🎼 5 things to do in London this weekend with the kids (28–29 September)

Get in front of 6,000 of the best people in London! Find out about sponsored ads here.

Hello DiLFs!

Thank you if you answered my poll question from last week. As promised, here are the results: 

How many events/activities would you like to know about in every Dads in London newsletter?

• All the events worth mentioning (even if more than 5): 84%

• 5 exactly: 16%

• Less than 5: 0%

Some people also left comments – many of which were really insightful and worth considering. I’ll update you soon on what I’ll do with this new data! 

In the meantime: weekend activities!

Jeff xx

PS If you want to answer the poll but haven’t done so, it’s not too late! Just scroll to the bottom of this email to find it. 

1: Explore big feelings through wild rhymes

Make Some Noise at artsdepot
Sunday 29 September, 11:00 and 14:00
artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, N12 0GA
Adults and children £12

I think I’m going to start a petition for all future children’s entertainers to have stage names that meet a minimum requirement for inventiveness. At the moment, it feels like the vast majority have chosen monikers with all the creativity of a pet rabbit called Bunny or a cuddly bear called Teddy.

Like Dommy B. Seriously: a 1990s pseudonym generator could have come up with something better than Dommy B. I have to admit that it clearly hasn’t held him back: this dude is everywhere. And people love him. And, name aside, he really is pretty great.

In Make Some Noise, ol’ Dominator Bubblewrap (as I’ve now renamed him) uses poetry to relate a story about his childhood and the school band he joined. The thoughtful lyrics will make kids feel better about the big feelings and not-so-great experiences they have in the classroom, but there are also plenty of jokes (and lots of noisy audience participation) too. To get a sense of Domino Bumblebee’s poetry, here’s a short video. 

Find out more: https://www.artsdepot.co.uk/event/make-some-noise/ 

2: Listen to an R&B, reggaeton and rap orchestra mashup thingammy

The Multi-Story Orchestra: Verified
Saturday 28 September, 16:00
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
£10–£23 (depending on where you sit)

I’m pretty sure that when I was a child, my parents’ biggest fears were that I’d break my tooth on a pacifier necklace or become mind-controlled by a hacked Furby. Such quaint, naive and innocent fears were for a world before cyberbullying, “validation culture” and “digital depression” existed. 

If you’re a parent, you may have reached the point where you need to pay attention to all these things and help your child navigate their way through social media unscathed. If so, Verified could be a fantastic addition to your family syllabus. (If you’re not a parent, erm… hi!)

With Verified, The Multi-Story Orchestra “blends orchestral instrumentation with contemporary styles like R&B, reggaeton and rap” to tell a story about the pressures of social media. It’s about “the search for authenticity and acceptance among the growing pressures of social media and living in the digital age”. 

I’m almost certain the performance will deliver on expectations: the orchestra has been rave-reviewed in the past, and they also won a Royal Philharmonic Society Award – which is a bloomin’ big deal. 

Find out more: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-multi-story-orchestra-verified/ 

While you’re there… 

👍️ The children’s play area at Jubilee Gardens is one of the most original and exciting in London. There’s a slide, a climbing wall, ladders, ramps, wobbly boats and bridges, a toddlers’ playhouse, a big net construction thing, a walk-the-plank swing log, and so much more.

👍️ I think I've been banned from Draughts board game cafe: I once threw a tantrum there over my opponent refusing to eliminate Guess Who? characters because they were bald. For everyone who’s still allowed to attend, 1) please put in a good word for me, and 2) enjoy the thousands of games on offer. 

3: Enjoy delicious food (I hope) and funfairs

World Halal Food Festival 2024
Saturday 11:00–20:00, Sunday 11:00–19:00
London Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20 2ST
£10.49–£12.49 (plus £1.75 booking fee) depending on timings; kids 10 and under go free

If you visited the World Halal Food Festival in previous years, can you please reply and give me all the delicious details of the food you saw/sniffed/ate? 

The event description tells us all about the live cooking demonstrations, live stage performances (not featuring food) and funfair (again: no food), but I want to know what I’ll be able to EAT at this darn thing. 

