Family-friendly things to do in London this July 2025

London turns into one big playground in July – and we’re so here for it. Think open-air theatre, kid-friendly festivals, pop-up playgrounds, and enough ice cream to build a small (melty) sculpture. Whether your little ones are into wild science shows, magical storytime sessions, or just running wild in a splash fountain, there’s loads to keep them buzzing all summer long. Want the inside scoop on what’s hot (and what’s free)? Follow us on Instagram for more family friendly fun.

If you’re in town just for a few days and want to make the most our of the city, take a guided sightseeing tour on a vintage open-top bus to explore iconic landmarks (at a slower pace), or enjoy breath-taking views with a scenic Thames river cruise. Check out our round-up of dinosaur themed events or take it easy with an alfresco picnic in the city’s lush parks.

Outdoor events in London this July 2025

This month, Open House returns to Hyde Park from 1 – 8 July with free theatre performances, music performances, pop-up spaces and loads of outdoor fun.

The Whitecross Street Party is back (12–13 July) with live street art, music, spoken word, family fun, a buzzing market from local artists, tasty food stalls, and plenty more. Free to join the party.

Summer’s packed with family fun across the Royal Parks: catch Summer in the Park festival in Greenwich (12–13 July), play days at Kensington Gardens (26 July) and Regents Park (14 August). All free and full of adventure.

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival on 1 – 6 July is packed with stunning floral displays, gardening ideas and plenty of gardening goodies to take home.

Vauxhall Farm’s Family Farm Day returns to St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, on 28 July. Meet big animals, cuddle the little ones, join workshops, get your face painted, enjoy story time, and grab treats from the gift shop. Free entry, donations welcome

Kaleidoscope Festival returns to Alexandra Palace on 12 July with a packed day of live music, DJs, comedy, and family fun. Dance to Faithless, Goldie, and Sara Cox, catch circus acts, bubbles and theatre in the Family Area, and soak up the city views while you’re at it. Paid.

With the temperatures soaring the city’s splash fountains are a magnet for families and fun in the sun seekers and most of them are free to enjoy. Just make sure you have a spare change of clothes at hand. Our top splash fountains include:

• Jeppe Hein’s splash-happy masterpiece Appearing Rooms is back at the Southbank Centre until 25 August. This much-loved pop-up fountain squirts jets of water into ever-shifting “rooms” – step in if you dare, but don’t expect to stay dry. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s basically the coolest way to cool off this summer. Just note: it’s taking Mondays and Tuesdays off.
• Royal Docks Summer Splash is back (25 Jul–17 Aug) with city views, lido dips, a giant sandpit, and chilled vibes for all ages. Little ones can splash safely, grown-ups can lounge, and yep — it’s all free.
• Walthamstow-on-Sea is bringing full-on seaside vibes to Big Penny Social till 31 Aug – think giant sandpit, beach bar, frozen cocktails, fish & chips, and rentable beach huts. Sun not guaranteed, fun is. (Paid.)
• The playful jets at Granary Square in King’s Cross
• The iconic Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park
• More London fountains near City Hall with ICONIC views of Tower Bridge.
• Clapham Common Waterplay area.
• Paddling Pool at Ravenscourt Park
• Children’s Garden at Kew
• Bishop’s Park Splash Pad
• London Wetland Centre Splashpad
• John Madjeski Garden
• Gloucester Gate Playground in Regent’s Park
• The Olympic Park’s Waterworks Fountains
• The Leicester Square small splash fountains
• Elephant Springs at Elephant Park.

Wimbledon tennis runs from 30 June to 13 July and live matches are showing at popular outdoor screens like St Katharine Docks, Everyman on the Canal in King’s Cross, Merchant Square in Paddington, Wimbledon Piazza in Wimbledon, Portman Square in Marylebone, Eccleson Yards in Belgravia, Lyric Square in Hammersmith, The Big Screen at London bridge City, and the screen in Leicester Square garden.  Live sport, family films, and gaming fun is also showing at the Summer Screens running until 27 Sept in Canada Square Park. And for that special VIP treat, check out the Strawberries & Screen at Duke of York Square for the Wimbledon finals on 11 to 13 July.

Pride of London Parade on 5th July is the colourful free event that brings dance, eye-catching floats and live performances from acclaimed DJs and iconic drag artists. Join in the fun in locations like Piccadilly, Haymarket and Trafalgar Square or just come to sample some delicious street food!

Helios at Osterley Park is an impressive seven metre spherical sculpture by Luke Jerram that offers a beautifully detailed view of the sun, the brightest star in our solar system. Visitors of all ages can see Helios for free on 11th to 14th July check out our reel here.

