The BIG Bablands guide to the summer holidays in London, 2025

Few things incite fear in the hearts of school-age parents like the unreasonably long summer ‘break’ and the ensuing juggling act. While I’ve yet to solve the universal holiday-childcare conundrum, I have come up with a list of genuinely fun-sounding family activities, so your kids might just leave you alone long enough to fire off some emails (or just sip your iced latte in peace). Presenting the Bablands Summer Holiday Guide 2025. Enjoy. And Godspeed.

Check back for updates and additions throughout the summer. 20 Things will resume in September.

PLAY FOUNTAINS & URBAN BEACHES

Appearing Rooms will be delighting (and drenching) visitors to the Southbank Centre until 25th August. The brainchild of Danish artist Jeppe Hein, the beloved pop-up play fountain shoots jets of water into the air to create rooms that disappear as quickly as they emerge. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Free.

Walthamstow-on-Sea will be bringing seaside vibes to Big Penny Social until 31st August. Along with a giant sandpit, revellers can expect a dedicated beach bar serving draft beer and frozen cocktails, as well as soft-serve ice cream, pizza, fish and chips, and penny sweets. You can even rent your own beach hut. Paid.

Royal Docks Summer Splash returns from 25th July to 17th August. Expect enclosed swimming in the lido complete with a shallow end for children, deck chairs, a giant sand pit, food and drink, as well as plenty of entertainment and iconic city views. Free.

Costa Del Croydon will be back on the rooftop of the Centrale shopping mall’s multi-storey car park from 1st-31st August. Expect a giant sandpit, colourful beach hut seats, bungee trampolines, a water splash zone and pier-side treats including ice creams, candy floss and doughnuts. Free/some paid activities.

Still too hot? Click here for a full list of (90+) London play fountains and paddling pools

INSTALLATIONS & EXHIBITIONS

Serpentine and LEGO Group’s Play Pavilion will be in situ outside Serpentine South (and alongside summer pavilion) until 10th August. Incorporating LEGO bricks into the design, the commission offers an immersive environment in which play becomes both a method of exploration and a space of imagination. Free.

Soft Studio by HoLD Art Collective will be at Tate Britain throughout July. Slide and move to a dreamy soundscape specially composed to delight the senses. Or wrap yourself in soft, weighted objects that echo the shape of inspired by artist Dorothea Tanning’s sculptures. Free.

Thirst: In Search of Freshwater will be at the Wellcome Collection until 1st February. Embark on an immersive journey to uncover our relationship with water, the consequences of mismanagement and community-led solutions to the global water crisis through 125 historical artefacts, contemporary materials and artworks. Free.

Play Studio: Dream Worlds opens at Tate Britain from 5th July. Devised by artist Rosemary Jane Cronin and inspired by surrealist ways of thinking and making, the installation invites children to create costume collages, note down their dreams and explore life lessons hidden in tarot cards based on artworks. Free.

The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award returns to the National Portrait Gallery from 10th July to 12th October. The prestigious painting competition, which celebrates the very best in contemporary portraiture, will this year feature 46 captivating portraits from around the world. Free.

More Than Human opens at the Design Museum from 11th July to 5th October. Bringing together 140 works spanning fine art, product design, architecture and interactive installations, this thought-provoking exhibition will explore how humans can relearn to design for the natural world in the face of climate emergency. Paid.

Young Artists’ Summer Show 2025 is back at the RA from 15th July to 10th August. Now in its seventh year, this open-submission exhibition celebrates the next generation of artists, displaying the work of students aged 4–18 studying in the UK. Free.

UNIQLO Tate Play: Monster Chetwynd – Thunder, Crackle and Magic will be taking over Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall from 19th July to 25th August. Visitors are invited to take part in a fantasy adventure, celebrating the mischievous magic of theatre and imagination. Free.

The Southbank Centre’s The Space Between installation will be popping up on the Riverside Terrace from 23rd July to 25th August. This installation reimagines the dance floor not as a fixed location, but as a living, breathing force, with a soundwave-inspired canopy that casts dancing silhouettes onto the dancefloor. Free.

