As far as school holidays go, spring really delivers and there are always lots of May half term activities in London to enjoy.
Plus, the weather is usually warm, the days are long and London’s splash parks turn on their taps, bringing plenty of free fun for kids.
This year, the May half-term runs from Monday 26 May to Friday 30 May for most schools in London.
If you’re looking for the best things to do in London for the May half term then get your diaries out, it’s going to be a busy week!
Our Highlights for the May half term in London
Table of Contents
The following are some of our favourite things going on during the month of May in London.
- The opening of the V&A East Museum, a unique museum experience filled with over half a million works from every discipline
- Stepping into the world of dinosaurs at Jurassic World at Battersea Power Station
- The annual Chelsea in Bloom display when creative floral displays take over the streets. This year’s theme is Flowers in Fashion.
- See an exact replica of the Moomin’s iconic round blue house being built outside the Southbank Centre.
- Look inside the Kew Garden’s enormous Lucombe oak tree with a giant outdoor digital double.
- Create your own acoustic adventures using props, image boards and soundtracks with Popcorn!
- Sail the River Thames on board the Terrible Thames put together by the gang behind Horrible Histories.
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The best May half term activities in London
There’s lots going on over the upcoming half term holiday and the city is typically busy – make sure to book tickets to the city’s most popular attractions in advance if visiting this week. These include the London Eye, Sea Life London Aquarium and Madame Tussauds.
Exhibitions & Experiences in London
There are always great exhibitions to enjoy in London, these are our top picks for May half term 2025.
V&A East Museum and Storehouse
Opening this month is the V&A East Storehouse and Museum, two free cultural destinations created in partnership with young people, that will bring the V&A collection and archive to life. This unique museum experience houses over half a million works from every discipline – everything from Elton John’s costumes to Roman frescoes and the Glastonbury Festival archive.
The V&A East Storehouse will open on 31 May in the East Bank, the new cultural quarter in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Jurassic World at Neon at Battersea Power Station
Opening on 23 May at Battersea Power Station is this immersive journey into the world of dinosaurs with life-size dinosaurs on display including a velociraptors, a brachiosaurus, the terrifying Tyrannosaurus rex and some cute-looking baby dinosaurs too.
Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth? at the Natural History Museum
One of many temporary exhibitions opening in London this month is Space from the NHM, that transports visitors out-of-this-world to discover in life exists beyond planet earth. Go back in time on mars, dive under the surface of icy moons, take a photo with the Allende meteorite (which is a mind-boggling 4.567 billion years old) and more.
Space opens on 16 May and runs until 22 February 2026. Paid.
Splash! at the Design Museum
Celebrate the a Century of Swimming and Style at the Design Museum’s latest exhibition. Splash! explores swimming pools, lidos and nature and examines how design influences our experiences of swimming in each.
The exhibition opened in March and runs until 17 August and, if you’re feeling inspired post-museum visit, then here’s a selection of the best swimming pools and lidos in London to enjoy. Paid.
Do Ho Suh: Walk the House at Tate Modern
South Korean artists Do Ho Suh explores themes of home, migration and global displacement in his new exhibition ‘Walk the House’ that opened on 1 May at the Tate Modern. While the subject matter may sounds heavy, it’s a fun exhibition to explore with kids, particularly the large, brightly coloured life-sized replicas of his homes, past and present, in Seoul, New York and London.
Walk the House runs until 19 October. Paid.
Of the Oak: Marshmallow Laser Feast at Kew Gardens
Have you ever wondered what the inside of a tree looks like? Well, this May half term you can when you visit Kew Gardens where experiential art collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast, have created a ‘digital double’ of Kew’s enormous Lucombe oak tree. The giant, outdoor screen, allows visitors to see how water and oxygen flow through the tree’s roots and branches and – thanks to some very clever technical wizardry and a QR code – you can synchronise your breathing with the rhythms of the oak.
Of the Oak runs until 28 September. Included in admission price.
Chelsea in Bloom
Fun for the whole family is the annual Chelsea in Bloom display that takes place along the Chelsea streets. This year’s theme is Flowers in Fashion and the colourful trail promises the usual mix of clever floral displays outside shops and in Sloane Square.
