Morning, London! Happy Thursday. London has officially entered summer mode. Last bunch of schools finish tomorrow. Out of Office replies are multiplying. Picnic blankets are out and ice cream before lunch has become the norm.

England have made the quarter-finals and are back in action on Saturday. Argentina, Spain and France still lurking around too. The football, the tennis (Wimbledon) and the school holidays all at once. Sleep can wait.

Sunscreen on. Let's go!

Come on last thing you need is me making you read another 3 articles this week. No time to waste. Honestly, nothing was fun enough to make the cut.

From hip hop to contemporary - discover a different dance style every day!

This summer, The Place is hosting a week-long summer dance club, where participants will discover a fresh dance style with the support of a different guest artist every day.

Tailored to three different age groups (7-10, 11-14 and 15-18), dancers will learn routines, develop their skills, explore creative expression, all whilst having fun with new friends in a supportive and friendly environment!

On selected days, sessions will also feature live music, offering a unique opportunity to move and respond to music. At the end of the week, there will be a sharing where family and friends are invited to watch the dancers showcase what they’ve been creating.

Enrol for all five days for £275 | A limited number of drop-in spaces are available.

🗓️ Mon 27 - Fri 31 Jul, 10.30am to 3.30pm
📍 17 Duke's Road, WC1H 9PY
Find out more

🎸 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

🧪 Summer Science Exhibition 2026 @ Royal Society
Date & Loc: Jul 2-5, St James's SW1Y
Meet real scientists, get hands-on with interactive exhibits and explore everything from lightning and microbes to robots and space.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

📚 Family Storytime @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: Jul 3 (Fri), Wimbledon SW19
A relaxed interactive storytime packed with captivating tales, songs and plenty of imagination.
Age: 0-5yo | Price: From £6 | Info

🛁 The Flying Bath @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Jul 3-12, Islington N1
Julia Donaldson's story splashes onto the stage as a bath full of adventurous toys heads off on a series of magical missions. Songs, puppetry and plenty of imagination.
Age: 2–5yo | Price: From £13.50 | Info

🐯 There's a Tiger in the Garden @ Polka Theatre
Date & Loc: Jul 8-Aug 9, Wimbledon SW19
A magical stage adaptation of the award-winning picture book by Lizzy Stewart.
Age: 3-7yo | Price: From £15 | Info

🐶 Woolwich Woofs Dog Show @ Woolwich Works
Date & Loc: Jul 11 (Sat), Woolwich SE18
Calling all dog lovers! Fun-filled afternoon features friendly competitions, prizes, plenty of wagging tails and a sunny courtyard atmosphere. Don't have a dog? Come along anyway to cheer on the four-legged contestants.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost (dog entry £5) | Info

⚔️ Henry VIII's Joust @ Hampton Court Palace
Date & Loc: Jul 11-12 & 18-19, Hampton Court KT8
Knights on horseback, thrilling jousts, falconry displays and plenty of Tudor drama. Pick your favourite team, cheer them on and enjoy one of Hampton Court's biggest summer spectacles.
Age: All ages | Price: Included with palace admission (under 5s free) | Info

🎤 Bearpit Karaoke @ Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens
Date & Loc: Jul 11 (Sat), Vauxhall SE11
Think you've got the voice of an angel? Or just the confidence of one after a pint? London's legendary outdoor karaoke is back, with a buzzing crowd, feel-good atmosphere and absolutely no judgement.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

🌿 Family Cyanotype Printmaking Workshop @ London Wetland Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 11 (Sat), Barnes SW13
Create beautiful blue-and-white botanical prints using real plants and sunlight in this hands-on family workshop.
Age: 6+ | Price: £25 | 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

🌼 Neighbours Day 2026 @ Garden Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 12 (Sun), Lambeth SE1
The Garden Museum throws open its doors for a free community day packed with family activities, plus free entry to its Pollen & Paint exhibition.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

📖 Apples and Snakes Word Cup Showcase Final @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 12 (Sun), South Bank SE1
Seven teams of young poets from across the UK go head-to-head in a lively spoken word showdown.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

