🦊 The Scoop's Big 4-0

Morning, London! Happy Thursday. This is issue #40 of The London Scoop. Forty consecutive weeks of keeping London parents in the know, slightly more organised, and occasionally entertained. We’ve come a long way, from a tiny send-out to my neighbours to thousands of you reading every week, with hundreds of new faces joining each time we hit send.

Every suggestion you’ve shared, from extra age filters to new London areas to smarter ways of grouping events, is safely tucked into the list. I’m working on a bunch of new features and content over the summer that I think you’ll really enjoy.

As for London, the heatwave looks like it’s finally giving way to some well-earned rain. The parks are looking parched and patchy, like someone tried to iron them. A little water might just bring everything back to life, us included.

A big thank you as well to the partners who have supported us so far. It really helps this thing grow. And if you would like to partner up, you know where to find me.

Thanks for being here. Here’s to the next 40 issues.

. LONDON SNIPPETS .
Bits that caught our eye

🌴 Palm House at Kew Gets a £50m Spa Day. Kew Gardens' iconic Palm House is getting a glow-up. From 2027, it will close for five years while 1,300 tropical plants are carefully moved, 16,000 panes of glass are replaced, and a few hundred tonnes of iron get a serious clean. The goal is a shinier, greener rainforest with net zero emissions and no leaks. Full story

🌌 Out of This World. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich has revealed the 2025 shortlist for Astronomy Photographer of the Year, and the images are absolutely stellar. Over 5,500 entries from nearly 70 countries, capturing galaxies, nebulae and more cosmic eye-candy. Your phone’s moon shot suddenly feels a bit... underwhelming. Check out the best ones. Full story

🍻 One for the Grown-Ups. The sun’s been out, the kids are occupied (hopefully), and the Londonist has mapped the city’s best beer gardens. From rooftop terraces to leafy backyards, this is your excuse to sit in the sun and sip something cold without guilt. Full story

. SUMMER SOUNDS .
Screen-free camps and proud of it.

When choosing a holiday camp, more and more parents are looking for one crucial feature: no screens.

“Our camps offer fun-packed days of music-making and interactive activities,” says founder Amy Cunningham. “Phones distract from a child’s ability to fully immerse themselves, make new friends and connect with our fantastic staff.”

Smartphones were never designed with children in mind, but they have reshaped childhood almost overnight. In the UK, a quarter of children aged 5 to 7 now own one, and the average age for getting a smartphone is just nine.

Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood, a parent-led movement with more than 350,000 members, agrees that screen-free spaces are vital.

“Screen-free camps give children real connection, real play, and the chance to be completely absorbed in the moment. Away from screens, they become more imaginative, collaborative and present. It is good for their brains – and even better for their hearts.”

🎶 The Strings Club’s award-winning, screen-free holiday camps run across 20 London locations and multiple dates all summer long.

P.S. Here’s a little something for all the London Scoop readers: use code TLS25 for a discount on your first camp!

. CASUAL EINSTEIN .
2 for 1: Wow your kid, and outsmart the other parents

Fun Fact: A single sneeze can travel up to 100 miles an hour. Which makes it less of a bodily function and more of a biological airstrike. 🤧

London Fact: There’s a legally protected view of St Paul’s Cathedral from Richmond Park. It’s called a “protected vista”, meaning no tall buildings are allowed to block the line of sight. Proof that sometimes, even city planners get sentimental. 👀

. TIME TRAVEL .
Would You Survive the Swap?

What do you all think would be harder? A modern-day person adapting to medieval life, or a medieval peasant trying to survive in today’s world?

Think about it: no antibiotics, no clean water, and the odd wolf roaming about. Or, on the flip side, trying to make sense of smartphones, self-checkouts, traffic lights and jet engines. Who’s got it worse?

Discussed this with a bunch of people recently. Very funny to hear both sides. Turns out everyone has strong opinions on oat milk and chamber pots.

. EVENTS SCOOP .
What’s on this week?

🎨 Play Make Do @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 17 onwards, Southbank
A summer-long festival of family fun with everything from kite-making and salsa to storytelling, circus workshops, Tai Chi and play zones. Big vibes. Big imagination.
Age: Everyone | Price: some free, some paid | Info

⚓ Summer at the Docks @ Museum of London Docklands
Date & Loc: Jul 17 onwards, Canary Wharf
Dig, dance and discover London’s layered history with hands-on archaeology, live shows, Caribbean dance parties, and chilled creative workshops. Big energy or slow vibes, pick your adventure.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🐯 The Tiger Who Came to Tea @ Theatre Royal Haymarket
Date & Loc: Ongoing, West End
The doorbell rings... and in walks a giant, tea-guzzling tiger. Packed with magic, singalongs and teatime chaos, this beloved family show is back for its 11th West End summer season.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £10 | Info

🖼️ Young Artists’ Summer Show @ Royal Academy of Arts
Date & Loc: Jul 17 onwards, Mayfair
From vampire dogs to wizard frogs, this free exhibition showcases imaginative works by young artists aged 4–18 from across the UK. Big talent, small creators.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🌼 Mini Morris: Giant Flowers @ William Morris Gallery
Date & Loc: Jul 17, Walthamstow
Toddlers aged 2–5 can hunt for blooms, sing songs and make giant flowers to take home in this outdoor crafting session inspired by the gallery gardens. Includes a snack and lots of mess.
Age: Under 5s | Price: no cost | Info

🎭 The Paper Dolls @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Jul 17-20, Islington
When a little girl cuts out a string of paper dolls she takes them by the hand and together they go on a fantastical adventure whirling through their home and garden.
Age: 3-8yo | Price: from £13 | Info

