The Royal Wedding – How to Use The Bank Holiday Weekend

Apr 20th 2011

Everybody is looking forward to a bit of rest and recovery over the upcoming bank holidays, as well as chance to do some of those fun things we haven’t had time for up until now. On top of that, with the extra one this year thanks to the Royal Wedding, we have all got an extra two days to fill with exciting events and activities.

Whether you are looking to celebrate the Royal Wedding or escape from it, most likely you already have a couple of ideas about what to do with your time off. But it can be difficult to fill up that time, or to choose from the dizzying array of events going on over that weekend. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of some of bank holiday activities you might like to try.

London Bank Holiday Activities

Anyone looking to celebrate the Royal Wedding in style should make their way to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which will be holding an event called I Do on Friday April 29th. I Do will be an evening Victorian-style street party, in the manner of the 1863 celebrations for the wedding of Edward VII and Alexandra. This will be a fun, light-hearted evening of celebration, with the events announced so far including a sing-along and a chance to have your very own wedding photo taken. The event is free and will take place between 6:30pm and 10:00pm.

V&A Museum – Photograph by tiny_packages

If you are an aficionado of Baroque music, or of classical music in general, then don’t miss the Feinstein Ensemble on April 29th. This immensely talented group perform the music of several Baroque composers, and are famous for performing their music in an historically accurate fashion. During this concert, the audience will be treated to some of the music of Handel, Bach and Vivaldi, including Handel’s sublime Water Music Flute Suite and Bach’s famous Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. This takes place at the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, which is located in Trafalgar Square. Tickets are available from between £8 to £24, depending on seating preferences. For anyone who is there on April 29th, there is also a public screening of the Royal Wedding taking place in Trafalgar Square.

Family Events

The long weekend is a great chance to do something a bit out of the ordinary with your children. There are all sorts of educational and exciting events for young people going on across the city over the bank holiday weekend. One which you should be sure to try and visit is the Age of the Dinosaur exhibition at the Natural History Museum. This huge interactive event will keep you and your children entertained for hours, with detailed recreations of habitats, real specimens from the museum collection, and terrifying, life-sized animatronic dinosaurs.

The exhibition costs £10 for an adult (free for Members or Patrons), £6 for children or concessions, and £28 for a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children). Children under 3 get in for free. It will be running from April 22nd until September 4th, so there will still be plenty of time to catch Age of the Dinosaur if you’re unable to make it this time.

The Science Museum is another great place to visit over the bank holiday weekend. A number of great exhibitions will be taking place over this weekend, all of which are fun and interesting. One of the most fascinating and amusing events currently being held is the Cockroach Tour of the Science Museum, which looks at the history of human achievement and scientific activity from the perspective of cockroaches (in case you were wondering, costumes are involved). For a complete list of their current exhibitions and events, click here.

You will also be able to choose to see a selection of films at their own IMAX 3D Cinema. This includes 3D films that explore the depths of the ocean and stunning space documentaries, including the incredible Hubble 3D. Also, there is currently a deal running which allows you to see a second film for half the price. IMAX films cost around £8 to £10 for a standard ticket. Entries to the exhibit are free. The Science Museum is great to visit any time, even if you miss the opportunity over the bank holiday. It is centrally located, and is within walking distance of many businesses, as well near our office locations providing serviced offices and meeting room hire in London, so it can be a great place to pop to after work.

Are you planning on attending any of these events? Do you know of any other events happening in London over the bank holiday weekend? Leave us a message in the comments section below.

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