If you\u2019re looking for a festive family experience with a little \u00a0je ne se qua, then look no further – grab the kids and head to Victoria Park and immerse yourselves in Winterville<\/a>. \u00a0\u00a0Free to enter, and promising a groovy mix of family friendly fun, Winterville IS London\u2019s alternative festive destination.<\/p>\n Yes, there\u2019s ice skating<\/a>, a Snow White Pantomime<\/a>, the fabulous Moscow State Circus<\/a> and of course a fairground. And then the \u2018alternative festive destination\u2019 starts to shine – head to the Kids Shack <\/a>and let the kids enjoy a reimagined Santa’s Grotto, designed by Bearded Kitten<\/a> – it\u2019s seriously silly! The Kids Shack is also home to the Pop Tots Salon<\/a>, cafe, soft play, a children\u2019s market featuring all things kid related. \u00a0There\u2019s Plonk Crazy Golf to be enjoyed that will see you and family driving through snow drifts, past evil ice beasts and into foggy valleys! You can then get cosy in the secluded depths of a magical (indoor) woodland with Backyard Cinema and enjoy your favourite festive films in this pop up cinema only accessible through a secret tunnel of trees. There\u2019s Pop Shop, with a Pop Art theme and Bizarre Bazaar, a Vaudeville-Victorian marketplace plus a heated undercover Food Hall and Bar Humbug.<\/p>\n Where: Victoria Park, E9 LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: The Kids Shack <\/a>\u00a0will be offering weekday workshops for the kids from 3pm until 6.30pm including fancy dress, Christmas card and antler headpiece making and snowflake & Christmas tree decorating, to name a few. Each workshop will be 30 minutes and start from \u00a35. Check out all the family friendly fun you can have here<\/a>.<\/p>\n THE HEIGHT OF WINTER AT THE \u00a0SHARD, LONDON BRIDGE<\/strong><\/p>\n Experience The Height of Winter <\/a>from inside the crystalline world at the top of The Shard<\/a>. The fantabulous British experience designers Bompas and Parr<\/a> have transformed The Shard into an enchanting, sensory winter experience. Theatrical ice crystals and frost will wow grown ups and kids alike 800ft above the city of London on the open-air Level 72 Skydeck.<\/p>\n Expect super-scaled crystals, carolling plants, gem-studded snow dunes, a touch-responsive iridescent grotto and glowing crystal benches. Bompas and Parr<\/a> have also created the following edible treats to ooh and ahh over; Snow White Hot Chocolate, Mulled Champagne and Christmas Candy Floss.<\/p>\n With the 360 degree view of London the kids will delight in seeing the entire city decorated and glistening all at once. \u00a0You can take turns spotting iconic landmarks and enjoy the interactive complimentary audio guides or listening to the interesting facts on the interactive Tell:scopes \u00a0while you munch on Christmas Candy Floss – want one!<\/p>\n When: until 31st January LittleBird Top Tip: Fancy winning a family ticket<\/a> to The Shard<\/a>? Pop over to our competitions page<\/a> to enter!<\/p>\n CHRISTMAS AT KEW<\/strong><\/p>\n A favourite with all families, Kew Garden\u2019s<\/a> a great day out any time of the year. This Christmas Kew\u2019s glittering night-time trail returns including dancing illuminated fountains with \u00a0glowing waterside reflections, a Tunnel of Lights, a Choir of Holly Bushes as well as a scented Fire Garden.<\/p>\n As you make your way around the trail, you\u2019ll be tempted by the aroma of roasting chestnuts, spiced cider and hot chocolate. There is a Victorian carousel, helter skelter and other family rides (\u00a32 per ride) at White Peaks – the outdoor adventure playground providing fun for the young ones \u00a0and don\u2019t forget to make time for a visit to Santa and his elves. If an evening trail doesn\u2019t suit with little ones, enjoy Christmas in the day \u2013 take a walk through the wintery grounds then warm up with a hot chocolate and a mince pie before visiting Santa.<\/p>\n Where: Kew Gardens,\u00a0TW9 3AB LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: The London Museum of Water & Steam<\/a> isn\u2019t far and this December<\/a> you can save 43%<\/a> with LittleBird<\/a> and enjoy a traditional Victorian Christmas with arts & crafts, carol singers, a Christmas trail and of course the main man himself – Santa!