The school holidays are nearly upon us! Banish any end of term boredom and gear up for the summer with a lovely London day out. Have a browse of our top 20 things to do this July.
1
Celebrate and play with Young V&A at their annual Summer Festival, featuring a programme of free, family-friendly creative activities. (5 to 6)
2
Big Fish Little Fish Big Fish are bringing their famous family parties to the Museum of the Home for an Outdoor Family Rave. (6)
3
Visit new immersive experience Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs at Lightroom and come face to face with majestic dinosaurs. (From 9)
4
Experiment with mirrors, art and nature at the British Library’s family workshop Peekaboo Art. (11)
5
The joyful tale of star-crossed aliens based on the Julia Donaldson book The Smeds and the Smoos, is brought to life on stage. (9 to 13)
6
The Old Royal Naval College is overrun with pirates at its at the Golden Age of Piracy event, and you can meet the crew and join in all the swashbuckling fun. (12 to 13)
7
Climb aboard and prepare to hear the wicked history of the most famous river in the world at Horrible Histories Live Onboard. (12 to 19)
8
Celebrate summer at The Royal Institution’s Family Fun Day BIG Science – an event full of a variety of science topics, shows and activities. (19)
9
Tumble down the rabbit hole into the fantastical world of Alice in Wonderland, where up is down, and nonsense reigns supreme. (From 12)
10
Step into a world of play, imagination and adventure this summer at the Play Make Do Festival at the Barbican Centre. (From 13)
11
Take a journey through the immersive Barbican Centre exhibition Feel the Sound and rearrange what you know and think about sound. (All month)
12
Alexandra Park’s Kaleidoscope features a mini festival within the festival dedicated to families. (12)
13
Expect music, performance, art, activities, creative workshops and much more at the Cally Festival. (6)
14
Catch the critically acclaimed production of Fiddler on the Roof as it returns to London for an 8-week season. (Until 19)
15
Head to the Serpentine Galleries to explore Play Pavilion, an immersive outdoor art project featuring Lego bricks. (All month)
16
Explore the sonic world through our voices, bodies, and props at the Whitechapel Gallery’s Popcorn exhibition. (Until 19)
17
Discover the fascinating world of water at Steam Up and marvel at the amazing working pumping engines that helped make London the city it is today. (26 to 27)
18
Celebrate the magical art of puppetry in all its forms at Little Angel Theatre’s Children’s Puppet Festival 2025. (From 28)
19
Mini creatives can join an artist at Orleans House Gallery for an arts and craft session at Let’s Get Creative. (27)
20
Aspiring space explorers can enjoy the Science Museum’s free live Space Show, packed with out-of-this-world demonstrations. (From 26)
If you liked our 20 things to do in July, why not hit the button below for more things to look forward to.
