Half term is upon us once more – the dark, damp and dreary one where the summer seems a distant memory but Christmas still feels far away. For Londoners looking for indoor options to entertain the tribe, we’ve rounded up some of the fabulous family theatre that’s currently playing in the capital.
If you want to make a day of it in Central London, Transport Explorers (aimed at ages 7-11) is back at the London Transport Museum this half term. It’s a fantastic production that perfectly complements a trip to the museum itself. Read our review of Transport Explorers.
For fans of Judith Kerr’s Mog books, the famous feline will be slinking into the Southbank Centre from Wednesday 29 October with Mog the Forgetful Cat (aimed at ages 3+). Read our review of this marvellous, musical production from the Wardrobe Ensemble.
Image credit: Paul Blakemore
There are also two brilliant productions playing over at the Unicorn Theatre near London Bridge. Following successful runs in 2019 and 2023, Anansi the Spider (aimed at ages 4-8) has scuttled back into the Clore Theatre for another season. We loved this one when we first saw it way back in 2019, and are quite sad that the munchkins have now grown out of this age range. (Read our review of the 2019 production of Anansi the Spider.)
Half term is also your final chance to go on a musical adventure with The Three Little Pigs (aimed at ages 3-7) before they head off to Chichester for the festive season (Read our review of The Three Little Pigs).
Image credit: Helen Murray
Image credit: Danny Kaan
Families in West London are also in for a treat, with Well Done, Mummy Penguin playing at Wimbledon’s Polka Theatre (aimed at ages 3-7). (Read our review of Well Done, Mummy Penguin at the Albany Theatre, 2024). For those with older children, we’d recommend their production of Dweeb-a-Mania. Although we haven’t managed to catch this one ourselves, it’s been nominated for several Fringe Theatre Awards, and has been branded “unmissable” by our trusted friends over at Everything Theatre. (Read Everything Theatre’s review of Dweeb-a-Mania here.)
Image credit: Jake Bush and Adela Ursachi
Rounding off our list is our good friend Tweedy the Clown, who returns to Underbelly Boulevard Soho this half term with Tweedy’s Massive Solo Show. We haven’t seen this specific production but we’ve seen enough of Tweedy’s other work (including solo shows, circus and panto) to wholeheartedly recommend this one as fun for all the family. (Read our review of Tweedy’s Massive Circus to get an idea of the sort of spectacularly silly stuff you can expect from the king of clowning.)