<\/p>\n HYDE PARK\u00a0WINTER WONDERLAND<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Sleigh bells ring, Are you listening, In the lane, Snow is glistening, A beautiful sight, We\u2019re happy to tonight\u2026..Walking in a Winter Wonderland<\/a>. Yes, it\u2019s back \u2013 more wondrous and wintery than ever before. \u00a0Hyde Park Winter Wonderland returns this year with over 100 rides and attractions for all ages, a Christmas Market, ice-skating, The Magical Ice Kingdom, Zippos Christmas Circus, Cirque Bersek and the Giant Observation Wheel \u2013 you\u2019ll be spoilt for choice!<\/p>\n Meeting Father Christmas is free and children receive a small gift. Visit Santa and his magical elves in his Santa Land<\/a> grotto every day (except Christmas Day; he\u2019s very busy then!). \u00a0An official photographer is on standby to take souvenir shots that are available to buy on the day, but you can also take your own photos if you prefer.<\/p>\n When: until 3rd January 2016, 10am – 10pm daily (except Christmas Day) LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: There are rides and attractions for children as young as two in Santa Land and a Traditional Funfair with carousels, a helter skelter and funhouses. Most of the site is buggy-friendly and there are baby-changing facilities at various disabled toilets across the site. The best time to visit with young children and buggies is weekday mornings and early afternoon. Remember – it\u2019s an outdoor event and if it\u2019s chilly outside you\u2019ll need to wrap up warm!<\/p>\n CHRISTMAS PAST AT THE GEFFRYE MUSEUM, SHOREDITCH Celebrating 400 Years of Seasonal Traditions in English Homes, the Geffrye Museum\u2019s annual Christmas Past Gallery<\/a> brings the yuletide traditions of the past to life. Discover how families celebrated Christmas through decoration, light, music, greenery and of course culinary dishes and treats.<\/p>\n Each year, the Geffrye Museum\u2019s eleven period living rooms are transformed to give families a magical glimpse into how Christmas has been celebrated in English middle-class homes over the past 400 years. Step back through the centuries and discover the origins and understand the meanings of some of the rich and vibrant traditions of Christmas past, from feasting, dancing and kissing under the mistletoe to playing parlour games, hanging up stockings, sending cards and decorating the tree. When: until 3rd January 2016 LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: If you\u2019re up with the larks (aka the little ones) \u00a0– you could drop by the Columbia Road Shops & Flower Market<\/a> first and then after the exhibition, head to Rich Mix<\/a> for their Kids\u2019 Cine Time<\/a>, there\u2019s a 12pm showing of The Book of Life this weekend and the tickets cost a fab \u00a31.75<\/p>\n HAMLEY\u2019S TOY PARADE, REGENT\u2019S ST<\/strong><\/p>\n Hamley\u2019s<\/a> are promising the biggest toy parade London has ever seen. Father Christmas and the Hamleys Elves are making a special appearance along with beloved Hamley and Hattie bear.<\/p>\n Celebrating Hamley\u2019s 255th birthday Regent\u2019s St will be transformed in a traffic-free, all-day extravaganza with cast of hundreds, marching bands, festive floating blimps, dancers, street theatre, music from Heart FM, toy vehicles and a fireworks finale scheduled at 4.30pm. There will be family favourite toy characters joining the parade including Barbie and her pink limo, Bing & Flop, Fireman Sam and his Fire truck, Hello Kitty, Peppa Pig, Power Rangers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sylvanian Families, The Transformer Truck Optimus Prime as well as ‘Meet and greet stations\u2019 positioned along Regent Street, where children will get to meet their favourite characters including Snoopy and Charlie Brown.<\/p>\n When: Saturday 28th November from 10.30am with a firework finale at 4.30pm LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: Treat yourself to brunch or lunch at the Heddon Street Kitchen in the Regent\u2019s Street Food Quarter where kids eat free<\/a> \u00a0every Saturday & Sunday from 10am – 5pm. The offer is valid for one child per adult dining.