Kid-friendly events this Coronation weekend

Happy bank holiday weekend - again!

Our last long weekend had a winning combination of friends, family and culture. We visited the new The Gilbert and George Centre, just off Brick Lane. The kids sought out the fruity language whilst I admired the colourful art in the beautifully converted 19th century brewery.

But what you've been most interested in is our encounter with Chessman. Both kids challenged him to one of his free chess games - and won! You'll find him on the north end of Brick Lane on a sunny Sunday, just south of the fab Dark Sugars.

We now have lots of hand-decorated baseball caps after a fun session with a street artist at a Posca pens x John Lewis workshop. It was a one-off but I’ll share similar future events to my Instagram stories.

Ai Weiwei: Making Sense at Design Museum marked my 100th cultural visit of 2023. It was one the whole family enjoyed with its immense Lego reproduction of a Monet painting and eye-catching, vast flat lays of thousands of years of human design.

When our planned strike day outing was cancelled we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to use our new membership at Natural History Museum, accompanied equally unexpectedly by a giant cardboard lion head our neighbour left for the taking. After a relaxed lunch in the member's room, MG got hands on with the interactives in Titanosaur.

Just over the road at the V&A she tried the K-pop dance lesson in the Hallyu! exhibition - although it was the Gangnam Style intro which really had her moving. I had to drag her out from behind the stage manager’s desk at Reimagining Musicals to head home.

I'd love to hear what cultural activities you've been up to - hit reply, post in my Facebook group or DM me on Instagram.

Coronation with kids - family-friendly events

Tomorrow, Saturday 6 May 2023, marks the historic moment when King Charles III and Queen Camilla are crowned at Westminster Abbey. With an extra May bank holiday on Monday 8 May 2023 there’s yet more time for family fun! Here’s my selection of events to take the kids to:

1. Watch the Coronation live in front of the iconic Wembley Stadium at Coronation Celebration. Plus magicians, stilt walkers, life-sized board games and a fun Royal photo booth. 6 May 2023, FREE.

2. See over 100 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels on parade at Kings Road Coronation party. Plus Chelsea pensioners, face painting, juggling and live music. 6 May 2023, FREE.

3. Coronation big lunch at Here East features live music, fun and games from BADU, and a live screening of the Coronation. 6 May 2023, FREE.

4. Meet comedy Royal Guards at Old Royal Naval College. Plus music, face painting, lawn games and Radio Coronation broadcasts. 5-8 May 2023, FREE.

5. Live Coronation screening, Miss Ballooniverse, live puppet shows (paid, book), Bubble Man and face painting at Battersea Power Station. 6-7 May 2023, FREE.

6. Mayfair’s Coronation Garden Party includes live screenings of the Coronation and Concert, floral installations, fancy food, face painting, jewellery making and giant garden games. 6-7 May 2023, FREE.

7. Make your own crown and royal sash and get a special souvenir ticket at Tower Bridge. 6-8 May 2023. Paid, book.

8. Coronation Weekend at Fellowship Square features live screenings, a vintage-themed Go East Flea market, and piñata making. 6-8 May 2023, FREE (flea market paid entry).

9. Make a crown, meet 17th-century characters and witness a Guinness World Record attempt at Royal Museums Greenwich. 6-8 May 2023, FREE.

10. Create your own royal scrapbook at Museum of Brands. 6-8 May 2023, paid.

11. Free 30-minute drawing sessions in SNOWLAND at Coal Drops Yard. 6-8 May 2023, FREE.

12. Play royal themed mini-golf and listen to live vintage-style music at Polesden Lacey. 6-8 May 2023, paid.

13. Hear the Commonwealth Children’s Choir, make heart-shaped pom poms and play giant chess at British Museum. 7 May 2023. FREE, book.

14. Get close to the carriages used in the coronation plus arts and crafts in A Coronation Celebration at Royal Mews. 7-8 May 2023. Paid, book.

15. Cheer (and jeer) medieval knights at a Royal Coronation Joust at Chiltern Open Air Museum. 7-8 May 2023, paid.

16. Make a natural crown at Museum of the Order of St John, EC1. 8 May 2023, FREE.

17. Gorgeous Georgians storytelling at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. 8 May 2023. Paid, book.

18. Open 'heir' theatre show, Knight school, medieval dance lessons, Punch & Judy and fairground rides at Headstone Manor Museum’s Coronation Celebration Day. 8 May 2023, paid.

19. FREE entry into Syon Park with crafts, face painting and garden games. 8 May 2023.

Find further details and even more Coronation things to do in this blog post.

Non-Coronation events this weekend

And if Coronation fever leaves you cold, here’s some Royalty-free family activities happening this weekend:

• Play with IKEA’s fort building manual at Family Art Fun Day – Den Building! at Turf Projects, Croydon. Led by Milktooth. 6 May 2023. FREE, book.

• Pop Art Colouring Workshop with Art Is The Cure at Henarch Galleries, Shoreditch. 6 May 2023. FREE, book.

• Families Create: Home is what you make it at Zabludowicz Collection, NW5. 6 May 2023, FREE.

• Storytelling and playful animal mask workshop at Story Space Read Aloud, at Tate Britain. 6 May 2023. FREE, first come first served.

• Last chance to catch Mike Nelson: Extinction Beckons at Hayward Gallery. Closes 7 May 2023. Paid, book.

• Brew n’ Snug – Family relaxed meet up at the Boathouse Studios, Barking. 7 May 2023. Paid, book.

• Mexican-style wrestling at Cinco de Mayo: Lucha Libre Fiesta! at Boxpark Croydon. 7 May 2023. FREE, book.

• Family Folk – Kyntra at the Conservatoire, SE3. 7 May 2023. Paid, book.

I hope you have a great bank holiday weekend, however you celebrate.

As ever, I love hearing how you get on. Hit reply or tag me if I’ve inspired a visit. And if you like this newsletter, let others know how to subscribe.

Until next time,