• Dads in London
  • Posts
  • 🦜 6 things to do in London this weekend with the kids (29–30 March)

🦜 6 things to do in London this weekend with the kids (29–30 March)

Author

Jeff – Dads in London
March 26, 2025

Get in front of 9,200 of the best people in London! Find out about sponsored ads here.

Hello DILFs!

This Saturday, a giant game of cosmic peekaboo is happening over the UK — and you don’t even have to leave your house to enjoy it.

Between 10:07 and 12:00, the moon will wedge itself between us and the sun, and about 40% of the sun will be covered at its peak (11:03). You won’t get full darkness (for that you’ll have to wait until 2090, by which time your child will be 65 and still refusing to put their shoes on), but it’s still a pretty cool moment of planetary drama.

To see it safely — and avoid accidentally blinding yourself with a cereal box and a pinhole — the Royal Observatory Greenwich will be live-streaming the whole thing on YouTube and Facebook from 10:00, with commentary from their in-house astronomer Dr Greg Brown. 

And now onto what else you can do with your weekend. Enjoy!

Jeff xx 

1: Get swashbuckling truth bombs at an exhibition about pirates

Pirates
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00–17:00 (and daily until 4 January 2026)
National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, SE10 9NF
Adults £15, children (4–15) £7.50, under-4s free
Age guidance: 7+

​​If you have no idea what I mean when I say “The Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni saga”, you’ve either been reading more highbrow news sources than me or living under a rock – and frankly, I respect both. It means you haven’t spent the past few months trying to work out who the real villain is (or are they both part-awful, part-fine?) in a feud that absolutely doesn’t affect your life in any way. 

I was reminded of this crazy emotional seesaw while reading about the new pirates exhibition, because – like Lively and Baldoni – pirates are less morally clear-cut than they initially appear. They’re somewhere between scoundrel and hero, good and evil, best friend and arch enemy. 

Pirates (I hope it was a quick brainstorming session to come up with that name) promises to trace “the changing depictions of pirates through the ages and reveals the brutal reality behind the fiction”. It explores the real global history of piracy – from the South China Sea to the coast of North Africa – and shows how our ideas about pirates have been shaped by everything from cartoons to Johnny Depp’s jawline.

There’s plenty here for kids who’ve grown up with pirate picture books and Paw Patrol specials, and it cleverly takes them from familiar territory to real stories of scary sea battles, survival against the odds, and people who weren’t always the meanies they’ve been made out to be.

Alongside fictional favourites like Captain Hook and Long John Silver, you’ll meet Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Mary Read and others whose lives were a lot messier (and less Disneyfied) than you’d expect. 

I’m not sure if Blake Lively or Justin Baldoni will appreciate being compared to pirates, but if you ask me, there are some pretty striking similarities. 

While you’re there… 

👍️ Have a straddle of the Prime Meridian Line – the home of Greenwich Mean Time – at the Royal Observatory. (There’s LOADS of other things to do at the Royal Observatory; check it all out here.)

Macbeth
Saturday 29 March, 14:00 (and selected dates until 20 April)
Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT
£5–£15 depending on seats
Age guidance: 11+ (various sources say it has been written with children and young people in mind as the target audience)

Embarrassingly, I’d never bothered to find out why actors won’t say “Macbeth” in a theatre, so I looked into it. It seems the whole superstitious saga began because the play has a long history of on-stage deaths and other disasters. 

A sensible response to the piles of broken bones and dead bodies might be: “Yeah: all those sword fights, all that dim lighting, all those smoke effects. Makes sense that there’d be a few casualties. We could probably do with some better health and safety measures.” 

But no. Theatrical logic went in a different direction: “This f**king play is cursed! Never say ‘Macbeth’ in a theatre – unless it’s an actual performance – because… reasons. And if you slip up, you have to leave, spin three times, spit, swear loudly and wait to be invited back in. That’ll sort it.”

Thespians be thespianning.

The play itself, by the way, is completely bonkers – as you well know if you studied it for GCSE English Lit. Still, your kids should probably know it too. It’s part of our heritage – like tea with milk and Monty Python. And this is an excellent way to introduce it to them, because it’s just 90 minutes long and has been so thoroughly modernised that older folk won’t have a clue what’s going on. 

