Dance Your Way Into The Summer At This Free Family Music Festival

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Dance Your Way Into The Summer At This Free Family Music Festival

This is a sponsored article on behalf of PaddingtonNow BID.

Calling all London parents: The summer holidays are coming up — which is all well and good, but it's not exactly cheap keeping the kids entertained, is it?

Step in Paddington Covers, an afternoon of completely free and utterly fantastic entertainment for all the family, right here in central London.

The festival takes place on 28 June, 26 July, 30 August, bringing top-notch tribute bands to the gorgeous, intimate setting of Norfolk Square Gardens — right next to Paddington station. The petite festival is a very relaxed event, making it ideal for spending some time as a family, without dipping into your holiday budget. Also it's covered by a tree canopy, so there's plenty of shade for those hot summer days.

The first instalment, on Friday 28 June, opens with tributes to musical legends spanning the decades, namely Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, Madonna and The Rolling Stones. So its a brilliant chance to introduce your little ones to some proper tunes, in between all of the kids' entertainment and activities going on around the gardens (there's talk of balloon artists and stilt-walkers.)

The festival runs from noon until 7.45pm, with each act performing twice, so you can experience it all and still be home for bedtime. No camping, no schlepping out of London, and a completely chilled out vibe make this the ideal way to introduce your kids to festival life. You don't even need to pack snacks, as there are food stalls dotted about for when hunger kicks in. All you need to do is turn up — and bring the suncream.

The fun doesn't stop there, either. On Friday 26 July, prepare to be dazzled — by the rhinestones as much as the music — as Dolly Parton, Elvis, and ABBA tribute acts take to the stage. This time, there's also something a little more current in the form of Adele tribute act Katie Markham (who's even got the stamp of approval from the real deal).

Remember to mark Friday 31 August, the festival's finale, in your diary too. From the crowd-pleasing contemporary pop of Ed Sheeran and Take That to golden oldies by Bryan Adams and Queen, it's an unapologetically cheerful way to mark the end of the summer holidays.

Paddington Covers takes place Fridays,  28 June, 26 July and 30 August 2019, from noon. Tickets are completely free. For advanced bookings, click here.

Last Updated 05 June 2019