Lindsey

Things To Do In London This Easter

A selection of Easter holiday activities and entertainment for those with children, those without and those intent on clubbing their way through the Easter weekend.



Kids & families

Holidays provide the perfect opportunity to participate in the Big Egg Hunt around London.

The Ragged School Museum wants to tell your children about Queen Victoria's children on 4, 5, 11 & 12 April between 10am to 4.30pm (free, drop in anytime).

Easter eggs containing Florence Nightingale's equipment are waiting to be tracked down at the Florence Nightingale Museum between Sunday 31 March and 15 April. There's also Easter bonnet making on Thursday 5 April (included in normal museum admission price, adult £5.80, kids £4.80).

Royal China Queensway restaurant is offering free chopstick lessons for children of all ages on Wednesday 4 and 11 April, from 3-4pm.

Meet the ducklings and go pond dipping at the Barnes Wildfowl and Wetland Centre everyday until 15 April between 11am-3.30pm (normal admission adults £10.99, children £6.10, under 10s free).

Say hello to the Easter Bunny, hunt eggs and ride donkeys at Spitalfields City Farm Family Easter Event on Sunday 8 April between 11am-4pm (free).

Camden Arts Centre's Taking Root Easter Weekend involves architecture in the garden plus activities, talks and workshops for all ages on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 April between 12-5pm (free, but please book).

Egg-Laying Animals are the family friendly focus at the Grant Museum on 2-4 April and 12-13 April, drop-in between 1pm to 5pm (free).

Grown-up stuff

The Old Vic Tunnels bunker will be transformed into a Holiday Camp, complete with meadow, boating pond, deck chairs, bouncy castle, music etc on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 April from 7pm, activities start from 8pm (tickets £15).

Brodie's Bunny Bash beer festival features 40 beers at the King William IV pub, Leyton from Friday 6 April to Monday 9 April.

Like cocktails with your chocolate? Try the Monkey Shoulder Chocolate Trail at 63 Broadwick Street from Friday 6 to Monday 9 April, midday till 7pm (free to attend, drinks to buy).

The Queen Elizabeth Hall roof garden opens for the summer and the Real Food Market is at Southbank Square all Easter weekend. Plus, E4 Udderbelly Festival begins in the upturned purple cow tent on Friday 6 April.

The Passion of Jesus will be performed in Trafalgar Square on Good Friday 6 April at noon and 3.15pm (free).

Take a seasonal chocolate and coffeehouse tour of London from 11.30am Saturday 8 April. Read our review of an earlier Coffeehouse Tour with Dr Matthew Green (£15+bkg — includes free shots of Olympian hot chocolate, 18th-century perfume, and champagne).

Watch the Goat Race at Spitalfields City Farm on Saturday 7 April from 1.30pm (book tickets now, adults £5.50, kids 50p).

Or there's the Boat Race on the Thames from 2.15pm.

Walk the Central Line from Chancery Lane to Bank with Mark Mason of Walk the Lines literary fame on Sunday 8 April from 2.30pm (£8).

There's an African Takeover at Rich Mix with Open the Gate Circus, including an African market, workshops and music then an evening cabaret, midday till late on Sunday 8 April (free).

Harmondsworth Barn — Betjeman's Cathedral of Middlesex — opens to the public - will open to the public for the first time since EH saved it on Easter Sunday 8 April. Entrance is free. N.B. Summer opening will be on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month 10am-5pm.

Fire Hazard are creating a new game: "Eggs of the Alien Queen Get them all to save earth ... well, humanity." Sign up to find out more.

Clubbers

Disco Bloodbath's 5th Birthday Easter Ball will catapult you into Easteryness on Thursday 5 April at Hysteria, Kingsland Road E8 from 9pm-6am (£8 b4 midnight, £10 after).

Airbound's boat party may be sold out but the after party, and the after (after) party will still rock, hip hop and disco you from Friday 6 April into Saturday morning at Corsica Studios from 11pm-6am (tickets £8 - free if you managed to snag a boat party ticket).

Autoheart's PUNCH at the Lexington is our live music and pop top tip for Saturday 7 April from 7.30pm (£5).

The good people at Don't Panic co-host a party with French electrophiles Kitsuné Maison at Heaven on Sunday 8 April from 8.30pm (tickets £14).

The Brixton Windmill's laying on free live music and a BBQ from 3pm to wind up your bank holiday weekend on Monday 9 April (please tip the bands!).

What did we miss? What are you planning? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by ozchris2 via the Londonist Flickrpool