Chelsea in Bloom opens on 19 May and runs until 25 May. Belgravia in Bloom also opens on 19 May and runs until 26 May. Also taking place this month from the 20th to 24th is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Story Explorers: A Journey Through Through Imaginary Worlds at The British Library
Designed for children aged 2 – 9, Story Explorers is a free exhibition that invites families to explore three different imaginary worlds created with items from the library. See alien zines when you step into space, explore an alphabet of animals deep in the jungle and meet a giant furry octopus when you dive under the ocean.
Time slots must be booked in advance and visitor numbers will be capped at 30 per slot hour and a half slot.
Pirates at The National Maritime Museum
Although this exhibition is geared slightly towards older kids, it’s still a fun one for families to discover. The show traces the history of pirates and explores behind the swash-buckling curtain that we see depicted in books and on screen.
Pirates runs until 4 January 2026. Paid.
Radical Honesty at the Moco Museum
You can see Robbie Williams’ first art exhibition on display at the Moco Museum over May half term. On display are never-before-seen works and sculptures that are witty, fun, self-deprecating and introspective.
Half the Air in a Given Space presented by the Camden Arts Project
Launching in the former Zabludowicz Collection space is this exhibition by artist Martin Creed. Half the exhibition will include an immersive installation – a huge interactive sea of balloons – and the other half features a large neon sign on the building’s exterior, promising that Everything is Going to be be Alright.
The exhibition opens on 8 May and runs until 19 June. Free.
Popcorn! at the Whitechapel Gallery
This promises to be a brilliant exhibition for visitors of all ages – including young ones. Popcorn! by artist Jenny Pengilly, invites audiences into an imaginative world where you can create your own acoustic adventures using props, image boards and soundtracks
Popcorn! runs from 15 May to 21 September. Free entry.
The Minecraft Experience
Channel your inner hero at the Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue, an immersive exhibition that has been extended to 31 August owing to popular demand.
See if you have the skills needed to collect the resources for the potion that will save Minecraft villagers who have been turned into zombies as you make your way through seven different rooms and eventually build your escape route out of the portal.
Get your tickets here. Paid
Squid Game
Arriving at Excel the tail end of half term (but running until 29 September) is Squid Game: The Experience. See you have what it takes to take part in Squid Game as you play five of the show’s most merciless games including Red Light Green Light, Memory Steps and Marbles.
Get your tickets here. Paid
Visit Whale on the Wharf
The latest addition to the permanent collection of art in Canary Wharf is Whale on the Wharf, an extraordinary whale leaping from dock at Water Street in Wood Wharf. Created using 5 tonnes of plastic waste pulled from the ocean, the mighty whale is a stark reminder of the million of tonnes of plastic in our oceans.
The Robot Zoo at the Horniman Museum
Larger-than-life animals have taken over the Horniman Museum for the museum’s new exhibition, The Robot Zoo.
Learn why grasshoppers leap so high, how bats see at night and how chameleons change colour in this fun-filled exhibit for kids. Don’t miss the specially commissioned interactive murals and the interactive experience that allows you to shoot a chameleon’s ‘tongue-gun’.
The Robot Zoo exhibition runs until 2 November.
Events and Activities
Feeding Time at the Zoo at ZSL London Zoo
Head to ZSL London Zoo this May half term and learn all there is to know about animals’ favourite foods. This half-term themed event includes lots of fun things to do such as interactive foodie games and stories, animal themed kitchens and a Teddy Bear’s Picnic.
Feeding Time at the Zoo runs from 24 May – 1 June. Included in Zoo entry.
Half Term activities at the Royal Mews
There are fun arts and crafts activities taking place at the Royal Mews in central London this May half term. Dress up as a coachman, try tacking up the resident wooden pony and have your photograph taken sitting inside a carriage in the State Stables.
Activities take place on 24 May, 25 May and 1 June between 10.30am and 3pm. Included in admission.
Time Travellers in Hyde Park
Travel back through time through The Royal Park’s history with fun drop-in events taking place between 27 and 29 May. Activities include creating a plant print using a mallet, designing a park of the future, trying to master calligraphy and meeting Queen Victoria.
Activities take place between 11am and 3pm. Time Travellers is a free, drop-in event but it’s worth registering your interest in advance.
