- Home
- London Features
- Summer Half-Term in London 2008
-
Summer Half-Term Events in London 2008
Summer Half-Term Events in London 2008
School's out for a whole week for summer half-term. Great if you're at school but for parents the challenge is 'what to do with the kids'. Don't panic. If you're in London there's plenty to keep the sprogs entertained from the circus to Sounding Out at the Royal Opera House. Can't possibly fit it all into one day? No problem. Just choose a family-friendly hotel, stay the night and make a proper holiday of it.
Share on Facebook
Tweet this article
Email to a Friend
Print Article
Link to this page
Amazing Butterflies
Natural History Museum, East Lawn, London, SW7 5BD5th April 2008 - 17th August 2008
If you go to the East Lawn of the Natural History Museum this summer you can live through a butterfly's whole lifecycle. Enter the maze as a caterpillar and, avoiding the poisonous plants and predators, collect the special stamps as you go. If successful, you'll emerge - just like a butterfly - at the butterfly house where you can walk among the real-life tropical butterflies from America, Africa and Asia. Visitors inspired by what they've seen are encouraged to get involved in The Butterfly Monitoring Scheme where volunteers monitor the number and type of butterflies along a two to four kilometre route. Go to www.ukbms.org to register and to www.butterfly-conservation.org for more information.
Photo: NHM
Cirque Bijou
Arts Depot, London, N12 0GA30th May - 1st June 2008
Bristol-based circus troupe Cirque Bijou bring their exotic acrobatics to North Finchley, to the Arts Depot stage for the half-term holiday. Their cabaret show includes the pyrotechnic display 'Fuse', an explosive 20 minutes of fire, pyrotechnic props, contemporary circus, dance and acrobatics. This part of the show was first seen in Summer 2005 at both Glastonbury and Henley festivals. You may have been lucky enough to catch the Cirque Bijou circus troupe last year when they brought their 'Sequins and Sawdust' show to the South Bank, a story based on the life of the circus. Now, with a series of short displays, they make a welcome return with performers expertly balancing on stilts and spinning overhead in gravity defying aerial displays adding to the pyrotechnic explosions.
A Country Affair on Clapham Common
Clapham Common, London, SW4 9DA24th - 26th May 2008
From traditional maypole and Morris dancing to exotic Bollywood dancing, A Country Affair on Clapham Common brings the country to the common in style. And the variety of choice at the music stage is just as diverse. If Irish folk music isn't your kind of thing what about African world music or acoustic rock? Just like a good old-fashioned country steam fair, there's even a mini steam train for kids to ride on, dizzying fairground rides and locally-sourced food. Farm animals and ferrets entertain the kids while Pimms and champagne is on tap to help parents relax. New this year is the ancient sport of hen racing. A Country Affair is also on at Hampton Court later this summer (August). If you'd prefer to spend the Bank Holiday getting away from it all in the countryside but can't get out of town this is a great way to get the best of both worlds.
D-Day Week - HMS Belfast
HMS Belfast, London, SE1 2JH26th May 2008 - 31st May 2008
The Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 - Operation Overlord - came after five years of war with Germany. It was the biggest and most complex combined operation in history, involving co-operation between the naval, air and ground forces on an unprecedented scale and marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War. This half-term, the World War Two cruiser HMS Belfast remembers the historic D-Day landings with special re-enactments and screenings of original film footage.
The Family Show
Olympia Two, London, W14 8UX31st May - 1st June 2008
Having kids is no small undertaking, least of all financially. Raising a child to the age of 21 costs an average of £180,000. In the summer holidays alone parents in the UK spend £5.3bn entertaining the kids. A further £9bn goes on independent school fees (if you're lucky) while hobbies and sports account for another £600m. The Family Show, specifically aimed at families with children from 5 years, is designed to guide parents on how best to spend on their kids with advice on all areas up to universities and gap year projects. It's not just about boring facts and finances, there's plenty for kids to do too from dance and drama to a Technozone where you can get your hands on the latest gadgets. As well as food, fashion and extreme sports zones there are seminars including one on 'How to Manage your Parents' - which should come in handy over the summer holidays when mum is nagging you to tidy your room yet again. Ticket price includes entry to The Green Show, run in parallel with and at the same venue as The Family Show.
