With summer holiday in full swing, London turns into one big playground. With plenty on offer to keep the kids occupied, this summer is guaranteed to keep you and your little ones buzzing. From excellent theatre shows (Kids Week is here!) to free educational activities in our beautiful parks, splash fountains, museums and art galleries and one of the biggest Carnivals in the World, our August is sizzling hot.
Notting Hill Carnival is the largest free Carnival in Europe and it takes place between 23 to 25 August 2025. Embrace the Carnival spirit and celebrate Caribbean culture with delicious food, colourful costumes on parade, live steel bands and over 30 street music systems!
Families and children’s day is on Sunday 24 August.
Seacole Sessions Family Activity: Lavender Playdough – free family scented fun at the Museum of the Order of St John. Make your own lavender playdough to take home and enjoy a relaxing storytelling session filled with fragrant inspiration! Tuesday 12th August 11:00-12:30 & 13:00-14:30
Kids Week is the best theatrical event of the summer! Children under 17 enjoy some of the best theatre productions for free to any participating show as long as they’re accompanied by a full paying adult. Check out our list of participating shows.
The Greenwich + Docklands International Festival (GDIF) marks its 30th anniversary this autumn with free outdoor theatre, circus and dance performances from 30 international companies. This year, the GDIF will host its free outdoor arts programme over 17 days between 22 August and 6 September, across Greenwich, Newham, and Thamesmead.
Now in its third year, Little Angel Theatre Children’s Puppet Festival runs between 8 and 31 August and comes packed with plenty of inventive, imaginative and puppet magic shows from award-winning companies that celebrate the art of puppetry in all its forms. Tickets from £13.
If you’re in town just for few days and want to make the most of our city, take a guided sightseeing tour on a vintage open-top bus to explore iconic landmarks (at a slower pace), or enjoy a James Bond thrilling experience on the river with Thames Rockets and their funny crew. For adrenaline seekers, The O2 Climb gives panoramic views of London’s iconic skyline while The Treetop Adventures from GoApe will have you holding tight to the ropes as you fly above the treetops.
Battersea Park in Concert is back with a series of glorious open-air summer picnic concerts during the bank holiday weekend.
Audiences of all ages are invited to experience three brand new, outdoor concerts from the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and their Symphonic Disco performance on Saturday 23 August and A Night at the Movies on Sunday 24 August , both conducted by Pete Harrison. Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and guests will conclude the holiday weekend with performances from top UK jazz talent. Tickets from £18.86. Family tickets available.
Summer splash fountains in London
Appearing Rooms at Southbank Centre ends on 25 August. (off on Mondays and Tuesdays).
Royal Docks Free Summer Splash ends on 17 August. With city views, lido dips, a giant sandpit, and chilled vibes for all ages.
Gloucester Gate Playground in Regent’s Park, Granary Square in King’s Cross and The iconic Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park are free. We also like the Bishop’s Park Splash Pad, Elephant Springs at Elephant Park and the spectacular 195 individually controlled jets of water at the Olympic Park.
The Serpentine and LEGO Play Pavilion is a colourful, hands-on space for big ideas and little builders. Located just outside Serpentine South, runs until 10 August. Free fun, no tickets needed. The A Capsule in Time by Marina Tabassum is at Serpentine Pavilion until 26 October Inspired by South Asian Shamiyana tents, this kinetic wooden structure blends light, shadow, and nature in Kensington Gardens and it is free to visit.
Things to do in London’s iconic parks and gardens this August
Join the Zoo Crew this summer for a brilliant day out at London Zoo! Kids are invited to take part in exciting roleplay challenges, from feeding animals to checking their health and even helping protect wildlife. Young visitors have the opportunity to discover the many ways people care for animals as they step into the roles of Zookeeper, Field Conservationist and Scientist. Tickets from £21.50.
The Children’s Garden at Kew and the family Pondlife Exploration days at Chelsea Physic Garden should also be on your summer holiday diary while the Dragonfly Festival at London’s Wetland Centre is packed with daily outdoor summer fun activities.
Discovery Days at Hyde Park’s Learning Center (5 – 21 August) are packed with free, educational activities. Explore the marvellous meadows, wild waterways and enjoy Peter Pan themed activities.
Play in the Park (26 July & 14 August) offers a free play programme of fun and creative activities at Kensington Gardens and The Regent’s Park.
Come play at English Heritage Sites
Unlimited playtime at over 400 incredible sites plus kids go free with all memberships. Members’ kids eat free this summer too*.
Use code SUMMER25 for 25% off annual memberships. Offer available for limited period.
Check out our top 10 family days outside London at English Heritage sites
FREE Minigolf by Craig and Karl is at Canary Wharf’s Montgomery Square.
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. Roald Dahl’s the Enormous Crocodile, the musical runs between 15 August and 7 September.
Enchanted Forest: The Melody of Spirits is a first-of-its-kind musical journey that opens on 30 July at the Outernet. This fully immersive free interactive musical adventure introduces a new form of audio-visual experience in a space where guests come together to create unique and mesmerising orchestral symphonies.
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. Runs until 23 August.
London outdoor cinema this summer
🎬 London’s outdoor cinemas transforms summer evenings into cinematic adventures under the stars, with screenings popping up on rooftops, canal sides, and leafy parks across the city. From the cult-classic lineup at Rooftop Film Club in Peckham and Stratford to the free, family-friendly flicks at Everyman on the Canal in King’s Cross and Summer by the River at London Bridge, there’s something for every taste and budget. From sing-alongs, retro favourites, and new releases shown in stunning settings, with comfy deckchairs, street food, and skyline views, outdoor cinema in London is less about watching a film—and more about soaking up the atmosphere.
Have a look at what’s on at: Barbican Sculpture Court, Merchant Square (free) in Paddington, the Summer Screens running until 27 Sept in Canada Square Park.
Summer in Leicester Square brings free film screenings, sport and summer drinks to the heart of London.
Arts, Crafts, Song and Dance
The Summer School Holiday at Young V&A runs throughout the summer and is packed with daily creative activities, play sessions, a summer design studio for learning new crafts and it, all free fun for kids of all ages.
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.
What’s on at London museums this August
From ancient loaves to lab-grown steak, Future of Food at the Science Museum serves up a tasty look at what we’ll eat next. Thought-provoking objects, hands-on interactive exhibits and compelling digital experiences including a giant game where you shape the menu of tomorrow. Free entry, big ideas.
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.
Soft Studio takes over Tate Britain this summer 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. Ends on 31 August.
Travel back millions of years with Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs at Lightroom (until 2 November). Join Damian Lewis for an epic adventure through dinosaur history — from prehistoric rulers to modern-day legends. Tickets needed.
Buckingham State Rooms and gardens runing until 28 September invites visitors 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 ( ends on 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 (until 9 November) 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 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. Running until 31 August.
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. Ends on 17 August 2025 at the Design Museum. Tickets from £14.38.
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.