The Poet’s Predicament at The Tower of London
The famous poet Geoffrey Chaucer (author of English Literature A level favourite, The Canterbury Tales among other texts, once worked at the Tower of London as Clerk of the King’s Works. He may have died in October 1400 but he’s back at the Tower for the Easter holidays, trying to balance the demands of the clerk’s job with his writing.
Look out for Chaucer as he goes about his working life at the Tower, trying not to be interrupted by four medieval characters who keep popping up, wanting to tell him their stories.
The Poet’s Predicament live performance takes place daily from 10.30am to 4pm until 29 June 2025 and is included in palace admission. It’s worth getting to the tower early to see the Crown Jewels before enjoying the Poet’s Predicament.
Tower Remembers 2025
Returning to the Tower of London is a new special commemorative display to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Nearly 30,000 of the original ceramic poppies that were created for the 2014 installation have returned to the Tower. It’s a striking, and highly moving, exhibit.
The poppies will be on display until 11 November. Included in palace admission.
Beyond Victory Family Activity: Spread your wings at Westminster Abbey
Taking place on Saturday 31 May is this gentle session of bird crafts, trails and stories held at Chapter House in Westminster Abbey. Join storyteller and author, Margaret Bateson-Hill, to get crafty as you help create one thousand origami cranes. This drop-in event is themed around ideas of peace through the symbol of birds and takes place at 10.30am, 11.30am and 12.30pm.
Beyond Victory is aimed at children aged 3+
Animal Robotics at the Horniman Museum
Inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, The Robot Zoo, the Horniman is hosting a day of fun and creative sessions that will bring since to life through hand-son exploration and real-world applications.
Animal Robotics takes place on 27 May at 10am, 11.15am, 1.15pm and 2.30pm. Paid.
May half term at the Queen’s House
There are some half-term activities taking place at the Queen’s House this half term. Collage your own tea set wen you learn the hidden histories of herbs and market women in Magic Brews & Market Stories, join Inspector Canvass and discover hidden clues in paintings in Character Encounters, make your own plastic picture frame for the portraits in the Queen’s House in Personalised Portraits, and create your own island diorama in Island Adventurers.
Activities take place from 25 May – 1 June. Free
Moomins at the Southbank Centre
To celebrate the Moomins’ 80th birthday, the not-for-profit CIC promoting the adventure playground movement Woodland Tribe is building a replica of the Moomin’s round, blue house on the Southbank Centre’s Riverside Terrace.
Families are invited to help out by sawing wood and hammering nails from 27 May to 1 June (you will need to book a ticket for the centre’s Play, Make, Dream sessions). The build will be open to the public from 2pm to 5pm daily if you just fancy noseying around.
More Moomin-themed activities are taking place over the half term as part of the South bank Centre’s Spring Family Fun programme, take a look at the website for details.
The Terrible Thames is back
Enjoy tales of treason, pirates, revolutions and more as you sail along the River Thames on the Horrible Histories boat tour. The Terrible Thames is always great fun for families and is back for the May half term. Book your tickets now.
Family activities at the V&A
The Victoria & Albert Museum is hosting a number of fun creative activities over the May half-term break.
Options include Digital Kids: Create Stories with Clay that invites children dive into stop-motion animation, storytelling and hand-building; Drop-in Designs & Performance: celebrate nature through puppetry and movement, build soft sculptures, make mosaics and more; and the Spring Family Festival: create, dream, make and boogie at the museum’s free day of fun on 21 May.
Family fun at the National Maritime Museum
A range of events are taking place at the National Maritime Museum this May half term.
Craft your own maritime poem inspired by the story of trailblazing West African poset Phillis Wheatley; create mythical sea masks inspired by different cultures from around the world; get creative with maps inspired by renowned cartographer Jodocus Honidus; and meet characters connected to maritime history roaming through the museum.
These are all free, drop-in events that take place from 24 May – 1 June between 11am – 4pm. Different events take place on different days.
Fun & Games at Eltham Palace and Gardens
Play a game of giant jenga, test your skills on the balance board and see if you can outwit your opponents in a game of giant connect 4 this May half term at Eltham Palace and Gardens.
