Updated 27 May 2026
June 2026 is going to be a month of street festivals and outdoor shows. Our list of things to do with kids in London will tell you where and when to find them.
We just completed our monthly sweep of London’s best venues and organisers, and June is looking like the busiest month of the year so far. Overall, we found a whopping 132 wonderful kids’ events.
For details on all of them, sign up to our weekly newsletter for parents in London. You’ll also hear about flash discounts and family-friendly pop-ups offering free treats.
But for our favourite kids’ events this June, keep reading.
In a hurry? Here’s a snapshot of family activities in London for June 2026
🏆 Best family event in London this June: The Great Exhibition Road Festival takes over South Kensington
🆓 Best free kids’ event: Open House at BST Hyde Park (programme TBC)
🌳 Best outdoor activity for kids: A Teddy Bear Picnic in the gardens of Fulham Palace
🎭 Best new show for kids: Circus meets sport in 360 ALLSTARS
For parents of kids under 5, see our guide to things to do in London with toddlers.
Or for outings where grown-ups have just as much fun, here’s an updated list of pubs in London with play areas.
Given late May’s heat surge, we also put together a round-up of free water play areas in London.
Best things to do in London with kids this June 2026
Every week, we dig through hundreds of kid-friendly London events, so you can spend less time scrolling and more time doing. These 26 are our June favourites.
The Great Exhibition Road Festival
South Kensington will celebrate science and art with a big festival over the first weekend of June.
During the Great Exhibition Road Festival, events will pop up everywhere from Kensington Gardens to the Science Museum. And the types of activities kids can take part in are just as wide-ranging. They can watch puppet parades, robot football or step into the Maths Exploratorium.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 6 to Sunday 7 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Kensington Gardens + surrounding venues
Price: Free
West End Live
This free weekend of musical theatre is a great way to introduce little ones to the joys of London’s West End.
It takes place in the middle of June at Trafalgar Square, with the casts of London’s biggest musicals delivering rare open-air performances.
They might never sit through the shows in full, but here kids may enjoy their catchiest songs.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 20 June and Sunday 21 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Trafalgar Square, WC2
Price: Free
Disney’s The Lion King Exhibition
The magic of The Lion King’s West End show will be on display at London Zoo from early June.
Kids can stand inches from Rafiki, Zazu and the giant Mufasa mask, close enough that you can see every stitch and feather. Of course, afterwards, you can also compare them to real lions elsewhere in the zoo.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 6 June to Monday 31 August 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: London Zoo, NW1
Price: Included with zoo entry (kids from £22.20)
London Children’s Literature Festival
The London Children’s Literature Festival is the country’s biggest dedicated kids’ book event.
Beyond shows with authors like Michael Rosen, kids can get stuck in with workshops involving Roblox, manga and claymation. Or they can see their favourite characters, from the Jolly Postman to T-Rex teachers, come to life on stage.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 27 to Sunday 28 June 2026
Ages: Varies by event
Where: Barnes, SW13
Price: Varies by event
The Horniman Museum’s 125th Birthday Party
The Horniman is throwing a free family party on 27 June for its 125th birthday.
The day will involve Smallympics umpires handing out medals for obscure world records. Little animal-lovers can also make tiny road signs to guide hedgehogs through holes in the garden fence.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 27 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Horniman Museum and Gardens, SE23
Price: Free (ticket booking required)
Discover Children’s Story Centre reopens
The Discover Children’s Story Centre in Stratford will reopen this month after a six-month makeover.
The venue closed its doors in January to build a new Enchanted Garden soft play area, cafe and more. You can enjoy all these exciting new features from 20 June, plus immersive trails, kids’ author shows and Baby Sensory Circus.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 20 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Discover Children’s Story Centre, Stratford, E15
Price: Varies by event
High Street Ken: World Cup Street Fest
In late June, a World Cup Street Fest will take over High Street Kensington.
