Looking for family-friendly things to do in London during the Easter holidays? Check out our guide to Easter fun in the capital. From exhibitions to stage shows to craft activities, there's plenty going on while school's out.
School holiday dates vary from borough to borough and school to school, but the Easter holidays fall roughly between Saturday 6 April and Monday 21 April 2025 for most schools. Easter Weekend is 18-21 April 2025 (check out our Easter weekend events guide).
Easter holiday events in London 2025
ZOONORMOUS EGG HUNT: Take your family to see the animals at London Zoo during the Easter holidays, and there's the added bonus of a Zoonormous Egg Hunt to keep younger visitors entertained — it's included in your entry ticket. Pick up a trail card, and as you wander around, find the missing letters to crack a secret password. There are also Easter craft activities throughout the holidays. 5-21 April
SUSTAINABILITY TRAIL: Rotherhithe's Brunel Museum kicks off its Summer of Sustainability with a fun family trail. Dive into history as you listen for trains in the tunnel, spot a spiky monkey puzzle tree, and help their green spaces bloom. Discover how to care for the planet, meet buzzing bees, and create your own bee-friendly garden with wildflower seeds to take home. Look out too for kimchi workshops for kids (15 April), a Repair Cafe to fix household items (7 April), and wild gardening club (8 April). 5-21 April
CREATE A MURAL: The Postal Museum in Clerkenwell always has good holiday activities for kids. This Easter, they're running mural-making workshops, inspired by the vibrant murals of the Caribbean (as well as those in Camden). The activity ties in with the museum's new exhibition Voices of Resistance: Slavery and Post in the Caribbean. Murals created in the workshops will come together to form a temporary collective mural that will symbolise the role of the individual within the wider community, and celebrate the power of murals to express creativity. It's in the Mail Rail side of the museum, and is a drop-in activity included in ticket price. 7-13 April
MUDLARKING EVENTS: Tying in with the Secrets of the Thames exhibition which opens in early April, London Museum Docklands runs a programme of free family events themed on mudlarking. No need to get muddy yourself though — events take place in the museum and include a chance to hear from a Victorian mudlark about their find on the Thames foreshore, and a make your own clay coin workshop. Note that there's a charge to visit the exhibition itself. FREE, 8-17 April
DOODLE DAY: Inspired by the current Tim Burton exhibition (which has been extended until May) the Design Museum hosts a Doodle Day for all ages. Take part in a range of drawing activities throughout the museum, inspired by Burton's work. 11 April
MESSY SCIENCE: Kids good at making a mess? You may or may not want to take them to Messy Science at the Royal Institution, where the presenters show them how to take their mess-making to the next level. Expect fire, gunge and explosions... They may even learn a bit of science too. Aimed at under-12s and their families. 11 April
NOW PLAY THIS: Annual games festival Now Play This is back at Somerset House, this year with a theme of Folk Games. Child-friendly activities include an interactive dance performance for all ages, make-your-own-game workshops, and a trail to play around Somerset House. 11-12 April
GRAND JUNCTION TOUR: Aimed at 6-12 year olds and their families, Grand Junction in Paddington offers an interactive tour of its 151-year-old building. Learn about some of the statues within the church building, and use binoculars and magnifying glasses to get a closer look at the details. 12 April
GORGEOUS GEORGIANS: Osterley Park and House has a Gorgeous Georgians trail, in collaboration with Horrible Histories. Wander through the house, garden and parkland, taking part in 10 activities which are both fun and educational, offering an insight into how the Georgians lived. Until 31 August
Family-friendly exhibitions in the Easter holidays
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY: Older kids and teenagers — especially those who love animals or are handy with a camera — might enjoy Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. It's one of our annual favourites, and this year more than 100 stunning snaps are on show from all over the world. Until 29 June
MAKING EGYPT: The Young V&A's second major exhibition is Making Egypt, telling the story of the north African country from Ancient Egypt to the modern day. Objects on display range from a 3,000-year-old wooden funerary boat to a Lego model of the Great Pyramids of Giza. Naturally, given its location, it's child-friendly. Until 2 November
THE ROBOT ZOO: A robotic rhino, a squid with 18-foot tentacles and a huge housefly with a vacuum cleaner for a mouth are among the oversized, mechanical animals on display at Horniman Museum's Robot Zoo. The animals are made from familiar machine parts and gadgets, to show how animals are adapted to live their lives, such as how a chameleon changes colour, what makes grasshoppers leap so high, and why a platypus looks so strange. Until 2 November
Family-friendly theatre shows in the Easter holidays
MUSICALS: A few of London's long-running musicals are great for family theatre trips, including The Lion King and Matilda. Older kids and teenagers might enjoy Mamma Mia!, Wicked, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
EASTER PANTO: As is traditional, Fairfield Halls in Croydon hosts an Easter panto for one day only. Bobby Davro and Katie Price star in a family-friendly rendition of Pinocchio. 15 April
THE LION INSIDE: One of Southbank Centre's Easter holiday events is The Lion Inside, based on the children's book of the same name and using puppetry, music and song to tell a story of confidence and self esteem. Age 3+. 16-20 April
SWAN LAKE: English National Ballet and English National Ballet School offer performances of My First Ballet: Swan Lake, at the Peacock Theatre. It's a reimagined version of the famous ballet created especially for children (age three+), shortened to an hour in length, with a narrator to help you follow the story. 16-27 April
DINOSAUR ADVENTURE LIVE: The Big Jurassic Storm is the new production by Dinosaur Adventure Live, bringing giant dinosaur puppets and models to life on stage at Fairfield Halls. Join a mission to find a hidden code, reboot a satellite and save the dinosaurs from a huge storm. 19 April
ARTSDEPOT: The wonderful Artsdepot in North Finchley offers an impressive programme of family-friendly theatre all year round, but particularly during school holidays. This Easter, offerings include The Baddies (4-6 April) which is a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler book; and Farm Boy (16 April), Michael Morpurgo's sequel to War Horse.
