Search Results

Let Your Tastebuds Soar at this Balloon Banquet Luxury Hertfordshire hotel, The Grove and culinary pop-up alchemists, Feast Events have created a delicious lovechild, in the shape of Feast on Cloud 9. Guests will be greeted by the sight of ten bespoke, red and white hot air balloons bobbing above vintage, wicker dining baskets (seating 4-6 guests) tethered around the Formal Garden’s stepped canal water feature. And although diners’ feet will remain on Terra Firma, the unique event promises to whisk their tastebuds to Cloud 9, thanks to a nine course tasting menu or an afternoon tea. Naturally, you can expect Feast Events’ trademark food theatre, from edible clouds to the famous Lobster en-Croute carved at the table. The tasting menu uses ingredients freshly picked from The Grove’s kitchen garden and includes a Cornish crab and Exmoor caviar tart and Rossini-style fillet of beef with truffle mashed potato and chicken liver parfait. The afternoon tea features achingly posh finger sarnies, smoked salmon scotched eggs, pork and apple sausage rolls, tarts, warm scones, cakes and the famous, edible strawberry pavlova clouds. And while you dine you can gaze out across sheet waterfalls, art installations and a series of 32 water columns, or beyond at 300 acres of sexy, Hertfordshire countryside. Feast on Cloud 9. The Grove, Chandler's Cross, Watford WD3 4TG. Until 3 September. Nine course tasting menu: Adults £125 pp at evening sittings of 4-6 people. Children 4-12 £55. Afternoon tea £55 pp Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

From custard tarts to classic trams, make the most of a city break in Portugal IF you're feeling the pinch right now (aren't we all?), but still can't suppress the rising wanderlust within, the results of this year's Post Office City Costs Barometer should be on your radar - as should this year's winner: LISBON. Every year, the Post Office bods compare the price of a city break across Europe, with the price of 12 essential items taken into account. These include a three-star hotel for two nights, an evening meal for two with a bottle of house wine, sightseeing and transport. And while costs throughout Europe are up on previous years, there's a new champion in town. LISBON is officially Europe's best value city break. And with that in mind, we asked our friends at www.VisitLisboa.com how to best spend a weekend in the Portuguese capital... Day One Baixa Start your holiday the right way - with a breakfast containing custard. Hell yeah! Get into the swing of local life at a pastelaria (pastry shop), where the Pasteis de nata custard tarts are a city staple. If you need a pick-me-up, then the Portuguese have this down to a fine art. The bica coffee is a standard order in Lisbon - order 'a coffee' and this is what you'll get. Like an espresso - or more accurately, a luongo - it's short and packed full of caffeine, but you'll find it slightly smoother than the Italian version, due to the lighter roasting methods used in Portugal. Why the name bica? Well, it means waterfall or fountain in Portuguese, and refers to the way the coffee tumbles from the machine into the cup. If you're a real coffee buff, make time in your weekend to visit Café A Brasileira in the Chiado district - it's where Adriano Telles first introduced the bica in 1905, as a way to promote his imported Brazilian coffee beans. But for now, wait for that caffeine to hit and then step back into Lisbon’s past by exploring the Baixa district, where wide avenues, elegant squares and neoclassical buildings were born out of the 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon and ended the city’s golden age. Today, the traditional shops – some three centuries old - specialise in goods such as wine, dried cod and antiques. Commerce Square At the southern end of Baixa is the mosaic-paved Commerce Square (Praça do Comércio to the locals), dominated by the magnificent Arco da Rua Augusta. It's a beautiful, vast square surrounded on three sides by ornate government buildings, the Supreme Court, hotels and even the Museum of Lisbon. It's an important part of Portuguese history, not just because it's one of the biggest squares in the country. It was once home to the Royal Palace of Ribeira (Paço da Ribeiro) until the 1755 Lisbon earthquake came along and shook things up. Things didn't get much better for the Royal Family, either, as the square was also the scene of the 1908 assassination of Portugal's penultimate King, Carlos I and his heir, Luís Filipe. Find lunch in the one of the many restaurants, where the menu do dia (fixed menu) provides great value, and grilled sardines and bacalhau (salted cod) are a speciality. To really bask in the history of Commerce Square, pop into Cafe Martinho da Arcana, which opened its doors just 27 years after the 1755 earthquake. If those walls could talk... The No. 28 tram When it's time to leave Baixa, there's no better way to travel than the city's iconic No. 28 tram, which has been carting tourists and Lisboetas around for more than 100 years. It's still pleasingly old-fashioned, with polished wood interiors and brass dials - plus that beautiful, canary yellow colour that pops against the city's ever-blue skies. Part of the reason the tram has never been replaced is that its route through the city - connecting Martim Moniz with Campo Ourique via the popular tourist districts of Alfame, Baixa, Estrela and Graca - navigates narrow streets, steep gradients and tight turns that would be impossible for modern day trams to manage. Enjoy the tram while you can, as it's less than 10 minutes to Alfame, where we'll be jumping off. Alfama, Castelo de São Jorge Leave the tram at the cobbled streets of the Alfama district, the oldest part of Lisbon. Climb up to the Castelo de São Jorge, a high and mighty fortress built by the Moors, with amazing views from the ramparts of the city and the River Tagus below, before exploring the area’s atmospheric maze of alleys, unique shops and local cafes. Stay for an early evening shot of ginjinha (cherry liqueur) with the locals. The area is a maze of narrow, cobbled streets and traditional houses, but if you get lost there's plenty to keep you occupied. Alfame was originally a relatively poor area of Lisbon. It became home to many of the city's sailors and dock workers before undergoing a transformation into a place where creatives and fashionistas - attracted by the cheaper property prices - called home. Now, it's a bustling hub of creativity, where trendy cafés and independent shops lurk around every corner. Food and fado Lisbon’s dinner choices are endless, from family-run tascas serving local favourites, to Michelin-starred restaurants. For a unique Lisbon experience, the fado houses of Alfama, Bairro Alto and Mouraria combine dinner or petisocos (small plates) with the chance to enjoy the poetic songs of love and fate brought to life by the combination of guitar and emotional vocals. An integral part of the city’s history and culture, fado was born in the streets, houses and riverside areas of Lisbon and is included in UNESCO’s World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Some great places to find fado include Parreirinha de Alfama and A Baiuca in Alfama, Café Luso and A Severa in Bairro Alto and Amigos da Severa and Maria da Mouraria in Mouraria. Day Two Parque das Nações, Oceanário Start the day at Lisbon’s riverside Parque das Nações (Park of Nations), which is one of the city’s coolest neighbourhoods. Stroll along the waterfront boardwalk and discover futuristic architecture and urban art installations, then dive into Oceanário, one of the largest indoor aquariums in Europe. Inside the futuristic over-water building, you'll find all manner of sharks, penguins, tropical fish and the like and the aquarium has an ever-changing schedule of fun kids activities, family attractions and innovative ideas such as 'Sleeping with Sharks,' which is a sleepover in the centre of the shark tank. When you've spent enough time beneath sea level, head outside and finish the morning with birds-eye views from the overhead cable cars that glide above. Historic Belem Head along the river to the Belém district (a cab is the best option), home to unmissable heritage sites and famous for its abundance of beautifully ornate, old buildings. With plenty to pack in, a street snack like the bifana - a traditional Portuguese sandwich filled with marinated fillets of pork – makes the perfect lunch. For a sweet treat grab a pasteis de Belem - the original pasteis de nata but with a secret recipe! Its traditional home is at the Pastéis de Belém, and its position next to the Monasteiro dos Jeróniomos is key to the tart's popularity. The monastery used to have a small sugar cane refinery next door and, when the 1820 liberal revolution caused all monasteries to be closed and the clergy expelled, somebody