underground Turns 40. The posters started in 1986, and TfL has marked the anniversary with six new autumn poems on the Tube, including Valerie Bloom’s "Brave New Words" and Emily Brontë’s "Fall Leaves Fall". Something to read when the train’s held at a red signal. Which is often. Full story

🎨 The Week Junior Christmas Cover Competition

Still got a day or two of half-term to fill? The Week Junior wants kids to design the front cover of its Christmas issue. This year’s theme is ‘Joy’, so family, food, twinkly lights or whatever does it for them. Pens, paint and crayons are all fair game, but it has to be the original artwork in the post, not a photo.

Entries close at 11:59pm on Thursday 5 November, and the winner’s cover lands on 18 December. Ages 14 and under, UK only. Templates and rules here.

🦇 Hair-raising Halloween Discovery Day @ Hyde Park Learning Centre
Date & Loc: Oct 29 (Thu), Hyde Park W2
Explore a witches’ den, follow a nature trail and settle in for spooky stories. Last day, so register now.
Age: Best for 3–11 | Price: no cost | Info

🎨 Playing with Colour @ National Gallery
Date & Loc: Oct 29 (Thu), Trafalgar Square WC2N
Paint a Renoir-inspired umbrella in watercolours and take it home. Drop in, and bring a grown-up.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🍬 Hansel & Gretel @ Fulham Palace
Date & Loc: Oct 29 (Thu), Fulham SW6
Cat & Hutch tell the tale with puppets, songs and audience participation. The gingerbread house is suspiciously welcoming.
Age: 10 and under | Price: from £12 | Info

⚔️ Sword Fighting Demonstration @ Shakespeare’s Globe
Date & Loc: Oct 29 (Thu), Bankside SE1
Watch the Globe’s fight team battle it out, then get your hands on the weapons for a photo. Last day, so book now.
Age: All ages | Price: £15 | Info

🎃 Pumpkin Carving & Ghosty Trail @ Rainham Hall
Date & Loc: Oct 29–30, Rainham RM13
Carve a pumpkin indoors with everything provided and no clearing up, plus a ghosty trail round the garden.
Age: All ages | Price: £5 | Info

🧵 Stories Stitched in Time @ British Museum
Date & Loc: Oct 29–30, Bloomsbury WC1B
Two days of embroidery, comic-making and drawing mythical creatures, plus a green-screen film school (that bit needs booking). Stitching at a museum. Calm, in theory.
Age: 6+ | Price: no cost | Info

🎃 Halloween: Once Upon a Pumpkin @ Lewis of London
Date & Loc: Oct 29–31, Barnet EN5
Pumpkin picking, a fairy-tale trail and marshmallows by the fire at the ice cream farm. Pumpkins extra, ice cream inevitable.
Age: Best for 2–8 | Price: from £4.95 | Info

🎪 Cirque Berserk! @ Garrick Theatre
Date & Loc: Oct 29–31, West End WC2H
Acrobats, aerialists and motorbikes in the Globe of Death. Last few days in the West End.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £17.50 | Info

🐈‍⬛ Halloween Trail @ Science Museum
Date & Loc: Oct 29–31, South Kensington SW7
A free trail past a dried merman, leech jars and Lucky Jim, the black cat who flew the Atlantic in 1919. Book free entry first.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🎃 Pumpkin Nights @ Hobbledown Heath
Date & Loc: Oct 29–31, Hounslow TW14
The pumpkin patch after dark, with lanterns and marshmallows by the fire pit. Evening slots sell out first.
Age: All ages | Price: from £10 | Info

⚓ October Half Term @ London Museum Docklands
Date & Loc: Oct 29–31, Canary Wharf E14
Superstitious sailors, clay lucky charms and a spooky silent disco, all free. Some need tickets, so book the disco now.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🎞️ Relax, Watch & Make! @ Young V&A
Date & Loc: Oct 29–31, Bethnal Green E2
Drop in for Wallace & Gromit screenings and sketching. Cheese optional.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🎬 Hackney Children’s Film Fest @ Rio Cinema
Date & Loc: Oct 29–31, Dalston E8
The Rio’s first-ever children’s film festival, across the last days of half-term and Halloween. Cheaper with a Hackney library card, which is a sentence we didn’t expect to write.
Age: All ages | Price: from £3 | Info

🍯 Winnie-the-Pooh @ London Zoo
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Regent’s Park NW1
Follow Pooh and Eeyore round the zoo on an illustrated story trail for his 100th birthday. Last chance.
Age: All ages | Price: Incl w. adm | Info

👻 Halloween at Kew @ Kew Gardens
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Kew TW9
A lit-up trail past Dracula, a cursed tomb and the Headless Horseman. Book a "Daylight" slot for little ones.
Age: All ages | Price: from £19.50 | Info

