{"id":932313,"date":"2026-05-02T06:09:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T06:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/932313\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T06:09:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T06:09:44","slug":"what-to-do-in-london-on-may-bank-holiday-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/932313\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do in London on May bank holiday weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The May bank holiday weekend is swiftly approaching, albeit with a mixed bag of weather on the horizon.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Come rain or shine, here is a list of the top things to do this early May bank holiday in and around London \u2013 without breaking the bank.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Feed farm animals at Surrey Docks Farm<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t think of a better way to spend the bank holiday weekend than feeding farm animals at Surrey Docks Farm.<\/p>\n<p>While this activity is aimed at younger children, I\u2019d argue there\u2019s something here for everyone \u2013 including adults, of course.<\/p>\n<p>The farm is free to visit and open every day from 10am to 4pm.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/amadeusz-misiak-oXQT32eAMGE-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171539\"  \/>Hampstead Heath (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@amduz\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Amadeusz Misiak<\/a>\u00a0on Unsplash)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Go outdoor swimming at Hampstead Heath<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Arguably the only way to cool off from a hot spring day is to take a refreshing dip in a natural pond. <\/p>\n<p>Luckily, we are spoilt for choice at Hampstead Heath.<\/p>\n<p>The health benefits are outstanding, as well as the views. <\/p>\n<p>Parliament Hill Lido\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityoflondon.gov.uk\/things-to-do\/green-spaces\/hampstead-heath\/activities-at-hampstead-heath\/swimming-at-hampstead-heath\/swimming-opening-times\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">summer opening times<\/a> begin on Saturday 2 May.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Attend an outdoor theatre performance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Regent\u2019s Park Open Air Theatre marks a fantastic way to spend your evening, by offering entertainment for family and friends of all ages. <\/p>\n<p>Sherlock Holmes, the theatre\u2019s next performance, opens on Saturday with some tickets still available to buy.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/kt-likes-coffee-PP7DbxeRjLM-unsplash-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171541\"  \/>Hampton Court Palance (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@ktlikescoffee\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">KT Likes Coffee<\/a> on Unsplash)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Absorb some culture at Hampton Court Palace<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Just 40 minutes from Waterloo Station is a majestic palace which was Henry VIII\u2019s home in the 1530s.<\/p>\n<p>With plenty to do including garden history tours and exhibitions, you will not be bored here.<\/p>\n<p>Ticket prices range from \u00a314.50 for children to \u00a329 for adults.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Visit the exhibitions at the V&amp;A<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The one guarantee with visiting the V&amp;A is that there will be an exhibition for everyone, regardless of age.<\/p>\n<p>One exhibition that looks particularly interesting for families is Inside Aardman: Wallace &amp; Gromit and Friends, which takes a look behind the scenes from the different films.<\/p>\n<p>Entry costs \u00a312.50, with members visiting free.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/john-cameron-8Qqq7mlO1Vo-unsplash-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171543\"  \/>The London Eye (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@john_cameron\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">John Cameron<\/a> on Unsplash)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be a tourist in your own city<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One thing locals rarely do is take advantage of the tourist hotspots that sit on their doorstep, so why not use the bank holiday as an excuse to explore London further?<\/p>\n<p>A London River Cruise, which offers scenic views of the River Thames for 40 minutes, is a great place to start, with tickets costing \u00a315.50.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stroll around Kew Gardens<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Arguably the best way to take advantage of the fresh spring weather is by exploring Kew Gardens. <\/p>\n<p>With plenty of walking tours and activities taking place over the weekend, you will be spoilt for choice.<\/p>\n<p>Tickets are fairly expensive, costing nearly \u00a330. However, it\u2019s cheaper to book tickets online.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ben-guerin-eKcYTT9mgMI-unsplash-1024x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171544\"  \/>Brighton beach (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@bjhguerin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Guerin<\/a> on Unsplash)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Travel to the seaside<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re craving the sea salt air and a cold ice cream on the pier, then Brighton is your best bet. <\/p>\n<p>Trains from London are as quick as one hour, making it an ideal day trip.<\/p>\n<p>Famous for its pebbled beach and quaint shops, Brighton truly has everything a bank holiday needs.<\/p>\n<p>Feature image: Free to use from Unsplash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The May bank holiday weekend is swiftly approaching, albeit with a mixed bag of weather on the horizon.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":932314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7757],"tags":[62918,10749,748,6454,393,77,4884,257,4729,24380,14299,16,15,18323],"class_list":["post-932313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-london","tag-activities","tag-bank-holiday","tag-britain","tag-drama","tag-england","tag-entertainment","tag-great-britain","tag-london","tag-museums","tag-spring","tag-summer","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-weekend"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116503496007718763","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=932313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/932314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=932313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=932313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=932313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}