What’s On This Weekend – Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th July
FUN & FANTASTIC THINGS TO DO WITH THE KIDS IN LONDON THIS WEEKEND
SATURDAY 11TH & SUNDAY 12TH JULY
DESIGN BY LADYBIRD AT THE HOUSE OF ILLUSTRATION, KINGS CROSS
If you like whiling away with the weekend watching the fountains dance in One Granary Square, visit the House of Illustration. It’s been open just over a year and its new exhibition Design by Ladybird celebrates 100 years of Ladybird. With over 120 original illustrations from classic and iconic Ladybird series including People At Work, Shopping With Mother, Science, Nature, Well Loved Tales and Keywords. It’ll be a trip down memory lane for any mum and dad and a great opportunity for our ‘Digital Kids’ to enjoy the illustrations of everyday life their parents and grandparents enjoyed.
When: The exhibition runs until 27th September
Where: The House of Illustration, N1C 4BN
Age: Families
Cost: Adults £7.70, Children £4.40
LittleBird’s Top Tip: Enjoy Kings Cross big live screen Strawberry & Screen – it’s Wimbledon finals this weekend or head to Camley Street Natural Park – a beautiful urban nature reserve where you’ll forget you are in the heart of the city!
BEACH EAST AT THE PARK, STRATFORD
Beach East opens this weekend in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park boasting one thousand tons of sand spread over 2200 sq. metres of Stratford Waterfront (almost the size of two Olympic swimming pools). The beach overlooks the canal, Stadium and the beautiful parklands and possibly best of all there is a huge kid’s paddling pool, ⅓ of the size of an Olympic pool! Cafe and food stalls await or take a picnic and pick up an ice cream – just don’t forget towels and your bucket and spade. Plus there are funfair rides and a host of sporting events and activities promised throughout the summer.
When: until 31st August, open daily 10am – 10pm
Where: Stratford Waterfront, next to Westfield E15 2DU
Age: Families
Cost: Free
LittleBird’s Top Tip: There are beaches aplenty across London this summer with free beaches in front of the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank, the Beach JW3 in West Hampstead and Royal Victoria Beach in Tower Hamlets (opening on the 14th July), and pay to enter (£3) the beach in Brent Cross.
URBAN ART 2015, BRIXTON
This weekend 200 artists head to the streets for this massive celebration of Urban Art 2015. You can admire, be inspired and buy direct from the artists. Discover a wealth of creative skills, including Street Art, Painting, Printmaking, Photography and Mixed Media as well as talent!
There’ll be international food stalls so that you can munch as you browse and look out for PositiveArts.co.uk Street Art area that invites artists to create live work throughout the weekend on nine White Walls that will then be displayed in Brixton Square to form a new outdoor gallery.
When: Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th July, 10am – 6pm
Where: Josephine Avenue SW2
Age: any age
Cost: Free
LittleBird’s Top Tip: If the kids are into Street Art then why not download the Street Art London app (it’s free) and wherever the weekend takes you and the kids, you’ll be able to check out the nearest street art to you. In collaboration with Geo Street Art, Street Art London promises to be as up to date as possible and even offers a GPS tracker to hunt down street pieces by your favourite artist.
THE GRUFFALO AT THE LYRIC THEATRE, WEST END
The Gruffalo has become a classic, voted the number one bedtime story, loved by children and grown ups alike. Just arrived arrived at the Lyric Theatre this summer and with just the right amount of scary fun this musical adaptation of The Gruffalo is a wonderful family show.
Join Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep dark wood – in the search for hazelnuts – as she meets the cunning Fox, the eccentric old Owl and the party mad Snake, and outwits them all with the story of the fabled Gruffalo. Armed with only a nut map and a little courage Mouse must make sure she doesn’t end up as dinner for these wily woodland creatures.
When: Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th July, 10am performance
Where: Lyric Theatre, W1D 7ES
Age: 3+
Cost: £10 with LittleBird (saving 59%), to book your tickets, click here
LittleBird’s Top Tip: Enjoy plenty of savings on theatre trips with the kids this summer with LittleBird including Tiddler & Other Terrific Tales at the Leicester Square Theatre, The Railway Children at King’s Cross Theatre and The Three Little Pigs at the Palace Theatre to name a few.
LEWISHAM’S PEOPLE DAY
Lewisham People’s Day is south east London’s biggest and longest running FREE community festival. The festival is split into coloured areas so you can pick and choose which activities you want to enjoy first; for aerial performances and workshops from Upswing, all the fun of the fair and live music – head for the yellow area; for inflatables and motorcycle displays you’ll need the red area; for dance performances – the blue area; Flying Fox zip wire, messy play and roller skating plus bizarre and silly sports activities in the Sillympics and a 1960s-style library – it’s the green area. Yummy food, stalls galore and a great vibe await – an inspiring family day out is promised.