🗝️ Cabinets Unlocked: Sensory Explorers @ Ham House
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Richmond TW10
The 17th-century cabinets are unlocked for half-term, with sensory activities and a lot of very fancy drawers.
Age: All ages | Price: Incl w. adm | Info

🍂 Halloween Garden Trail @ Hall Place & Gardens
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Bexley DA5
Find the posters hidden round the gardens and win a small prize.
Age: All ages | Price: £3 | Info

🎡 Halloween Funfair @ Crystal Palace Park
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Crystal Palace SE19
Free entry all half-term and half-price rides on weekdays. The candyfloss negotiations are another matter.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🦦 SUPER Natural Half Term @ WWT London Wetland Centre
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Barnes SW13
A scare-free Halloween with willow wands, cryptid hunts and pumpkin carving for the otters. The otters did not ask for this.
Age: All ages | Price: Incl w. adm | Info

👑 Halloween at Hampton Court Palace @ Hampton Court
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, East Molesey KT8
Henry VIII’s haunted palace gets ghosts in full make-up, daily storytelling and a pumpkin trail. Expect the odd jump scare.
Age: All ages | Price: Incl w. adm | Info

🕷️ Not So Spooky Halloween @ Battersea Park Children’s Zoo
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Battersea SW11
Minibeast Mansion, crafts and a daily not-scary storytime. Ideal for under-eights and adults who don’t love spiders.
Age: Under 8s | Price: from £13.95 | Info

🏰 Halloween at the Tower @ Tower of London
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Tower Hill EC3N
A ghostly trail with a Haunted Forge and a poet, a pirate and a bear. Leave the costumes at home: visitors in fancy dress get turned away.
Age: All ages | Price: Incl w. adm | Info

🏰 Halloween Half-Term @ Eltham Palace
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Eltham SE9
Spooky trails, storytelling and a daily fancy dress competition at the Art Deco palace. Finally, a use for last year’s costume.
Age: All ages | Price: Incl w. adm | Info

🎬 Family Film Week @ Barbican
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Barbican EC2Y
Howl’s Moving Castle, Matilda and Singin’ in the Rain, each with a quiz, craft or intro. Better than Netflix. Slightly less sofa.
Age: All ages | Price: £5 | Info

🌊 Family Festival: Ocean October @ Natural History Museum
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, South Kensington SW7
Free drop-in ocean activities and LEGO builds, themed around the Jurassic sea monsters. Go early.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🧹 Room on the Broom @ Rose Theatre
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Kingston KT1
The witch, the cat and an increasingly crowded broom. Relaxed performance today (Thu 29) at 1.30pm.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £16.50 | Info

🐙 At Sea @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Wimbledon SW19
A puppet adventure under the waves, with projections and original music.
Age: 6–12yo | Price: £15 | Info

👽 The Smeds and the Smoos @ Southbank Centre (Queen Elizabeth Hall)
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, South Bank SE1
Julia Donaldson’s star-crossed aliens, staged by the company behind the Gruffalo show. Most performances are relaxed, and two have BSL. Last few tickets.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £22 | Info

🎃 Super Spooky Circus Cabaret for Kids @ Jacksons Lane
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Highgate N6
A 60-minute spooky circus cabaret curated by Abi Collins. Acrobats in costume, which is the best kind of costume.
Age: 4+ | Price: from £10 | Info

🕷️ Creepy Creatures Nature Trail @ Gunnersbury Park & Museum
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Acton W5
A £2 trail round the park looking for creepy crawlies. Spooky Slime Make & Take runs Thu 29 and Sat 31 Oct, so the slime ends up in your car rather than your kitchen.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £2 | Info

🦇 Halloween Trail @ Brent Cross Town
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Cricklewood NW2
Pick up a map and free pencils at the Visitor Pavilion, answer the quiz round Claremont Park, then collect a reward. No cost, and it’s a decent excuse for a walk.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🐐 Halloween Festival @ Vauxhall City Farm
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 1, Vauxhall SE11
A human-sized spider web, a witches’ hat toss and the animals. Free entry, with a paid trail and mask-making.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🐀 The Pied Piper: A Rat’s Tale @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 7, Islington N1
The famous story, finally told from the rat’s side. Things escalate quickly.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £14 | Info

🐭 The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse @ Puppet Theatre Barge
Date & Loc: Oct 29–Nov 15, Little Venice W9
Rod puppets, music and the old fable of two mice swapping homes, performed on a boat moored on the canal. 45 minutes, and nothing too scary, which is rare this week.
Age: 3–7 | Price: Check site | Info

🎃 Pumpkin Hunt @ Wimbledon Common
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Wimbledon SW19
Hunt for pumpkins in the woods, then a ghost story at the windmill. Money goes to caring for the Commons.
Age: All ages | Price: £3 | Info

