Good Friday was just spectacular! The weather was so good that I completely forgot to write up the Easter events round-up so my apologies but if you are still stuck on ideas for what to do with the family, check out the below.
I’ve been on annual leave for the second half of the Easter holidays and have been taking the kids out (will post on that shortly) but yesterday was a kid-free day for me. I went out with my sister to enjoy a trip to a very special museum and then took a stroll around Leadenhall Market. As it was Good Friday, a lot of the shops were closed but there was a lovely French bakery that was still open and a couple other eateries.
Stumbled upon this beautiful Easter decorative arch inside Leadenhall Market!
Get those trainers, walking shoes or wellies on and get ready to start exploring again as London and the rest of the UK gear up to leave lockdown 3.0 behind. There’s so many wonderful places you can visit outdoors that there’s no excuse not to head out for some fresh air and scenic sights.
The walkway by The Tide is now completed and looks magical in all its colourful glory, thanks to artist Liz West. More on how you can visit the walkway below. A lot of businesses are still shut until April 12th but it’s only a couple weeks away. Make the most of this time now by going to places you wouldn’t normally go to because we all know once the restaurants and cafes open, we’ll be finding ourselves a spot there as soon as we can or slotting in as many retail therapy moments as possible.
Whilst I couldn’t find any free Easter Egg hunt events in Greenwich this year (there’s one in Canary Wharf – see below), but there are Easter egg hunt events dotted about London. The Big Easter Egg Hunt in Chislehurst is our closest one on Saturday 3rd April, 2-4pm. More details and booking on Eventbrite. There’s also an Easter Adventure Quest for kids at Eltham Palace on now until April 18th but there’s a fee. Check out the website for more details.
Spring is here to bring us more sun, warmer days and outdoor events…
Greenwich Market re-opens April 1st 2021
FINALLY, the markets will be re-opening in just a couple days! Food stalls are scheduled to reopen April 1 however arts & crafts, vintage stalls and retail shops will reopen April 12 inline with government guidelines. The management team will be working hard to make sure the market is covid-safe but remember to also do your part by wearing your mask and social distancing whenever possible.
Hundreds and Thousands by Liz West at The Tide / Photo credit: NOW Gallery
Crosstown Doughnuts have just launched their delicious Easter spiced doughnuts filled with cinnamon custard filling. YUMMY! These limited edition selection boxes are perfect for gifting. Pre-order now as they’re only available from March 29 to April 5.
Greenwich Peninsula has commissioned artist Liz West to create a new installation; Hundreds and Thousands for The Tide in 2021. The artwork wraps 700m of the walkway’s glass balustrades, creating a ribbon of undulating colour. Just in time as we transition from spring to summer.
To celebrate Hundreds and Thousands, will be a series of collaborative artistic responses exploring the human colour experience.
Nicholas Daley’s Return to SLYGO exhibition / Photo credit: NOW Gallery
Return to SLYGO
NOW Gallery will be welcoming one of the UK’s most pioneering young fashion designers, Nicholas Daley, to debut at the gallery. The fully immersive exhibition titled, RETURN TO SLYGO will celebrate the coming together of Nicholas’s multicultural Jamaican-Scottish roots with his passion for music in a multi-sensory installation.
Canary Wharf has a line of treats set up for us this Easter.
Their ongoing commission ‘Captivated by Colour’ by artist Camille Walala on the Adams Plaza Bridge is still on show. Following the success of London Mural Festival, Camille’s playful yet impactful design has now become a part of the city’s permanent art collection. If you’re visiting, make sure you get a shot before you leave, it’s a great backdrop for any selfie! There’s lots of artwork all around the estate, you can download their art map to find them all.
Secret Sunrise X Canary Wharf: Happy Egg-stravaganza
Saturday 3rd April, 9-10am
This family-friendly session will have you dancing and twirling this Easter weekend. Embark on an interactive adventure set out by the Canary Wharf team. All you need to join is a laptop or smart phone, some comfy clothes, and your dancing shoes on. The funkier the outfit the better!