<\/p>\n SANTA\u2019S GROTTO IN CANARY WHARF<\/strong><\/p>\n Canary Wharf Santa\u2019s Grotto<\/a> is back \u2013 hurrah! Visit Santa in his whimsical Grotto in Jubilee Place. \u00a0Santa\u2019s band of cheeky elves and helpers are on hand to \u00a0entertain \u00a0the children as they queue to meet Santa. Pre-booking isn\u2019t required but there can be queues so allow plenty of time to avoid disappointment. Children can have their faces painted with a multitude of seasonal designs as well as take part in exciting festive art and craft workshops in both Cabot Place and Canada Place. With \u00a0ice skating<\/a> \u00a0on hand too \u2013 you might well want to spend the whole day!<\/p>\n When: Weekends \u2013 on 28 & 29 November<\/a>, 5 & 6 December<\/a>, 12 & 13 December<\/a> and 19 \u2013 24 December<\/a> at 11am \u2013 5pm LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: Book your ice skating tickets<\/a> for this weekend<\/a> (28th & 29th Nov) and save 50% <\/a>on tickets with LittleBird.<\/p>\n HAMPSTEAD CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Festive family fun is in abundance this Sunday in Hampstead Village. \u00a0The family festivities kick off with a free screening at the Hampstead Everyman Cinema of a children\u2019s movie. There are two main stages, a fairground, Santa\u2019s Grotto where Santa will be giving out small gifts to all the children, Mystical Fairies will be face painting, reindeer are visiting, and of course lots of tasty international food plus over 90 stalls offering an array of Christmas gifts. \u00a0Punch & Judy are making an appearance too – head to the Pentametres Theatre and catch shows at 1pm, 2pm and 3:00 p.m. The grand finale is the switching on of the village lights at 4.45pm and this year, BBC’s Fiona Bruce is the celebrity guest in charge.<\/p>\n When: Sunday 29th November, Everyman Cinema @ 10am, main stage @12pm onwards LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: If the crowds get too much, Cass Arts always have a Cass Kids Activity Table<\/a> every Saturday between 10am – 12pm. The kids get to be creative and you get to wander around a lovely shop full of some great pressie ideas<\/a>.<\/p>\n CHRISTMAS FAIR AT THE CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDENS<\/strong><\/p>\n In need of some inspiration for Christmas presents and looking for something a little bit different? Why not visit the Chelsea Physic Garden this weekend for some festive shopping.With a heated marquee featuring over 90 handpicked stallholders, the Christmas Fair <\/a>\u00a0promises a range of unique products including plants, unusual gifts and a selection of artisan food and drink.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll be the opportunity for the kids to get crafty and create seasonal decorations to take home as well as musical entertainment on both Saturday and Sunday morning and the fabulous Tangerine Dream Caf\u00e9<\/a> will be serving a seasonal menu – yum!<\/p>\n When: Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th September, 10am – 5pm (sat), 10am – 4pm (Sun) LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: You\u2019re a 15 minute walk away from the fabulous Duke of York Square and Santa\u2019s Grotto<\/a>. \u00a0The Grotto is free with advance booking required, \u00a0book via the website<\/a> and note it\u2019s open every Fri, Sat & Sun in Nov, then everyday apart from apart from Mondays, from Tuesday 1st until Wednesday 23rd Dec.<\/p>\n SAIL WITH SANTA & CRUISE DOWN THE THAMES – \u00a0SAVE 20% WITH LITTLEBIRD<\/strong><\/p>\n Santa\u2019s going on the river \u2013 ho ho, ho \u2013 and you and the kids can go with him. Enjoy Christmas on the River Thames and treat the kids to a Sail with Santa<\/a> experience. Sharing the cruise with the main man himself, the kids will enjoy plenty festive fun, story telling, festive music and receive a present too. There\u2019s refreshments for all during the cruise with a soft drink and a cookie for the kids, a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie for the grown ups. This is a circular tour taking in the iconic landscape of the River Thames at a most magical time of year – cruise past \u00a0HMS Belfast, the Tate Modern, Houses of Parliament, Somerset House and the London Eye either on the top deck or in the warmth of the riverboat! The cruise last one hour.