Berkshire


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Run away with the Circus</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Kurios-Cirque-du-Soleil-Mathew-Tsang-1000x667.jpg" alt="Cirque du Soleil" class="wp-image-65054" /><figcaption>Image credit: Matthew Tsang</figcaption></figure>



<p>Cirque du Soleil is back for their traditional start-of-year&nbsp;slot at the Royal Albert Hall, and this year it’s their steampunk-themed ode to Victoriana,&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2023/cirque-du-soleil-kurios-cabinet-of-curiosities/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities</a></em>. Expect all the usual mind-boggling acrobatics, along with a specially-created set for the RAH (after all, the show celebrates the Royal Albert Hall’s 150th anniversary). It runs from&nbsp;<strong>13 Jan – 5 Mar</strong>, so that’s five Sundays to choose from.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Celebrate Chinese New Year</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Chinatown-Image-credit-bluefuton-Flickr.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-65048" /><figcaption><a href="https://flickr.com/photos/bluefuton/428422362/in/photolist-DRM3s-hqufYd-huwgY3-huxunY-huyBRc-2nviqJh-2a53J5i-3hZdni-27jbKcG-BVQ59Q-huyHgk-C47New-rc4DhC-2igjQof-BY8Kzg-qQY6Fa-BaX65-MdMZgc-2n1v2X8-2jb8Nm6-EcBEe5-EthBWU-apdxuV-6fSPSw-252FpUo-mjiqp-mjipV-BDi4pQ-RZDppa-mjiqS-acP8ow-2o2Cuos-25HujAa-Sbh4JX-7adFkH-9aWsg-SZJdjq-7ahvJ7-epzpEJ-zZCBVi-5o4s7m-qhYgBR-pCqh3N-2j8Zhmk-SZJd7G-e6Ss88-2j7GyMc-fPStU-9Cu8X-waPzPe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Image credit</a></figcaption></figure>



<p>2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, and this year Chinese New Year falls on&nbsp;<strong>Sun 22 Jan</strong>&nbsp;– so why not head to the West End to join in the celebration? There’ll be a traditional parade snaking its way from Charing Cross Road to Shaftesbury Avenue, and free stage shows in Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square including family-friendly workshops like calligraphy, as well as plenty of street food stalls to take your pick from. Top tip: Chinese New Year tradition recommends you buy something red for you or your house to bring good luck for the rest of the year – like I need an excuse to snap up those Louboutins…</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Catch a Planetarium show</h2>



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<p>Greenwich is packed with kid-friendly stuff to do on the weekend (the&nbsp;<em>Cutty Sark</em>, Maritime Museum and bombing around the park all spring to mind), but the Royal Observatory takes our top Sunday spot thanks to it being a great rainy day option.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/royal-observatory/lunar-encounter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lunar Encounter</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/planetarium-shows/one-day-on-mars" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">One Day on Mars</a>&nbsp;are both excellent planetarium shows for ages 7 and up, while younger astronauts will love&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/planetarium-shows/teds-space-adventure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ted’s Space Adventure</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revisit-a-2000-year-old-myth">Revisit a 2000-year-old myth</h2>



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<p>There are countless museums and exhibitions to traipse round of a Sunday, but if you haven’t visited&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bl.uk/events/alexander-the-great-the-making-of-a-myth" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alexander the Great: The Making of a Myth</a>&nbsp;at the British Museum yet, we recommend you do before it closes on 19 Feb. From deep-sea diving to dragon-slaying, Alexander’s story has it all – and if they’re worried it’s too educational, just tell them the exhibition is in association with video game&nbsp;<em>Assassin’s Creed</em>. Kids under 11 go free, too – bonus.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-catch-a-folk-music-matinee">Catch a folk music matinée</h2>



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<p>If you’re raising music-lovers, then where better to take them on a Sunday than award-winning, family-friendly live music venue&nbsp;<a href="https://www.greennote.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Green Note in Camden</a>&nbsp;(Amy Winehouse and Ed Sheeran have graced the stage previously)? They have shows seven days a week, specialising in roots, jazz and bluegrass, and their matinée performances are a cosy way to spend a Sunday afternoon with tweens and teens.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Watch family-friendly comedy</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-girl-and-the-dragon-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-65057" /></figure>



<p>Calendars at the ready:&nbsp;<a href="https://vaultfestival.com/events/?&amp;custonefilter=Family" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VAULT Festival</a>&nbsp;is back in 2023, for eight whole weeks of theatre, comedy, cabaret, and VR experiences running from&nbsp;<strong>Tue 24 Jan – Sun 19 Mar</strong>. There’s plenty here for the adults, but there are also fifteen different shows suitable for kids, including&nbsp;<em>The Girl and the Dragon</em>&nbsp;(above),&nbsp;<em>Science Adventures: The Power Pickle</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Professor Slug’s House of Bugs.</em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Be a zookeeper for a day</h2>