from Mosteiro dos Jeróniomos began to sell sweet pastries in the local shop to make ends meet. These became known as Pastéis de Belém and visitors to the area began to spread the word about these incredible new treats. The recipe remains unchanged - but secret - to this day, passed down through generations of bakers. It's these historic stories that make the Belém district so fascinating and a wonderful way to spend a day. Belém Tower Ornate Torre de Belém is one of Lisbon's most famous icons. It was originally built in 1515 as a fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon's harbour and is decorated with motifs of the Age of Discovery, when pioneering Portuguese sailors explored the world. The nearby Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is an extraordinary monastery built in honour of Portugal’s famed navigators. Keep an eye out here for a carving of a rhinoceros. The sculptor created it after hearing stories of the animal, so it's not entirely accurate - but the story behind it is wild. Returning sailors brought a rhino back from their travels - a diplomatic gift from India - and it was swiftly chained up and used for King Manuel's entertainment. They tried to make it fight an elephant, who got bored and walked off. Eventually, Manuel also got bored and the rhino was re-gifted to Pope Leo X. But its legacy lives on at Belém Tower to this day. Royal Treasure Museum For a final hist of history head to the Royal Treasure Museum in the magnificent Palácio Nacional da Ajuda. Opened in 2022, this is the first permanent public display of Portugal’s Crown Jewels and home to a collection featuring more than 1,000 pieces of royal goldsmithery, from rare and precious jewellery to what is thought to be the second largest gold nugget in the world. Bairro Alto To finish your short break like a Lisboeta, start the night in the bohemian district of Bairro Alto, where people meet and drink outside the tiny bars to create a street party buzz. Make your way up to the Miradouro São Pedro de Alcaântra for the incredible views over the city, before heading towards the bars to get the evening started. Highlights include Loucos e Sonhadores and the jazz nights at Páginas Tantas but you'll want to pay a visit to the rooftop bars at Park and Insólito, where you can soak up the views while glugging cocktails. Cais do Sodré Then, stroll downhill to Cais do Sodré, which brims with lively bars and popular dance clubs - some not closing until 6am. At the heart of the action is Rua Nova do Carvalho, once the city’s red light district and now known as “Pink Street” due to its bright pink pavement. Penão Amor and Sol e Pesca are well worth a visit, and most people in the area will make their way to Music Box underneath the arches to end their evening (or morning, depending how much energy you've got!). For more information, visit www.visitlisboa.com Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

Besuited Art Duo Launch Spitalfields Museum on April Fool’s Day Everybody’s favourite, besuited art duo, Gilbert and George launch their own museum on April Fool’s Day, around the corner from their London home and studio. The pair have transformed a former, Spitalfields brewery into the three-storey Gilbert & George Centre, and in keeping with their “art for all” mission, the venue will be completely free . The grand, emerald iron gates (designed by the pair) will open every Friday to Sunday, for visitors to enjoy three exhibition spaces, a research centre and film room all dedicated to the duo’s art, which they have been making for more than 50 years, since meeting at St Martin’s School of Art. It will launch with the The Paradisical Pictures exhibition, presenting 25 of their trademark, stained glass window-inspired images, depicting the pair in psychedelic, “heavenly places.” This will coincide with the opening of another exhibition, The Corpsing Pictures, at the White Cube on 29 March. Best known for their “two people, one artist” process, the Turner Prize-winning artists’ adopted the identity of “living sculptures,” becoming not just creators, but the art itself. And whether naked, suited, surrounded by flowers or their own excrement, the two appear as figures in their own art, which is often hilarious, shocking and moving and deals with taboos, artistic conventions and social issues. And the East End location of their new museum forms a backdrop to most of their work, from chewing gum stained pavements to urban beauty and horror. The Gilbert & George Centre will function as part of the pair's charity and they have hopes of it becoming a "leading cultural institution,” adding that “our art is the friendship formed between the viewer and the pictures.” The Gilbert & George Centre, 5a Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ. Opens every Friday - Sunday from 1 April. FREE. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

London's Best Art Shows this May Whether you fancy injecting Bowie into your eyeballs or pondering smartphone's impact within an arty hellscape, the capital has you covered this May, and we’ve rounded up the best 16 shows to check out. It includes Gilbert & George’s new, free gallery; UV-light painted landscapes and shows which induce trance states plus world travels with Sir David Attenborough and an Ugly Duchess. There are also a gaggle of immersive exhibitions beckoning us to leap inside paintings; AI shows offering to guide our digital avatars around artists’ minds; powerful installations to explore and retrospectives of some of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. So point your eyes here and then take them there. Aladdin Sane : 50 Years There are some exciting Ch-Ch-Changes at The Southbank Centre in the colourful shape of the Aladdin Sane exhibition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s iconic, 1973 album. The show centres around one of the most influential pop culture images of the last half century, Brian Duffy’s portrait of a lightning bolt faced Bowie as his alter ego, for the album cover. It’s curated by the V&A’s Geoffrey Marsh and Brian’s son, Chris. And the experience is accompanied by a free exhibition exploring Bowie’s 50-year relationship with the centre as well as talks, two nights of club music, and poetry events. Southbank Centre, Exhibition Space, Level 1, Royal Festival Hall. Until 28 May. £5 pp Sarah Sze - The Old Waiting Room Writer Zadie Smith has compared Sarah Sze’s immersive sculptural installations to being inside an exploded smartphone, and the artist’s exciting, new show conveys the volatility of life in the age of the smartphone. Transforming Peckham Rye Station’s large, Victorian waiting room - which has been empty for nearly 50 years - Sze has created a model of the fragile world, illuminated by flickering videos and bound together by found materials to express the way our digital world both swaddles and suffocates us. Peckham Rye Station, London. 19 May - 16 September. FREE Thin Air Expect large-scale laser light sculptures, UV light-painted landscapes and trance states with heightened imagination via sounds played at specific frequencies. Taking advantage of more than 55,000 sq ft of interconnecting, cavernous environments at Royal Docks’ The Beams venue, this exhibition brings together works by seven global, contemporary artists and collectives and explores the boundaries between art and technology, using light, atmospherics, sound and experimental new media. The Beams, Thameside Industrial Estate West End of Thames Refinery, Factory Rd, London E16 2HB. Until 4 June. Adult tickets from £20. Concessions £17. Children (4-16) £10. BBC Earth Experience Travel the world and seven continents in one, visually delicious immersive experience through the hit BBC series, Seven Worlds, One Planet. With bespoke narration from Sir David Attenborough himself and hosted at Earl’s Court's purpose-built Daikin Centre, you will experience the incredible diversity of the seven continents through multiple, multi-angle, 360-degree screens, meeting the extraordinary animals which inhabit them. The event - suitable for all age groups - also boasts breakout zones where you can dive into the depths of Water World, marvel at the sweeping landscapes of the Vista Stage, and test your bravery by getting close to creepy crawlies in the Micro Life zone. BBC Earth Experience. The Daikin Centre, Earl’s Court, Hammersmith, London SW6 1TR. Until 31 July. Adult £28.50 children under three go FREE Gilbert & George's New Own Free Gallery Everybody’s favourite, besuited art duo, Gilbert and George launched their own museum on April Fool’s Day, around the corner from their London home and studio. The pair have transformed a former, Spitalfields brewery into the three-storey Gilbert & George Centre, and in keeping with their “art for all” mission, the venue will be completely free . The