Future of Food will be at the Science Museum from 24th July to 4th January. See fascinating food items, from a 3,500-year-old loaf of bread to the first beef steak grown outside a cow, then take part in a large multiplayer game where you can create your own future for food. Free.

Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs will be at Japan House from 30th July to 9th November. Visitors can create their own unique symbol from a selection of component pieces and move among giant pictograms: standing under a 2.5-metre torii shrine gate, sizing up to a sumo wrestler or taking the controls of a Japanese train. Free.

Lucy Sparrow’s Bourdon Street Chippy will be taking over Mayfair’s Lyndsey Ingram Gallery from 1st August to 14th September. A tactile reimagining of one of Britain’s national treasures, Sparrow’s chippy will feature a traditional counter created in fabric, with felt versions of your favourite chip-shop fare to buy. Free to visit.

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES

Whippersnappers’ Fairy and Pixie Land returns for 2025 with its new Battle of the Dragons theme on weekends until the end of July. Aimed at ages 3-7, this immersive adventure will include a visit to the wing boutique, fairy dust face paint, wand making, cake decorating and a theatrical promenade performance. Paid.

Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs arrives at Lightroom from 9th July to 2nd November. Join Damian Lewis on an unforgettable journey through deep time as you explore the extraordinary story of dinosaurs — from their dominance 66 million years ago to their lasting legacy today. Paid.

DreamState by Ministry of Stories will be at The Ditch at Shoreditch Town Hall from 28th July to 2nd August. Maybe you’ll party with a neon leopard or discover a brand new plant. Whatever adventure you choose, you can bring the whole family along to discover a series of eight rooms tied to a mix of original stories. Free.

Colourscape returns to Watford’s Cassiobury Park from 16th-25th August. Explore a unique labyrinth of 70 interlinked chambers of intense colours and discover musicians and dancers interacting with you. Weekdays will feature resident musician Michael Ormiston presenting family-friendly music where you can join in. Paid.

WORKSHOPS & FESTIVALS

REPLAY: A Limitless Recycled Playground is at the Southbank Centre until 24th August. Built entirely out of waste materials repurposed for fun by The Herd Theatre, REPLAY invites children and their grown-ups to play side by side in a space full of things you can move, change, combine, wear and reimagine. Paid.

Head to Discover Children’s Story Centre on 5th July and take part in Brick by Brick: Build Story Street – a chance to craft the LEGO baseboards that will feature in the Story Street x the LEGO Group installation that will be at the centre throughout August. Free with paid entry.

Midsummer’s Daydream Family Rave with Big Fish Little Fish will be at the Horniman Museum & Gardens on 5th July. Dig out your floatiest outfit, don an iridescent flower crown and butterfly wings and head over for music, dancing, food, bars, floral crafting activities, author readings/signings, bubbles, balloons and foam. Paid.

The Young V&A Summer Festival runs from 5th-6th July. Watch joyful acrobatics performances, explore Leap then Look’s participatory installation, design a costume and accessories to express yourself, catch storyteller Roberta Livingston sharing sensory poems and lots more. Free

Create! Studio for Families: Float will be at Young V&A on 12th July. Led by artist Emily Hopkins, this workshop invites children aged 4+ to be inspired by colours, patterns and shapes from the museum’s collection and create a balancing mobile and paper marbling to take home. Paid.

Hetty Feather Day is back at the Foundling Museum on 12th July. Join Dame Jacqueline Wilson for a Talk & Book Signing, then drop in to a free creative workshop inspired by the adventures of Hetty Feather and her friends at the Foundling Hospital. Paid/free with paid admission.

The Whitecross Street Party returns from 12th-13th July. Expect the usual mix of live street art, live music and performance, family-friendly activities, spoken-word performances, a street market offering products from local artists, diverse food stalls and loads more. Free.

