Things to do in London this weekend

February half-term is here again – oh joy. The coldest and wettest of school holidays, it’s not that promising on paper, but London always rises to the challenge magnificently – of all the half-terms, this is the one that boasts the large number of things for kids to do indoors, with the mighty Imagine Festival at the Southbank Centre probably the biggest annual event in the London kids’ calendar, and plenty more on besides, from a Robot Zoo at the Horniman to the new Ancient Egypt exhibition at the Young V&A. Here are my top suggestions for the half-term.

In his far too short career, Donald Rodney (1961-1998) created an incredibly varied body of work, using a huge breadth of mediums to confront the prejudices that course through British society. The works here tackle themes of racial identity, chronic illness and colonial history, and are a fascinating window into the issues that mattered in 1990s Britain, and still resonate today.

‘Fourquels’ are usually where film franchises start to flirt with rock bottom, so it’s a joy to report that Mad About the Boy is comfortably the best Bridget Jones outing since Bridget Jones’s Diary. For Renée Zellweger’s still klutzy but now wiser Bridge, living in cosy Hampstead, the singleton Borough era is a distant memory. Ciggies and Chardonnay have been dispensed with replaced with a big dose of lingering grief for lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). It says everything for the script (co-written by Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer and Abi Morgan) that even Daniel Cleaver, now entering his own Jurassic era and a bit sad about it, gets an affecting arc here. The plot will surprise no one, but it barely matters – this is Bridget’s journey of rediscovery.

In Coral Wylie’s nature-driven debut Pip – also played by Wylie – is a non-binary 19-year-old trying to make sense of themselves and their world. To do this, they keep a diary. Pip’s parents prefer to keep their worries as ungerminated seeds. Twenty years ago, Pip’s father lost his best friend Duncan to AIDS and has tried his best to bury Duncan’s existence. Pip discovers one of Duncan’s old jackets with an old diary stuffed inside the pocket. Almost immediately they feel an affinity with their parents’ old friend. The past starts to overflow like running water. It’s beautiful and touching – a play that shows the wonder of friendship. 

The BFI’s annual festival for aspiring filmmakers aged 16 to 25 returns with a packed programme of talks, discussions, keynotes and workshops aimed at connecting young film enthusiasts with industry professionals, peers and potential collaborators. Like last year’s edition, the programme for 2025’s festival will follow a hybrid format, offering traditional live screenings at the BFI Southbank and partnered cinemas around the UK, as well as a selection of films that young cinephiles can watch for free via the BFI YouTube channel.

Whether you’re an avid Pokémon player or just think they’re cute (both are valid), the Pokémon Center London pop-up is back at ExCeL. Goodies on offer will include a limited-edition range of International Championships-exclusive products and the shop will also be hosting a series of kid-friendly special events, including a scavenger hunt and character appearances. 

Imagine indulging in all the dumplings, rolls, and buns you can handle, crafted by a Chinatown favourite with over a decade of culinary excellence. Savour Taiwanese pork buns, savoury pork and prawn soup dumplings, and luxurious crab meat xiao long bao. To top it off, enjoy a chilled glass of prosecco to elevate your feast. Cheers to a truly delightful dining experience at Leong’s Legend!

By rights, Peter Hujar should be far more famous than he is. A contemporary of Robert Mapplethorpe and Nan Goldin, and a close friend of Paul Thek and David Wojnarowicz, he rubbed shoulders with countless artists and literary luminaries, photographing everyone from Andy Warhol, Susan Sontag and Wiliam S. Burroughs to Greer Langton, John Waters and Cookie Mueller. Many of these photographs are on display in this landmark exhibition, amongst a huge variety of tender, poised, enigmatic, compassionate photographs that cement Hujar’s reputation as a major force in 20th-century photography.

The latest chefs to take over the kitchen at Islington pub The Compton Arms are Rake; Jay Claus, Syrus Pickhaver and Peter Ward. Their menu is ruddy-faced British gentleman food, rethought for people who don’t own a cottage in the Cotswolds. Here, the spectre of St John is strong, with the likes of salsify and scotch broth, but rather than ostentatious ‘I-dare-you-to-eat-that’ whole beast butchery, Rake’s approach to meat is more earthy and pagan; said duck hearts come in a marvellously dank sauce which soaks into the crunchy toast. It’s a winning dish in a line-up of endless hits. Deep fried cockles on skewers are the perfect pub snack. Browned oysters rarebit are cooked with a creamy, addictively mustardy gunk and ray wing tenders are sweet, juicy and crunchy buttresses of fish. 

