The best Christmas activities for kids in London

What is it? Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar, with a humongous light trail taking over the 300-acre botanic garden. See the space lit up with larger-than-life illuminations, with both the venue’s glass houses and the trees that cover its grounds drenched in different hues.

Why go? Not so much a Christmas light trail as the Chrsitmas light trail, the whole thing is stunning, but don’t miss the lake, where you’ll catch reflections of the vibrant bulbs dancing on the water, taking the magical feeling to another level.  Keep yourself toasty along the way with warming winter snacks and make sure you pop by the grotto to say hi to Father Christmas himself.

What is it? Each year, Hyde Park gets transformed from pretty park to Winter Wonderland. The annual favourite returns in 2024 for its seventeenth year, bringing a sleigh-load of festive fun with it.

Why go? Yes it’s loud, yes it’s garish, yes, you’re going to spend a load of money there – for children there is literally no downside to Winter Wonderland. As you make your way around the space, you’ll find fairground rides, an ice rink, a child-friendly Santa Land (including Santa’s Grotto, where presents may be waiting) and traditional Christmas markets.

What is it? Although there is of course only one Santa, London has dozens of Christmas grottos, all of which have the one Santa in, because of Christmas magic. 

Why go? To delight your child with an encounter with St Nick, who will be too busy on Christmas Eve to say ‘hi’. The odds are you’ll choose your grotto for quite pragmatic reasons: click the headline for a few of our favourites.

Time Out tip: A new grotto worth a look is the Gingerbread Grotto at the hip Woolwich Works. It’s reasonably priced, there’s no attempt to sting you for photos with Santa, and kids can take their gingerbread gift to a delicious decorating station afterwards. 

What is it? Each winter, London fills up with pop-up rinks, from the legendary Somerset House to the newer Glide at Battersea Power Station.

Why go? Is there anything more wonderfully wintry than wrapping up warm, pulling on some ice skates and gliding around a frosty slab of ice with your loved ones? While London’s ice rinks are defintely adult orientated later at night, they’re a frozen treat for kids during the day – grab one of those cute penguin skate aids and get swooping.

Time Out tip: You can drop an awful lot of money on a rink – and may well be happy to – but the centrally located Queens Skate Dine Bowl in Bayswater is worth a look, being both London’s oldest rink (it’s been around since the ’30s) and one of its cheapest, with tickets starting at just £8 and topping off at £13.75 if you pre-book. 

At all, you’ll find festive vibes ramped up to the max, especially come December – and a lot of fellow Londoners vying for a spot on the ice. Book in advance to guarantee you can show off your best ice moves (or your ability to stay upright, at the very least). Here are some of the best rinks to soar across this winter.

RECOMMENDED: our ultimate guide to Christmas in London.

What is it? You could send yourself mad trying to literally explain what a pantomime is to somebody who genuinely didn’t know. But these raucous family-friendly theatre retellings of classic fairytales are about as British as seasonal entertainment gets.

Why go? London is the pantomime capital of the world and there are brilliant shows for all tastes, from the glitzy celebrities of the Palladium to the hip Lyric Hammersmith offering, to adult pantomimes that we don’t need to talk about here. 

Time Out tip: The Hackney Empire’s panto has long been the gold standard for basically the entire genre, and it would not be unreasonable to suggest Clive Rowe is the greatest pantomime dame in history – it’s well worth a trip out east.

What is it? Jack Thorne’s raucous Old Vic take on Charles Dickens’s beloved seasonal ghost story has run every year at the storied theatre since 2017 – even in 2020. It returns for probably the final time in 2024 with John Simm as redeemable miser Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Why go? It’s a boisterous classic of contemporary theatre and a seasonal must see for kids aged eight and over. It’s also probably the last time we’ll see it as the show’s director Matthew Warchus is stepping down as Old Vic artistic director next autumn.

What is it? The Natural History Museum’s delightful exhibition dedicated to the eccentricities of all things avian will conclude its run at the end of the Christmas hols.