24 May – 1 June: Paid. Book online and save 15%
Family Workshops at The Globe Theatre
Have family fun with a Midsummer Night’s Dream-themed family workshop. Aimed at children aged 9 – 11, this fun workshop brings Shakespeare’s magical comedy to life with games and activities. Or, you can experience Romeo and Juliet, the most famous love story of all time in an engaging and accessible way, in a family storytelling session for children aged 5 – 12 years.
Several sessions take place at the Globe Theatre each day between 25 – 31 May. Paid
Design Camps at the Design Museum
The Design Museum’s popular Design Camps are back this May half term in London with a handful of workshops inspired by their current exhibition, Splash!. Analogue Graphic Design introduces kids to the basics of graphic design using paper and hand printing techniques to create unique posters and Waterpark Architecture explores the design of leisure pools with young people invited to create their own waterpark through drawing, collage and scale models.
Workshops are aimed at 8 to 11 year olds and 11 to 14 year olds. These camps sell out quickly so it’s worth booking in advance.
Family fun at the Cutty Sark
Set sail on board the Cutty Sark this May half term for fun on the high seas. Meet some of the characters who once lived and worked on board the ship and hear stories about their life at sea.
You can also take part in a series of workshops, designing your own postcard inspired by those sent home by the apprentices on board the Cutty Sark, making a treasure map to show where Captain Woodcut’s mischievous pet monkey explore and learning how to finger weave, inspired by the ship’s speedy 730day journey taking wool from Australia.
Activities take place on select dates from 24 May – 2 June and are free with entry to the ship. See more details here.
Gold Reflections at The National Gallery
A number of fun family activities are taking place in the Roden Centre for Creative Learning at the National Gallery this May half term. Inspired by the use of gold in 14th-century Italy, the workshops will be led by artist Sadegh (Sepanta) Aleahmad and promise lots of creative fun.
Check the website for details.
At London’s Service at the London Transport Museum
Explore the role of London’s transport during the Second World War and how it kept the city moving with family activities at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. Running all day every day from 24 May to 1 June, these drop-in activities will take place around the museum.
Take an imaginary trip underground and learn about the secret operations that kept London moving, add to the ever-expanding line of bunting that will decorate the Museum for the anniversary of VE Day, join in a singing and storytelling session about the ‘Bun Specials’, and learn about the different jobs women did during World War II to keep the capital moving.
Included in museum admission.
Family Workshops at the Old Operating Theatre
One of our favourite and unusual museums in London with kids is hosting a handful of free family workshops over the May half term.
Inspired by the human skeleton, the first two Stick Skeletons Craft workshops at the Old Operating Theatre include creating skeleton-based crafts and on the 28 May, there is a volunteer-led session looking at what can be learnt from the museum’s skeletal teaching collection
- 26 May: SEND session 11am – 1pm and 2.30pm – 4.30pm
- 27 May: open to all session 10.30am – 12.30pm
- 28 May: open to all (studying skeletons workshop) 10:30am – 12.30pm, 2pm – 4pm
Rain or Shine at the Museum of Brands
Kids go free over May half term at the fascinating Museum of Brands AND there are some fun Rain or Shine activities taking place. Kids are invited to draw their favourite rainy day and sunny day activities as they take a walk through the one-of-a-kind Time Tunnel.
Kids go free from 23 May – 31 May with a paying visitor. Use the code KIDSGOFREE when buying your ticket.
Discovering Ancient India: living traditions at The British Museum
Enjoy free, fun family activities inspired by the museum’s Ancient India: living traditions exhibition. The two day event, held on 29 May and 30 May, will include a number of activities including painting with Indian woodblocks, making a fabric collage using traditional Saree fabrics and getting hands-on with objects with the British Museum’s volunteer team.
The event is free to drop into any time between 11am and 4.30pm. Activities are non-ticketed but places are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mini Creators; Stitching Stories, Weaving Voices at The Postal Museum
This May half term, The Postal Museum is running a series of drop in activities inspired by their new exhibition, Voices of Resistance: Slavery and Post in the Caribbean. Children are invited to learn weaving techniques and, in doing so, understand how art helps people express their creativity. Each piece created over the half term will be added to a larger artwork, showing how creativity and community go hand in hand.