 ZSL London Zoo’s weekly Zoo Nights is the adults-only event taking place every Friday in July from 6pm. Come to enjoy delicious street-food, live acoustic performances from Disney’s award-winning musical The Lion King. Wander the zoo at your own pace and say hello to some of the 8,000 animals. The X-rated Naughty Nature Tour to hear some of nature’s wildest secrets. Tickets from £21.50.

Family chocolate making at Chelsea Physic Gardens is one delicious workshop on 22 and 31 July (with more dates available in August). Learn about cacao and how this amazing bean turns into tasty chocolate. Even better, make your own chocolate treat using a selection of flavourings, spices and herbs from the garden. Tickets £20 – £25.

Serpentine Pavilion 2025 by Marina Tabassum – until 26 October
Experience A Capsule in Time, Marina Tabassum’s transformative Serpentine Pavilion. Inspired by South Asian Shamiyana tents, this kinetic wooden structure blends light, shadow, and nature in Kensington Gardens. Free to visit.

FREE Minigolf by Craig and Karl is at Canary Wharf’s Montgomery Square.

Of the OAK at Kew Garden is one-of-a-kind immersive art installation that celebrates the oak tree. Enjoy the tranquil sounds, interact with the massive installation learn about the extraordinary resilience of oaks. Included in the entry to the gardens. And whilst you are there, check out the kids’ award winning play garden.

Outdoor shows

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has an exciting line-up of theatre productions and four Open Air Theatre Festivals this summer until 20 September. Each festival features a unique programme, with dedicated days for family entertainment, dance, comedy, and a week-long music takeover to close the season. Ticket prices starting from £15.

The Summer Festival at the Opera Holland Park has superb classic music performances for all ages. Surrounded by beautiful formal gardens the canopied open-air auditorium is the perfect place to enjoy performances from the Royal Ballet School (on 2 – 5July), Winnie-The-Poo’s Singbook on 19 – 20 July or the classic La Traviata from 19 July. Tickets from £10.

Rough Magic returns to Shakespeare’s Globe this summer with a riotous remix of Macbeth’s Weird Sisters. Expect spells, silliness and supernatural shenanigans in the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Come dressed as your favourite magical creature and help cook up the chaos. Ages 5+. Tickets from £15.

Shakespeare in the Square is bringing The Taming of the Shrew to London’s garden squares this summer with pop bangers, power plays and plenty of sunshine. Shakespeare in the Squares brings the classic romcom to life with ‘50s and ‘60s tunes, picnics, and participatory fun. Catch it from 4 June to 12 July. Tickets from £22.

Summer in Leicester Square brings films, sport and summer drinks to the heart of London. Watch Wimbledon, F1 and the Euros live, then kick back with classics like Moana and Mamma Mia. No tickets needed—just show up and soak up the fun all summer long.

Arts, Crafts, Song and Dance

The Serpentine and LEGO Group team up for the Play Pavilion – a colourful, hands-on space for big ideas and little builders, outside Serpentine South until 10 Aug. Free fun, no tickets needed.

The Young V&A Summer Festival (5–6 July) is bursting with acrobatics, hands-on art from Leap then Look, costume-making, sensory poems by Roberta Livingston, and loads more. All free, all fun, all for kids.

Get your floatiest outfit, flower crown, and butterfly wings ready for the Midsummer’s Daydream Family Rave with Big Fish Little Fish at the Horniman (5 Jul). Expect music, dancing, bubbles, crafting, author readings, food, drinks—and heaps of foam fun. Tickets needed.

The Celtic Throne is a spectacular show of traditional Irish dancing, innovative choreography, martial arts, acrobatics and brilliant live music. The show’s UK debut tour begins at Birmingham Symphony Hall on 22^nd June, travelling onto Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, and concludes on 3^rd July at London’s Eventim Apollo.

Family Freestyle at Sadler’s Wells East is a series of free dance workshops for children aged 2-4 and their parents led by professional dance artists. Runs until 12 July. Booking is required.

Sing Street is a Lyric Hammersmith Theatre production that celebrates the beauty of 80s music and its power to lift our spirit and the thrill of young love. Come and join the sixteen year old Conor and Raphina as they go about being teenagers in the Dublin of 1985. Running until 23 August. Tickets from £10.

Evita is masterfully played by Rachel Zegler at the London Palladium until 6 September. Come to see this spectacular reimagining of Time Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical.

Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy runs until 17 August. This popular art show returns this summer with the usual contemporary works from established artists and emerging talent. Tickets £25.50. The free Young Artists’ Summer Show opens on 15 July.