Why go? It’s a beautifully put together journey through the story of our avian pals that mixes slick techy stuff with a thoughtful delve into the museum’s vast taxidermy vaults, plus some judicious dinosaur stuff for the youngsters. As with all the NHM’s temporary exhibits, it’s slick and modern and very different to the creaky permanent exhibitions. 

What is it? The Science Museum’s big new temproary exhibition is an exploration of the scientific wonders and invention that occurred in the Sun King’s palace during the seventeeth and eighteenth century.

Why go? Okay, it’s about as Christmassy as Easter, but if you’re casting around for something worthwhile to do this holiday then this should be a fun rummage through a bygone world of scientific curiousity. It’s clearly going to be of interest to slightly older kids, though it is free to under-elevens.

What is it? The National Theatre’s big family Christmas show is the first ever major stage adaptation of Noel Streatfeild’s classic 1936 children’s novel. ‘Ballet Shoes’ follows a trio of adopted sisters raised in the home of an absent-minded palentologist who turn to ballet to make a living when their adopted father fails to return from an expedition.

Why go? Adapted by rising star Australian playwright Kendall Feaver and directed by Katy Rudd – who did the honours with the NT’s smash ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ – it promises to be a spectacular family show.

What is it? The world’s biggest LEGO store has always been more fun than your average shop – this Christmas it gets a special activity-filled storytelling zone set in Santa’s post office, and running until New Year’s Day. 

Why go? Okay, the sutext is always going to be ‘because they want to sell plastic bricks’, but the great thing about initiatives like this is that it turns plastic brick buying into a fun half day out – or, of course, just browse the bricks, enjoy the storytelling zone, and have a great day.

What is it? Although ZSL’s thousands of non-human inhabitants don’t tend to celebrate Christmas, the zoo itself takes on a fun festive theme for the month before the big day. Eco-themed crafts play a big part, as does the opportunity to meet the big guy himself (that's Santa, not a gorilla)

Why go? Choosing just which grotto in London to meet Santa in can be hard, but London Zoo might just have the edge. An audience with the man in red will cost extra, but the zoo’s other seasonal attractions – including a giant animal advent calendar, Christmas-themed animal talks and marshmallow toasting– will be open through to January.

What is it? London Transport Museum’s Santa enclosure is less of a grotto and more of a vintage bus-inspired sleigh.

Why go? It’s a Claus encounter like no other – the interactive vehicle takes its cues from a classic Routemaster and the kids will have great fun climbing aboard, flashing its headlights and ringing its bells. Once they’re ready to hop off, Santa will be on hand with special presents, festive story screenings, Christmas crafts and a family trail to make a full day of things.

What is it? Birmingham Rep’s ballet spin-off of Raymond Briggs’ dreamy Christmas classic is back in London for its twenty-sixth year.

Why go? It’s a little creakier than the timeless animation, but once the boy and his snowman pal get flying you see why the stage version remains a classic in its own right, and still inspires rapture in the two-to-eight-year-old target audience and nostalgic sniffles in their middle-aged parents.

What is it? Get yourself feeling ridiculously festive with an evening of carols inside Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece, aka St Paul’s Cathedral. The legendary London landmark hosts a series of mostly free and unticketed carol concerts each year, alongside a couple of ticketed charity gigs raising money for charity.

Why go? If carolling’s your bag then go big or go home and. it simply does not get bigger than St Paul’s. The big events to look out for are A Celebration of Christmas (Dec 12) and the Christmas Carol Service (Dec 23 and 24). The concerts are always hugely popular, so get down there early and be prepared to queue. Start practising your high notes now. You can find full information here. 

Be your own festive hero at this immersive, interactive show that transports you into the middle of a wintry fairytale. Attendees are tasked with helping Bella find the Fairytale Alliance, rescue Father Christmas from the Snow Queen and save Christmas. Along the way, you’ll meet various characters in the fantasy land that’s taken over the Grade II listed Kingswood House and its labyrinth of rooms, as well as learn about the traditions and inspirations behind ‘Once Upon A Kingswood Christmas’’ new fairytale.