🌿 The Secret Garden @ Keats House
Date & Loc: Jul 18, Hampstead
A magical outdoor retelling of the classic story, brought to life with puppetry, music and plenty of heart by The Plandits theatre company. Set in the lush gardens of Keats House.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £17 | Info

🐺 Big Bad Wolf: The Musical @ Broomfield Park
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Palmers Green
Join literature’s most misunderstood villain in this rock-and-roll fairy tale packed with music, mischief and a twist on the classic stories. An open-air family show from The Plandits.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £6 | Info

🧠 Sensory Friendly @ Young V&A
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Bethnal Green
Free, sensory-friendly workshops designed for neurodiverse children and their families. Get creative, hands-on and have fun in a relaxed setting.
Age: 5+ | Price: no cost | Info

🛡️ Henry VIII’s Joust @ Hampton Court Palace
Date & Loc: Jul 19-20, Hampton Court
Cheer as armoured knights clash on horseback in a spectacular Tudor joust, with falconry displays, royal drama, and maybe even a surprise visit from King Henry VIII himself.
Age: Everyone | Price: Incl. w/ admission | Info

🎼 Ura Matsuri’s Daylight Ninjas @ Southbank Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 19, South Bank
Enjoy a live performance of traditional and original shamisen music led by Hibiki Ichikawa, with vocals from Enka singer Akari Mochizuki. Plus, join origami artist Toshiko Kurata for hands-on paper-folding fun.
Age: 5+ | Price: no cost | Info

🌸 Print and Paint @ British Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Bloomsbury
Explore the sacred art of ancient India through colour, myth and nature. Includes hands-on workshops and object handling.
Age: 5+ | Price: no cost | Info

🎉 60th Anniversary Party @ Camden Art Centre
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Finchley Road
A full day of art, music, workshops and family fun celebrating 60 years of creativity on Arkwright Road. Expect exhibition tours, hands-on activities and special lunch and shop treats. Booking req for ceramic workshops.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🚇 Transport Explorers: Live Show @ London Transport Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 19–25, Covent Garden
A high-energy, interactive theatre show for curious kids who love things that go. Expect laughter, learning and loads of transport-themed fun.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £12 | Info

🎨 Serpentine Family Day @ Serpentine
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Hyde Park
A day of art, play and creativity in this year’s Serpentine Pavilion, with hands-on fun and performances for the whole family, all under a striking new design by Marina Tabassum.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

💃 Family Dance Day @ Coram’s Fields
Date & Loc: Jul 19, Bloomsbury
A full day of free outdoor dance, juggling, storytelling and creative workshops, from ballet-meets-beatboxing to tutu juggling and kid-led choreography. London's liveliest family dance party is back.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🎭 Tate Play: Thunder, Crackle and Magic @ Tate Modern
Date & Loc: Jul 19 onwards, South Bank
Step into three wildly theatrical sets in the Turbine Hall, packed with dragons, puppets, and playful chaos. Costumes on, imagination in overdrive, it’s part stage, part playground, all magic.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🎪 Soho Village Fete: 50th Edition @ St Anne’s Gardens
Date & Loc: Jul 20, Soho
Six hours of pure Soho chaos: snail racing, tug of war, live music, the legendary Waiters’ Race, and the return of the Human Fruit Machine. Food, drinks and eccentricity guaranteed.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🎭 Much Ado About Nothing & Macbeth @ Old Royal Naval College
Date & Loc: Jul 23, Greenwich
Two Shakespeare classics get the Four Forty treatment. Fast, funny and packed with chaos. Ninety minutes, four actors, zero chance of staying serious.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £8 | Info

🌱 Feeding Tomorrow @ Science Museum
Date & Loc: Jul 24 onwards, South Kensington
A new free exhibition all about the future of food, how it’s grown, made, cooked and eaten, and how science is helping make it more sustainable for the planet.
Age: 7+ | Price: no cost | Info

🎶 Gardens of our Imagination @ British Library
Date & Loc: Jul 25, King’s Cross
Young performers from the Venus Blazing Music Trust share original poetry, songs and monologues inspired by Unearthed: The Power of Gardening.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🦋 Llama Library storytelling and crafts @ Horniman Gardens
Date & Loc: Jul 30, Lewisham
Meet the author and illustrator behind the laugh-out-loud Llama Library, then get crafty and make your own cheeky llama to take home.
Age: 4-8yo | Price: £7.50 | Info

🧱 The Play Pavilion @ Hyde Park
Date & Loc: Ongoing until August, Hyde Park
An immersive LEGO powered world where kids (and grown-ups) can build, explore and let imaginations run wild. Part art, part playground.
Age: Everyone | Price: no cost | Info

🌍 Our Story with David Attenborough @ Natural History Museum
Date & Loc: Ongoing, South Kensington
Get ready to immerse yourself in the epic tale of people and planet in this new 360° experience, presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £20 | Info

🦖 Jurassic World: The Experience @ Battersea
Date & Loc: Ongoing, Battersea
Step through the iconic gates and explore 10 immersive zones from the blockbuster dino franchise.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £25 | Info

🦖 Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs @ Lightroom
Date & Loc: Ongoing, King’s Cross
Join Damian Lewis for a jaw-dropping immersive journey through dinosaur history, from towering titans to their present-day echoes. Big screens, big roars, and even bigger questions.
Age: Everyone | Price: from £15 | Info

🎭 Krafty the Urban Fox @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Ongoing, Islington
Follow a curious fox on a magical night-time city adventure.
Age: 2-5yo | Price: from £13 | Info

📚 Story Explorers: Imaginary Worlds @ British Library
Date & Loc: Ongoing, King’s Cross
Sold out for July, but August has slots. Expect books, sounds, odd creatures, and a furry octopus.
Age: 2-9yo | Price: no cost (book req) | Info

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