What’s on this spring

It’s that time again – Easter 2022 and to celebrate we have some eggciting events and activities to keep your little cherubs occupied. Want more? Follow @younglondonist on Instagram for even more fun.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Embark on a transformational journey to becoming a beautiful butterfly, based on Eric Carle’s much-loved book, and wind through sculptures of juicy fruits and a cosy chrysalis along the way. You can also explore the seasonal plants in the Gardens, with tulips, bluebells, magnolias, and cherry blossom all bursting to life as well as the Children’s Garden and the current Zadok Ben-David exhibition that explores the fragility of the natural world. When: 2-18 Apr Where: Kew Gardens How much: Adults £19.50, children £5 kew.org

Easter Duck Trail

25 giant ducks have been hidden around the wetlands and you need to find them all and identify their names in order to win a tasty treat. Collect your trail card from the information desk, explore the grounds and check out the wildlife. It is £1.00 per trail as well as the cost of entry to and there are lots of arts and crafts too. When: 2-24 Apr Where: WWT London How much: Adults £14, children £7.54, under-fours go free

wwt.org.uk

Easter Egg Hunt

The Lindt Gold Bunny Easter hunt is back this Easter! Discover stories from the people that visited, lived and worked at Hampton Court Palace. Match up the name of the important palace character on the trail to the red ribbon on the bunny statue at each location. Explore the gardens and enjoy a play in the Magic Garden. When: 2-18 Apr Where: Hampton Court Palace How much: Adults £27.90, children £12.60, under-fives go free

hrp.org.uk

100 Story Hotel

An new immersive exhibition created by Discover Story Centre alongside author and illustrator Rob Biddulph. Expect to find a world of play and storytelling with a mystery that children up to the age of eight have to help solve. When: 2 Apr-ongoing Where: Discover Story Centre How much: £3 plus entry to Discover Story

discover.org.uk/event/story-hotel

Teach Rex

Have you got a dino obsessed child? Then Teach Rex is the place for you as they use life-like dinosaurs to perform a 45-minute show delivered by teachers, educating children about the anatomy and life of one the most mesmerising creatures that have ever roamed our planet. The show is teamed with effects, music and gives children and their families the chance to get up close and personal with these fantastic, realistic beasts. Children will be greeted by baby dinosaurs and given a ‘Dino Booklet’ which includes a variety of educational activities and you will be provided with crayons as part of the ticket cost too. When: 10 Apr Where: Twickenham Exchange How much: £11-£15.40 exchangetwickenham.co.uk

Summer Lights Festival

To celebrate the beauty of natural light, and the long summer days, the Canary Wharf estate are going to be transforming their outdoor areas into sparkling, colourful and inviting spaces for families to enjoy. While in the area you can also visit the Crossrail Roof Gardens, play free mini-golf and check out the Yinka Ilori basketball court. A great free day out. When: 20 Jun-20 Aug Where: Canary Wharf How much: Free

canarywharf.com/whats-on/summer-lights-jun-aug-2022

Elderflower Fields

This small family-friendly festival is a perfect way to introduce little Londoners to the festival scene. You can expect friendly families, wild adventures, locally sourced food and plenty of music and art to warm the soul. The festival places an emphasis on wild living and celebrating the great outdoors so you can expect a variety of performances, activities and music to fit with this theme. Get closer to nature in the surrounding Ashdown Forest, go star gazing, try your luck at an adventure sport and enjoy the eclectic line-up. When: 27-30 May Where: Pippingford Park, East Sussex How much: Adults £150, children over three £75, under threes £8

south.elderflowerfields.co.uk

Power-Up

This hands-on, fully interactive gaming event features the very best video games and consoles from the past five decades. From Pong to Pacman and Minecraft to Mario, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a retro games fan, a serious gamer or just want to beat your family at Mario Kart. When: 2-19 Apr Where: Science Museum How much: £8

sciencemuseum.org.uk

Dominique Gonzales - Foerster

An immersive, supernatural and sensory environment by artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. Adults will love the literary and cinematographic, architectural and musical, scientific and pop references while children will be into the lights and immersive elements of this exhibition. Plus it is in the heart of Hyde Park so can be combined with a park visit, a boat trip on the Serpentine, a snack at one of the surrounding dining establishments or a picnic. When: 14 Apr-4 Sep Where: Serpentine South Gallery How much: Free serpentinegalleries.org

Easter Trail at Tumblestone Hollow

Follow the trail around Tumblestone Hollow, a magical adventure playground in the gardens of Stonor Park. Children can get exploring and playing as you make your way through the trail together. Solve the puzzle and bring it back to the Visitor Centre to receive a treat. When: 9-24 Apr Where: Stonor Park How much: Adults £9, children £11.50 for children over 105cm

stonor.com/tumblestone-hollow

Arrives at Warwick Castle

One of the UK’s leading family attractions, the historic Warwick Castle, has announced a brand new attraction to their already impressive offering of spectacular shows and unmissable events for this spring: the world’s first Zog Playland.