🌊 Flotsam @ Half Moon Theatre
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Limehouse E1
A new opera for small people, based on David Wiesner’s picture book. Opera, for toddlers, at £9. Very civilised.
Age: 2–6yo | Price: £9 | Info

🍬 Halloween Trick and Treat @ Mudchute Park & Farm
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Isle of Dogs E14
Trick or treat round the farm, with animal feed and a treat bag included. The goats will want both.
Age: All ages | Price: £10 | Info

🖍️ The Big Draw: Drawn Together @ The Wallace Collection
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Marylebone W1U
A free day of drawing among the Old Masters, with all materials provided. Hands on Armour runs 1.30–4pm the same day, so they can draw a knight and then design their own suit of armour.
Age: 5+ | Price: no cost | Info

🎪 Trick & Treat Circus Live @ Dugdale Arts Centre
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Enfield EN2
An hour of magic, slapstick and tricks, billed as scare-free for the smallest monsters. Costumes encouraged.
Age: All ages | Price: Check site | Info

🪩 Disco Kids: Halloween Special @ The Albany
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Deptford SE8
Spooky tunes, games and fancy dress for little monsters, with a craft table for when someone needs a sit-down. That someone may be you.
Age: 3–8yo | Price: £12 | Info

🗺️ Culture Quest Treasure Hunt @ British Museum
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Bloomsbury WC1B
Teams of three to five get a map, a clipboard and about 90 minutes to track down up to 25 objects, then regroup by the Knidos Lion for scores and a small prize. Grab a free museum entry slot for 20 minutes before, because the security queue doesn’t care about your head start.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £8 | Info

👹 Halloween Family Drop-in @ Design Museum
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Kensington W8
Free mask-making and myth-spotting, inspired by Lost and Found in Mythology. Drop in whenever, which suits Halloween afternoons better than anything with a start time.
Age: 5–11yo | Price: no cost | Info

🦇 Halloween Party @ Deen City Farm
Date & Loc: Oct 31 (Sat), Merton SW19
Games, prizes, a disco and a spooky trail, plus a bar for the grown-ups. Fancy dress encouraged.
Age: All ages | Price: £7 | Info

🩸 Kay’s Gruesome Games @ Leicester Square Theatre
Date & Loc: Nov 1 (Sun), West End WC2H
Adam Kay and illustrator Henry Paker host a game show of disgusting body facts, followed by a signing. Best enjoyed on an empty stomach.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £23 | Info

🎆 Family Fireworks Night @ Richmond Athletic Ground
Date & Loc: Nov 1 (Sun), Richmond TW9
A Halloween-themed family display on a Sunday, so bedtime survives. Advance tickets only; the grandstand’s already sold out.
Age: All ages | Price: Check site | Info

🎆 Fireworks Night @ Coram’s Fields
Date & Loc: Nov 5 (Thu), Bloomsbury WC1N
Central London’s no-cost display, in the park where adults can only get in with a child. Gates 3.30pm, done by 7pm, and it’s beamed to the kids at Great Ormond Street.
Age: Families | Price: no cost | Info

✨ Christmas Lights Switch-On @ Regent Street
Date & Loc: Nov 5 (Thu), West End W1
Regent Street goes traffic-free for the evening and switches the Christmas lights on. On Bonfire Night. Fine.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🎆 Stow Firework Spectacular @ Walthamstow
Date & Loc: Nov 5–7, Walthamstow E17
Two shows a night: a 6pm twilight display for smaller people and the main one at 8pm. £1 for under-6s, which is less than the hot chocolate. Saturday’s sold out.
Age: All ages | Price: from £1 | Info

🎆 Blackheath Fireworks @ Blackheath
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Blackheath SE3
South-east London’s big Bonfire Night, with a fairground and street food. Sold out in weeks last year, so book now.
Age: All ages | Price: from £5 | Info

🎆 Beckenham Fireworks @ Beckenham
Date & Loc: Nov 7 (Sat), Beckenham BR3
Two displays, one of them a quiet show for little ones or anyone who isn’t a fan of bangs. Under-5s go free. Quiet show 6pm, main show 7.30pm.
Age: All ages | Price: from £6 | Info

🎆 Fireworks & Drone Festival @ Alexandra Palace
Date & Loc: Nov 7–8, Wood Green N22
Fireworks and a drone show over one of London’s best views. Sunday is the 6pm Family Fun Day, for the bedtime crowd.
Age: All ages | Price: from £11.50 | Info

🎆 Battersea Park Fireworks @ Battersea Park
Date & Loc: Nov 7–8, Battersea SW11
Saturday’s display is the late one (around 8.30pm). Sunday’s earlier: gates 4.30pm, fireworks around 7pm. Choose accordingly.
Age: All ages | Price: from £10.60 | 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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P.S. Planning ahead? Our 2027 school holiday dates and Christmas with kids guide are up on our guides site.