There’s loads on for families in the Royal Parks this summer, including Family festival: Summer in the Park in Greenwich Park on 12th-13th July, play days at Kensington Gardens on 26th July and Regents Park on 14th August, and Discovery Days in Hyde Park on 5th-7th, 12th-14th and 19th-21st August. Free.

Make it: Party Accessories will be at V&A on 12th July, 9th August and 13th September. Take inspiration from the museum’s Cartier exhibition and join artist Hannah Wild to make fun, shiny party accessories using discarded balloon strings and foil balloons. Paid.

Play Make Do: A Festival of Fun for All the Family will be at the Barbican from 13th July to 16th August, with highlights including paper playground building, a drop-in play space, kimono kite making, a chance to play in Assemble Play Works’ magical colour forest, circus skills with Upswing and lots more. Free/paid.

Head to Leighton House on 19th July for Family Fun: Pasta Chandeliers. Take inspiration from the Murano glass chandelier hanging in Leighton’s Drawing Room and recreate your own mini version out of pasta, then enjoy a story-time adventure with lovable dog Sandro as he explores his home city of Venice. Paid.

The British Museum’s Print and Paint day will take place on 19th July. Join artist and printmaker Neera Sehgal to explore the centuries-old craft of printing with Indian woodblocks. Then join artist Raman Uppal to paint your own wild section of an ancient Indian forest where the nature spirits originated. Free.

William Morris Gallery will host two family days this summer. On 19th July, join storyteller Luke Saydon for Fabric of Freedom for Waltham Forest Pride 2025. Then, on 23rd August, transform oyster shells into works of art using classic Morris designs at the Oyster Shell Art at the People’s Pavilion workshop. Free.

Hullabaloo Summer is back at Hobbledown Heath from 21st July to 2nd September. Unleash your imagination in this enchanting summer extravaganza, where kids are encouraged to go out into the great outdoors, get messy, and get creative. Until 18th July, enter SUMMER30 for a 30% discount. Included with paid entry.

There’s lots on for families at Chelsea Physic Garden this summer, including Chocolate Making on 22nd July, Bees & Bugs Exploration and Pondlife Exploration on 23rd July, Cyanotype Making on 30th July, Soap Making on 5th August, and Plant Painting on 6th and 19th August. Paid.

London Museum Docklands’ Summer Holidays programme runs from 25th July to 31st August, with highlights including a chance to become an archaelogist for the day, craft and chill sessions themed around identity and belonging and a Great Fire of London family show. Free.

Oaklore will be at Kew Gardens from 26th July to 31st August. Step into an adventure of making and exploring, living out exciting stories as youdive into the wonder of the oak tree. Meet unique characters, hear botanical wisdom and parade joyfully as you take your place as proud oaktivists. Included with paid entry.

Estorick Collection is hosting its Family Art Day: Discover, Play and Share on 27th July. This special out-of-hours gallery activity is designed for children and families of all ages, with attendees invited to hunt for hidden images around the gallery and assemble their treasures into a unique still-life collage. Free with paid adult admission.

Family Studio: Design a City will be hosted by the RA on 27th July. Taking inspiration from the gallery’s Summer Exhibition 2025, young designers and their families are invited to collaborate with other attendees to plan, design and construct a city of the future at this drop-in workshop. Free.

Vauxhall Farm’s Family Farm Day in Covent Garden is back at St Paul’s Church on 28th July. Meet large animals, have snuggles in the Cuddle Corner with the small animals, take part in the educational workshops, have your face painted, enjoy story time sessions, pick up a treat from the gift shop and more. Free/donation encouraged.

Foundling Museum is hosting four family workshops this summer. Make a felted landscape in Felted Dreams on 29th July, create a stop-motion animation in Animate Playtime on 30th July, craft a simple rag doll in Fabric Friends on 31st July, or design your own board game in Game Makers on 1st August. Paid.

Ballie Ballerson is running Kids’ Party sessions on Saturdays throughout August. There are two sessions, for 7-12s and 13-16s respectively, and all tickets include a Caprisunha mocktail and 90 minutes’ access to the venue’s giant ballpit. Paid.

