Free things to do in London with kids: March 2025

46

Welcome to the March 2025 edition of our posts on free things to do in London with kids! Here we round up a selection of free things to do in London in March 2025!

Before we dive in, please note that while all activities listed here are free to attend, some may require advance booking or free tickets to manage capacity. We strongly recommend checking the official websites of any venues or events you’re interested in before making your journey, as opening times and entry requirements can change.

Please be aware that we are not affiliated with any of the venues, organisations, or events mentioned in this guide. We don’t specifically endorse any particular activity – every family is different, and what works brilliantly for one might not suit another. This guide aims to help you discover new possibilities, but the final choice of activities should always be based on your family’s interests, children’s ages, and comfort levels.

We know that lots of events require pre-booking and can fill up quickly, particularly during school holidays, which is why we’ve published this post early. We will keep adding to it as more free things to do are released. So do keep checking back!

Let’s explore what London has to offer for families exploring London in February!

What: Find a hat, make a hat!
Details: Join us for an eco-friendly hat-making adventure and let your creativity shine as you explore the Gallery’s collection to find the perfect inspiration for your unique hat!
Where: National Gallery, Roden Centre for Creative Learning
When: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March, 10.00-17.30
Who: Families
Find out more here.

What: Decoding pictures tour
Details: How do paintings talk to us? What details are they sharing while silently chatting on our walls? Take a tour of the Gallery with a difference. Join educators to discover paintings and learn interesting ways to explore what they are telling us.
Where: National Gallery, Roden Centre for Creative Learning
When: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March, 11.00-11.45 and 14.00-14.45
Who: Families
Find out more here.

What: Colour lab
Details: Come and explore colours and pigments as we use traditional processes that artists once used in our new Cloare Art Studio. We will work with natural materials, mixing and naming our own colours and create a collaborative piece together.
Where: National Gallery, Roden Centre for Creative Learning
When: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March, 11.00-13.00 and 14.00-16.00
Who: Families
Find out more here.

What: Lute tour
Details: Bring your friends and family along to join lute player, Andrew Maginley, and Gallery educator and storyteller, Fiona Alderton, for a musical adventure around the Gallery. Through repetition, rhythm and rhyme, Fiona invites you to help her tell a story as you explore a selection of paintings. Join us on a musical tour bringing paintings to life through tales and tunes!
Where: National Gallery, Roden Centre for Creative Learning
When: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March, 12.00-12.50
Who: Ages 5-13
Find out more here.

What: Baroque busking with easel drawing
Details: Help us kick off our new Social Space in the Roden Centre for Creative Learning with a series of laid-back performances inspired by the National Gallery’s collection. Our easels will be there for you to capture the musicians as they perform live, letting the movement flow onto your paper. Let the music inspire every stroke and mark you make. Or, simply sit back and enjoy the music with a packed lunch!
Where: National Gallery, Roden Centre for Creative Learning
When: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March, 12.00-17.30
Who: Families
Find out more here.

What: Storytelling with Preacher the Storyteller
Details: Be guided through the Gallery with an inspiring story told by Preacher the Storyteller, written and imagined by the young people of the Community Education Foundation & Lyncx based in Brixton, London.  
Where: National Gallery, Roden Centre for Creative Learning
When: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March, 13.00-13.40 and 15.00-15.40
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: Pop Up Performance: BSL storytelling
Details: Take part in this deaf-led event for families celebrating theatre and performance with activities that both BSL and English users can enjoy.
Where: V&A
When: Saturday 1 March, 11.00-16.00
Who: Ages 5+
Find out more here.

What: Sensory Design: Assemble (SEND)
Details: Have fun exploring a wide range of design materials and techniques. Supported by a visual step-by-step explanation, you’ll assemble objects with a focus on the senses. This session has been designed for children and young people who enjoy exploring the world through touch.
Where: Young V&A
When: Saturday 1 March, 10.30-12.00
Who: Recommended age 5-14, but created to be inclusive of all developmental needs
Find out more here.

