What To Do With Children In London This Weekend: 11-13 September

Last night we kicked off our Citizen Femme salon series at The Twenty Two in Mayfair, a members’ club so pretty it nearly upstaged the guest list, which is saying something, because the room was full of effortlessly stylish and interesting women.

The topic on the table was the interaction of style and travel: how the modern woman dresses for departure lounges, the fashion house and hotel collaborations, and the choreography of looking put-together. Naturally, my mind went straight to the school gate, because somewhere in the last decade or so, the school run became a catwalk. Fashion, it seems, has conquered the final frontier: paparazzi shots of glamorous mothers dropping their children off are now a genuine sub-genre of tabloid photography, the 2020s answer to the celebrity baby-bump snap. There is a woman at every gate who has not let motherhood delay her blow-dry, who arrives in the latest “it” bag and heels merely dialled down from stiletto to kitten, hair achieved somewhere in the ninety-second gap between wake-up and walk-out. I am, most mornings, doing extremely well if I’ve managed to brush my own teeth and get two small, uncooperative humans into their uniforms with matching shoes on the correct feet.

Sure, I make an effort if I’m dashing off to a meeting straight after drop-off – nobody wants to arrive looking like you fought a duvet and lost. But the idea that the gate itself deserves a look? That’s new. And it’s ruthless: turn up in gym kit and you’ll be met with a chorus of “oh you’re so good, I could never,” delivered by women who run actual half-marathons and know exactly what they’re doing. The competitive spirit doesn’t stop at outfits, either – who’s started Mandarin, who’s swimming like a dolphin, whose four-year-old is apparently reading Proust. School has been back a matter of days and already there’s a definite hum of competitiveness in the air, oddly terrifying given the contestants can’t yet tie their own shoelaces.

Which is really what our guests wanted to talk about last night – not just how we dress for travel, but how we dress, full stop. Do we plan outfits for weekend park duty the way we plan them for a flight or getaway? Is there is a version of “smart casual” for a Wednesday pickup?

Which brings us to the weekend proper, because whatever’s on your feet or slung over your shoulder, the real question is what we’re actually doing with these small, currently-competitive people for the 48 hours over the weekend. Alo pants and Loewe trainers or a Uniqlo barrel-leg and a Daunt Books tote, the itinerary matters more than the outfit. So here’s where to take them, what to book, and how to make the most of the hours before Monday 8am.

1. Wonderlab, Science Museum

Free entry to the Science Museum itself, but Wonderlab, the museum’s permanent interactive gallery (needs its own separately booked ticket) is aimed at ages 7 to 14 years old, with 50-plus exhibits across seven zones – Space, Light, Sound, Forces, Electricity, Maths – with live demonstrations running throughout the day and Explainers on hand so it’s educational and wonderfully sensory and stimulating. If your contingent skews younger, skip straight to the Bubble Show instead, a live science show built for the under-7s, on weekends in term time and daily through the holidays.

 

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Dates: Ongoing
Address: Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD
Book tickets here

2. CelebrASIA at Battersea Power Station

London’s largest South East Asian festival returns for its third year, running Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September, free to attend and spread right across the neighbourhood, the Turbine Halls host the Artisan Market and Main Stage, Malaysia Square gets games and interactive activities, and the on-site cinemas run a dedicated film festival tracing family, identity and belonging across Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. On the kids’ front, there are dedicated workshops – textile weaving, 3D coral reef making, sand art, slime, fan painting – plus free walk-in extras like the Grand Tour passport trail and face painting. For the grown-ups trailing behind them, expect over 35 food and drink vendors (the biggest line-up yet, including Singapulah, Old Chang Kee and Mandy Yin x Chick’n’Sours), a Thai massage corner, national dress parades, and new-for-2026 additions like expert culture panels and cooking classes at Borough Kitchen.

Date: 11-13 September, 2026
Address: Battersea Power Station
Find out more here

3. Open House London Family Day

Free, and spread right across the City of London – Guildhall Art Gallery, the Insurance Museum, London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, St Paul’s Cathedral and Dr Johnson’s House have all pulled together for one big day of architecture-and-heritage activities on 12 September, with a walking bus (fun facts, sensational stories, no booking needed) linking the venues if you want to do more than one. At Guildhall Art Gallery itself, home of the City’s art collection, built over a genuine Roman amphitheatre discovered during its 1980s rebuild, the line-up includes folding a giant paper city, building Lego landmarks, an “Architecture in Art” trail, a Roman-building activity down in the actual amphitheatre, a construction area for under-5s, and a quiet sensory space if anyone needs to tap out early. Round the corner, London Mithraeum runs a creative family day tied to its current art installation, set beside the excavated 3rd-century Temple of Mithras — worth knowing the temple itself has low lighting, mist and sound effects, so it’s more atmospheric than toddler-friendly. Booking is recommended rather than required, and Mithraeum specifically asks for a free 30-minute slot in advance to guarantee entry.

Date: 12 September, 2026
Address: Across London
Find out more here