While you’re there… 

👍️ The original Golden Hinde was the first galleon to circumnavigate the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Francis Drake. The Golden Hinde you’ll find in Bankside today is a full-scale replica – one that has also circumnavigated the globe – and a fully legit ship in its own right. 

The guides on board are fantastic: they know everything about the history of the ship, and have a fantastic way of explaining the challenges of navigating the seas and living in such cramped conditions in the 16th century. There are also lots of hands-on activities and interactive bits for kids, and tbh it all feels like a steal at £6 per person. 

👍️ The Clink Prison was founded in 1144, and was burnt down in 1780 by rioters. There’s now a Clink Prison Museum a few doors down from the original site, and it attempts to recreate the conditions of being an inmate there. 

It’s HORRIBLE, in an interesting “glad I wasn’t alive then” kind of way. Gory as hell, and at times a bit scary. My boys didn’t mind it because they kept thinking all the blood was dirt (“Why is everyone in prison so muddy?”), and they loved the selfie room. They each received a lollipop at the end for counting how many rats they noticed throughout the exhibition… even though they were about 12 rats out. Thank you to the man at the ticket window for letting it slide and making my walk home less tantrummy. 

🌟 The Golden Ticket: an extra weekly email about the events you seriously need to book ahead for. (Because the best things book up waaay in advance.)

🌟 Access to my complete database of future events (the ones you’ll need to book), so you can browse, plan and book any time.

🌟 School holiday specials. The Easter one is ready right now!!!

🌟 Occasional special editions about the most-requested topics (starting with “Bringing kids along: Making any activity family-friendly”).

Mother’s Day at Big Penny Social
Sunday 30 March, 11:00–16:30
Big Penny Social, 1 Priestley Way, E17 6AL
Free entry (but you’ll need to pay for any meals and drinks, of course) – booking required

You appreciate the mums in your life year-round – which is why you always forget to plan something for the totally organic, not-at-all retail-driven holiday that is Mother’s Day. The special day that, by pure coincidence, is timed to boost sales between Christmas and summer.

This year, thanks to this reminder from me, you still have a few more days to sort something out. Which means you’re not stuck choosing between the cringiest, most god-awful Amazon Prime gifts (if any of you lot would EVER consider buying this, this or this, I despair), and can arrange something she’ll actually enjoy. 

… Like a Mother’s Day Sunday Roast at Big Penny Social, which comes complete with live jazz, a free glass of prosecco, and the option to order kids’ roasts for just £7. It’s the perfect way to celebrate if she enjoys roasts, jazz and spending time with her family – and a terrible way to celebrate if she doesn’t. So I hope you know her well. 

While you’re there… 

👍️ Walthamstow Wetlands is the main source of water supply for 3.5 million people, as well as an internationally important nature reserve that provides home and shelter to a range of wildlife. It’s a beautiful and peaceful area to visit, with plenty of walking paths and lots of bird-spotting to be had. Check out these photos for an idea of what it’s like. 

Deptford Literature Festival – various events for families
Saturday 29 March, various times
FREE
Most events take place at the Deptford Lounge; see individual listings for more info
Age guidance: see individual events below

Did Christopher Marlowe really get murdered in a Deptford tavern due to a fight over a bill, or was something more sinister going on? Until recently, that was the only Deptford-related question I ever had. 

Well, with apologies to Marlowe Truthers (if they exist), the small area of my brain reserved for Deptford knowledge has been replaced by something new: I’m now wondering how on earth the Deptford Literary Festival has managed to come up with such a randomly amazing selection of events. 

The Deptford Literature Festival “celebrates the diversity and creativity of Deptford and Lewisham through words, stories and performances, with the local community and accessibility at its heart”. The more grown-up slots in the festival’s schedule are full to the brim of concepts far too serious for my little mind (example: “Plants as resistance: engage with environmentalism and earth practices from an indigenous, afro-centric, non-western and anti-colonial lens”), but the family programme is much more accessible: 

🖍️ Saturday, 10:30​​–11:15: Have fun drawing animals to use in your stories, with author-illustrator Rikin Parekh. For ages 4-6. 

📘 Saturday, 16:00–16:45: Mouth open, story jump out! An interactive storytelling session. For ages 3-7.