From April 15th 2021 Thursday – Sunday at 12pm-6pm
It’s back! Test your putting skills on the colourful mini-golf course. With 9 holes to play through, including the classic ‘loop-de-loop’, the ‘death drop’, and many more trick shot opportunities this is the perfect place to show off your mini golf skills to friends and family.
At the beginning of the Easter Holiday, LO and I decided to go all out this Easter. We wanted to do something different; we had a mini Easter Egg hunt at home with Daddy P and LO’s cousin Lils and ate lots of delicious chocolates. I had been looking at tickets for Dinosaurs in the Wild at The O2 Peninsula area after seeing all the promo flags for the experience around the area. I checked it out online and it looked very promising but slightly pricey. I found cheaper tickets online via a website called Little Bird. They’re family friendly website with discount codes and offers for hundreds, if not thousands, of different family events in the UK.
Easter Sunday
On the morning of Easter Sunday, LO and I headed out to Intercontinental at The O2 for a family egg hunt hosted by the hotel. We were allowed access to search the corridors and rooms of the hotel on the ground, first and second floor. We searched everywhere but had no luck until we decided to be brave and head on a detour to a quiet area in the hotel and found an Easter egg nest in the corner of hallway on the second floor. We were so happy! 🙂
Our chocolate entitled us to a prize – a hot chocolate at the hotel’s ground floor restaurant. I was allowed to have a complimentary hot chocolate (thanks to the Guest Relations Team) as a blogger perk for coming out that morning. 🙂 The Lindt hot chocolate was incredibly rich but very tasty. The chocolate egg was just as tasty – LO tucked into it as we made our way to Dinosaurs in the Wild.
Dinosaurs in the wild experience
I had only taken glances online at what to expect at Dinosaurs in the Wild and all I can say from hindsight is WOW! I really didn’t expect such a realistic, immersive experience. You can read on their website what to expect from the experience but nothing can really prepare you for the experience. It’s incredibly well-thought, totally interactive and super immersive – so much that at times, it feels almost like real-life. 🙂
We travelled back in time to the late cretaceous period (67 million years ago) in a time machine called the X90 Transfer Pod, designed by the team at Chronotex. It was super-fast and before we knew it, in a matter of seconds our Transfer Pod had converted into a land buggy. The buggy opened its shutters and we were met with a Triceratops knocking against our screen. Our Chronotex guide safely drove us away from the nuisance creature and on a short ride to TimeBase 67. On the way we also saw a couple of Tyrannosaurus Rex, some huge Alamosaurus and other dinosaurs.
Once we arrived at TimeBase 67, another guide showed us around their working lab – we looked at a pumping Alamosaurus heart, played with some dino-poop and checked out other cool dinosaur body parts.
T Rex claw
Bloods taken from dinosaurs
After the lab, we entered the autopsy room and witnessed one of the doctors completing an autopsy on a Pachycephalosaurus. It wasn’t a gory sight but LO was a little freaked out with the autopsy and asked “mummy, what is he doing to it?” and looked pretty scared. I explained what an autopsy was but he was very quiet during this part of the experience. This is probably why the experience is recommended for children aged 5+. After this we saw the dinosaur hatchery which was simply amazing. One of the Chronotex team took a Dakotaraptor egg away then brought it back and out came a furry little raptor – it was amazing to see the team interacting with the audience this way. It made it that little more realistic for everyone, including me.
The Chronotex Hatchery.. triceratops eggs with a hatchling
After we were shown around the different levels at TimeBase 67, we were brought upstairs to the lookout tower where we had a 360-view of the surroundings. It was amazing. We saw Triceratops, Alamosaurus, Dakotaraptors, and two naughty Tyrannosaurus Rex who started causing trouble and a code-red alert was raised. We had to evacuate the lookout and head down underground. The sudden evacuation felt so real, other parents including myself felt a little anxious and unknowing of what was going to happen next. I happily played along but poor LO thought it was the real thing… I didn’t tell him it wasn’t until much later. 🙂 We had to run underground into a bunker and wait for a member of the Chronotex team to look for a back-up shuttle to take us back to the present time.
