Family Day Out

Piccadilly and its surrounds are transformed into a canvas of colourful art, celebrating London's West End as the cultural hub of the capital. Tour around the Piccadilly to see the thirty hanging canvases overhead created by artists from the Royal Academy of Arts- Michael Armitage, Farshid Moussavi OBE RA and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. Each inspired by different styles and influences, but with colour palettes and designs that work together harmoniously. Underfoot, step out onto the vibrant crossings named 'UpTownDancing' created by artist Vanessa Jackson, who commented:

"I’m looking forward to people not just walking across my pavements – like Abbey Road – but actually, I hope they’ll be dancing."

Piccadilly Lights is also part of the art takeover, with the screen being illuminated with the work of Isaac Julien CBE RA featuring actor Ray Fearon, the piece, entitled Lessons of the Hour and is a poetic meditation on the life and times of abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Unveiled on World Lion Day, the Tusk Trust Trail is an incredible initiative by the Tusk Trust to bring awareness of the threats experienced by the lion species once roaming most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe, the population of lions is estimated to have declined by as much as 50% over the last 25 years.

The trail features lions created by a star-studded line up of actors, musicians, artists and comedians who have come together to create 25 individually designed lions, on show in London's West End. Follow a trail of these striking, life-sized majestic creatures designed by Ronnie Wood, Noel Fielding, Hannah Shergold, John Cleese and many more.

View our digital map to find out where you can find each of the lions on the trail.

In celebration of the school holidays, the Society of London Theatre has put together Kids Week, an offer that allows families to collectively enjoy the theatre during the summer holidays for half the price.
Buy an adult ticket and child's ticket to see a West End theatre show, and get both tickets half price!

We recommend Amelie the musical currently playing at the Criterion Theatre see the unfolding of the tale of Amelie Poulain who secretly improvises small, yet extraordinary acts of kindness discovering the possibilities around every corner and bringing happiness to those she encounters. When a chance at love comes her way, Amélie realises that to find her own contentment she’ll have to risk everything and say what’s in her heart.

London's very first outdoor gallery created using Augmented Reality technology, has been extended. The mile-long trail features paintings from some of the world's most influential painters such as, the impressionist painter Van Gogh and the Flemish Baroque painter, Anthony Van Dyke. The classic pieces will be presented alongside contemporary works by Tracey Emin, Ishbel Myerscough and winners of Sky Arts' Portrait Artist of the Year.

Art of London spills art onto the streets of London’s West End with an Augmented Reality Art Gallery, bringing a new way of seeing art, and a new way of experiencing an art exhibition. This brings art from beloved West End galleries outdoors in a free and accessible environment for all, using augmented reality to present the public with the art gallery of the future. The trail has now been extended to encompass The Wolseley, The May Fair and on the doorstep of The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square.

All you need is the AR Augmented Gallery app available on Apple or Android devices, plenty of phone charge and shoes that you can happily walk a mile in.

Don't miss to the award-winning Peter Rabbit™ Afternoon Tea celebrating beloved childhood tales by Beatrix Potter at the Terrace restaurant inside The Dilly Hotel, on Piccadilly.

For only £39 per adult and £29 for the children's version, available Monday to Sunday, from 12:30pm to 5pm, it’s a must-have menu to tuck-in to in the heart of London’s West End.

Offering a magical wonderland of Peter's favourite treats inspired by the classic Potter novels, fill-up on tasty bites such as the Caught In A Twist sandwich and the Every Bunny's Favourite carrot cake, perfect for little ones and adults alike.

Offering a free, must-see entertainment and film attraction, Scenes in the Square features recognisable characters and scenes, each immortalised in interactive and expressive bronze statues, with some brought to life in the evening through lighting.

Tune-in to the ultimate soundtrack to your journey with the audio walking tour. Narrated by DJ and Presenter Alex Zane, it’s the perfect accompaniment to your journey through the Scenes in the Square trail.

Hop onto your brooms to discover Harry Potter. Scour the buildings to find DC’s Super Heroes Batman and Wonder Woman. Budge up on a bench next to Paddington and Mr Bean. Burst into song with musical stars Mary Poppins and Gene Kelly. Career into comedy capers with comedy duo Laurel and Hardy or the brilliant Bugs Bunny. Or, take your seat and snap a selfie upon the legendary Iron Throne.

First visit the Bugs Bunny statue featured as part of the Scenes in the Square trail, and be sure to scan the QR code on Bugs Bunny's Space Jam basketball hoop to catapult yourself into the Space Jam: A New Legacy movie.

Why not then catch Space Jam: A New Legacy and see one of basketball's living legends, LeBron James as he joins Bugs Bunny and the Tune Squad in an epic basketball game against the Goon Squad in a dimensional cross between the real world and the cartoon world of the Looney Tunes.

With a summer blockbuster as epic as Free Guy, we just had to celebrate its release in style. So, we got together with our friends at Disney to perform a total Free Guy takeover of ODEON Luxe Leicester Square.

Cue our very own army of Blue Shirt Guys – all named ‘Guy’ conveniently – on hand to welcome guests, furnish them with freshly popped popcorn and get them settled to enjoy the spectacular and hilarious Free Guy as it was meant to be experienced – on the big screen.

Are our Blue Shirt Guys as heroic as Ryan Reynold’s Guy? Well, we like to think so, but there’s only one way to find out for sure. Book Free Guy tickets here, and if you want to see even more shots of ODEON’s Free Guy takeover, check out ODEON Luxe Leicester Square’s Instagram page.