📖 Storytelling with Dave Tonge @ Dr Johnson's House
Date & Loc: Jul 12 (Sun), City EC4A
Step into 18th-century London with storyteller and historian Dave Tonge as he brings to life the ballads, legends and chapbooks that entertained London's coffee houses and streets.
Age: All ages | Price: Free with adm. | Info

♟️ ChessFest @ Trafalgar Square
Date & Loc: Jul 12 (Sun), Trafalgar Square WC2
Whether you're a complete beginner or a future grandmaster, the UK's biggest free chess festival has something for everyone.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

🎭 Petit Pierre from Paris @ Well Walk Theatre
Date & Loc: until Jul 12 (Sat-Sun), Hampstead NW3
A charming French-style puppet show following Petit Pierre's adventures between London and Paris. Performed in the tradition of classic French hand puppetry.
Age: 3+ | Price: £15.90 | Info

🏛️ Home Education Day Summer @ Horniman Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 17 (Fri), Forest Hill SE23
A special day just for home-educating families, packed with hands-on workshops, craft activities, object handling, pond dipping and behind-the-scenes access to the aquarium.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £7 | 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

⛵ Ready Steady Sail! @ National Maritime Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 18-19, Greenwich SE10
Set sail on a creative family adventure where children can build their own ship before joining an interactive walkabout performance across a giant ocean map.
Age: 3+ | Price: £6 | Info

🐞 Professor Slug's Bugs @ London Wetland Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 18-19, Barnes SW13
Join Professor Slug for interactive storytelling packed with fascinating creepy-crawlies as part of the Dragonfly Festival.
Age: 3+ | Price: No cost (with admission) | Info

🏴‍☠️ Pirates Love Underpants @ Lyric Hammersmith
Date & Loc: Jul 22-26, Hammersmith W6
Ahoy, me hearties! Based on the bestselling picture book, this adventure follows a crew of pirates on the hunt for the legendary Pants of Gold.
Age: 1-7yo | Price: from £15 | Info

🎶 Storytelling and Music Sessions @ Royal Albert Hall
Date & Loc: Jul 22-Aug 27, South Kensington SW7
A gentle 30-minute session designed especially for babies, toddlers and their grown-ups. Stories, songs, instruments and plenty of opportunities to sing, move and join in together in one of London's most iconic venues.
Age: 0-5yo | Price: £7 | Info

🐞 Cricket & The Freebugs: Bugs At Work @ Jacksons Lane
Date & Loc: Jul 24 (Fri), Highgate N6
A quirky musical comedy set in a world of talking insects, where five bug-musicians chase their dreams of stardom. Packed with funk, soul, live music and plenty of insect-sized silliness.
Age: 5+ | Price: £12 | Info

🧪 BBC Proms: Horrible Science - The Big Bang Proms Experiment @ Royal Albert Hall
Date & Loc: Jul 25 (Sat), South Kensington SW7
Horrible Science meets the BBC Proms in this madcap musical adventure packed with experiments, comedy and a live orchestra. Join Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and a cast of larger-than-life characters as they blast through everything from The Planets to Star Wars.
Age: All ages | Price: From £14 | Info

🎬 Summer Screens: Film Club @ Canada Square Park
Date & Loc: Selected dates in Jun-Aug, Canary Wharf E14
Bring a picnic blanket and settle in for free outdoor movie nights under the stars. From family favourites on Saturday mornings to recent blockbusters, sing-alongs and cult classics, there's something for everyone across the summer.
Age: All ages | Price: No cost | Info

🐱 Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: until 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

📦 Not-A-Box: 0–5s Storytelling @ Discover Children’s Story Centre
Date & Loc: until 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

🧪 Family Magical Potion Making Workshop @ Chelsea Physic Garden
Date & Loc: Jul 27, Chelsea SW3
Mix up a magical bubbling potion before heading off on a family adventure through Chelsea Physic Garden.
Age: 5+ | Price: From £15 | Info

🏴‍☠️ Treasure Island @ St Paul's Church
Date & Loc: Jul 29, Covent Garden WC2
Quantum Theatre brings Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure to life with pirates, treasure maps and high-seas excitement.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £14 | 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

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

🌱 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

🙏 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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