Imagine Festival

Yes, nobody – apart from possibly children – looks forward to the February half-term, but at least it’s invariably blessed with the Southbank Centre’s Imagine Children’s Festival, a mix of family-oriented shows and workshops, play experiences and exhibitions, music, art and literature that’ll keep youngsters diverted February 18-23. There are events for kids of all ages (from babies to pre-teens) with many of them free, ranging from communal singalong sessions to dance workshops. 

Highlights of the 2025 edition include Replay, a playground made entirely from waste materials repurposed by The Herd Theatre, CBeebies’ Wildlife Jamboree, where Duggee, the Squirrels and more favourite characters from kids’ TV will join the BBC Concert Orchestra to celebrate the natural world in music and song, and sessions with a bunch of celebrated children’s authors, including Dog Man creator Dav Pilkey, Billy and the Beast author Nadia Shireen and Supertato’s Sue Hendra. Plus innumerable theatre shows – the big one is an adaptation of Ross Collins’s beloved There’s a Bear In My Chair – gigs, movement sesisons, quizzes and more – to get the full schedule head over to the Southbank Centre website.