At the Museums

Soft Studio takes over Tate Britain this July with dreamy sounds, squishy sculptures, and plenty of space to slide, stretch and chill. Inspired by Dorothea Tanning, it’s tactile, trippy and totally free.

From ancient loaves to lab-grown steak, Future of Food at the Science Museum (24 Jul–4 Jan) serves up a tasty look at what we’ll eat next — plus a giant game where you shape the menu of tomorrow. Free entry, big ideas.

Travel back millions of years with Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs at Lightroom (9 Jul–2 Nov). Join Damian Lewis for an epic adventure through dinosaur history — from prehistoric rulers to modern-day legends. Tickets needed.

Buckingham State Rooms and gardens open to the public on 10July (until 28 September) and visitors are invited to enjoy self-guided tours of one of the world’s few remaining working royal palaces. Come and see the Throne Room and the magnificent staircase and to discover some of the Royal Collection’s greatest treasures. Tickets from £20.50.

Dive into Thirst at the Wellcome Collection (until 1 Feb) — an immersive show exploring our tangled relationship with water through 125 objects, artworks and ideas. Eye-opening, urgent, and free.

Get ready for wild adventures at DreamState by Ministry of Stories, taking over The Ditch at Shoreditch Town Hall (28 Jul–2 Aug). Dance with neon leopards, discover new plants, and explore eight story-filled rooms — perfect for the whole family. Free entry, big imagination.

Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth? at the Natural History Museum explores the big question – are we alone in the universe? Tickets from £14.

Step inside Japan House for Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs (30 Jul–9 Nov) and dive into giant symbols, from towering torii gates to sumo wrestlers and shinkansen trains. Plus, design your own cool icon to take home. Free fun with serious style.

On 19 July, the British Museum hosts Print and Paint Day. Learn ancient Indian woodblock printing with artist Neera Sehgal, then team up with Raman Uppal to paint your own wild slice of an ancient forest. All free and hands-on.

Virtual beauty opens at Somerset House on 23 July exploring the impact of digital culture, social media and technologies on our self-image. This is a pay what you can event!

London Museum Docklands’ Summer Holidays (25 Jul–31 Aug) are packed with family fun — dig into archaeology, join craft and chill sessions about identity and belonging, and catch a lively Great Fire of London show. All free and full of adventure.

SPLASH! A Century of Swimming and Style at the Design Museum. The latest exhibition at the Design Museum celebrates our love of water, through the history of swimming and style over the last 100 years. Until 17 August 2025 at the Design Museum. Tickets from £14.38.

The Young V&A museum celebrates the creativity of ancient Egyptians with their newest exhibition Making Egypt. A £10 ticket allows multiple entries to this exhibition until Autumn.

Transported by music: Enjoy classic live music from London’s most talented students, every Friday during term time at the London Transport museum. Kids go free and an adult ticket offers free, unlimited day-time returns for a year.   

Moco Museum: Perfect destination for contemporary art. From Yayoi Kusama and Andy Warhol to Banksy, this friendly museum is the perfect place to explore art and creativity. From 24 April, Robbie Williams: Radical honesty presents never-before seen art work and sculptures that explores with honesty and playful humour the real person behind the social media filters. Tickets £22.95

Ted’s Space Adventure a royal Observatory planetarium show for a young audience 3 to 7. Explore the Solar System with a bear named Ted. Tickets £6

The Robot Zoo at Horniman Museum. Family-friendly exhibition features larger-than-life animals made of machine parts. Tickets from £9.75. Runs until November.

Tots at the Docks. Free monthly play sessions inspired by the history of London’s Docklands. Wed 30 July.

Sorted! The Postal Play Space indoor play area at the Postal Museum. Hands on 45min play sessions for under 8 year olds. Tickets £4.50

Rug Rhymes: Summer at the National Poetry Library is a playful session that aims to introduce the under 5s to stories and poems. Hear your favourite nursery rhymes, learn new ones, and a chance to explore and borrow books from the National Poetry Library’s Children Collection. Tickets £4 for one adult and one child.

Pirates – at the National Maritime Museum is all about the truth about piracy! This exhibition explores legendary pirates, their pop culture legacy, and why their stories still captivate us today. £15 for adults and £7.50 for children.

At London Galleries

Play Studio: Dream Worlds lands at Tate Britain from 5 Jul, inviting kids to collage costumes, jot down dreams and explore arty tarot cards. Created by Rosemary Jane Cronin and inspired by surrealism. It’s weird, wonderful — and free.