When: Saturday 11th July, 12pm – 8pm
Where: Mountsfield Park, SE6 1AN
Age: Families
Cost: Free
LittleBird’s Top Tip: If you arrive at Hither Green Station and have some time to spare, pop by You Don’t Bring Me Flowers – a florist and coffee shop that serves teas and coffees in vintage teapots and cups along with doorstep sandwiches and homemade cakes.
MEDIEVAL BARNES FAIR
The 41st Barnes Fair takes place this Saturday and boasts over three hundred stalls selling everything from cakes, plants and books to vintage and designer clothing. There’s a helter skelter, hall of mirrors, ballet and karate shows, live music as well as Punch and Judy shows. Let the kids climb into a real cockpit and explore a fire engine, follow the Grand Parade or sit back and enjoy the live music and soak up the atmosphere.
This year, inspired by the anniversary of Magna Carta, Barnes Fair has a medieval theme and is celebrating in style with a bright pink medieval castle, a photo booth where you can dress up historically to have your picture taken, some traditional music on the Bandstand and a host of themed floats in the Grand Parade.
When: Saturday 11th July, 9.30am – 5.30pm
Where: Barnes Green, SW13
Age: Families
Cost: Free
LittleBird’s Top Tip: Download a map before you go to ensure you don’t miss out on your family’s favourites. Click here to download.
SWITCH ON NOW – FAMILIES AT DEPTFORD LOUNGE
Part of the Switch on NOW festival (6th – 11th July) celebrating the arts and mindfulness, families can choose from an array of workshops running throughout the day on Saturday and enjoy this innovative programme of arts and wellbeing activities for all ages. The events and workshops aim to stimulate the senses, lighten the mind and allow us to slow down, stop rushing about and savour the moment. Workshops include Happy Children Learn Better, Mindfulness for Parents and Children and a Mindfulness FlashMob. For the full schedule on Saturday, click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page.
When: Saturday 11th July, 10am – 4.30pm
Where: Deptford Lounge, SE8 4RJ.
Age: Workshops vary; 3+, 7+ and under 12s
Cost: Free
LittleBird’s Top Tip: Fancy lunch? Then pop along to the Big Red and eat scrummy pizza on a double decker bus. As well as wonderful food in a groovy setting, every weekend Big Red offer free kids cinema between 1.30pm – 3.30pm
GIVE IT A GO FESTIVAL, HAMPSTEAD HEATH
Give it a Go! in Hampstead this Sunday and enjoy this big day out showcasing the best of sports, fun, music and entertainment for the whole family. Families are invited to take part in wide range of activities and there’s so much to choose from including street dance, martial arts, inflatable bounce-run, climbing wall, smoothie bike, graffiti artist T-shirts and face painting, circus workshop, tennis coaching, Zippo Circus entertainers, live music, badminton sessions plus a funfair and T3 Ping Pong tables where you are invited to enjoy a game of T3 three-a-side ping pong. Go on, give it a go!
When: Sunday 12th July, 1pm – 5.30pm
Where: Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath.
Age: Families
Cost: Free
LittleBird Top Tip: Wild about Hampstead are also holding a Wildlife Festival on Sunday too from 1pm – 5.30pm with bug hunting, bee activities, arts & crafts, frog face competitions, wildlife games and more.
NATURE INTO ART AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, PICCADILLY
Head to the Royal Academy this Sunday for a free family workshop and be inspired by the great outdoors and bring Nature Into Art. Celebrate all things botanical in this horticultural watercolour workshop. RA artist Anna Nunhofer leads with a special guest from the Chelsea Physic Garden.
While you’re here, enjoy the RA’s Art Detective Family Trails. You can download the Summer Exhibition Trail and take it with you and don’t forget that under 16s go free to all RA exhibitions. There’s family friendly cafes and the beautiful Annenberg Courtyard – an inspiring space to sit and ponder or let the kids run around.
When: Sunday 12th July, 11am – 3pm
Where: Royal Academy, W1J 0BD
Age: Families
Cost: Free
LittleBird’s Top Tip: During the Summer Exhibition there are art trays available that contain free sketchbooks and pencils so you can take home your own masterpieces.
STRAWBERRY & HONEY FAYRE AT SPITALFIELDS CITY FARM
This Sunday visit Spitalfields City Farm and enjoy a wonderful celebration of summer, sensational strawberries, and heavenly honey! Expect children’s crafts, music, and fun family activities and indulge in some honey tasting and a cream tea – why not!
There are lots of farm animals for the kids to see including ferrets; Oscar, Marmalade and Marmite and Bayleaf the Donkey and make sure you visit the gardens too.
When: Sunday 12th July, 12pm – 4pm
Where: Spitalfields City Farm, E1 5AR
Age: Families
Cost: Free
LittleBird’s Top Tip: You’re not far from The Power of Poison exhibition at the Truman Brewery – book your tickets through LittleBird and save up to 34%.