Ten things to do with LittleHumans in London this August
August is London's most generous month for families. The big festivals are free, the theatres move outdoors, and the city quietly hands its best spaces to anyone small enough to enjoy them properly. Ten moments worth building a day around, chosen for LittleHumans aged 0 to 7.
1. Anansi the Spider at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (from 15 August)
Daytime family theatre on the Theatre Lawn: a lively retelling of West African and Caribbean folk tales about the mischievous spider, for ages 4 and up, co-produced with the Unicorn Theatre. Picnics welcome.
2. Greenwich Fair at GDIF (22 and 23 August)
The family weekend of the free Greenwich+Docklands International Festival fills Greenwich Park with street theatre, circus and games. No tickets, no booking, just wander in. The festival itself runs from 21 August with free outdoor performances across the borough.
3. Last chance: Whatever The Weather at the Unicorn (until 16 August)
The immersive weather playscape closes mid-month: rain, snow and sunshine to play through for ages 0 to 7, with dedicated under-3 sessions and tickets from £5.50.
4. The Puppet Theatre Barge on Richmond Riverside
The floating marionette theatre spends all of August at its summer mooring. The little auditorium sells out, so book ahead, then make a day of the towpath and Petersham meadows next door.
5. Summer by the River, London Bridge City
The free riverside season runs on through August: open-air cinema, lunchtime concerts in the Pocket Garden, and the Scoop's amphitheatre steps between London Bridge and Tower Bridge.
6. Carnival Family Day, Notting Hill (30 August)
Europe's biggest street festival, and Sunday is the children's day: the kids' parade, gentler sound systems, streets of colour around Portobello Road. Go early, stay close to the family zones, and leave before the evening crowds build.
7. The Somerset House fountains return (10 August)
After the summer concerts clear out, the 55 jets of the Fountain Court come back on: central London's most elegant free splash play, ringed by cafés and a riverside terrace. They pause for events, so check ahead before a special trip.
8. The Sorcerer's Apprentice at Little Angel (22 to 30 August)
The centrepiece of the puppet theatre's 65th anniversary festival: a world-premiere marionette production for ages 6 and up, in the 100-seat former temperance hall the Wrights converted by hand in 1961.
9. Ruislip Lido Railway, daily until 1 September
Britain's longest 12-inch gauge railway runs every day through August, volunteer-crewed, circling a lake with a sandy beach. Free entry to the park; the closest thing London has to a seaside day.
10. Discover Children's Story Centre's first full summer
Stratford's story museum, fresh from its renovation: LEGO play streets, drop-in sessions with illustrators including Nick Sharratt and Rob Biddulph, and circus, puppetry and dress-up workshops for ages 0 to 4.
Spontaneous days, seamlessly planned
Every place in this guide lives in Little Atlas, our free and calm map of London for families: curated spots, honest opening times, baby-change locations, and monthly guides like this one, all in your pocket for the days you decide where to go on the way out the door.
Image credits: Greenwich Park view by Txllxt TxllxT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Somerset House fountains by R Sones (CC BY-SA 2.0), both via Wikimedia Commons.