What: Inter-Livery Pancake Races
Details: Every Shrove Tuesday, dozens of Livery members split into teams and race around Guildhall Yard for the Inter-Livery Pancake Race. Hosted by the Worshipful Company of Poulters, this is one of the most visually spectacular events of the year in the City. Teams wearing either fancy dress or full regalia, race around the Guildhall Yard tossing their pancakes and the victors receive, fittingly, frying pans as well as a trophy.
Where: Guildhall Yard
When: Tuesday 4 March, races are due to start at 12.00
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: Pancake Day Race
Details: The Lamb Tavern’s 16th annual pancake race, celebrating Shrove Tuesday in the City of London.  The event will take place on Tuesday 4 March at 12.30pm. The annual tradition sees teams of four don bowler hats and take on a 20m relay of the Victorian cobbled alleyways of Leadenhall Market, to compete for the ultimate prize of the Golden frying pan.  
Where: Leadenhall Market
When: Tuesday 4 March, 12.30
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: Design Baby: Sculpt and Play
Details: Play with unusual and experimental materials and mix them up with your little ones! Explore the space and sensory areas. Share your experience with other families and create new connections. Children will take the lead and make a space to create in, play in, meet in, or just be in!
Where: V&A
When: Wednesday 5 March, 11.00-14.00
Who: The 11.00 session is recommended for pre-walkers; the 13.00 is recommended for walkers under 3.
Find out more here.

What: Family Event: Mummy Masks with Jaquie
Details: The Petrie Museum team are currently undertaking a new conservation project with the cartonnage masks in the collection. So come and join artist Jaquie Feldman to create your very own cartonnage mummy mask. Learn about the meanings that lie behind the different colours, materials and designs used through drawing and creativity.
Where: The Petrie Museum
When: Saturday 8 March, 11.00-14.00, Pre-book for a guaranteed place in the 11.00 session. Drop in at 12.00 or 13.00.
Who: This is an intergenerational workshop, suitable for all ages and abilities. Everyone is welcome but young children will need adult help.
Find out more here.

What: Family Design Challenge
Details: Paper Beading workshop inspired by our new exhibition ‘Making Egypt’. Discover a jewellery making technique used by ancient Egyptians to string amulets, precious stones and faience beads. Learn how to roll your own beads from paper and string them together.
Where: Young V&A
When: Saturday 8 March, 12.00-16.00
Who: Ages 3-14
Find out more here.

What: Saturday Sessions with Shelf
Details: Shelf leads us in a side-splitting comedy workshop, complete with silly characters and the chance to be a part of the joke, followed by our monthly Ballroom Boogie.
Where: Southbank Centre
When: Saturday 8 March, 13.00-15.30 (see also Relaxed Sessions, an adapted version for families who may benefit from a more chilled out space).
Who: Ages 5-11
Find out more here.

What: Wonderful Wildlife Weekends
Details:  Explore the ponds and surrounding areas to discover the wildlife that lives at Camley Street Natural Park. 
Where: Camley Street Natural Park
When: Sunday 9 March and Sunday 23 December, 13.00-15.00
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: Hear it Live!
Details: Join harpist Jean Kelly for March’s Hear it Live! Jean will play a Celtic harp, trumpet marine, and other rare instruments with a duet partner.
Where: Horniman Museum
When: Thursday 13 March, 15.30-16.00
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: SENsory Sailors
Details: Disabled children, children with additional needs and their families are invited to a monthly session at the National Maritime Museum led by disabled creatives. Explore the Museum’s collections, enjoy the opportunity to be creative together as a family, and meet other local families. 
Where: National Maritime Museum
When: Saturday 15 March,11.00-12.30
Who: Sessions are tailored to children under 13 years. Siblings under 13 years old without SEND are welcomed.
Find out more here.

What: Pop up Performance: Kuchipudi Indian Dance Workshop
Details: Join dancer Arunima Kumar to experience Kuchipudi, one of the most famous dances in India’s history. Watch a short performance, then have a go as a family! Arunima will guide you to try the dance for yourselves. Follow the rhythm, learn some movements and get inspired by South Asian stories and colourful costumes.  
Where: V&A
When: Saturday 15 March, three workshops starting at 11.00, 13.00 and 15.00
Who: Families, ages 5+
Find out more here.

