Worried about your teenager wandering the streets and squandering the big break? Say goodbye to summer ennui with these safe but stimulating activities.
Pack their plans with exciting choices of edutainment, from tours to festivals, to keep brains active during the school holidays.
1. The Ghost Bus Tours
Why take a regular tour when there’s a theatrical collision of comedy and horror on wheels? The Necrobus contains classically trained actors who act out the brutal backstories behind the bustling streets of London, from Trafalgar Square to the London Eye. Sightseeing with a spine-chilling twist, the tour has even entertained celebrities including Johnny Depp.
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2. Jack the Ripper Tour
Go on a real-life interactive murder mystery, visiting the original crime scenes of London’s most notorious serial killer, walking from Whitechapel High Street to Mitre Square. Experts will educate you about the bloody crimes with actual police photographs, encouraging you to sift through the evidence and eliminate suspects like a detective and discuss theories.
3. East End Gourmet Food Hunt
From Liverpool Street Station to Spitalfields market, play a treasure hunt game as a team to unfurl fascinating facts about the streets of London and simultaneously indulge in delectable dishes as your prize, ranging from Italian flatbread to gourmet cheeses. Get a taste of this trail with City Days (literally).
Read more: Five of the best pop-up events in London this summer
4. Free open-air film festival
See films under the stars from 1 July to 18 August at the Everyman Screen on King’s Cross Canal, which will be showing blockbuster programmes, family favourites, cult classics and summer sporting events like Wimbledon tennis. Settle back for your show on scenic seats, backed by Granary Square’s scintillating water sprinklers.
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5. Hampstead Heath ponds
Take a dip in leafy north London, in one of Hampstead Heath’s three natural bathing ponds — Kenwood Ladies’ Pond, Highgate Men’s Pond, Mixed Pond and the 60-metre Parliament Hill Lido. Your dogs can have a splash of paradise with a paddle in the dog pond. Cold-water swimming surrounded by nature is a sure way to enjoy a sweltering summer day.
Read more: How to stay safe while wild swimming
6. The Art of the Brick London
Indulge your inner child with these life-size Lego sculptures and art including a six-metre-long Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton and reimagined masterpieces including Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Located in The Boiler House, the exhilarating exhibition’s play-and-build area allows you to create your own Lego.
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7. Celebrate 50 years of Camden Market
This three-month-long festival from 30 June to 28 August celebrates the market’s fifth decade, with music, dance, art, food and fashion from around the world.
Read more: Three outdoor restaurants you have to visit this summer
Reflecting its cultured community, special events will include Pride Family Day, South Asian Heritage Month, Chinese Day of Fire and a Bollywood Festival.