Mini Creators takes place from 26 May to 31 May between 10am and 4pm. Included in admission.
Family Activities at the Chelsea Physic Garden
The Chelsea Physic Garden always run fun family events and this May half term holiday is no exception. Choose from a range of hands-on activities to keep younger children entertained.
Take part in a family chocolate workshop, meet some friendly bugs and bees, get painting with plants, learn how to make soap, discover the gardens’ pond life and more.
The activities take place on various dates over half term, check website for details and book your tickets in advance.
Lloyd of the Flies, Wetland Bug Hunt at the London Wetland Centre
Help Lloyd and his tour guide Dart the dragonfly find Lloyd’s friends and family, and make their way to the bug hotel this Easter at the London Wetland Centre.
Strike a yoga pose like Cornea the Butterfly, ‘bee’ the best dancer like Yard the Bee and form your own ant conga like Queen Libby the Ant.
Families can also ‘shrink down’ to fly size and see the world through an insect’s eyes, by downloading Aardman’s augmented reality app: Lloyd of the Flies AR Bug Hunt.
Participating in the Lloyd of the Flies Wetland Bug Hunt is included in the price of a WWT admission ticket or is free to WWT members. Lloyd of the Flies runs until 1 June.
Family Activities at the London Museum Docklands
The museum is hosting a series of drop in events over the school holidays. You can transform rubbish into works of art, make monster puppets, go litter picking on the Thames foreshore, enjoy storytelling and crafting with JoJo & Gran Gran author Laura Henry-Allain and much more.
Activities take place from 27 May to 30 May. Free
Thames Wildlife at Tower Bridge
Head to Tower Bridge on 27 May and learn more about the secret life of the Thames River. It might not look like much lives in London’s famous river but whales, sharks, sea horses and seals have all been spotted in the Thames! Be inspired by life in the river and create a wildlife design on your very own pebble that you can take home at the end of the day.
This drop in activity is included in admission.
Festivals
The Big Bahooey at Hampton Court Palace
If you’ve ever felt like running away and joining the circus then here is your chance! Taking place from 24 to 26 May in Hampton Court Palace, the Big Bahooey promises a fun family day out, jam-packed with juggling, plate spinning and wire walking alongside a silly silent disco, a fun singalong, a cardboard workshop and much more.
The Big Bahooey takes place 24 May to 26 May and is included in admission price.
Brockwell Bounce
Head south of the river to the neighbourhood of Brockwell for its annual day of live music, entertainment, workshops, arts and crafts, street food, funfair rides and so much more.
The free Brockwell Bounce takes place on 28 May.
Shows & Plays
Shucked at Regent’s Park Open-Air Theatre
The Tony Award-winning musical comedy Shucked will be playing at this theatre in the park for five weeks only, including over May half term. It’s a very funny show with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as the residents of Cob County try and work out why the corn that protects their small community has started to die.
Recommended for children aged 8+
The Unicorn Theatre
There are two wonderful shows being staged at the Unicorn Theatre over the May half term that are perfect for younger children.
The Koala Who Could runs from 20 May to 1 June and brings the wonderful tale by Rachel Bright and Jim Field of the scared Koala who doesn’t want to leave his tree to life.
Ready Steady Go! Is a fun, craft-based theatre experience that will have all audience members colouring and creating together to build their own cardboard car. Expect tricky road works, slippery roads and a bubbly car wash while learning about road safety.
The Little Angel Theatre
There’s lots to choose from at the Little Angel Theatre this month including The Paper Dolls for children aged 3 to 8, Krafty the Urban Fox: Tales from the Tower Block for children aged 2 to 5, and Overheard in a Tower Block for children aged 7+. Check the website for exact dates and timings
The Vanishing Forest at the Polka Theatre
Using spells, puppetry and mystical flowers, The Vanishing Forest imagines what happens after Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ has finished. Written with the aim of inspiring and educating children on the issue of deforestation, the family-friendly show by the English Touring Opera is aimed at children aged 7 to 11.
The Arts Depot
There are two great shows playing at the Arts Depot in north London this May half term. Follow the enchanting world of the much-loved colourful patchwork elephant with The Elmer Adventure or soar into space with the Olivier Award-nominated adaptation of The Smeds and The Smoos by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