Ahead of England’s last group game (against Panama), you can enjoy street food, performances and competitions on Jubilee Square.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 27 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Jubilee Square, W8
Price: Free
Windrush Homecoming Celebration
Toward the end of June, Camden’s Talacre Gardens will host a free Caribbean street party with carnival costumes, music, crafts and food.
The day is a fun-filled tribute to the Windrush generation who helped shape both Camden and modern Britain. They’ll have African and Caribbean craft sessions, DJs and sports activities.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 20 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Talacre Gardens, NW5
Price: Free
Canary Wharf Mini Pride
If you’re looking to celebrate Pride month, Canary Wharf is putting on an event made for younger kids.
As part of Pride on the Wharf, Mini Pride will involve arts and crafts, inclusive story times and special film screenings.
Event details
Dates: Tuesday 2 June to Friday 31 July 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Canary Wharf, E14
Price: Free
Toy Story 5: The Experience
For the release of Toy Story 5, a free, walk-in immersive experience will open at Westfield London.
There are six areas to play through but the claw machine sounds like the most exciting. Kids step through a hidden portal and find themselves surrounded by plush toys with the giant claw hovering overhead. At each station, you’ll collect tokens to trade in for a Toy Story gift at the end.
Event details
Dates: Wednesday 10 to Sunday 21 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Westfield London, W12
Price: Free (walk-ins only)
Splash around in Southbank’s Appearing Rooms
Jeppe Hein’s water-wall fountain is back at the Southbank Centre on 17 June, having returned nearly every summer since 2007.
Jets shoot up to form square rooms made of water, then vanish and re-form elsewhere as kids dart in and out. When the sun is out, it’s a free, refreshing thing to do with kids following more cultural activities on the South Bank.
Event details
Dates: From Wednesday 17 June
Ages: All ages
Where: Southbank Centre, SE1
Price: Free
Wanna Play? Festival
Skate Jam returns to its skatepark in mid-June for Ally Pally’s Wanna Play? Festival, a family day that’s part of the wider London Festival of Architecture.
Around this event for skaters of all levels, the park will fill up with reggae DJs, breakdancing lessons, live graffiti and street food.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 13 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Alexandra Palace Park, N22
Price: Free
360 ALLSTARS
The Peacock Theatre is putting BMX riders, breakdancers, freestyle basketballers and beatboxers on the West End stage in early June. The 360 ALLSTARS show is like a cross between circus and sport. Its cast of world champions and record holders will perform against a backdrop of live drumming and big video projections.
Event details
Dates: Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 June 2026
Ages: 5 years+
Where: Peacock Theatre, WC2
Price: Tickets from £22
Teddy bear picnic
Fulham Palace is opening its walled garden for a teddy bear picnic on the first Sunday in June. Through a face painter, a craft tent and dress-up area, kids get to become cuddly bears themselves.
There will also be an interactive puppet show telling the story of how Goldilocks met her best friend, Not So Baby Bear.
Event details
Dates: Sunday 7 June 2026, 11am to 4pm
Ages: 3 to 7 years
Where: Fulham Palace, SW6
Price: Tickets from £12
Outdoor theatre: The Jungle Book
Award-winning touring company Immersion Theatre brings its Jungle Book musical to Fulham Palace on Saturday 20 June.
The 85-minute outdoor show involves original songs and plenty of interaction that pulls kids into the story.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 20 June 2026
Ages: Recommended for 4 years+
Where: Fulham Palace, SW6
Price: Kids tickets from £14
Encanto Outdoor Cinema Sing-A-Long at Kew Gardens
Adventure Cinema is hosting an Encanto sing-along at Kew Gardens on Saturday 20 June. As the world’s most famous botanic garden, it’s a pretty perfect setting to see the Madrigals in their lush Colombian valley. Pre-screening, there’s also a curated soundtrack to enjoy while setting up your blanket or deck chairs.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 20 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Kew Gardens, TW9
Price: Tickets from £10.92
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is staging Shakespeare’s most magical comedy from 20 June. Fairies and characters like the donkey-headed Bottom make it a good first Shakespeare for older kids. Plus the real-life backdrop of trees makes the enchanted forest setting even more immersive.
