Things To Do In London This Easter Weekend: 29 March - 1 April

Lindsey
By Lindsey Last edited 132 months ago
Things To Do In London This Easter Weekend: 29 March - 1 April

A bumper edition for your Bank Holiday weekend.

All Easter weekend

ANIMAL MAGIC: Tigers, otters, butterflies and sea creatures take a starring role at four great London attractions this spring and they're all open this weekend.

BEER: Find a cosy beer festival to retreat to in Wandsworth, Carshalton, Woolwich, Hanwell, Old Street, Crystal Palace, Leyton, South Norwood and Egham.

CIRCUS: Zippo's Circus present Carnaval on Blackheath until 9 April. Tickets from £9 adults, £7 kids. Check the website for times & booking.

CHOCOLATE: Visit Kew over Easter and you'll find an easter egg hunt and the chocolate quest until 14 April. Adult entry £14.50/£12.50 but under 16s go free.

FUNFAIR:: Clapham Common's where the rides, amusements and over-sized cuddly prizes are with Irvine's Easter Fair, until 14 April. Wristbands £ 7.99 for adults and £5.99 for those under 1 metre high. Check the website for times and sessions.

MUSEUMS: Many of the capital's wonderful museums and galleries will have special easter activities on for the kids this weekend. And even if not, they're bursting with treasures. Check out our Museums & Galleries page, and our Free Things to do in London page for inspiration.

Good Friday 29 March

PASSION: Witness a recreation of The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square. Free, just turn up, performances at 12 and 3.15pm

FOUND FILM FOOTAGE: Enjoy an amusing journey into salvaged video tape footage at the Found Footage Festival at Soho Theatre (also on Saturday). Tickets £15, prebook, starts 9.30pm

CHARITY PARTY: Raise money for tree planting while partying hard with Stitch presents: Inverted Audio, Louche, Flock, Bixon and Under The Tree at Red Gallery, Shoreditch. Tickets £8+bf, prebook, from 9pm-4am

Saturday 30 March

DAYLIGHT MUSIC: Daylight Music is the brainchild of the Union Chapel, in order to open their gothic venue to a shiny new daytime crowd. Today Matthew Bourne, The R G Morrison and Alphabet Backwards perform. Free, just turn up, 12pm

MUSIC HACKING ON A BOAT: All aboard the MS Stubnitz, moored in Wood Wharf, for a day of musical hacking — that is, building musical stuff from old electronic equipment — with talks, demos and workshops. Prices vary, prebook, 2-11.30pm

ONE HOUR PLAY: This family friendly funny show presents a play conceived, devised, costumed, scripted and performed within the hour with copious help from the audience, right down to a fresh set and score. Find it at the Canal Cafe Theatre, W2. Tickets £5+bf, starts 3pm

BANGLAFEST: Celebrate Independence Day of Bangladesh with poetry, music and dance courtesy of Mitali Arts Group at Rich Mix. Free entry, just turn up between 3-7pm

BASKETBALL: There are still tickets available for the family friendly Harlem Globetrotters showing off their amazing ball skills, including their first female player for two decades, at Wembley Arena. Tickets start from £14.25 and doors open at 6.30pm

SMITHSFEST: Join other fans of The Smiths and immerse yourself at Smithsfest Bar at the Institute of Contemporary Arts for an evening – there will be Smiths questions, quiffs and possibly questionable dancing. A word of warning, as it is a free event get there early to ensure entry. Free, just turn up, 7pm

SQUAT PARTY: someone has suggested we include details of this "super cool squat party" in these listings, so we have. It's a Suspenses Party, including performances, art, music and dancing somewhere in Hackney Wick. The theme for dressing up is "The Good, The Bad and the Hackney WickED". Tickets £10, £5 if you're costumed. Starts 10pm

Easter Sunday 31 March

EASTER EGG BLOWING:Why not go the whole hog this Easter and blow your own egg at Drink, Shop and Do? You can even paint it afterwards and impress all your friends/colleagues/your nan. £1, just turn up, 11am-7pm

CHRISTATHON: Join an unholy pub crawl dressed as Jesus. Starts at The Trinity, by Borough tube station at 2.30pm

BOAT RACE: Cheer on Oxford or Cambridge or both as they row their socks off from Putney Bridge to Chiswick. Line the riverside or gather in Bishop's Park, Fulham or Furnival Gardens, Hammersmith for big screen live action all the way. To get you excited, there's an exhibition of paralympic adaptive rowing, the traditional Oxbridge Watermen's Challenge and reserve crew races ahead of the main event at 4.30pm

GOAT RACE: If you prefer to see gambolling goats racing for Oxford and Cambridge, get your tickets for Spitalfields City Farm's Goat Race now. Tickets £5.50 adults, £1 kids. Event starts 1pm, race 4pm

COMEDY: London is Funny and so it shall be proved live at the Crack Comedy Club at The Crown and Two Chairmen on Dean St with Paul Sinha, Will Franken, Elis James and Tom Webb. Entry £8, show 7.30pm

Easter Monday 1 April (& April Fools Day)

RANDOM AMBLE: Join Team Londonist on a random walk visiting every tube line for just one stop above ground on foot. Nope, it doesn't make any sense but it is happening - it's not an April fool! Bear in mind, this isn't a guided walk, this is another of those daft challenges we can't resist. Participate at your own risk. Free, just turn up to Moorgate at 10am

CHAIR LIFTING: Watch an odd old folk tradition in Greenwich as Blackheath Morris men heft ladies in chairs into the air and then do some dancing. Free to watch, just turn up and find them between 12-4pm

FOOLS: The April Fool's Day comedy concert at Royal Festival Hall is a family friendly musical show featuring the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, London Firebird Orchestra, classical music hooligan host, Rainer Hersch and impressionist Alistair McGowan. Tickets from £9.50, prebook, starts 4pm

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Photo by psyxjaw via the Londonist Flickrpool.

Last Updated 28 March 2013