Story Street x the LEGO Group will be popping up at Discover Children’s Story Centre from 2nd-31st August. Filled with creativity, the new play street will offer children plenty of opportunity to build, paint, make sculptures out of cardboard, dress up, perform, and create and listen to stories. Free with paid entry.

The National Portrait Gallery’s Summer Family Festival will run from 4th-8th August. Take inspiration from the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award and collage your own magical masks, create unique family portraits, make a small journal or zine, design your own historical or futuristic costume, and lots more. Free.

Head to the Design Museum on 6th August for Playday in the Garden. Celebrating National Playday, this playful workshop will invite children aged 4-10 to design a mini garden, become a bee or a butterfly, learn how sticky worms nurture the soil, create a bird eatery and lots more. Free.

On 8th August, Dulwich Picture Gallery is hosting a special Family Yoga workshop where children can cultivate a curiosity about the paintings and how they can connect to yoga. Then on 30th August, Family Wild Life Drawing: Farmyard Animals will invite families to draw real farm animals from Spitalfields City Farm. Paid.

Head to Whitechapel Gallery for its Popcorn! Listening Party! on 9th August. Experience some of the music that inspired artist Jenny Pengilly’s interactive Popcorn! exhibition, from children’s TV theme tunes to high-energy punk, feeling free to dance or interact in the space or to simply hang out and listen. Free.

There’s loads for kids at Somerset House this summer, including age-appropriate talk-based workshops with The Philosophy Foundation on 14th August, drawing and play with The Hundred Club on 21st August, and dancing and creative writing with the Spaghetti Club on the 28th. Pay what you can.

All Points East: In the Neighbourhood returns from 17th-20th August, with family-friendly highlights including the Orchestra of Objects, a Rich Mix Takeover featuring a kids’ disco, workshops and immersive experiences with The Kids Are Alright, performances from Half Moon Theatre and lots more. Free.

Artist Christina Rose Brown will be hosting three creative workshops at the Fitzrovia Chapel this summer. Build a stylish habitat for your bug friends in Build a Bug Hotel on the 18th, make beautiful mono prints from flora and fauna in Monoprinting Natural Forms on the 19th, and Craft Nature-Inspired Clay Pinch Pots on the 20th. Paid.

Bounce House is back at Big Penny Social from 18th-22nd August. As always with this sellout event, the whole of the centre’s Event Space will be taken over by massive inflatables, including a huge inflatable assault course and smaller bouncy castles for the little ones. Paid.

Head to the Horniman on 20th August for a Sustainable Free-Play workshop with Studio TIP. Designed for all ages, the session invites children and their adults to play, invent and assemble your own mini sculptures or abstract creations using natural and recycled offcuts, string and wire. Paid.

The Albany will host its indoor Summer Roller Disco at Deptford Lounge on 21st August. Designed for all ages, this special family session will feature summer kids’ hits, air con and plenty of space to skate, dance or just practice staying upright. Pay what you decide.

Greenwich and Docklands International Festival is back from 23rd-24th August. Family-friendly highlights will include Arrels – a series of 20 large interactive installations that double up as hugely entertaining games for the whole family, and Weight(less) – a blend of acrobatics, movement and humour from Mimbre. Free.

Celebrate Fun DMC’s 10th Birthday at the Southbank Centre on 25th August. FUN DMC’s resident DJ Spin Doctor will be spinning everything from disco and garage to family friendly hip-hop and R&B. Plus, get moving and making music with dance instructors and a beatbox workshop – all on the Riverside Terrace. Free.

SEND EVENTS

Artist Christina Rose Brown is running a Nature and Light: Autism-Friendly Kids’ Art Workshop at the Fitzrovia Chapel on 13th July. The workshop will consist of a range of sensory activities, playing with art making and light, in response to the exhibition Chris Packham: Endangered Species by Richard Ansett. Paid.