Update! I’ve just found a photo gallery! My frustration has been semi-assuaged, but I’m still miffed by the lack of attention to yumminess on this website. Organisers: tempt us with delicious descriptions please! 

Find out more: https://www.worldhalalfoodfestival.com/ 

While you’re there… 

There’s SO much to do and see at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Out come the bullet points! 

• Ride on a swan pedalo along the canal. 

• Swim in the world-famous and architecturally interesting London Aquatics Centre. (Or you can just watch for free from the waiting area.)

• Sit in the stands of the velodrome at Lee Valley VeloPark, where Sir Chris Hoy won a bazillion medals in the 2012 Olympics. (You can also have lessons in many different types of biking.)

• Visit a ton of parks, playgrounds, gardens, open spaces, waterways and rivers. 

• Take a look at all the artwork scattered around the park. 

• Follow a dedicated trail around the park. (There are a few different ones – including a art trail and a children’s trail.)

• Tell everyone you’d LOVE to ride the 114.5-metre slide of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, but it just so happens to be closed until 2025. Shame.  

4: Decide who should win the next Turner prize

Turner Prize 2024
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00–18:00 (and every day until 16 February 2025)
Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG
Adults £14, children 12+ £5, under -12s free

I have something embarrassing to admit: I never realised that the Turner Prize was named after JMW Turner – the guy who did all the watercolour landscapes. I always assumed the prize was named after someone far more artistically bonkers. 

To add to my philistinic attributes, I’ve also never heard of any of this year’s four shortlisted artists – but I’ve now read their mini bios, and I like the variety. There’s Pio Abad with his drawings, etchings and sculptures that explore cultural loss and colonial histories; Claudette Johnson, whose pastel and watercolour portraits examine the marginalisation of black people in Western art history; Delaine Le Bas, who creates immersive environments filled with theatrical costumes and painted fabrics inspired by the Roma people; and Jasleen Kaur, who incorporates sound compositions into her sculptures – which feature items like toilets, ceramic tiles, and a Ford Escort covered with a crocheted doily (?!).

The winner will be announced on 3 December, so pop along now and decide who you think a) will win and b) should win.   

Find out more: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/turner-prize-2024

While you’re there… 

👍️ There’s lots more to do at Tate Britain itself! Be sure to take a look at the famous works by William Blake (the one who loved angels but wasn’t so keen on science), JMW Turner (the one who, as we now know, had a massive prize named after him) and Francis Bacon (the one who brought existential dread to life), among others. Specifically for kids, there’s Story Space, Play Studio and Tate Draw. 

5: Hear symphonies that pair well with a sauna and herring 

Santtu Conducts Sibelius & Nielsen
Sunday 29 September, 15:00
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
£11.25–£75 (depending on where you sit)

If, like me, you only want to do “high culture” stuff if it’s during the day and doesn’t last too long, I have something perfect for you. Santtu Conducts Sibelius & Nielsen is possibly the most on-the-nose title ever, but – unless you’re familiar with all the names in that title – it might not be the most titillating description you’ve ever read. So I did some research for us all. 

Santtu is the Principal Conductor – i.e. the lead conductor who’s responsible for artistic direction, selecting repertoire, and leading most performances. If you don’t like what you’re listening to, blame Santtu. 

Next up: Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer known for his symphonies and “tone poems” – orchestral compositions that tell stories or paint scenes. 

Finally: Carl Nielsen was a Danish composer also known for his symphonies (jinx!), and he had a unique style that blended folky bits with modernist influences (such as weird rhythms, starting and ending in different keys, tense harmonies that aren’t resolved… that kind of thing). 

Two of Silbelius’s greatest hits and one of Neilsen’s will be performed onstage by an orchestra, and Santtu (whose hair is sublime) will conduct. And there’ll be an accompanying “movie” of the Nordic coastline and aquatic wildlife on a huge screen, to enjoy as you listen. 

The age guidance is 7+, which makes sense – especially as it’s 140 minutes long, which is shortish by orchestra recital standards but very long when compared to an episode of Bluey.  

Find out more: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/santtu-conducts-sibelius-nielsen/ 

While you’re there… 

👍️ See the suggestions for the other Southbank Centre event (above)!