Can design save the planet? More Than Human at the Design Museum (11 Jul–5 Oct) dives into that big question with 140 works across art, architecture, and mind-bending installations — all about rethinking our relationship with nature. Bold, beautiful, and thought-provoking. (£16 for adults and £8 for kids)

Play Make Do takes over the Barbican (13 Jul–16 Aug) with paper playgrounds, kimono kite making, a magical colour forest, circus skills with Upswing, and heaps more family fun. Some bits are free, some paid — all playful.

Get crafty at Leighton House on 19 July with Family Fun: Pasta Chandeliers. Make your own pasta chandelier inspired by the Murano glass original, then join Sandro the dog for a story-time adventure through Venice. Tickets required.

Get ready for chaos, costumes and pure imagination — UNIQLO Tate Play: Monster Chetwynd – Thunder, Crackle and Magic storms into the Turbine Hall (19 Jul–25 Aug). It’s a fantasy-fuelled adventure for kids and grown-ups alike. Free fun, no booking needed.

The dance floor gets a dreamy makeover at the Southbank Centre’s The Space Between (23 Jul–25 Aug). With a soundwave-inspired canopy and dancing shadows, it’s part art, part party — and totally free.

Estorick Collection’s Family Art Day: Discover, Play and Share takes over on 27 July. Kids and families can hunt for hidden images around the gallery and create their own still-life collage. Free for kids, adults pay admission.

On 27 July, the RA’s Family Studio: Design a City invites kids and families to team up and build a future city inspired by the Summer Exhibition 2025. Drop in, get creative, and shape tomorrow — all for free.

Yoshitomo Nara until 31 August 2025 at Hayward Gallery
Largest European retrospective of Japan’s famous artist with 150+ works. Themes: rebellion, isolation, spirituality. Tickets £20; members free. Tours and concessions available.

The monumental art of Emily Kam Kngwarray at Tate Modern is dedicated to one of the world’s most significant painters of the late 20th century. Born in Alhalker in the Sandover region of the Northern Territory of Australia Emily Kam Kngwarray is an Anmatyerr woman with a deep understanding of her cultural connections to her Country. Her vibrant batiks and monumental paintings on canvas embodies her detailed knowledge of the places where she lived throughout her life. Tickets £20

Lucy Sparrow’s Bourdon Street Chippy is taking over Mayfair’s Lyndsey Ingram Gallery (1 Aug–14 Sep) with a quirky, all-felt tribute to Britain’s beloved chippy. Think soft-serve fish and chips you can actually buy — but no frying involved. Free to explore and totally fun.

London family friendly theatre shows this July 2025

My Neighbour Totoro at Gillian Lynne Theatre – The magical Ghibli adaptation returns to the West End. Until Nov 2, £29.50–£160.

The town mouse and the country mouse is a live puppet show on a barge in the picturesque Little Venice narrow boats community. Running on 5 and 6 July this charming show has a storyline adapted for 3-4 year olds, packed with nursery rhymes, fun visuals and humour, clever dialogue and lyrics that may appeal to older children too.

Krafty the Urban Fox: Tales from the Tower Block – is a night-time adventure aimed at theatre goers aged 2 – 5. This 35minutes show delights the audience with singing and grooving and characters that teach us about friendship and finding beauty in unexpected places. Runs until 27 July at Little Angel Theatre. Tickets from £15.

Back to the Future: The Musical. Adapted from the much loved blockbuster film this musical is one of the best on London’s West End and our firm favourite!

I Want My Hat Back Trilogy at Polka Theatre is about a lost and found bear’s hat! The trilogy brings together, on stage, Jon Klassen’s beloved books, ‘I Want My Hat Back’, ‘This is Not My Hat’ and ‘We Found A Hat’. Kid’s favourite characters like Bear, Little Fish and the Turtles will be making an appearance in this one-of-a-kind trilogy. This event runs until 10 August and also comes with fun storytelling workshops. Tickets from £16.

For further recommendations for theatre and shows to see in London for young theatre goers please visit our Theatre & Dance page.

For the latest reviews, updates and recommendations follow @younglondonist on Instagram. For more ideas of things to do with the kids in London, visit our events and activities area which provides details of free events and special offers in London’s finest venues.

Films to watch this July

T. Rex 3D at the Science Museum – Watch the life of a T. rex unfold in this stunning new 45-minute IMAX documentary. From 5 Apr at the Science Museum. £12.

Summer by the River Throughout the summer the banks of the River Thames transforms into an outdoor entertainment stage with unforgettable performances for all ages. Watch your favourite sports such as Wimbledon and Formula 1, or a movie every Tuesday night on the big screens or enjoy live music, dance and theatre.

Family film club at the Barbican is a relaxed environment perfect for families to start their cinematic journey. There are activity sheets, books, toys and games for the little ones to enjoy before and after screenings. Tickets £5