Where to take the children this summer
Wondering how to keep your little ones occupied and amused over the long break? Our critics provide the essential guide
RSC Summer Activities
The Royal Shakespeare Company lays on the kind of activities that most adults would equally love to take part in. There’s the opportunity to dress up in costumes and try out props at the new Lost and Found cabinet, and have a make-up session at the ever popular Blood, Guts and Gore workshop. Meanwhile, at the Swirl, a new outdoor pop-up venue, budding theatre buffs can see short shows inspired by the Shakespeare plays in the RSC’S summer season, among other things. RSC, Stratford-upon-avon (01789 403493; rsc.org.uk), Tues-sept 2
Horrible Histories Live
Terry Deary’s 1993 creation has grown into a mega-brand, with a Bafta-winning TV show and an ever-growing library of books. Now ye olde anarchic live spectacular is returning to the West End throughout August with a new show, Barmy
Britain: Part Four. Rotten Romans, wicked witches and terrible Tudors pop up for gruesome gore and poo gags, along with Richard III’S hump, Elizabeth I’s terrible teeth, Samuel Pepys’s diary and Georgian detectives hunting a headless man. Think Blackadder meets Monty Python. Rude, crude and stealthily educational. Horribly so. Apollo Theatre, London W1 (0330 333 4809; nimaxtheatres.com), Aug 2-Sept 1
Luna Kids Cinema
Outdoor cinema isn’t just for hipsters and canoodling couples. This summer, Luna – one of the first and best open-air cinema organisers – has launched Luna Kids which will tour the country throughout the school holidays. It is going to show Disney and Pixar favourites, the Harry Potter and Star Wars series, superhero blockbusters, and half-hour animated adaptations of The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man. Atmospheric venues include Hampton Court Palace, Hatfield House, Heaton Park, Tatton Park and Priory Park. Just add rug and picnic. And perhaps a visit to the Big Kids’ Bar. Various venues (lunakidscinema.com), until Sept 4
Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense
Terrific family entertainment awaits in this version of PG Wodehouse’s The Code
of the Woosters, seen in the West End in 2013-14 and now revived by Philip Wilson. The conceit is that Bertie has hired a theatre to relay his recent harrowing ordeal at Totleigh Towers
– whither he was dispatched by his Aunt Dahlia to steal an antique silver cow-creamer – and he’s roped in Jeeves and another valet, Seppings, to play every other character in the farce. The big bonus is that this is one of the most beautifully situated theatres in England, just a stone’s throw from Derwentwater; so you can spend all day – or days – roving the Lake District without losing touch with theatrical civilisation. Theatre by the Lake, Keswick (01768 774411; theatrebythelake.com), until October 27
Ten Pieces Prom
Here’s something to amuse the kids while feeding their souls. This Prom is rooted in the idea that just 10 classical pieces are all that’s needed to get kids interested in the art form. That was the thought behind the BBC’S Ten Pieces education project for schools, which has been a roaring success. This concert, a spin-off from that, is hosted by CBBC’S Naomi Wilkinson and some surprise guests. It includes feet-stomping pieces by Aaron Copland and Carl Orff, orchestral magic from Stravinsky, along with more contemporary sounds from Mason Bates and Kerry Andrew, in a spectacular show that brings the
music to life. Royal Albert Hall, London SW7 (020 7070 4441; royalalberthall.com), July 29
Edinburgh Fringe / International Festival
There’s plenty for youngsters at the world’s biggest arts fest. At the International Festival, Philippe Saire Company’s Hocus Pocus (suitable for children aged seven and upwards) fuses dance, theatre and visual art to tell a fantastical tale of bravery. On the Fringe, the littlest theatregoers (up to age three) will enjoy Mamababame, which immerses its audience in live cello music and dancing. There’s also the wonderfully silly Eaten (five-plus), about a lion who swallows a man, and the anarchic family show Wolfgang (three-plus), which transforms Mozart’s music into a wild spectacle of circus acrobatics. For age-appropriate comedy that doesn’t skimp on laughs, at Comedy Club 4 Kids (six-plus) top comedians re-pitch their material to the toughest crowd of all. Various venues, Edinburgh (International Festival: 0131 473 2000; eif.co.uk. Fringe: 0131 226 0000; edfringe.com), August 3-31
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
This free outdoor space must be Britain’s most family-friendly “gallery”. Where else can kids roll down a grassy hill covered in Barbara Hepworths, or watch a sheep trying to lick a Henry Moore? On Fridays, children can learn bushcraft skills, try their hand at sketching or build birdfeeders from English willow, while on Saturdays there are relaxed play sessions for under-fives in the Hidden Forest. Near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, (ysp. org.uk), open every day
Music Festivals
Campers at Shambala can enjoy meat-free global cuisine, let the kids run wild in a specially designed Playtopia and enjoy some terrific world music from emerging artists. Camp Bestival attracts bigger names (Rick Astley, Simple Minds), but also has two gardens for children and toddlers, a teen club hosted by Radio 1’s Rob Da Bank, and “the world’s biggest bouncy castle”. Wilderness, meanwhile, has a jazzy line-up (Kamasi Washington, Nile Rodgers) and plenty of hands-on family activities; craft workshops, family yoga and a beautiful boating lake.
Shambala: Secret location, Northamptonshire (shambalafestival.org), Aug 23-26; Camp Bestival: Lulworth, Dorset (campbestival.net), July 26-29; Wilderness: Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire (wildernessfestival.com), Aug 2-5
Dinosaur World Live
For those urgently requiring a spot of al fresco dino action, this is an educational family show (ages threeplus) that introduces the young not only to impressive prehistoric
creatures but also to the joys of outdoor theatre.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London NW1 (0844 264242; dinosaurworldlive.com), Aug 14-Sept 9
Antarctica Live
Escape the heatwave at a festival celebrating the coldest, driest place on earth with an unlikely blend of ballet and cutting-edge science. As well as daily dance performances and classes, young boffins can learn how plants and animals have adapted to the freezing climate before using that knowledge to protect a “mini scientist” from a freezing ice bath in a hands-on survival workshop. Science Museum, London SW7 (0333 241 4000; sciencemuseum.org.uk), Aug 14-30
Chosen by Dominic Cavendish, Lucy Davies, Tristram Fane Saunders, Ivan Hewett, Michael Hogan, Mark Monahan and Charlotte Runcie