Space, spaghetti and a whodunnit: family days out in London this weekend

From a museum trail that turns space history into a treasure hunt to a theatre show where children help crack a murder case, London has plenty to keep families busy on 10 and 11 October. Here are five ideas worth planning a weekend around, plus a handful of other options for younger visitors.

A space trail with a twist

Getting children excited about moon rock and real spacecraft is not always as easy as it sounds, which makes the Science Museum's latest idea a clever one. Its Pokémon Space Trail runs through nine galleries and pairs familiar characters with genuine European Space Agency technology and missions. Families collect a trail sheet in the Energy Hall and follow it around the museum, meeting characters with links to space along the way. The trail is free, but visitors do need to book a free admission ticket beforehand. It runs daily until 3 January. Anyone hoping to visit the special shop that accompanies it should note that entry is by timed slot only, and some items are limited or likely to sell out.

If the family has energy left, the Design Museum's new Es Devlin exhibition is close by and charts three decades of her work on stage sets, concert sculptures and Olympic ceremonies.

A closer look at white paintings

The Barbican is hosting the first major UK exhibition of Robert Ryman's paintings in more than 30 years, bringing together over 60 works from the 1950s to the 2010s. Ryman, who once worked as a museum guard in New York, became fascinated less by what artists painted and more by how they did it. By working largely in white, he could focus on texture, brushstrokes, surfaces and the way light falls on a canvas. Upstairs, visitors can learn about his materials and studio methods, while the lower galleries invite people to compare the works side by side. It can be a surprisingly good exercise for older children, who may enjoy spotting the differences. The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday until 28 February, and under-16s go free.

On Saturday morning, the Barbican's Family Film Club is showing Missing Link, the stop-motion adventure about an explorer and a talking Sasquatch, recommended for ages 7 and over.

Inflatables in an Olympic pool

Many Londoners assume the London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is reserved for elite athletes, but the Zaha Hadid designed venue built for the 2012 Games is run as a public pool, much like a local leisure centre. As well as family swimming and lessons, it offers inflatable sessions that are a big hit with children. The Atlantis sessions feature a large obstacle course with slides and climbing walls for ages 8 and over, while the Inflatable Disco sessions in the training pool have a smaller run and giant floats for ages 5 and over. Dates vary, with the next Atlantis sessions expected towards the end of October, so it is worth checking the website before making plans.

Nearby, the V&A East Storehouse lets visitors explore more than 250,000 objects across four floors and watch conservators at work. It is free and does not need booking.

A sculpture made for touching

Beside Serpentine South in Kensington Gardens, Venezuelan artist Jesús Rafael Soto's Pénétrable BBL Jaune is made of around 4,000 yellow plastic tubes hanging from a white frame. Unlike most artworks, it is designed to be walked through and touched, with visitors becoming part of the piece as they move. Children tend to take to it instantly. It is free and open Tuesday to Sunday until 25 October. Inside the gallery, Justin Caguiat's paintings use heat-sensitive pigments, so colours shift as temperature and light change.

Young detectives wanted

On Sunday 11 October at 12:00 and 14:30, artsdepot in North Finchley stages The Mystery of… artsdepot, an interactive whodunnit for ages 7 and over. The audience is sworn in as trainee detectives by Constable Newbie, who needs help solving the murder of an internet celebrity. Children examine evidence, watch video footage, listen to audio clues, question suspects and vote along the way, with dice and cards adding an element of chance. The show was created by Danyah Miller, who also plays the constable, with children's author Robin Stevens as writing consultant. Shy children need not worry, as nobody is put on the spot and everyone can join in as much or as little as they like.

More ideas for younger children

Winnie-the-Pooh is at London Zoo until 1 November. Polka Theatre's Toto runs at weekends and over half term for ages 3 to 8, and Little Angel Theatre's Pip and Posy Live on Stage, aimed at 2 to 5 year olds, continues until 22 November. This weekend also brings Rabbit and Rey and the Lost Things at Half Moon Young People's Theatre on Saturday, and Mr Sleepybum's Dream Machine at Jacksons Lane Arts Centre on Sunday.

Ollēdi © 2026

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