What: Welcome day at Greenwich Park
Details: Explore the brand-new Learning Centre at Greenwich Park and take part in free drop-in activities including: Make-and-take activities in the Classroom, Pond dipping at the Learning Pond, Wellbeing reflection under the outdoor Learning Canopy and Explore finds from recent archaeological digs in the park
Where: The Greenwich Park Learning Centre
When: Saturday 15 March, 11.00-16.00
Who: Families
Find out more here.

What: St Patrick’s Festival
Details: An array of free and ticketed events for everyone – whether you’re coming with friends or the entire family. Celebrations include: The Joys of Irish Baking, Bridie the Irish Tea Lady, Irish dancing performance and parade from McGahan Lees Dance Academy, Traditional Irish Music with the Quinn Family, Irish Circus, Face Painting, Arts & Crafts workshops, Creating a Camden Market mural, Bodhran Drum Masterclass and Celtic Cabaret with Slainte! Theatre
Where: Camden Market
When: Saturday 15 March
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: St Patrick’s Day Parade
Details: The parade showcases a spectacular array of Irish County Associations, community groups, organisations, and businesses, plus lively performances from marching bands, music ensembles, dance groups and carnival performers.
Where: The parade will start at Hyde Park at 12:00pm midday, making its way through Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street St James’s, and Cockspur Street, before passing Trafalgar Square and ending at Whitehall.
When: Sunday 16 March, from 12.00
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: St Patrick’s Day Festival
Details: This annual event has become a highlight of London’s cultural calendar, bringing together visitors and Londoners alike to celebrate the many contributions the Irish community have made to our great city.
Where: Trafalgar Square
When: Sunday 16 March, from 12.00
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: Early birds
Details: Early Birds is a sensory friendly event for families with members who need a quieter environment to enjoy the museum.
Where: Science Museum
When: Saturday 22 March, 08.00-11.00
Who: Ages 4–15. Siblings are welcome to attend.
Find out more here.

What: Drop-in: Crafting with Colours & Screening
Details: Take part in a creative drop in where you’ll get to make and dance inspired by the Naomi exhibition, mindfulness, and fashion. Each session will include a workshop and the screening of short dance films – Getting Dressed by Second Hand Dance Company – that celebrate the magic of everyday clothes and getting dressed to express ourselves.  The mindful session led by artist, Tyreis Holder will be followed by the screening of five short films.
Where: V&A
When: Saturday 22 March, 11.00-16.00
Who: Ages 5+
Find out more here.

What: Sensory Friendly: Design and Draw with Light
Details: Take part in this free child and family workshop for visitors with a neurodiversity or sensory processing disorder and their families, get creative and have fun!
Where: V&A
When: Saturday 22 March, 11.00-16.00
Who: Ages 5+
Find out more here.

What: Big Egg Hunt
Details: Find the scattered 2ft egg sculptures as part of a free-to-view trail across iconic locations and landmarks.
Where: Across London
When: Monday 23 March – Sunday 27 April
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: Tots at the Docks
Details: Dive deep in the river, stack cargo, put on a puppet show or build the tallest tower! Tots at the docks is an unticketed, drop-in play session,
Where: London Museum Docklands
When: Wednesday 26 March 10.30-14.00
Who: Under 5s
Find out more here.

What: Family Event: The Thylacine Diaries
Details: Discover the story of the extinct Thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian Tiger, how it became extinct, and how this story has shaped the way humans protect other species to this day. See if you can finish our new treasure hunt and immersive adventure for the Grant Museum. Inspired by escape rooms and scavenger trails, search the museum for hints and clues to see what is inside our conservationists’ safe.
Where: Grant Museum of Zoology
When: Saturday 29 March, bookable sessions at 11.00, 11.45, 12.30 or 13.15.
Who: All ages
Find out more here.

What: Hands on Armour: Double-Edged Swords
Details: What do you call a knight without a sword? Pointless! Learn how swords and knights went hilt in hand for hundreds of years, even when armour technology had moved on. Join this free opportunity to handle and try on real and replica pieces with the help of our team of Hands on Armour volunteers.
Where: Wallace Collection
When: Saturday 29 March, 13.30-16.00
Who: Ages 5+
Find out more here.

And don’t forget to also check out our post The ULTIMATE list of free things to do with kids in London which provides plenty of ideas of things to do in London that are free and always available.