Everything is free, but you’ll need to book in advance using the links above. Most of the family events are held at Deptford Lounge, but the adult events take place in various venues across Deptford. Do check them out: some of them seem like they could be family-friendly too. 

While you’re there… 

Deptford Lounge (which is the venue for most of the family events above) hosts activities for families on Saturdays throughout the year, and they’re all free. I never knew! No booking needed; just turn up for any of the following: 

📕 Saturdays 10:30–11:00: Under 5s Rhymes and Stories. Suitable for 0–5s and their families. 

✏️ Saturdays 11:00–12:00: Colouring Club. Suitable for all the family. 

✂️ Saturdays 14:00: Saturday Craft Club. Suitable for all the family. 

🎞️ Saturdays 15:00–16:30: Family Film Club. Suitable for all the family. 

The Flight of Babushka Baboon
Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 and 14:00
Puppet Theatre Barge, Blomfield Road (opposite 35), W9 2PF
Adults £14, 2–16s £10, under-2s free
Age guidance: 4–10

Sometimes, I’ll take my kids to a family-friendly show and will be near-apoplectic by the end. When I’m spending £15–£20 per ticket and the entire thing consists of an off-the-shelf-storyline featuring two adults prancing around on stage – and the only way we know they’re meant to be children is because the script dictates that they moan “Muuuuuuuum, do we haaaaaave to?” every so often – I feel I’m justified in my apoplecticism. Which is not word, but then nor is “brah” – which features almost as much as “yeet” in these godawful stage productions. 

Even though my kids enjoy these shameless money-grabs, they seem exceptionally brain-rotty. And I, for the record, in case it wasn't obvious, HATE them. The weekends are about my happiness (and blood pressure) too, ya know. 

The Puppet Theatre Barge is one place that always puts in the effort: it never ever phones it in. EVERYTHING is perfection at this place. The puppets (usually marionettes) are magnificent ​​– and handled by true experts. The storylines are beautifully constructed, and the music and lighting are perfect. It’s the puppet equivalent of Bluey (vs Cocomelon). 

Plus: the entire show takes place on a 50-seat barge, where “puppets from other parts of the world hang from the walls in retirement”. You access the barge via a gangplank, and then walk downstairs (yup: below the water line) to the theater itself. 

The show that’s on at the moment – The Flight of Babushka Baboon – is about a baboon who wants to fly to the moon in a hot-air balloon. There are marionettes, shadow puppets and poetry to tell the story of Babushka’s journey. I haven’t seen it but I can guarantee it’ll be incredible. 

Now sold out – but DILF Club members knew about it weeks ago and had plenty of time to book. Join here for £36 a year and get weekly booking alerts, school holiday specials, and full access to my ever-growing database of future events.

Route 19 Heritage Day
Saturday 29 March, 10:00–17:00
Stops between Finsbury Park and Battersea Bridge (see map below), both directions
FREE

With thanks to Graham Burnell for the photo (from 1975)

The RT-type bus is Robin to the Routemaster’s Batman. It put in the groundwork, was hugely reliable and paved the way for all the buses that came after – but it never gets much credit or adulation. Ask the average person to name a classic London bus and they’ll go straight to the RT’s successor, the Routemaster. 

The RT-type was designed in 1939 as the first standardised double-decker, but only went into mass production in 1947 – once the war was out the way. They looked properly “classic” – even more so than the Routemasters. They were boxy and had small windows, a prominent radiator grille and sticky-outy round headlights – whereas the Routemasters were more sleek and streamlined. 

Also, because they had a separate chassis and body, they were MUCH heavier and much harder to drive – especially as they didn’t have power steering either. 

All this is to explain why you should relish the chance to be a passenger in one this weekend. The RT-types are an important part of London Transport history, and – unlike the Routemasters, which were redesigned and reintroduced in 2012 – we only get to see them on special “heritage” days. 

On Saturday only, these heritage buses will take over Route 19 – which runs between Finsbury Park and Battersea Bridge and has followed essentially the same route since 1906. It’s completely free, you don’t need to book, and there’s a chance you’ll get an old-school ticket from a conductor.

You’ll be riding a piece of history – and (mad thought) maybe in the seat of someone figuring out how to stretch their remaining ration book coupons. 

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up!

I’ll email you once a week, and you can unsubscribe at any time.