Event details
Dates: Saturday 20 June to Saturday 18 July 2026
Ages: 10 years+
Where: Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, NW1
Price: Tickets from £15
Hampstead Summer Festival
The Hampstead Summer Festival is a run of mostly free events at Keats House and the surrounding village in late June.
The art fair opens the festival on 21 June with kids’ art activities in the garden. Touring company The Moving Parts then stage Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey outdoors (paid) toward the end of the month. The garden party finale on 28 June features a magician, face painting, birds of prey and a giant chess set, all in John Keats’ old back garden.
Event details
Dates: Sunday 21 June to Sunday 5 July 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Keats House and Heath Street, Hampstead, NW3
Price: Free entry (open-air theatre tickets from £20)
Open House at BST Hyde Park
For two weeks at the end of June and into July, British Summer Time Hyde Park opens for free midweek family events. The full 2026 line-up is still being announced, with Run With Mo Farah on 30 June among the first events confirmed. But past Open Houses have included Lord’s cricket coaching for kids, outdoor cinema, Wimbledon screenings and gospel choirs.
Event details
Dates: Monday 29 June to Thursday 9 July 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Hyde Park, W2
Price: Free
GirlyPop Live
GirlyPop Live at the Clapham Grand is a four-hour daytime pop concert for kids. The show features live tribute acts for Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande and Beyoncé. Between performances, glitter makeover stations and roaming performers help kids get into character.
Event details
Dates: Sunday 21 June 2026
Ages: 5 years+
Where: The Clapham Grand, SW11
Price: Tickets £31.64
House of Dreamers
Opening 26 June, House of Dreamers is a new immersive exhibition at Immerse LDN. The walk-through takes families through sixteen separate dream worlds. In less than a couple of hours, you’ll get to see an enchanted forest, cloudscapes and a hall of magic mirrors.
Event details
Dates: From Friday 26 June 2026
Ages: All ages
Where: Immerse LDN, E16
Price: Kids’ tickets from £23.90
Carriage rides at a royal palace
Hampton Court Palace has introduced Shire Horse-led carriage rides to make your visit even more magical.
The 20-minute trips begin at the Fountain Court and let you take in the beautiful gardens of Henry VIII’s old home.
Event details
Dates: Weekends from Saturday 6 to Sunday 28 June
Ages: All ages
Where: Hampton Court Palace, KT8
Price: £5 per ride
International Day of Play 2026
Young V&A is marking UNICEF’s International Day of Play on Thursday 11 June with free drop-in sessions across the museum. Most of the day is designed for under-5s. Babies and toddlers get to explore sound and song in the Mini Museum, while older preschoolers play with pattern and shape in the Town Square.
Event details
Dates: Thursday 11 June 2026, 10am to 5pm
Ages: 5 years and under
Where: Young V&A, E2
Price: Free
Wimbledon on the Canal
Wimbledon begins on 29 June, and Everyman will be screening matches live on the canal by Granary Square. This is part of their wider Everyman on the Canal series, featuring films like Grease and Paddington in Peru.
Event details
Dates: From Monday 29 June
Ages: All ages
Where: Granary Square, King’s Cross, N1
Price: Free
How to save time and money, without missing out on magical family experiences
Summer is a great time to make wonderful family memories, but it can also be a lot of work.
Sorting through what is worth your time and money is half the battle. Loopla’s weekly newsletter for London parents does the legwork for you. You can also check out our kids’ holiday camps in London while you are here.
Every week, our 30,000 subscribers get:
- Family-friendly deals and discounts
- Details for around 10 free family events
- A heads-up on popular events we think might sell out fast