London goes big at Easter. Think egg hunts, immersive trails, pop-ups and just enough culture to make parents feel like they’re winning, set against the backdrop of a city in bloom.
Whether you’ve got toddlers or tweens, these are the Easter family days out worth leaving the house for.
1. Samurai and Springtime Samurai, The British Museum
The British Museum’s major spring exhibition, Samurai, isn’t just a greatest-hits display of swords and armour. It’s an insanely fascinating deep dive into the myth versus reality of Japan’s most fetishised warrior class, with some pop culture nods including everyone’s favourite villain, Darth Vader. Running from 3 February to 4 May 2026, it spans more than a millennium of history, pulling together over 280 objects including armour, woodblock prints, ceramics and rarely seen artefacts. Even the portraiture is mind-blowing – and as for the armour, it’s hard to believe there’s not still a ferocious warrior hidden inside there somewhere.
What makes it stand out, especially for families with older kids, is the narrative. The exhibition reframes samurai as bureaucrats, artists and cultural tastemakers as much as fighters, particularly during Japan’s long periods of peace. WW2 is explored in all its propaganda and effect, from an angle we don’t usually see, and the last section of the exhibition is all about modern samurai representation from Star Wars to anime.
There’s visual drama from the bold lighting through to the exhibition cases. Lacquered armour, intricate helmets, the finest silk garments and beautifully crafted weapons sit alongside paintings and prints that explore everyday life, relationships and pleasure culture. It’s brutal, glamorous, and exciting.
For Easter and for the littles, the museum layers in Springtime Samurai, a free Easter festival with family-friendly workshops and a special music and dance performance, making this one of the rare outings that works across age groups. Younger kids can engage with hands-on making, while tweens and teens will find the exhibition itself gripping. Activities are drop-in and run on a first-come, first-served basis.
Explore the list of activities below or view the full programme overview for more information:
- Tuesday 7 April – Make an origami Samurai helmet (kabuto)
- Wednesday 8 April – Design a sensational samurai
- Friday 10 April – Frank Chickens pop extravaganza!
Why you should see Samurai: It’s blockbuster-level, visually striking and far more nuanced than expected. One of the strongest exhibitions in London this year.
Dates: Exhibition 3 February to 4 May 2026
Easter festival: 7-10 April
Price: Exhibition £25 per adult, kids under 16 free (with booked ticket), museum entry and Easter festival free
https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/samurai
2. Octonauts Easter trail at Kew Gardens
Pre-schoolers will love this one. The Octonauts take over Kew with a themed discovery trail through the gardens, mixing conservation messaging with interactive play. It’s outdoors, buggy-friendly and ideal for burning off chocolate-fuelled energy.
Perfect for children aged 3 to 6 and their families, the interactive trail invites young explorers to complete fun challenges, discover amazing facts, and learn how to protect our planet.
Located near Brentford Gate, this event is free with Kew tickets and a great addition to an already-stunning springtime location, with the Gardens’ magnificent magnolias leading the way.
Dates: 28 March to 12 April 2026, 10am to 4pm
Price: Included with garden entry
https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/octonauts
3. Battersea Power Station Easter takeover
If you want a one-stop Easter day out, this is a good contender. The entire site shifts into family mode, making it easy and doable with buggies. Start with the free Elephant Trail, a well-designed art hunt across the complex featuring giant elephant statues. Then move onto fairground rides including bumper cars, bungee trampolines and a carousel.
Workshops, Easter hunts and character appearances run throughout, but what makes Battersea work is flexibility. You can dip in for an hour or stretch it into a full day with food, riverside walks and the Lift 109 experience.
Dates: 30 March to 26 April 2026
Price: Trail free, rides and workshops paid
https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/easter/
4. Old Spitalfields Market Easter Bonnet Parade
At Old Spitalfields Market the celebrations kick off this Saturday 28 March with the Spitalfields Bonnet Parade, a free, all-ages procession through the market where locals are invited to show up in their most creative headwear for a distinctly East London spin on a spring tradition. Judging and prize giving follows at 2pm. Free to attend, no booking required.
Across Easter weekend itself (3-6 April), artist LuluJoelle is in residence on the market floor in front of KERB running free drop-in classes and workshops for all ages, daily from 11am-3pm. On Good Friday, The Chai Girls take over for their Great Adult Easter Egg Hunt: a playful, competitive afternoon where teams race to crack clues and complete challenges hidden across the market’s independent stalls. Tickets are £15 and all proceeds go directly to purchasing prizes from the traders themselves. Limited spaces available.
