London Immersive experiences for kids

Playing the Picturesque exhibition by You Pea

Instill an interest in architecture with this free RIBA exhibition from You Pea, which combines folly structures extracted from real landscapes with interactive virtual game environments to make us consider the blurring between digital and actual realms. Perfect for gamers, who can think about the role of game technologies in architecture (and imagine themselves turning all those hours of video-game playing into a cool career).

Photo: Tristan Fewings, Getty Images for RIBA

Dinosaur World Live, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

Who says you can't see dinosaurs roaming the earth anymore? You certainly can this summer. Just head to the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre to catch some of the kids' favourite terrifying beasts in action, like the T-Rex and Triceratops. Don't worry - they're just puppets, but they sure do look convincingly realistic!

Zoo it Yourself immersive experience, ZSL London Zoo

ZSL London Zoo is giving kids the chance to try out different zoo jobs, from riding on diggers to help build animals' homes to helping the Zoo nurse look after meerkats and potting plants for animals to snack on. They'll get a uniform and daily task list - and then it's all about getting stuck in!

Have fun with The Tiger Who Came to Tea at Discover Children's Story Centre

RIP Judith Kerr, whose beloved cat Mog and bestselling Tiger Who Came to Tea book will endure for generations to come. Both come to life in an immersive exhibition with storytelling and exploration sessions featuring 14 of Judith Kerr's books. Kids can crawl through a giant cat flap, have tea with the tiger and spend some time at Mog's family house and local shops. Now, don't forget to stock up on Tiger Food - just in case.

photo: Discover/Tori Mayo

Beasts of London at the Museum of London

This brilliant exhibition is a collaboration between the Museum of London and Guildhall School of Music and Drama and features famous voices (hello, Kate Moss!) in an immersive experience that takes you through London's history through the eyes of its animal inhabitants, including elephants, pigeons, dogs, rats, foxes and more. Totally thrilling - and the kids will learn a lot, too.

AI: More than Human, Barbican Centre

From interacting with a giant AI version of yourself to getting lost inside a painting from teamLab, the Barbican's latest exhibition explores the connections between human beings and the machines we've created to run the world for us.

The Making of Harry Potter, Warner Brothers Studio Tour

An immersive trip that takes you behind the scenes of one of the most-obsessed about book and film series ever, Warner Brothers continues to add excitement to the studio tour experience, even for those who have already been. The latest news? The 16,500sqft Gringotts Wizarding Bank, complete with goblins and Lestrange vault, stuffed with treasure, opened in March 2019. No one will blame you if you mutter a spell or two under your breath.

Credit: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

KidZania London

At KidZania, kids rule the world: they look after babies in hospital, they train as cabin crew on British Airways, they become WWE Superstars. And much, much more. Come for a day, a birthday, or even for a summer camp experience during the summer hols.

Fall into Room on the Broom at Chessington World of Adventures

The latest attraction at Chessington World of Adventures is the immersive Room on the Broom experience, where Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's bestselling book is brought to life as you walk through the pages of the book with larger-than-life characters and a bubbling cauldron. The kids can get in on the action, searching for the witch's wand... and steering clear of the fearsome dragon.

Check out the immersive art at NOW Gallery

From a surrealistic The Great Supper by Sara Shakeel - a crystal-studded take on the family dinner - to Kinska's My Opera House, a whimsical house filled with smiley ceramics, NOW Gallery is a brilliant space for introducing your mini-mes to immersive art, that you'll actually enjoy yourself.

Become a fairy at Fairytale Friends

The immersive experience isn't limited to older children; at Fairytale Friends in Battersea, there are day experiences over half terms and summer holidays, where you can go on a unicorn or fairy adventure (the actual space looks like a fairy tree house and the staff stay in character throughout). Now, where's that pixie dust when we need it?

Ride the Mail Rail at the Postal Museum

Kids can hop on the Mail Rail, a 15-minute ride through London's subterranean mail tunnel routes, passing by stations that are largely unchanged since they were first built a century ago. Audio clips from Mail Rail workers, talking about their day jobs, helps to bring this immersive experience to life.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Concert, Royal Festival Hall

Watch the first Harry Potter film on a 40-foot screen at the Royal Festival Hall, while the Czech National Symphony Orchestra performs the score live. Wands optional.

The Potion Room, Cutter & Squidge

The Potion Room is an immersive experience that promises to treat students to a delicious afternoon tea, and teach them how to brew their very own edible potions. Kids (and kidults) above the age of eight can find out if they have what it takes to become the the next Half Blood Prince in the trendiest teatime London has to offer.