Free things to do in London in the Easter holidays
THE BIG EGG HUNT: 100 giant decorated eggs have been dotted around London for the Big Egg Hunt. Located as far apart as Canary Wharf, the City, the Royal Albert Hall and Battersea Power Station, the giant hunt is free, with eggs designed by artists including Mr Doodle, Rana Begum, Sophie Tea and The Royal Drawing School to look out for. Download the free app to tick them off as you go. FREE, 24 March-27 April
EXPLORING SPACE: The Easter holidays are your last chance to see the entirety of the Exploring Space gallery at Science Museum. From 22 April, the gallery will be partly closed (and completely closed from June) to make way for a new space-themed display opening later this year. Objects on display — which are likely to get a 'cooool!' from even the most skeptical of little ones — include the descent module that carried astronauts Tim Peake, Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra back from the International Space Station. Note that the museum gets very busy in school holidays so it's worth booking a free entry ticket in advance. FREE, until 22 April
SCIENCE OF SURGERY: Meet scientists developing surgical technology and take part in family-friendly hands-on demonstrations at The Science of Surgery open day at UCL Hawkes Institute. Have a go at controlling a surgical robot, take tours of some of the labs and chat to the scientists. FREE, 11 April
EASTER EGG HUNT: Merchant Square in Paddington hosts a free Easter egg hunt and day of activities for 4-12 year olds. Collect a map and look out for special signs to help you find chocolate prizes. FREE, 11 April
THE PASSION OF JESUS: One of London's annual traditions is the Wintershall Players' free open-air performance of The Passion Of Jesus, taking place in Trafalgar Square on Good Friday. It tells the story of the last few days of Jesus's life and it's very popular — thousands of people usually turn up to watch so it's well worth getting there early for good view. It features a crucifixion scene, so may not be suitable for younger kids. We chatted with the guy who plays Jesus back in 2019 — though a new actor has now taken on the role. There are two performances on the day. FREE, 18 April
JHAM!: Head to Southbank Centre on Easter Saturday for Jham!, a free Indian dance performance and workshop for all ages. A beatboxer, a saxophonist and a traditional Karnatik vocalist perform alongside four Kathak and Bharatanatyam dancers, followed by a dance and beatbox workshop. FREE, 19 April
PLAYGROUNDS: If the weather's playing nice, few things bring a smile to children's faces like a playground — and they're usually free, so it's a win for parents and carers too. Check out our map of playgrounds in central London — there are more than you might think, and many are located handily near tourist attractions so you can burn off excess energy on a day out.
FILM STATUES: If you find yourself in central London, and need something free to entertain the family, head to Leicester Square and let them hunt out these bronze sculptures of film stars. Sure, you might have to explain Gene Kelly or Laurel and Hardy to younger members of the family, but Paddington, Bugs Bunny and Mary Poppins will surely charm them.
MUSEUMS: Plenty of London's museums are free entry all year round, and while you may have to pay for temporary exhibitions, there's generally plenty to entertain all ages in the permanent collections. Try Science Museum for aeroplanes and space, Natural History Museum for animals, and London Museum Docklands for the Mudlarks interactive gallery.
FREE MAZE: Ever been to the Brent Lodge Park Millennium Maze? The labyrinth is constructed of 2,000 yew trees, has been around for more than two decades, and is free to visit. It's a 10-minute walk from Hanwell station on the Elizabeth line, and there's a free playground, plus Hanwell Zoo (small entry fee) right next door.
Family-friendly activities in London in the Easter holidays
SWIMMING: A kiddie favourite, London has plenty of options for swimming, whatever the weather. From an Olympic venue to local leisure centres, these are some of London's best indoor pools (we also have our pick of London's outdoor pools and lidos — but maybe save that one for the summer holidays, eh?)
ICE SKATING: Forget waiting until Christmas — London has year-round ice skating rinks, including one slap bang in the middle of the Central line.
DAY TRIPS: Fancy getting out of London for a day or two? Take a gander at our Beyond London section for inspiration. Particularly child-friendly is a visit to the real-life Hundred Acre Wood, as featured in AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh books. Wellington Country Park is also an excellent bet for energetic kids. Otherwise, wear them out by sending them searching for the dozens of frogs hidden down this back street, or the entire solar system within sight of the M25.
AUTISTIC KIDS: Looking for things to do over the school holidays with autistic children? Check out our guide, which includes museums, theatres, sensory rooms and more.
TEENAGERS: Older kids and teenagers can be trickier to entertain, but have a read of our things to do in London with teenagers, covering everything from museums and exhibitions to shopping trips, a little-known neon art gallery, street art, and more adventurous days out.
DAY TRIPS: If your plan for Easter in London is to flee the capital for a bit, we've got a whole section dedicated to day trips and weekends away from the capital, with plenty of ideas. Particularly popular with children are Wellington Country Park, a trip to the real Hundred Acre Wood from Winnie the Pooh, and you can't go wrong with a castle... or two.