And running all the way through to 26 April, children aged 10 and under eat free at a selection of OSM’s much-loved food traders when an adult spends £12.50 or more. Participating traders include Dumpling Shack, Fen Noodles, Yum Bun, Twirly Bird and Fortune Fried Chicken, with more names to follow.
https://oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/events/easter-bonnet-parade
5. Raise the roof (and the bar) at Sea Containers London
Over on the South Bank, Sea Containers London is throwing open the doors of its iconic rooftop bar 12th Knot for a kids’ Easter Mini Disco hosted by the legendary Sharky & George. On Saturday 4 April from 12-2pm, families are invited up to the terrace for two hours of high-energy entertainment, Easter games and dance-offs, all set against panoramic views across the Thames.
Adults get a welcome drink on arrival (woohoo), little ones get a healthy snack box, and everyone gets 10% off at Sea Containers Restaurant before or after.
Dates: April 4 2026
Price: Adult tickets £17, children £13, family ticket (2 adults/2 children) £55.
https://www.seacontainerslondon.com/whats-on/easter-family-disco
6. Jurassic Jungle at the Brunswick Centre
Life-size roaming dinosaurs plus live shows equals instant Easter win. Expect a T-Rex wandering through the crowd, cute dino babies, some herbivores and plenty of photo ops.
Dates: Saturday 18 April 2026
Price: Free
https://brunswick.co.uk/2026/02/jurassic-jungle-at-the-brunswick/
7. All the fun at the Horniman Spring Fair
Join in with seasonal fun and games at the Spring Fair this April, a classic Easter event with a proper bandstand and old fete games. Enjoy music, crafts, street food, bubbles and lots more.
Dates: Saturday 11 April 2026
Price: £6
https://www.horniman.ac.uk/event/horniman-spring-fair/
8. Easter Crafternoons at Woolwich Works Easter festival
Woolwich Works
A mix of craft afternoons, performances and slightly offbeat family events. Good if you want something less mainstream.
Dates: 2 – 10 April 2026
Price: Mixed
https://www.woolwich.works/whats-on
9. National Gallery Roden Centre Easter family workshops
Drop-in creative sessions where kids can build puppets and experiment with art techniques. Surprisingly engaging for primary school age, and a fun low-key Easter family day out.
Dates: 7–9 April 2026
Price: Free
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/easter-holidays-art-studio-workshop-april-2026
10. Floaty Boaty architecture workshop at London Canal Museum
For slightly older kids who like building things. Design your own floating house and test whether it actually works. The Easter family day out with a practical edge, plus the museum is great for any age, and you can combine it with a canal boat trip, though perhaps not in your own vessel.
Dates: 7 April 2026
Price: Included with admission
https://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson/family-fun-days.htm
11. Trafalgar Square Passion Play
This is one for tweens and teens. A large-scale live retelling of the Easter story in Trafalgar Square. It’s powerful and can be intense, so not advised for little ones, but an experience like no other for kids who want to learn about the Jesus story.
Date: Good Friday, 3 April 2026
Price: Free
https://www.wintershall.org.uk/event/the-passion-of-jesus-2026/
12. The Little (but quite big) Chelsea Easter Egg Hunt
A classic city trail with a slightly more polished feel, for those Easter days out where soft play doesn’t feature and you can pop into Ralph Lauren. Good for combining with lunch or shopping, and if you’re looking to populate your Stories with some SW3 swag.
Dates: 18 March to 15 April 2026
Price: Free
https://dukeofyorksquare.com/whats-on/news/the-little-egg-hunt
13. Spring School Holiday at Young V&A
Invent, design and make this spring holiday! Enjoy free activities across the galleries, and bookable workshops. Inspired by V&A exhibition Inside Aardman: Wallace Gromit and Friends, and the museum’s creative residents.
Dates: From Saturday 28 March 2026
Price: Free
https://www.vam.ac.uk/festival/2026/spring-school-holiday-at-young-va
14. The Lindt Gold Bunny Easter Hunt, Hampton Court Palace
Always a winner: the magnificent Hampton Court Palace, with added chocolate bunnies. Roam through lush gardens, keeping your eyes peeled for elusive Lindt GOLD BUNNY statues peeking out from colourful daffodils or early buds from the Tulip Festival.
Follow the trail and match the names of influential characters to the distinctive red ribbons adorning every adorable Lindt GOLD BUNNY statue, and be rewarded with a delicious miniature Lindt GOLD BUNNY 10g chocolate* treat.
*Non-chocolate alternatives available on request.
https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/easter-lindt-gold-bunny-hunt
Dates: Until 12 April 2026
Price: With palace admission; under-5s go free
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