Inspired by the loveable dragon who was brought to life in Julia Donaldson’s much loved Zog books and with the help of illustrator Axel Scheffler, the new area has been developed in partnership with brand owners, Magic Light Pictures, and is set to open on April 9th.

Based on the literary series second book, Zog and the Flying Doctors, the playground combines sensory and physical play elements for children up to the age of 10, as well as accessible activities.

Featuring colourful dragons, dragon wing zip wires, crawl tunnels, rope swings, Princess Pearl’s Tower, and dragon slides, Zog Playland will offer plenty of opportunities for children to immerse themselves into the magical world they know and love from the popular book and film. Engaging their playful imaginations and exploring the interactive range of activities, children visiting the Zog Playland can take on the roles of Princess Pearl and Sir Gadabout while immersing themselves in this much loved story.

Designed to create an inclusive and accessible play experience with stepfree access, multi-sensory experiences, and access to Princess Pearl’s Tower, the area will also include activities to aid development for young children.

Meanwhile, the popular Zog and the Quest for the Golden Star interactive trail will also return with some updates for the new season and will offer children the chance to actually meet some of the key characters from the story – including Zog, Princess Pearl and Sir Gadabout.

To extend the fun and give your family time to take on all the fantastic attractions on offer at Warwick Castle, ultimate Zog fans are invited to spend the night in the castle grounds with the returning Zog Stay and Play package. From 27 February onwards, guests can choose to bed down in cosy Woodland Lodges or Medieval Glamping Tents, where they will find special Zog goodies.

For the final surprise of the day, one of Warwick Castle’s brave Knights or enchanting Princesses will pop in for an exclusive storytime – and even Zog himself will come to wish super fans a good night before bedtime!

The new Zog Playland, as well as the Zog trail and other popular castle attractions will be accessible with Warwick Castle’s annual Gold pass (£65pp) and Silver pass (off-peak only, £45pp), adding even more ‘roar’ to these popular year-round admission options.

Zog Stay and Play packages start from £149 for a family of four and include bed, breakfast and one-day park tickets on selected stay dates.

Are you ready to party? Oh yes, we are!

Festivals up and down the country are gearing up for a summer like no other so whether you’re looking for a local London family friendly festival or wanting to go further afield for your music fix – we got you covered. Grab the kids, the wellies and the glitter. It’s time to start planning your summer with our favourite picks of child friendly festivals for all budgets; from fabulous freebies to extravagantly expensive and everything in-between. Want more? Follow @younglondonist on Instagram for even more fun.

Elderflower Fields

This small family-friendly festival is a perfect way to introduce little Londoners to the festival scene. You can expect friendly families, wild adventures, locally sourced food and plenty of music and art to warm the soul. The festival places an emphasis on wild living and celebrating the great outdoors so you can expect a variety of performances, activities and music to fit with this theme. Get closer to nature in the surrounding Ashdown Forest, go star gazing, try your luck at an adventure sport and enjoy the eclectic line-up. When: 27 – 30 May 2022 Where: Pippingford Park, East Sussex How much: Adult tickets are £150 and children over three are £75 with underthrees only paying £8 per ticket.

City Splash Festival

City Splash is a new Festival bringing festival vibes to South London. The line-up is massive with the likes of Protoje, Barrington Levy, Mr Eazy, Kranium and lots more Reggae, Afrobeats and Dancehall artists (over 60 across six stages!) Expect to find the biggest names in Caribbean street food. Kids of all ages are welcome. When: 29 May 2022 Where: Brockwell Park, Brixton How much: £34.50 for adults and £19.50 for kids aged 10 and above.