<\/p>\n When: Sat 28th & Sun 29th Nov & weekends in Dec and then daily from 19th – 24th Dec LittleBird\u2019s Top Tip: Cross over Tower Bridge and after sailing past it, why not climb aboard HMS Belfast<\/a>. You can enjoy LittleBird\u2019s exclusive FREE voucher<\/a> entitling families to a 25% saving. Surrounding HMS Belfast, \u00a0the London Bridge City Christmas Market <\/a>returns \u00a0– it opens on Monday 30th Nov with carol singing and the Hay\u2019s Galleria Christmas tree lights being switched on at 6pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fun and fantastic things to do with the kids in London this Weekend Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th November WINTERVILLE, VICTORIA PARK If you\u2019re looking for a festive family experience with a little \u00a0je ne se qua, then look no further – grab the kids and head to Victoria Park and immerse yourselves in Winterville. … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,563],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-whats-on"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2167"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5567,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167\/revisions\/5567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"WINTERVILLE2\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/WINTERVILLE2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhen: until 23rd December
\nAge: All
\nCost: Free Entry with tickets required for the various attractions including ice rink, spiegeltent, circus, panto, fairground, Ferris Wheel.<\/p>\n![\"bompasshard\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/bompasshard.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhere: The Shard, SE1 9SG
\nAge: All
\nCost: Adults \u00a325.95, Children \u00a319.95<\/p>\n![\"christmasatkew\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/christmasatkew.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhen: until 2nd January 2016, timed entrance between 5pm \u2013 8.15pm
\nAge: Families
\nCost: Adults \u00a316, Children \u00a310 (advance ticket prices), under 4s free \u2013 booking recommended<\/p>\n![\"winterwonderland\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/winterwonderland.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhere: Hyde Park,\u00a0W2 2UH
\nAge: \u00a0Families
\nCost: Free to enter \u2013 rides and attractions are accessed by tokens, which cost \u00a31 each and are available at token booths. Shows are ticketed and booking is advised.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"christmaspastgeffyre\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/christmaspastgeffyre.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThere\u2019s a cafe<\/a> with a great value children\u2019s menu plus a shop<\/a> full of great Christmas present ideas.<\/p>\n
\nWhere: Geffrye Museum,E2 8EA
\nAge: Families
\nCost: Free<\/p>\n![\"hamleyschristmas\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/hamleyschristmas.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhere: Regent St, W1
\nAge: Families
\nCost: Free<\/p>\n![\"canarywharfgrotto\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/canarywharfgrotto.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nPlus, there\u2019s lots of free Children\u2019s Festive Activities<\/a> taking place throughout the malls.<\/p>\n
\nWhere: Jubilee Place, Canary Wharf, E14 5NY
\nAge: Families
\nCost: Free with a recommended donation of \u00a32 to the \u00a0Richard House Children\u2019s Hospice<\/a><\/p>\n![\"lightuphampsteadchristmas\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/lightuphampsteadchristmas.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhere: Hampstead High St, NW3
\nAge: All
\nCost: Free<\/p>\n![\"chelseaphysicgardenxmas\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/chelseaphysicgardenxmas.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhere: Chelsea Physic Gardens, SW3 4HS
\nAge: All
\nCost: Adults \u00a36, Children free<\/p>\n![\"sailwithsanta\"](\"http:\/\/www.littlebird.co.uk\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2015\/11\/sailwithsanta.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhere: Boats depart from Tower Pier at 10am, 11.15am, 12.30pm, 1.45pm, 3.30pm.
\nAge: All
\nCost: Enjoy a \u00a020%<\/a> saving with LittleBird<\/a> – Adults; \u00a320 and Children \u00a0\u00a312 – book your tickets here<\/a><\/p>\n