grand, emerald iron gates (designed by the pair) will open every Friday to Sunday, for visitors to enjoy three exhibition spaces, a research centre and film room all dedicated to the duo’s art, which they have been making for more than 50 years, since meeting at St Martin’s School of Art. Find our more, HERE The Gilbert & George Centre, 5a Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ. Opens every Friday - Sunday. FREE. Spaghetti Blockchain New York artist Mika Rottenberg will be showing her labyrinthine video piece, Spaghetti Blockchain (2019) in a new, multi-channel format across the world’s largest wrap-around screens at Outernet Arts every Sunday until 7 May. The free, immersive experience explores our obsession with producing and consuming products in a dizzying and often overwhelming journey through colourful, ASMR performances, Siberian Tuvan throat singers to the CERN antimatter factory and a mechanical potato farm harvester. The screens and space are filled with overwhelming colour, constant movement, ear-tickling effervescence and deep, singing tones. Outernet London, Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 8LH, UK. Until 7 May. FREE. MILK This free, Wellcome Collection exhibition explores our relationship with milk and its place in politics, society and culture. Featuring more than 100 items, including historical objects, artworks and new commissions, it asks why Brits regard cow’s milk as essential for a healthy diet? When did breastfeeding become a political subject? And how has milk been used to exert power or provide care? Wellcome Collection. 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Until 10 September. FREE The Ugly Duchess - Beauty and Satire in The Renaissance This fascinating, FREE exhibition explores one of the National Gallery’s most famous faces, Quinten Massys’s 16th-century depiction of an old woman, known as ‘The Ugly Duchess’. The piece is displayed alongside Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘grotesque’ heads, as well as other important artworks that look at how women, old age and facial difference were satirised and demonised in the Renaissance, shaping attitudes that still exist today. And for the first time, ‘The Ugly Duchess’ is reunited with her companion, 'An Old Man’ on rare loan from a private collection, with the pair parodying the traditional wedding portraits of the time. The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Until 16 June 2023. FREE Frameless Immersive art experiences are beckoning us to leap into paintings all over the world, but Frameless is art immersion on steroids. Situated in Marble Arch, it is the largest, permanent multi-sensory experience in the UK. Boasting four, themed galleries - Beyond Reality, Colour In Motion, The World Around Us and The Art Of Abstraction - with some of the world’s greatest works of art exploding across the walls, floors and ceilings of a 30,000 sq ft space. You can step inside more than 43 masterpieces by 28 artists, including Kandinsky, Monet, Van Gogh, Klimt, Munch, Monet, Rembrandt, Dali and Cezanne with musical scores accompanying each brushstroke. Frameless, Marble Arch, London W1H 7FD, UK Van Gogh Exhibition: The Immersive Experience This immersive juggernaut has been touring the world, welcoming more than 5 million visitors. And it has found a new home at London’s Spitalfields. Lose yourself in the iconic brushstrokes of more than 300 works, in this light and sound spectacular featuring two storey projections, plus a drawing studio and VR experience exploring his life and inspirations. You can even enjoy a beautiful piano show from pianist Lara Melda while admiring Van Gogh’s work through cutting-edge 360° digital projections. Van Gogh Immersive Experience, Commercial Street, London E1 6LZ, UK. Until 28 May. David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller & Further Away) Using large-scale projection in a remarkable new, immersive gallery space, David Hockney takes us on a personal journey from LA to Yorkshire, through 60 years of his art, with a specially composed score by Nico Muhly and commentary by the artist himself. Lightroom’s vast walls and revolutionary sound system enable us to experience the world through the eyes of one of the most influential artists for the 20th Century, from the Sixties to the present day. David Hockney Lightroom Show, 12, Lewis Cubitt Square, London N1C 4DY, UK. Until 4 June. Dali Cybernetics: The Immersive Experience Discover the surreal universe of Spanish genius Salvador Dali in London's first, collective metaverse show, entered via an interdimensional digital arts portal, because doors are so last year. Explore his masterpieces through large-format projections, interactive installations, holograms, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. A virtual reality experience with total freedom of movement that will invite visitors to spend fifteen minutes in Dalí's digital universe. Each visitor will have a digital avatar to physically walk with their companions in a collective virtual space where the most recognized works of Dalí will come to life, immersing you in a world of melting clocks, space elephants and giant ants. Launched in Spain, the London show has proved so popular, its run as been extended until 17 April. Dali Cybernetics. 152 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL. Until 29 May. Mike Nelson: Extinction Beckons Constructed from materials scavenged from salvage yards, junk shops, auctions and flea markets, the immersive installations in this eerie and atmospheric exhibition represent the first major retrospective of work by internationally acclaimed British artist Mike Nelson. Weaving references to science fiction, failed political movements, dark histories and countercultures, they touch on alternative ways of living and thinking: lost belief systems, interrupted histories and cultures that resist inclusion in an increasingly homogenised and globalised world. The Hayward Gallery is completely unrecognisable in this disorienting and brooding show, which features sculptural works and new versions of key large-scale installations. Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XZ, UK. Until 7 May Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms The Instagram-friendly Infinity Mirror Rooms have no doubt saturated your social media pages for the past few months. But if you’re late to the party, the run has been extended until June to check out one of the most talked about shows of the past year. The immersive installations of endless reflections include Kusama's Chandelier of Grief, a room which creates the illusion of a boundless universe ofrotating crystal chandeliers. A small presentation of photographs and moving image – some on display for the first time – provide historical context for the global phenomenon that Kusama’s mirrored rooms have become today. Tate Modern. Bankside, London SE1 9TG, UK. Until June. Spaces In-Between Immersive experience studio, Pixel Artworks and visual light artist, Rupert Newman have launched Outernet London’s first interactive body movement artwork, Spaces In-Between. The new show enables the public to synch their body movements with a breathtaking, digital light artwork on the largest digital canvas in the world, made up of 360-degree, four storey screens. As you move, so will the digital screens in three, giant artworks, ‘Tessellations,’ ‘Transcendence’ and ‘A Step Beyond’ accompanied by music from composer Sarah Warne. Spaces In-Between. Outernet, Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 8LH, UK. Free. Until September. Alice Neel: Hot off the Griddle The Barbican presents the largest UK exhibition to date of American artist Alice Neel, whose vivid portraits captured the shifting social and political context of the American twentieth century. Describing herself as ‘a collector of souls’, Neel worked in New York during a period in which figurative painting was desperately unfashionable. Crowned the ‘court painter of the underground,' her canvases celebrate those who were marginalised in society: labour leaders, Black and Puerto Rican children, pregnant women, Greenwich Village eccentrics, civil rights activists and queer performers. This exhibition brings together more than 70 of Neel’s most vibrant portraits, shown alongside archival photography and film, bringing to life what she called ’the swirl of the era’. Alice Neel: Hot off the Griddle. Silk St, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS, UK. Until 21 May Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Best Children's Events to See You Though the Bank Holiday, Half Term and Beyond May has bank holidays and half terms coming out of its ears, so we've dispatched our SWAT team of fun-foragers to cherrypick the top 30 things to do with children this month. From adventures in Jumanji or secret London tunnels to Mrs Doubtfire, Winnie the Pooh and Hey Duggee theatrical juggernauts. Meet the world's biggest dinosaur and then travel the world and its seven continents with Sir David Attenborough. Mrs Doubtfire Heads to the West End Hellooooo London, dear! Everybody's favourite out-of-work actor and divorcee is heading to the West End this May. Daniel loses custody of his kids during a messy divorce, so creates Scottish nanny alter ego, Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate bid to stay in their lives. As his new character takes on a life of her own, Mrs Doubtfire teaches Daniel more than he bargained about how to be a father. Created by a transatlantic team of award-winning artists, this warm-hearted, comedy musical comes to London following a sold-out run in Manchester. Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8DP from 12 May. Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur For the first time ever, the colossal Patagotitan mayorum titanosaur - one of the largest known creatures to have ever walked our planet - will go on display at Natural History Museum. Four times heavier than Dippy the Diplodocus and 12 metres longer than Hope, the museum’s legendary blue whale, this gigantic creature is a spectacular sight. You can view this gargantuan dinosaur skeleton up close at this fun, interactive family exhibition. You'll follow the life of a titanosaur, from a football-sized egg plucked from its nest to a fully grown adult, bearing the marks of an encounter with a ferocious predator that took a bite out of its tail. As you weave your way around the gallery, you'll handle specimens, stare into its gigantic sauropod skull and even smell its poo. Natural History Museum, Waterhouse Gallery, South Kensington, London. Under 3s are free. 4-16 are £9. Adults £16. BBC Earth Experience Travel the world and seven continents in one, visually delicious immersive experience through the hit BBC series, Seven Worlds, One Planet. With bespoke narration from Sir David Attenborough himself and hosted at Earl’s Court's purpose-built Daikin Centre, you will experience the incredible diversity of the seven continents through multiple, multi-angle, 360-degree screens, meeting the extraordinary animals which inhabit them. The event - suitable for all age groups - also boasts breakout zones where you can dive into the depths of Water World, marvel at the sweeping landscapes of the Vista Stage, and test your bravery by getting close to creepy crawlies in the Micro Life zone. BBC Earth Experience. The Daikin Centre, Earl’s Court, Hammersmith, London SW6 1TR. Until 31 July. Adult £28.50 children under three go FREE The World's First Jumanji Themepark Opens Follow the footsteps of Dr Bravestone and leap through the boardgame into the World of Jumanji, which opens this May at Chessington World of Adventures. Locate the Jaguar’s Eye Jewel, lift the curse and save Jumanji. Brave adventurers will discover three new theme park rides, including the world’s only Jumanji rollercoaster, Mandrill Mayhem. Chessington World of Adventures, Chessington KT9 2NE Avora Family Experience Up an unassuming, Shoreditch street is a secret portal to another planet. And on school holidays and Sundays, you can take your kids for a well-deserved break from Earth, on planet Avora. Head here for our full review of this worthy and otherworldly adventure, encountering scientists, mocktails, aliens, army villains and closing with a child-pleasing, farty finale. Avora: Family Immersive Adventure 5C, 127 Hackney Road, London, E2 8GY. Sundays, 12pm – 3:30pm. School Holiday weekdays. £24.50 per child (6-13) £29.50 per adult. Hey Duggee Live Theatre Show Squirrels, are you ready? Hey Duggee Live kicks off its first ever interactive UK theatre tour this May. Betty wants to make costumes, Happy wants to sing, Tag wants to make music, Norrie wants to dance, Roly wants jelly and they all want your sprogs to join them at the Clubhouse. There is so much to do, but luckily Duggee has his Theatre Badge. A-Woof! Hey Duggee Theatre Show. UK Tour runs until Aug 23 Postal Museum's Secret Tunnel Walks Kids 12 and over can head beneath London's streets for an exclusive, underground adventure along the 100 year old Mail Rail tunnels. Once they have donned their high vis jackets and hard hats, kids can join their expert guide for a fascinating tour through secret platforms, tunnels and tracks. Postal Museum 15-20 Phoenix Place, London WC1X 0DA. 16 and 23 May Winnie the Pooh the Musical Entertainment juggernauts, Disney and Rockerfeller Productions have created this theatrical lovechild, which has already bagged five-star reviews in New York and Chicago. Life-sized Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and Kanga puppets hit the London stage this Spring for a musical honey quest with Christopher Robin. AA Milne’s original songs have had the Sherman Brothers' treatment, for a Grammy-winning score, introducing the next generation to the much-loved inhabitants of The Hundred Acre Wood. This engaging,, 65-minute show is aimed at children from 3+ and is already proving to be a sweet and sticky hit. Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9NB. Until 29 May. Tickets from £29.50 The Gunpowder Plot at Tower of London Vaults Older children (12+) will be catapulted into the most exciting history lesson of their lives, in this explosive new, immersive experience, starring Harry Potter’s Tom Felton. Your mission is to go undercover and unmask the mysterious figures behind history’s most infamous plot. But when you’re surrounded by traitors, who can you trust? With surprises around every turn, descend into the vaults and experience a combination of live and digital actors, virtual reality and fancy pants technology like motion simulators and special effects, transporting you back to London 1605 in the heart of the Gunpowder plot. The Gunpowder Plot, 8-12 Tower Hill Vaults, London, EC3N 4EE Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination invites visitors into a unique, story-led exhibition through the world of science fiction. Visitors will be guided through this ambitious exhibition aboard an alien spacecraft by an artificial intelligence of unknown origin, and will encounter authentic items from celebrated sci-fi films, television series and literature, as well as significant scientific objects that have shaped modern life. Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD. Until 4 May. £15pp Play Captain on a GoBoat River Picnic If you’re looking for somewhere to spend a genuinely relaxing few hours for parents and children (plus dogs, if you have one) we recommend a GoBoat trip. You can enjoy a picnic as captain of your own, electric boat through Canary Wharf, Paddington, Kingston, Thames Ditton or Birmingham. Check out our review of the GoBoat Canary Wharf experience HERE GoBoat UK, Open 7 days a week from 9am - dusk. Prices start from £85 for 1 hour and £125 for two hours on the 8-person boats. GoBoat Canary Wharf, 22 Churchill Place, London, E14 5RE Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour Brigit's Bakery has launched the first, official Paddington Bear afternoon tea bus tour, celebrating the capital.The double-decker has built-in screens, so that Paddington and Mrs Bird can provide an animated guide to the tour, which includes some of Paddington's favourite landmarks, like Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Nelson’s Column, Downing Street, St. Paul's Cathedral, Borough Market, Green Park and Piccadilly Circus. The tour takes just under two hours, while you scoff treats including glittering shortbreads, designed to look like nibbled marmalade sandwiches, mini pizzas, smoked salmon and cucumber pretzels, turkey ham and cheddar or cream cheese and cucumber finger sandwiches and naturally, marmalade sandwiches. And for those who share the bear’s sweet tooth, the homemade sweet treats included a rice pudding studded with chocolate honeycomb, chocolate cupcakes crowned with Paddington’s chocolate paws, lemon meringue tarts, chocolate macarons and freshly baked scones with cream and jam. Brigit’s Bakery also provide vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal afternoon teas. Check out our review, HERE Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus tour Departs from Trafalgar Square, Wednesdays to Sundays. Prices from £45 adult, £35 child. Shakespeare's Globe Bankside Banish the bored with the Bard at Shakespeare’s Globe. With interactive theatre shows, tailored to a young audience, Elizabethan dress-up, sword fighting demos and storytelling, Shakespeare will keep little ones entertained. Shakespeare's Globe: 21 New Globe Walk SE1 9DT. Dates, times and ticket prices vary. Discover Children’s Story Centre Stratford's immersive, sprog-storytelling Mecca is brimming with entertainment across three floors, plus a wonderfully imaginative Story Garden. Creep through caves, find fairy worlds within magical trees, explore hidden ships, perform in a puppet castle, leap over alligators and man your own spaceships and rockets across two floors, which also host art and craft stations, beautiful reading corners, storytelling sessions, immersive events and installations. Or head outside to the magical new play area to discover Baba Yaga’s hut held up by chicken legs, climb Hootah’s castle and slide out of the Stratford Sputnik. Check out our review here Discover Children's Story Centre 383-387 High St, London E15 4QZ Whizz Down The ArcelorMittal Orbit How about hurling your children down the world’s tallest slide? The 178m long ArcelorMittal Orbit was the iconic landmark of the 2012 London Olympics and is now an attraction with three adventure experiences. Families can speed down the winding slide, abseil, or walk around the glass orbit at the top. You can also pretend it's a high-brow, cultural experience, because the orbit is also a sculpture by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond. And it beats the usual views of grubby swings and bins, because here you can check out the stunning views of Queen Elizabeth Park. To ride the slide, children must be at least eight years old and over 1.3m. ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 5 Thornton St, London E20 2AD. From £10.75. Cutty Sark Rig Climb Experience Originally climbed when the ship first arrived to Greenwich in 1954, visitors can now recreate this, by clambering up the famous masts of the Cutty Sark.The Rig Climb Experience invites kids and brave parents to step up from the main deck onto the ship’s ratlines and climb up its top mast, as hundreds of sailors did during the Cutty Sark’s heyday. Once at the top, climbers will experience a controlled descent from the rigging. Participants will be rewarded with some of the best views in London, overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard and Tower Bridge. Cutty Sark King William Walk, London SE10 9H Royal Albert Hall's Storytelling and Music Sessions Seasoned storytellers Paul Rubinstein, and Becky Dixon deliver a series of sessions for babies and toddlers, aiming to engage and encourage interaction between parents/carers and their little ones using musical instruments, singing, movement and stories. Developing coordination, self-confidence and awareness using songs, sounds, rhythms and rhymes, we explore the Hall’s story of diverse musical history. Royal Albert Hall, Elgar Room. Until 30 August £5 KidZania Ambulances and fire engines hurtle through the streets and emergency workers tumble out to jet hoses at the Grand Flamingo Hotel fire or treat the wounded, while police cordon off the area and Metro journalists interview witnesses.It might not sound like your typical half-term trip, but the kids will love every second, because they are the firefighters, paramedics, press and police role-playing in KidZania, London's extraordinary, 75,000 sqft indoor city for children. Check out our review, here KidZania: Westfield London Shopping Centre Ariel Way W12 7GA. For 4-14 year olds Snot, Sick and Scabs at the Centre of the Cell Deliciously disgusting and sneakily educational centre in a futuristic, light-studded pod suspended above the laboratories of the Blizard Institute in Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Children can learn about the heart, teeth or senses, see scientists at work and enjoy their delightfully vile ‘Snot, Sick and Scabs’ session. Centre of the Cell, 4 Newark St, London E1 2AT Wookey Hole Deep within Somerset’s belly lurks Wookey Hole, a magical, subterranean attraction with world-famous caves and eight unique chambers for kids to explore. There is something for every flavour of child, from a cave-diving museum, enchanted valley, 4D cinema, adventure golf, dinosaur grove, play zones and magic and circus shows all included in the ticket price. The more adventurous can even brave the Wild Wookey Experience, climbing, crawling or abseiling through caves. Wookey Hole Caves, The Mill, High St, Wookey Hole, Wells BA5 1BB. Under 3s go free. Children (3-14) £17.65. Adults £21.45 Out-of-Hours at the British Museum Your little ones can walk in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks, Pharoahs or journey through the cultures of China at The British Museum's family-friendly, out-of-hours tours. Taking place between 8.50 – 10am, before the galleries are open to the public, you can beat the unsavoury crowds. And from 4 - 25 March, children can explore Roman history through Minecraft, create a Japan-themed family photo (11 March) and make mosaic masks inspired by the Aztec gods on 18 March. The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG. Under fives go free. £16.50 for 5-15 year olds. £33 Adults Lord of the Rings Quest Take part in the Lord of the Rings, family challenge at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village to save Middle Earth and explore Tolkien's world Visit the Hobbit Hole and Mirkwood, where there are huge spiders awaiting you. See the enormous dragon guarding its treasure. Meet Halbarad the Ranger of the North, try your hand at archery and you might even meet a friendly Orc. Suitable for adults and children aged 3+ years, there are two parts to the Ring Quest trail, each lasting about 45 minutes. Lord of the Rings Quest West Stow Anglo Saxon Village, Icklingham Rd, West Stow, Bury Saint Edmunds IP28 6HG. Tickets £7 adults, £4 children 5-16 years. £21 for a family (two adults and up to three children). Shrek's Adventure Rumpelstiltskin is on the loose, and he’s causing all kinds of mischief for the characters of Far Far Away and beyond. Luckily, Donkey is on hand to give you a ride on his flying bus and Shrek and Fiona will join up with you as soon as they get the chance. Shrek’s adventure is a wild adventure through the land of children’s favourite ogre and actors, technology and immaculately created sets will make sure your children are engrossed from start to finish. Check out our Shrek’s Adventure review to find out more. Shrek’s Adventure tickets. Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 Monopoly Lifesized Go big or go home… or straight to jail at Monopoly Lifesized, an immersive, on-your-feet version of the classic, family game, played on a 15m x 15m lifesized Monopoly board. Enter the 4D experience and compete in challenges for your chance to buy properties. Stage a heist in Mayfair, compete against a clock to build some of London’s iconic buildings, solve a baffling murder mystery or step into the world of codebreakers. The 80-minute experience is suitable for kids from 9 and older and is open every day except Mondays. Monopoly Lifesized, 213-215 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7PS. Tickets £49 pp Crystal Maze LIVE Experience Older children (from 8 onwards) can take on this immersive adventure, which brings the hit 90s TV show to life.Run around like mentalists, yell, complete a host of difficult challenges and end the game in a fetching, satin bomber jacket. Crystal Maze Live Experience, 22 - 32 Shaftesbury Avenue W1D 7EU Flip Out Hounslow If your children are of the ‘charmingly indecisive’ type, then a trip to Hounslow’s newly-opened Flip Out might be the answer to your prayers. Cramming mini-golf, arcades, laser quest, bumper cars, inflatables, a ninja assault course and soft play under a single, cavernous roof, the beauty of Flip Out is that you pay for entry to the venue and not for individual activities. We’re yet to discover whether you can drive a bumper car around the laser quest arena, performing drive-by shootings with a slushy in your hand, but there’s only one way to find out.Entry is a very reasonable £19pp (dropping to £14 for children under 1.1m tall) for three hours in the ‘Arena’ and if you’re not local to the newest venue in Hounslow, Flip Out has similar offerings all over the country. BUY TICKETS Flip Out Hounslow, Units 3, 4 & 5 High Street Quarter, 8 Smithy Ln, Hounslow TW3 1EH Thomas and Friends at Whistlestop Valley Take unlimited train rides on Thomas, Toby and Mavis, meet Sir Topham Hatt and Sodor Station Sweepers Rusty and Dusty for singalongs and performances at Huddersfield’s Whistlestop Valley.Kids can also enjoy an Imagination Station play zone with Thomas and Friends activities, jumping pillow, bubble zone, storytelling sessions, giveaways for every child and themed activities. Thomas at Whistlestop Valley Park Mill Way, Clayton West, Huddersfield HD8 9XJ Birdies, Angel Birdies’ crazy golf in Angel and Battersea Power Station provide an Insta-worthy, nine hole course featuring three completely new holes - Wing it, Green and Bunker 2.0 - as well as tried and tested fan favourites Hazard, Kinetic, Steps, Infinity and Roulette. Cheeky Burger will keep the kid’s happy, while the coral pink cocktail bar will please the parents. Birdies Level 1, Angel Central, 31-32 Parkfield Street, N1 0PZ Wembley Park Kids can take part in a host of free and paid events at Wembley Park, from stadium tours to acting classes, Wonderkids football sessions and movies.Teens and bigger children can take on the zombie apocalypse at meetspace VR or have a round on neon crazy golf course at Pop Golf. And Union Park has a kids’ splash par (bit nippy in March, though) games court and a bee hotel to keep them entertained. Wembley Park London Holiday to Space at Royal Observatory Greenwich Join Ted and Plant as they explore the Solar System in search of the best place to take a holiday in an intergalactic morning adventure, including a planetarium show and interactive workshop.Recommended Age: 3 - 6 yrs. Open 10am-5pm daily Royal Observatory Greenwich Park, Blackheath Avenue SE10 8XJ Wizard Exploratorium Soho's magic-themed Wizard Exploratorium is a five-storey, geek wonderland, offering a 4D wand-making workshop, immersive trick shop and suitably magical afternoon tea encompassing tea brewing, molecular gastronomy, and technology. Check out our review, here. Wizard Exploratorium, 26 Greek St, London W1D 5DE Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