As we were ushered into the back-up machine, everyone held onto the rails for dear life – LO looked up scared and said to me “mummy I’m scared, I want to go home”… my heart sank a little at his response and had to tell him not to worry and that it’s not real. Although I left it for too long – he didn’t believe me – soon before I knew it, he started crying. Our time machine took us back to 2018 and opened the doors to the exit which was the souvenir shop. LO burst out in more tears and I wasn’t really sure if they were tears of fear, relief or being overwhelmed (maybe it was all three!)… it was a fantastic experience!
LO at Dinosaurs In The Wild with his Dakotaraptor toy
I just wanted to do it all again! We stopped at the shop to take some photos and I bought LO a Dakotaraptor figurine. The toy didn’t last long, he took it to a barbecue with his nan the next day and some kids at the party broke the legs… £20.00 wasted! I would highly recommend any dino-loving family to go and experience Dinosaurs In The Wild but book in advance for a better deal on the price.
There’s lots of Dinosaurs in the Wild reviews you can check out – if you want a real spoiler of the full experience, there’s a Youtube video you can watch from The Dad Lab:
Watching the video is cool but not cooler than experiencing the real thing. As cliché as that sounds, it’s really true… we’re going back on Father’s Day with Daddy P. 🙂
NB. We received a complimentary adult and child ticket for our Dinosaurs in the wild experience in exchange for this review. All words, opinions and photos are my own and the links in this post are not affiliated.
Live music at the Urban Village Fete 2015 [Photo Credit: LauraJaneDale/Knight Dragon]Summer is a brilliant time to visit Greenwich as there is always something happening. Whether it’s an event for families or a lovely street parade, it’s a great excuse to get out of the house and visit. Last year saw the launch of the Greenwich Peninsula’s Urban Village Fete. The turnout was amazing; with over 10,000 people attending the fabulous (and not to mention, free!) event was a big, big hit. The organisers of the fair contacted me earlier this month to let me know that the event will be making a comeback this year and it got me all excited I had to write a little post about it. 🙂
Save the date!
The Urban Village Fete will be coming back and is set to be bigger and better than last year. The date to add to your diary this year is Sunday 15th May 2016. The event will be on for the whole day from 12 noon until 7pm so there’ll be plenty of time for you to pop along throughout the day. There will be lots of things to do for everyone all day too.
A day out for everyone
No matter what your interests are, the Urban Village Fete will have you covered. It is an event that’s designed to appeal to families, foodies, shopaholics, creatives and crafties, and music lovers alike. There will be will be art workshops available, a brilliant range food and drink stalls to sample from, plenty of things to do for kids, coupled with live music, performances and entertainment.
If you fancy a spot of shopping, there will be a whole host of wonderfully unique gifts and items on sale from local artists and upcoming designers.
Photos from last year
Here are some amazing photos from last year’s event for you to feast your eyes upon. I’m sure it’ll get you excited to come along on May 15th . 🙂
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Countdown: a month away…
Baby girl will be due on May 13th so I don’t think I will be able to attend which I am gutted about as it looks absolutely fantastic. Hopefully, baby will arrive earlier (LO was 5 days early) so I can pop down to the fete as it’s only a stone-throw away from home and would be fantastic for LO to visit. Maybe as a last resort Daddy P can take LO along for a fun day out. Let’s hope we’ll be blessed with lovely weather on the day too!
*NB. I worked with the Urban Village Fete to promote this free local event. All words and opinions are my own. The photos were supplied to me by the PR team and the images have been credited respectively.
Wandering.Mother 