Wild Words Festival

Do you love a good story, books and poetry? Then Wild Words festival is the one for you. A laid back vibe where families can enjoy spoken word performances, theatre shows, crafts, author panels and workshops. For kids and younger teens our headliners are Annabelle Sami (author of the hilarious Llama out Loud series and the Agent Zaiba Investigates books) and Mitch Johnson (author of the adventure books Kick! Pop! and Spark!) Expect a families tent with a silent disco as well as cool camping and street food. The festival is on Colesdale Farm, which is so close to Enfield that you are barely leaving London (which is always a bonus). When: 3 – 5 Jun 2022 Where: Colesdale farm, Hertfordshire How much: £120 for adults and £60 for kids.

The Cambridge Club

The Cambridge Club returns in 2022 as a full weekend festival for the first time with an unparalleled line-up of Disco, Funk, Soul, Blues and R&B icons that will bring musical magic to the Cambridgeshire countryside. The festival offers a three-day feast of music, arts and culture – featuring comedy, talks, interactive experiences, family entertainment, and delicious food and drink, as well as a leading line-up of musical

artists. Line-up includes: Diana Ross, Nile Rodgers, Gabrielle, Trevor Nelson and lots more. When: 10 – 12 Jun 2022 Where: Childerley, Cambridge How much: Adult weekend tickets start at £130, kids 6-17 are £66.95 each and kids under five are free.

Great Exhibition Road Festival

Celebrate all things science, art and culture in this iconic London location. This family festival is inspired by Queen Victoria’s Great Exhibition and brings together well known London institutions such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Parks, Serpentine Galleries, Natural History Museum and Imperial College with a line-up of over 150 live events and activities each year that entertain, educate and delight families of all ages. Keep your eyes peeled for the lineup and get booking. When: 18 – 19 Jun 2022 Where: Exhibition Road, South Kensington How much: Free.

Timber Festival

Swap the files for a forest in this family friendly festival that celebrates nature, art and music in a sustainable way in the heart of the National Forest. Expect a chilled out smaller festival vibe with lots of attention to details and plenty of activities to keep the family occupied. Celebrate British folk tales, have a dance to the woodland DJs or try your hand at some of the circus and woodwork skills. There are also National School of Forestry Workshops for the whole family which sound particularly interesting. When: 1 – 3 Jul 2022 Where: The National Forest How much: £128 for adult weekend camping tickets and £42.70 for kids aged four and above.

Latitude Festival

This beautiful Suffolk festival pulls in big names each year like Bastille, Lewis Capaldi and Snow Patrol in 2021. The site is magical – arranged around the Latitude Lake (home to the kids’ area), and it has won the 2018 Best Festival Awards. You can expect plenty to keep the kids entertained including pizza making, circus shows, pond dipping, crafts and pizza making. Latitude is the closest grown-ups can get to a real festival experience (pre-kids) with the tiddlywinks in tow. When: 21 – 24 Jul 2022 Where: Henham Park, Suffolk How much: £226.80 for a family.

Camp Bestival

This award winning family friendly festival is organised by Rod da Bank and his wife Josie and really places children (of all ages) at the centre of everything. From wild adventurous pursuits in the Wild Tribe area (with mud-slides, child-led building areas and drumming circles) through to the world’s biggest bouncy castle to get your bounce on. There is also go-karting, fairy tales and (bedtime) storytelling from Cbeebies, Cosmic Yoga and raves from Big Fish Little Fish and vintage fairground rides. The science tent will captivate and educate while the youngest of ravers can enjoy soft play (yes!) and sandpits or catch a spectacle from Cirque Bijou. Brush up on your circus skills, learn to walk the rope or admire some late night cabaret. The theme for 2022 is ‘Desert Island Disco’ and you can expect plenty of glitter, shimmering costumes and dazzling entertainment. There is a new Disco Stage landing for 2022 and you can attempt to break a world record alongside other festival families as you do the largest disco dance. Camp Bestival always has big names headlining the show and as well as up and coming acts in the smaller tents. This year you can expect bangers from Rag & Bone Man, Rudimental, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Sister Sledge and Example. There are also a variety of camping options available including eco-camping and several glamping options available. Bring it on! When: 28 – 31 Jul 2022 Where: Lulworth Castle, Dorset How much: Adult tickets start at £190 and there are a variety of children’s options.

Deer Shed

Rather than having kids zones (they’re not zoo animals), the festival is completely accessible by everyone, of all ages and at all times. Sport, literature, theatre, arts and crafts, workshops and science are all themes you and your family can enjoy. To top off this, the line-up includes Nadine Shah, Django Django and John Grant – with more to be announced in due course. When: 29 – 31 Jul 2022 Where: Topcliffe, North Yorkshire How much: Adult tickets: £150, child tickets: £30- £70, infants: free.