Head to V&A on 19th July for Sensory Friendly: Design and Draw with Light. Design, build and draw using projections, fabrics and UV lights. Play with light and dark, reflections, shadows, and colours. Create and experiment using a mixture of different art materials to make colourful projections in the space. Free.

Together Space’s Summer Holiday Play Scheme runs at Walthamstow’s Gnome House from 28th July to 8th August. Aimed at children with SEND and their siblings, the scheme will feature a packed schedule of inclusive dance, art workshops, cooking, bubble making, yoga and more. Free/paid dependent on eligability.

The Together Space will be at Soho Theatre Walthamstow on 2nd August. Designed for families with both disabled and non-disabled children, the event will include sock-puppet making with artist Christina Rose Brown, a dance workshop with Blink Dance Theatre and a sensory den with with Freeing Potential. Paid.

Big Penny Social will host a relaxed Bounce House session on 28th August. The session will feature the same massive inflatables and huge inflatable assault course, but with no music, lower room lighting and capacity capped to 30 children to help reduce anxiety and over-stimulation. Paid.

UNDER-5S

Mess it Up in the Park will be back in Crouch End’s Priory Park every Friday throughout the holidays (excluding 18th July). Expect a wide range of messy-play activities including paint, edible items, rainbow spaghetti, sand, jelly, mud, foam, flour and plenty of water play. Paid.

Head to the British Museum on 10th July for Little Feet: Ancient India animal adventure. See the elephant-headed god Ganesha and roar with the lion-faced nature spirit Simhamukha in the Little Feet forest. Dive into the swirling fabric ocean to spot the makara and journey into a rumbling storm to meet Dharanendra. Free.

William Morris Gallery’s Mini Morris Garden Party will be held on 17th July. Designed for 2-5s, this fun-packed day of outdoor play and creativity will take place in the William Morris Gallery Gardens in Lloyd Park. go on a flower hunt, play games and make your own giant flowers inspired by the gardens. Free.

Little Feet: Teddies on Holiday will be held at the British Museum on 21st August. Join the museum teddies and build a wall as long as the Great Wall of China, create your own mosaic inspired by the Roman designs in the Museum, and create an insect hotel to take home and help the insects where you live. Free.

THEATRE & CINEMA

Everyman on the Canal is back at Kings Cross until 17th August, with family-friendly screening highlights including Moana 2, Despicable Me 4, Encanto, Wish, Frozen, Pocahontas, Coco, Cruella, The Wild Robot, Mary Poppins Returns, Wicked, A Minecraft Movie, Elemental, Wonka and lots more. Free.

There’s so much on at Little Angel Theatre this summer, with highlights including Shoe Baby for 2-5s from 8th-10th August, the Make you LOL comedy show for ages 5-11 from 19th-21st August, Escape from the Bubble Tub for 3-8s from 30th-31st, plus loads more. Paid.

Counting Sheeps is showing at Polka from 13th-24th August. Snuggle up and join two sheep on a journey through the joys and frustrations of everything bedtime in this touching, musical adventure filled with sensory play for 0-3 year olds and their (very tired) grown ups. Paid.

TRAILS

The Tusk Turtle Trail will run from July to August, with 16 life-sized turtle sculptures displayed in prominent locations on the streets of the capital. Participating artists will include Ronnie Wood, Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett, John and Jen Cleese, Rankin. Keep an eye on the website for more details. Free.

…AND THE REST

The Ice Cream Project by Anya Hindmarch is at the Anya Village in Chelsea until 16th August. Pop in for a scoop (or tub) of surprisingly delicious ice creams celebrating beloved food brands, from the sublime to the downright weird. We recommend the (vegan) Maldon Sea Salt and the (not vegan) McVities Club Orange. Paid.

Still bored? Check out my MASSIVE (110+) list of London’s coolest playgrounds here. Or, if the weather is being British, try my almost-as-massive (70+) list of its coolest indoor play spaces here. You can also check my June and May roundups for still-running exhibitions and activities you may have missed.