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<p>If a regular trip to the zoo won’t quite cut the mustard, up the ante with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zsl.org/experiences/junior-keeper" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ZSL’s Young Zookeeper experience</a>. 11 to 15-year-olds can take a behind-the-scenes tour (in their own Zookeeper uniform, naturally) and see what it takes to care for various animals at the zoo. You can snap photos from the sidelines or sidle off for a coffee while they have fun (ideal), but if you want to get more involved, the Zoo offers everything from animal-feeding experiences to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/london-zoo-lodge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleepovers at on-site lodges</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Go Ape at Ally Pally</h2>



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<p>Who says you need a forest setting for&nbsp;<a href="https://goape.co.uk/locations/alexandra-palace" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Go Ape’s famous high ropes and zip wires</a>? Your mini adrenaline junkies can take on the suspended obstacle course against the backdrop of Alexandra Palace (just think of the view!), including a 46ft-high vertical plummet. Courses take between one and three hours depending on your difficulty levels, but you can make a day of it by exploring the 196-acre park with its boating lake, ice rink, golf course and lakeside cafe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Explore the Canary Wharf light trail</h2>



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<p>If you’ve not had your fill of light trails over Christmas,&nbsp;<a href="https://canarywharf.com/whats-on/winter-lights/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">head to Canary Wharf</a>&nbsp;from 18-28 Jan for their Winter Lights. See if the kids can spot the twenty artworks dotted around the area created by the world’s most innovative light art creators, including returning favourites like these light-up woolly mammoths. Best of all, it’s totally free to visit and open from 5 ’til 10pm every day.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Check out the Southbank Centre</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/dinosaurs-and-all-that-rubbish-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-65068" /><figcaption>Image credit: Craig Fuller</figcaption></figure>



<p>There’s always plenty going on at the Southbank Centre to keep the fam entertained on a dreary Sunday. Events coming up include&nbsp;<a href="https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/funharmonics-family-concert-colour-monster?eventId=778896" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FUNharmonics Family Concert: The Colour Monster</a>&nbsp;on Sun 29 Jan, a first concert experience for ages five and up featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/dinosaurs-and-all-rubbish?eventId=929101" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish</a>&nbsp;(above), a delightful rock’n’roll show featuring dancing dinosaurs (what else?) on Sun 12 Feb.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Visit an interactive art exhibit</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Frameless_Brochure-Web_Gallery-2_Monet1_ML-1-aspect-ratio-1536-866-2-1200x677-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-65069" /></figure>



<p>This is art like you’ve never seen it before, and it’s sure to get even the most culture-adverse of kids on board.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/frameless?camefrom=CFC_minimaster&amp;tm_link=minimaster" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frameless</a>&nbsp;is a bran new multi-sensory digital art experience slap bang in the centre of the city, and housed in a purpose-built 30,000 square foot venue that’s literally filled top-to-bottom with projected artwork. Expect iconic masterpieces from the likes of Cezanne, Kandinsky, Monet, Dalí, Van Gogh, Canaletto, Rembrandt and Klimt, to name just a few, all set to a score of classical and contemporary music. Under fives go free, too.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Get arty at Dulwich Picture Gallery</h2>



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<p>Did you know that every month,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/family-events/2022/october/art-sundays/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dulwich Picture Gallery holds Art Sundays</a>&nbsp;with free creative activities for 7 to 12-year-olds and their families? Well, you do now – and just in time, as the next one is being held on 22 Jan. Just book your 45-minute time slot and get ready to flex those artistic talents.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-escape">Escape!</h2>



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<p>This is a total double whammy of historical education and puzzling fun – plus under 10s go free, which is always a plus. This&nbsp;<a href="https://www.escapeintime.co.uk/goldenhinde/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">live interactive escape room</a>&nbsp;on The Golden Hinde, a recreation of the historic 16th galleon Sir Francis Drake sailed around the world on, gives you sixty minutes to escape the ship and some pretty peeved-off ghosts. Think of all the things they’ll learn in between screams of delight.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.hydeparkstables.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Horse riding in Hyde Park</a></h2>



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<p>How’s this for a unique way to tour London’s iconic parkland? Hyde Park Stables offers private lessons and escorted rides through the park for both adults and children aged seven and up, as well as lessons in their arena for newbies (or those wanting to brush up on their skills). Giddy up!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-go-for-a-mystery-picnic">Go for a mystery picnic</h2>



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<p>A picnic with the family? So far, so wholesome, but what if you combined it with a scavenger hunt – and, crucially, didn’t have to do the shopping for the food in the first place?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazingco.me/uk/experiences/mystery-picnics/family" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AmazingCo’s Mystery Picnic experiences</a>&nbsp;see you touring round an area of London of your choosing (options include Greenwich, Primrose Hill and Hampstead) following clues to find your gourmet goodies bit by bit, with a warming drink along the way. Fresh air, fun and food – that’ll keep them entertained.</p>


15 family-friendly ways to spend a Sunday in London

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