This is a band that shows very little sign of slowing down. It seems like only a few months ago we watched High Vis play in an almost-empty tent at Reading to a bunch of half-baked teenagers, and now they’re lined up to support Deftones at a sold-out Crystal Palace Bowl this summer. Want to see why they’ve been picked for the big gig? Head to Electric Brixton this month and immerse yourself in a swell of heavy guitars and Mancunian-tinged shouting. It’ll be bliss, promise.  

Electric Brixton, SW2 1RJ. Fri Feb 21, 7pm. From £24.50.

Oskar Reinhart knew a masterpiece when he saw one. The twentieth century art collector amassed a stunning trove of artworks, and now some of his finest picks are coming to the Courtauld. On display will be an amazingly grim Géricault painting, an incredibly saucy Courbet image of a lady in hammock, a staggering Goya still life and two stunning hospital-era Van Goghs. And then there are some Manets, Cezannes, Picassos and Renoirs to boot. Wowzers.

Adaptor/translator Rory Mullarkey has created a novel take on Chekhov, recasting the titular trio of sisters as less fading, doomed aristocrats waiting to get crushed by the Russian Revolution, and more trapped in an absurdist pantomime. Caroline Steinbeis’s production makes the sisters feel like part of an automata, doomed to repeat their days over and over and over. What we see is the machine break down, as fraying interpersonal relationships cause their comfortably numb limbo of an existence to stop working.

St Paul’s is about to get lit. In February, the cathedral will be transformed via a stunning immersive light and sound show. ‘Luminous’ by art collective Luxmuralis will animate the interior of the building with illuminations and soundscapes inspired by its history, collections and archives. Previously, Luxmuralis has created shows at Westminster Abbey, Durham Cathedral and Oxford University. The company was also behind the ‘Poppy Fields’ display at the Tower of London in October. 

Ditch the usual pub pint and get hands-on with clay at Token Studio near Tower Bridge! For just £32, enjoy a 90-minute session crafting pottery, from spinning the wheel to painting your own design. Prefer painting? Choose from already-fired mugs, plates, or bowls to customise for £23. The best part? You can BYOB! And if you love your masterpiece, come back in two weeks to pick it up for just £10.

Get the ultimate pottery experience from £23 at Token Studio, only with Time Out Offers.

Daniel Fish’s take on Sophocles’ Elektra is a curious mixture of chaotic randomness and underlying respect for the 2,500-year-old play. Marvel star Brie Larson puts in a very solid turn as the eponymous princess. We meet Elektra living a twilight existence, locked in a permanent state of impotent rage at her mother Klytannestra (Stockard Channing, acid) and her lover Aegisthus (Greg Hicks, hapless). Famously, they killed her father Agamemnon. Now Elektra wants them dead. Larson’s Elektra stomps about in a Bikini Kill t-shirt with a shaven head, trading sardonic quips with her mother. It’s a gratifyingly bone-ratting 75 minutes of punk rock theatre made with respect for the Ancient Greek tradition. 

We’ve all heard about gay sailors, but what about queer pirates or trans seahorses? Taking place across the National Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark and Queen’s House, Out at Sea is Greenwich’s annual celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month, a free week-long events series packed with historical storytelling sessions, lively performances and crafty workshops for the whole family. Head down to enjoy Drag Queen storytime sessions, performances from LGBTQ+ asylum seeker choir Rainbows Across Borders, singing workshops facilitated by the Trans Voices Young Company, drag aerobics classes and a plethora of arts and crafts sessions. 

The Young V&A’s exhibition Making Egypt will look at creativity in Ancient Egypt and its enduring influence on contemporary society, gathering together over 200 items from the V&A archives, with the oldest around 5,500 years old and many not displayed before. It will range from the fully painted inner sarcophagus of Princess Sopdet-em-haawt to examining the influence of Egyptian design on Minecraft and Moon Knight. New films will explore Ancient Egyptian art techniques, and there will be kids’ activities including drawing with scale, deciphering hieroglyphics and designing your own amulet.

No matter what your thoughts on Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s beloved BBC horror anthology series Inside No 9, Stage/Fright is a delight, with the duo at the peak of their powers. It dips into the TV show – the first half heavily revolves around the episode Bernie Clifford’s Dressing Room – but it is a rare spinoff that feels totally a thing of the theatre. That’s partly a result of the pair’s long-standing fascination with Grand Guignol, music hall, stand-up and other forms of stage entertainment. It’s a tribute to theatre and stage life in a broader sense. It’s a parting gift, a celebration of Inside No. 9 and its influences, the real wrap party.