The Flight of Babuscha Baboon
Puppet Theatre Barge, London, W9 2PF10th May 2008 - 29th June 2008
The floating puppet barge, moored at Little Venice at this time of year, tells the story of Babuscha, a baboon whose ambition is to fly to the moon. Even more adventurous, she plans to do so in a hot air balloon. Through the expert animation of the wooden marionette puppets, the story of Babuscha's journey is told in a way that children aged three to ten will enjoy. On her travels she meets an elephant whose own story is just as endearing as she tries to escape the clutches of the ivory hunters.
Little Red Things
Hammersmith Lyric, London, W6 0QL28th - 31st May 2008
Gomito Productions' staging of Little Red Things raked in a plethora of accolades when it was performed two years running at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. On seeing it there, Angie Bual of the Lyric Hammersmith liked it so much that she booked the theatre group in to do not one but two performances this spring. If you enjoyed their 'The Sun Dragon' staged here at the Lyric in March this year you'll love 'Little Red Things'. Clever puppetry, live music and the cast of five skillfully enable the story about stories to capture the audience's imagination. We follow Taylor as she strives to save the forest of inspiration from a black swamp - the reason stories are dying out. Currently being developed for TV, this four-day run is your chance to see the original production live. High class half-term entertainment.
The Science of Survival
Science Museum, London, SW7 2DD5th April - 2nd November 2008
Kids in classrooms today are the ones who'll inherit the planet in fifty years' time - educating them about the problems that come with it seems like a very good idea. And that's exactly what The Science of Survival exhibition aims to do. With the help of interactive displays and through cartoon characters, Buz, Eco, Tek and Dug, the impact we have on our environment and the strain on global resources is made clear. Fast forward to the futuristic world of 2050 and you'll see how we could be living. Areas are divided into Drinking, Eating, Enjoying, Moving and Building, each is addressed in terms of balancing human needs with resources. In the Moving area, for example, alternative vehicle fuels are explored including plants, electricity and hydrogen. The decisions you make as you travel through the exhibition all contribute to how the Future City looks at the end. The message is a positive one: we can still affect climate change for the better in the future by the decisions we make today.
Sounding Out for Families
Royal Opera House, WC2E 9DD27th - 31st May 2008
Go behind the scenes of the Royal Opera House this summer half-term on a musical and historic journey. Celebrating its 150th anniversary, the venerable Opera House opens its doors to let families have a go at putting together their own musical. You can try your hand at playing an orchestral instrument, see and hear members of the orchestra or take a special 'Ghost Tour' (Thursday 29th May, 13:00-13:40 and 14:30-15:10, meet at the Main Foyer) where you'll discover more about the building itself - who built it, what it was like 150 years ago and what goes on inside. Many of the events taking place over half-term, from Tuesday 27th to Saturday 31st May, are free including the whole day's activities for the Family Open Day on Tuesday 27th May from 12:00-16:00. Try your hand at playing an orchestral instrument, take part in demonstration sessions with staff from the production departments, and have a go at creating your own designs. Click on the link below for full details of all events.
Family Hotels in London
If you're bringing the kids to London for half-term, finding a family-friendly hotel can be the making of your holiday. We've found some tried and tested hotels where children are welcome and if you book through LondonTown.com you're guaranteed to get the lowest possible price too.Book Citadines South Kensington
Book Citadines Trafalgar Square
Summer Half-Term in London 2008
Summer Half-Term Day Trips 2008
Half-term offers the ideal opportunity to take a day trip out of London. With our short guide to the best summer destinations in s...
Summer Half-Term Day Trips 2008
London Hotels
From cheap budget places to stay to luxury 5 star suites see our deals for hotels, including The Ampersand Hotel from 33% off. |
 |