COLORS festival celebrates celebrity culture and, of course... colour. A NEW street-art festival opens in Camden this week (June 8), celebrating colourful art in all its glory. Frustratingly titled COLORS (c'mon guys, would it hurt to stick a 'u' in there for your British audience?), the event showcases the work of 35 artists, spread across a series of rooms that each take on a single colour as their theme. A mix of local and international artists including Dale Grimshaw, Farid Rueda, One Mizer and Super Bab will take part and if the Manchester event is anything to go by, expect large-scale street art, neon, sculptures, hyperrealism, plus a healthy dash of glow-in-the-dark pieces. Running until July 23, the fest celebrates Camden's longstanding history as an area where street art is celebrated and protected. Within a stone's throw of Color Festival's Camden Market venue, you'll find a Regent's Canal tunnel where Banksy and fellow street art legend, King Robbo engaged in a graffiti battle, with the pair painting over each other's art in an increasingly hostile dispute. And while a stroll around the NW3 area might throw up just as much impressive art, Colors Festival will bring the medium into an easily accessible, 45-minute journey through heavily curated rooms. There's a big emphasis on celeb iconography, too (did you know it's actually illegal to host an art event in Camden that doesn't feature at least one image of Amy Winehouse?) and every room offers a fresh new backdrop for your all-important Instagram feed. God bless ya, social media. Colors Festival runs Thurs - Sun from June 8 - July 23. Entry times between 10:00 - 17:00 Tickets between £10.50 (children) and £15 (adults) Camden Market Hawley Wharf, 1 Dockray Place, London, United Kingdom, NW1 8JZ Buy tickets now Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter

From Californian Cults to Pulp Fiction The Connor Brothers famously launched in 2012 as deliciously anonymous twins who had survived a sinister Californian cult and made sense of the world through their art. Their story and art captured the world’s imagination, with fans clamouring to discover the identity of the mysterious duo. Eventually, The Telegraph ran a major feature, unmasking them as London artists Mike Snelle and James Golding, who create provocative, witty and sometimes outrageous literary pastiche art, accompanied by satirical and ironic captions.. The pair kept their pseudonym and their forthcoming show's Truth or Dare title reflects their fascination with truth and (pulp) fiction, which runs through their life and art. It launches at Clarendon Fine Art Mayfair on 7 June - where it will open to the public for a week - and heads to Clarendon Fine Art Winchester on 8 June. The duo will be in attendance for both launches. Part nostalgic homage, part irreverent pastiche, Truth or Dare revisits Fifties-style pulp fiction covers to make a playful statement about art, literature and liberation. The new exhibition will unveil six, brand new literary art pieces, showcasing their hard-hitting combination of contemporary satire and retro design. The artworks will be available in Giclée editions, unique hand-coloured prints, hand-painted vintage books and originals in assorted sizes and colours. A spokesperson for Clarendon Fine Art says: “Truth or Dare’s playful and provocative new pieces provide a fresh, satirical perspective on modern life and invite us to explore the difference between appearance and reality with wit and style.” The Connor Brothers’ hand-painted, vintage paperback pieces remain faithful to the iconic typography, graphics and colours of the genre and their often irreverent approach and stylish design has won them a huge worldwide following. They are also passionate and outspoken supporters and campaigners for a host of social causes, collaborating with partners such as Noel Gallagher and Pussy Riot, and using their art to raise awareness and funds for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), the Teenage Cancer Trust, and numerous homelessness and refugee charities. Their work has been included in major collections, including the V&A, the Omar Koch, Niarchosand Penguin collections, as well as Banksy’s dystopian ‘bemusement park’ Dismaland. Click here to see our round-up of this month’s Top 16 May exhibitions. Clarendon Fine Art Mayfair, 46 Dover St, London W1S 4FF. 7-13 June. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Seal and Yacht Spotting on the Glittering Waters of… London Half of all Londoners live within a five-minute walk of a canal, river, dock or lake, yet most of us spend our time on land, looking at it or dodging armpits beneath it, rather than on it. We rectified this with a glorious, two-hour GoBoat trip from Canary Wharf, past yachts, boats, glossy skyscrapers and iconic landmarks like the O2 Arena and the beautiful, Harbour Quay Gardens. And there should be a blue plaque on that boat, for being the first place to host a genuinely relaxing two hours for two young children, their parents AND a dog. The trip started at Bellmouth Passage (Ooh Matron) for a pleasingly Carry On Up the Thames energy. And since these self-drive, electric boats make you the captain, there are optional sailor hats at the kiosk. You don’t need any qualifications to drive the boat and after a brief tutorial, our children were fitted with life jackets and we hopped in. Armed with a map, we were free to explore the sparkling docks at a gentle 4mph, as our daughter waved regally to onlookers. We looked out for the famous Sammy the seal, who has been breakfasting at Old Billingsgate Fish Market for the past 20 years. And we bobbed up to the insanely swish, £38 million super-yacht, seized from a Russian telecoms tycoon, before admiring the sleepy barge village at Blackwall Basin. The boats are powered by almost silent, electric motors - an eco-friendly alternative to petrol engines - making the experience so peaceful, my son ended up sleeping for half of it, gently rocked to sleep by the Thames, lapping at the boat. And our dog proudly stood at the helm, taking in the sights and letting the breeze gently wobble his jowls. It was fascinating to see the bustling metropolis from this tranquil, new position, bobbing beneath bridges across sparkling water and watching the blue skies bouncing off the skyscrapers. Sustainability is at the heart of GoBoat - the deck and table are made from sustainably sourced forestry wood and the foam kernel is made from the equivalent of 600 plastic bottles. The boats fit up to eight people around a picnic table, for a unique sarnie experience - you can bring your own nibbles or order a GoBoat food box of Mediterranean goodies. GoBoat has five UK locations, including Paddington, where you can cruise through Little Venice, Camden Lock, Regent’s Park and London Zoo. In Surrey, the Kingston or Thames Ditton boats pootle past picturesque sights, like Hampton Court Palace. And Birmingham (the proud site of more miles of canals than Venice) allows you to explore its network and picturesque surroundings on this comfy, gondola alternative. GoBoat UK, Open 7 days a week from 9am - dusk. Prices start from £85 for 1 hour and £125 for two hours on the 8-person boats. GoBoat Canary Wharf, 22 Churchill Place, London, E14 5RE Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta will Take Flight for the first time since 2019 If Blighty’s pesky weather doesn’t cause another, short notice cancellation, Sunday 21 May will see more than 50 hot air balloons taking off from Battersea Park and gliding over Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and