★★★★ 'Frameless has managed to create something genuinely exciting' - Time Out

Escape reality through maximum immersion and experience 42 masterpieces from 29 of the world’s most iconic artists, each reimagined beyond belief, through cutting-edge technology. Situated in Marble Arch, Frameless plays host to four unique galleries with hypnotic visuals and a dazzling score. Enjoy 90 minutes of surreal artwork from Bosch, Dalí and more for just £24!

Get £24.80 tickets (originally £31) to Frameless, only with Time Out Offers.

In the early twentieth century Brazil was a country shackled by artistic conservatism but bursting at the seams with vibrant indigenous and immigrant cultures, so the modernists decided to create something new and totally Brazilian. That new Brazilian cud is on display here, and it’s gorgeous. The 10 artists in this show mash together indigenous aesthetics, art history and influences from the new European avant garde with a social consciousness and desire to address the challenges of life in Brazil. Poverty, racism, immigration, radicalism and more colour than your eyes can handle.

Kyoto, by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, is so indecently entertaining it almost feels like the result of a bet to choose the dullest, worthiest subject imaginable and make it as fun as humanly possible. The play is about the Kyoto UN climate change conference of 1997, at which every country on the planet eventually agreed to curb its greenhouse emissions. The secret is that Kyoto is actually a play about a total bastard. Don Pearlman was a real oil lobbyist whose fingerprints were all over climate conferences in the ‘90s. US actor Stephen Kunken is terrific as Pearlman with boundless cynicism and endless lawyer’s tricks. It’s a total thrill ride. 

You’ve probably heard all about Versailles’ dazzling Hall of Mirrors and its gorgeous, well-manicured gardens – maybe you’ve even seen them IRL. But do you know about the role the French royal court played in not just spreading scientific knowledge, but making it fashionable, too? The Science Museum’s latest exhibition, ‘Versailles: Science And Splendour’, will uncover that lesser-talked-about side of the palace’s history, diving into the royal family’s relationship with science, women’s impact on medicine, philosophy and botany at the royal court, and showcasing more than 100 items that reinforce those stories – many of which have never been displayed in the UK before. 

Get tickets to Versailles: Science & Splendour, for just £5.40, down from £10.80, only through Time Out Offers.

In 1837, a baby-faced, wavy-haired 25-year-old Charles Dickens moved into 48 Doughty Street. Taking up two small rooms on the first and second floors of the building, the museum’s centenary exhibition illustrates the life and legacy of one of London’s greatest writers via letters, manuscripts, rare first editions, sketches and the cheesy love poems he wrote at 18 (thought to be his earliest surviving writing). If The Muppets Christmas Carol is as far as your Dickens knowledge stretches, this is an accessible showcase. You’ll leave feeling endeared to Dickens and charmed by the fervent admiration the museum evidently has for its subject.

It’s always a happy occasion when Chelsea Physic Garden’s annual Heralding Spring season rolls around. London’s oldest botanical garden has its very own unique microclimate, which means that come late January the ancient spot is home to over 120 species of snowdrops that bloom unusually early each year there. Guests are invited to embark on the Heralding Spring trail to check out the dainty white flowers and other early spring plants including a 70-year-old grapefruit tree. You can also learn more about snowdrops, including their unique place in folklore, at a variety of workshops. 

Soil – it’s not something you really think about, unless you’re doing the gardening. But this new exhibition at Somerset House will change all that, shining a light on its important role in our world, including the part it plays in our planet’s future. Top artists, writers and scientists from across the globe are all involved in the thought-provoking exploration, which aims to stop you thinking of soil as mere dirt and start considering it as something far more powerful instead.

Designed by the legendary Tom Dixon, Sea Containers Restaurant offers an all-day dining experience along the Thames, blending the elegance of transatlantic travel with fresh, local ingredients. The three-course menu celebrates seasonal flavours, with dishes like Butternut Squash Soup, Atlantic Prawn Cocktail, Flat Iron Steak, and Seabass with celeriac. Finish with indulgent ice cream, sorbet, or a rich chocolate brownie, paired with a glass of prosecco. Perfect for any occasion!

Get a three course menu & a glass of Prosecco for an exclusive price of £30, only with Time Out Offers.