London Eye. Each year, at silly o’clock (5.20am) early birds are rewarded with the stunning sight of the capital’s sky filled with a flotilla of colourful balloons, led by the official Lord Mayor’s Appeal balloon, carrying the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress. The past three years have seen the event cancelled due to lockdowns and unsavoury weather. But we are crossing all limbs and appendages that the remaining, possible dates - 21 May and 2 July - aren’t scuppered by Mother Nature. The event is organised by Exclusive Ballooning and raises funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, which works to make the capital more inclusive, healthy, skilled and fair. The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Vincent Keaveny, says: “The regatta – one of the most unique, fun, and colourful events of any mayoralty – is not only raising money to help improve lives, but helping to save them, too.” While the regatta isn’t fully open to the public, Londoners can look to the skies to enjoy the experience across the capital. Keep your peepers fixed on this updates page for details on whether this year’s event will finally go ahead, and maybe use pencil rather than biro to add it to the diary… Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta, 21 May or 2 July, Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Tastings, talks and tours of the Hebrides' whisky hotspots all on the itinerary Fancy being whisked through the Scottish Hebrides aboard a luxury sailing ship, stopping only to explore some of the world’s finest whisky distilleries? Well, you’re in luck! New Scientist Discovery Tours are filling a boat full of whisky lovers for a deep-dive into the king of all liquor, where guests will learn about the distilling process, how different stimuli affect its flavours and what makes a world-beating drop. OK, that sounds like a pretty intense science lesson (what did you expect from a tour run by New Scientist magazine?) but the real draw here is that you’ll be sampling fine drams throughout the eight day trip AND stopping off for a snoop around the Bunnahabhain, Ardnahoe, Bruichladdich, Lagavulin (pictured above) and Kilchoman distilleries. We hear there are plans for a second, week long cruise that promises to teach you how to spell all of those without looking it up. For the uninitiated, the isles of Islay and Jura are blessed with the perfect conditions for whisky-making, which is why their shores are dotted with so many of the planet’s most respected distilleries. Your transport and accommodation - a characterful 1903 sailing ship - will be stocked with whiskey and an on-board expert will be on hand to talk you through the liquid in your glass. The tour cruises through some of the UK’s most beautiful scenery, with the chance to spot sharks, whales, dolphins and plenty more of the Hebrides’ resident marine life. And for those who want to get involved, the crew will allow you to trim and set the sails and even helm the ship - though that’s not recommended after too much of the local grog. Other highlights of the trip include a visit to the Tobermory Whisky Den; a chance to see the 80 metre long Fingal’s Cave; an onboard visit from local whisky superstar, Georgie Crawford; time to explore the beautiful coastal town of Port Ellen; and a visit to ‘Deer Island’ of Jura - named due to its population of 5,500 deer to just 180 people. The Science of Whisky: Scottish Hebrides Cruise costs £2,399pp and leaves from Oban on 24th September. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Top 10 Kids' Plays and Musicals Whether your sprogs like to shake their tiny jazz hands, sing along to their favourite show tunes, ponder fun-sized existential dilemmas or see their most loved stories and characters brought to life through the magic of theatre, London has you covered. We've cherry-picked the capital's top ten theatre picks this May, for toddlers, preschoolers, kids and teens from stunning open air productions to magical puppetry, much-loved characters including Hey Duggee, Winnie the Pooh, Mrs Doubtfire... and even an invisible man. Hey Duggee Live Theatre Show Squirrels, are you ready? Hey Duggee Live kicks off its first ever interactive UK theatre tour this May. Betty wants to make costumes, Happy wants to sing, Tag wants to make music, Norrie wants to dance, Roly wants jelly and they all want your sprogs to join them at the Clubhouse. There is so much to do, but luckily Duggee has his Theatre Badge. A-Woof! Hey Duggee Theatre Show. UK Tour runs until Aug 23 Mrs Doubtfire Heads to the West End Hellooooo London, dear! Everybody's favourite out-of-work actor and divorcee is heading to the West End this May. Daniel loses custody of his kids during a messy divorce, so creates Scottish nanny alter ego, Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate bid to stay in their lives. As his new character takes on a life of her own, Mrs Doubtfire teaches Daniel more than he bargained about how to be a father. Created by a transatlantic team of award-winning artists, this warm-hearted, comedy musical comes to London following a sold-out run in Manchester. Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8DP from 12 May Winnie the Pooh the Musical Entertainment juggernauts, Disney and Rockerfeller Productions have created this theatrical lovechild, which has already bagged five-star reviews in New York and Chicago. Life-sized Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and Kanga puppets hit the London stage this Spring for a musical honey quest with Christopher Robin. AA Milne’s original songs have had the Sherman Brothers' treatment, for a Grammy-winning score, introducing the next generation to the much-loved inhabitants of The Hundred Acre Wood. This engaging,, 65-minute show is aimed at children from 3+ and is already proving to be a sweet and sticky hit. Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9NB. Until 29 May. Tickets from £29.50 The Wolves in the Walls Puppetry, songs and shadow-play combine to tell the story of Lucy, a little girl who warns her family that wolves are lurking inside the house. Her family don’t listen, resulting in the wolves evicting them and forcing Lucy and her parents to live at the bottom of the garden. Lucy gathers her courage to begin her battle against the wolves and win back their home, in this wonderfully spooky, charming and comedic production. Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, Islington, N1 2DN. 12 May - 23 July. Tickets from £8pp Every Leaf a Hallelujah Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri's new fairytale, Every Leaf A Hallelujah is performed at Regent Park’s dazzling Open Air Theatre - a fitting setting for this tale about a little girl who searches for a rare leaf in the forest, only to discover that nature is dying. Children aged 4+ and families are invited into an enchanted world of extraordinary, endangered trees in this powerful new production, adapted by Chinonyerem Odimba. Regent Park Open Air Theatre, The Regent's Park, Inner Cir, London NW1 4NU. 22 May - 10 June. £10pp The Invisible Man The Invisible Man invites you to watch… nobody in this imaginative new production by Theater Artemis, creators of the ingenious, The Show in Which Hopefully Nothing Happens. The audience is waiting, the stage is set, but where is the performer? This deliciously daft and surreal story shows how much fun you can have if nobody can see you, although the stage technician and musician are anxious to get it started. Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley St, London, SE1 2HZ. 28 May - 18 June. £25.50 pp. £17 concs. The Everywhere Bear Julia Donaldson’s story about the school teddy bear who falls from a backpack and embarks on his own adventure is brought to life with puppets, rhyme and new songs in this whimsical new show. Bear is washed down a drain and whooshed out to sea, rescued by a fishing boat, loaded onto a lorry, carried off by a seagull... will he ever make it back to Class One? Hopes are high for this production, following the theatre’s beautifully moving adaptation of Julia Donaldson's Paper Dolls. Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1SB. 27 May - 13 August. Tickets from £14pp Frozen Directed by Michael Grandage, Frozen: The Musical arrived from Broadway to the West End in 2021, where it has melted the hearts of wannabe Elsas and Arandelle-hardened parents ever since. It has music and lyrics for new and old songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez – who created the songs for the film, which have greater magic in their live performance - as well as beautiful choreography, incredible stage magic, illusion and dazzling sets recreating a fairytale Scandinavia. Read our full review HERE Frozen the Musical, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine St, Covent Garden, London, WC2B 5JF. Until 15 October The Lion King Now in its 24th year at London's Lyceum Theatre, Disney’s award-winning musical, The Lion King explodes with colour, special effects and enchanting music. Recommended for ages six onwards, it follows the powerful story of Simba as he journeys from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands. The musical behemoth by visionary director Julie Taymor features a stonking 232 puppets and has earned its crown as King of the theatrical jungle. Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington St, London WC2E 7RQ. Until 18 June Matilda the Musical Matilda is the multi-award winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by the beloved book by Roald Dahl. Adapted by Dennis Kelly with original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda The Musical tells the story of a gifted girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and sharp mind, bravely takes a stand against home and school bullies to change her destiny. Winner of more than 100 international awards, including 24 for Best Musical, this extraordinary little girl has been delighting West End audiences and defeating Trunchbulls for more than a decade. Matilda the Musical. Cambridge Theatre, Seven Dials, London, WC2H 9HU. Aimed at audiences 6+. Tickets from £20. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Top Royal Knees Ups for the Big Bank Holiday Weekend On Saturday 6 May, London will be enveloped in bunting as Liberace carriages and achingly safe pop stars are unleashed on the capital to mark the coronation of our shiny, new King Charles III. Royalists and Republicans can all agree that an extra bank holiday is always a good idea. And if you’re looking for somewhere to digest this moment of history and get your Victoria Sponge kicks, check out our round-up of the capital’s top 12 experiences to mark the royal occasion. King Charles III Coronation Procession You can gawp at The King’s Procession to the Westminster Abbey service on the morning of 6 May for free. It will start at Buckingham Palace and then head down The Mall, followed by St James’s Park, through the Horse Guards Parade and down Parliament Street, ending at Westminster Abbey. There will be numerous big screens studding the route and hundreds of thousands of flag-wavers are expected, so it’s advised to get there early. Public viewing areas open at 6am along the route. Royals start arriving from 9.30am. 6 May. The Royal Palace at Madame Tussauds Fancy snooping around Buckingham Palace and taking some selfies with the King and Queen Consort? Well, you can at Madame Tussaud’s replica of Charles and Camilla’s fancy digs, before bothering a few corgis, waving from the royal balcony and enjoying the obligatory afternoon tea. Madame Tussauds, Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5LR. £36 per adult online. London Eye's ‘Coronation Capsule’ If watching the coronation isn’t enough, you can now experience what it’s like to become king, while gazing down at your peasants and capital beneath you from the London Eye’s new, Coronation Capsule. One of the pods has been transformed into a slice of Westminster Abbey, where you can sit in a recreation of the 700-year-old coronation throne, holding your crown jewels (get your mind out of the gutter) and toasting yourself with champagne while gently circling over the Big Smoke’s skyline. London Eye, South Bank, SE1 7PB. £60 pp. Until 8 May. King’s Road Coronation Festival The Royal Borough’s King's Road knew it couldn’t get away with a few limp, cucumber sarnies, so it’s gone all out with a wonderfully eccentric, coronation themed festival. Expect a parade of more than 100 King Charles Spaniels as well as Chelsea Pensioners marching in a “stick pacing” display. Sloane Square to Cheltenham Terrace will be pedestrianised with picnic tables, a sustainable food market and regal decorations and Royal Avenue will unveil a giant, floral installation of the Royal Crest and Coronation emblem. King's Road 6 May, 11am - 5.30pm. FREE. Westminster Abbey Coronation Afternoon Tea You might not be allowed in Westminster Abbey on the morning of the coronation, unless you bag yourself a particularly sparkly tiara. But from 8 May until 31 July, you can enjoy an afternoon tea inspired by King Charles at the Abbey’s Cellarium. The dishes reflect the King’s “passion for sustainability, with British ingredients.” And it comes in at a very reasonable £35. Westminster Abbey Cellarium, Westminster Abbey, Dean's Yard, The Sanctuary, London SW1P 3PA. £35 pp Mayfair’s Coronation Garden Party Grosvenor Square will be bursting with floral installations and botanical, Insta-worthy tablescapes for its big party, which includes an outdoor screening of the coronation, live music performances, cocktails, English wines, regal food and family-friendly entertainment, like face-painting, jewellery-making, crafts and giant garden games. Grosvenor Square. 10am - 8pm on Saturday 6 May, and from 12pm until the end of the Windsor Castle concert on Sunday 7 May. King Charles III's Coronation Walking Tour Starting at his Buckingham Palace gaff, this two-hour guided tour takes in all the royal sights, from St James’ Palace to the Changing of the Guards ceremony. And you’ll learn about lesser known spots, like Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite off-licence (she and Winston Churchill bought their fags from the same tobacconist) and Prince Philip’s former barbers. You’ll also take in the Crown Estate and discover some of HR’s top hangouts and shops. Coronation Walking Tour. Meet and depart from Buckingham Palace at 10am daily, Buckingham Gate, Tourist Bus Stop, SW1A 1AA (outside Queens Gallery). Until 31 December. Adult £15pp Child £10pp The Ritz Coronation Ball If you’re feeling particularly regal - and have a spare £1,250 to drop for a ticket - you can mark the crown-addled event at The Ritz’s impossibly swish coronation ball. A Bollinger Champagne reception will be followed by a five-course dinner at the Michelin-star restaurant, plus entertainment from the 19-piece BBC Big Band and Elle and the Pocket Belles swing musicians. The Palm Court and The Ritz Restaurant 150 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9BR. 6 May. Royal Coronation Boat Party Fancy getting royally hungover until 6am in the name of our new King? Then board the Party! Party! Royal Coronation Boat from Westminster Pier. As you sail down the Thames past the capital’s illuminated, nighttime skyline you can enjoy two decks of music, dancing and booze, because bars can stay open until silly o’clock on the water. Chin, chin. Party! Party! Coronation Boat. Meet at Westminster pier, Victoria Embankment at 7.45pm to 6am. 6 and 7 May. £20-£40. Hotel Café Royal King Charles III Package Hotel Café Royal lives up to its regal title with a series of eye-wateringly extra, bespoke packages to celebrate King Charles III. It includes a dusk viewing of the crown jewels and the full King Charles III package, featuring a chauffeur driven London tour in the Queen Mother’s Daimler, Champagne afternoon tea, breakfast and an overnight stay at the luxurious, 5 star hotel. Hotel Cafe Royal,10 Air St, London W1B 5AB. Until 1 October. From £2,625. Fortnum & Mason Coronation Tea Eat like a King at Chucky’s favourite, palace grocer Fortnum & Mason. The royal warrants holder has created a new afternoon tea experience inspired by His Majesty's favourite ingredients - Welsh lamb scotch egg with wild herb aioli will be a nod to Charles’ fondness for the famed Welsh export, while native Coronation lobster is enhanced with Coronation spice, created exclusively for His Majesty. The Coronation Afternoon Tea will be served in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon seven days a week.They have also created a new, organic Darjeeling tea to mark the coronation, which can be enjoyed as part of the experience. Fortnum & Mason The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason. 181 Piccadilly, St. James's, London, W1A 1ER View map. From £78 pp The Dorchester Recreates 1953 Facade for HM the King To celebrate the coronation, The Dorchester has recreated the decorations used for his mother’s coronation in 1953 on its famous façade. The original decorations were by British stage set designer Oliver Messel, including dramatic draping across the hotel balconies, to make it look like a theatre interior. The hotel will also launch its Champagne Coronation Afternoon Tea (£125 pp including gift) and will unveil regal floral decorations. The Dorchester’s new Vesper Bar, will also be serving a special ‘Sovereign Martini’ inspired by The King’s favourite tipple. The stir will use Wessex gin, Royal Garden mead, dry vermouth, lavender bitter and orange scent. The Dorchester, 53 Park Ln, London W1K 1QA Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?