Hammersmith & Fulham
On Easter Sunday Oxford and Cambridge will contest the 159th annual Boat Race on the Thames.
The rowing event, which has been held since 1829, will last for 16 to 18 minutes as the competing eights make their way from Putney Bridge to Mortlake.
Bishops Park in Fulham and Furnivall Gardens in Hammersmith will host two family-friendly events where revellers can catch all the action on giant screens for free, accompanied by beer tents and food.
Both events take place from noon to 6pm, with the race itself starting at 4.30pm.
Alternatively for something indoors, the Lyric Theatre has a puppet production of the Pied Piper on Saturday, April 13, between 11am and 1pm.
Tickets are £8, or £30 for a family of four. The play is suitable for children under seven and the show runs for 45 minutes on average.
Visit www.lyrictheatre.co.uk for more information or to book tickets .
Take the family for a grand day out and see Wallace and Gromit at the Hammersmith Apollo .
Nick Park’s characters will amuse children and adults alike as specially filmed animations interact with live stage action and the Aurora Orchestra keeps the audience entertained with their live score.
The interval even features a special screening of the award-winning short film, A Matter of Loaf and Death.
Afternoon and evening performances take place on Easter Sunday and Monday and tickets range from £15 to £40. For more information call 0844 249 1000 or visit www.hammersmithapollo.co.uk .
kensington
An Easter-themed hop and hunt is being held in Duke of York Square on Saturday.
It is fun for all ages, with prizes ranging from Easter eggs to a £200 shopping spree to spend in Duke of York Square.
The Victoria and Albert Museum is running a create your own coat of arms event from tomorrow (Saturday) until Friday, April 12.
The times vary between 10.30am and 5pm and the event can be combined with a visit to the museum for a whole family day out. For more details visit www.vam.ac.uk .
IF you fancy heading outside this Easter, why not go to Holland Park Ecology Centre ?
The centre is running a series of woodland, wildlife and animal-based activities for children, from Tuesday, April 2 to Friday, April 12.
Sessions for five to 10-year-olds run from 10am to noon and 2pm to 4pm, while eight to 12-year-olds can take part from 11am to 3pm. To book call 020 7938 8186 or visit www.rbkc.gov.uk .
The gardens at Kensington Palace are the perfect setting for a Peter the Wild Boy’s Easter Egg Hunt, where clues will lead to divine chocolate prizes.
There will also be an Easter bonnet-making competition, though you can bring a bonnet made at home.
Entries will be judged at 3pm each day over the Easter Bank Holiday. All activities are included with palace admissions tickets, which ranges from £11 to £15 for adults. Children under 16 are free.
westminster
Spend your Easter weekend taking a scenic skate through Hyde Park .
For three days each year people get on their wheels to attend the annual Easter Skate, based at Hyde Park Corner. The event draws up to 600 people, is free, and features events for all levels of skaters, including free lessons from experts.
The Isis Education Centre in Hyde Park is hosting a hands-on, green-fingered session for families on Thursday, April 4.
You can choose the food plants you want to grow, get creative making recycled plant pots and get very dirty as you prepare to plant seeds. You can also discover the range of plants present in the garden and pick up tips on how to keep them healthy.
At the end of the session pots can be taken home, where they should start to produce food to eat within a few months. Tickets costs £10 for adults and £8 for children. For more information and to book, call 020 7036 8056.
The Royal Albert Hall is hosting the Royal Choral Society’s 135th annual afternoon performance of Handel’s Messiah, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a quartet of superb soloists today (Friday).
This Easter tradition has taken place since 1878. The Good Friday performance will begin at 2.30pm. For tickets see www.royalalberthall.com .
ealing
CHILDREN are invited to cook up a storm at the Ealing cooking workshops taking place on Wednesday, April 10 and Thursday, April 11.
Run by a qualified teacher and experienced chef, the workshops will teach how to cook traditional Easter recipes such as hot cross buns and Good Friday fish pies. At the end of the day, children can take home their Easter treats. For more information visit www.creativecooking.co.uk .
Follow clues and paw prints to win tasty treasures at Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre , The Broadway, tomorrow (Saturday).
Children’s entertainers, Show Reel Events, will organise face painting and family fun from 10am to 2pm and there will even be a visit from the Easter bunny.
Get the children active this Easter at Elthorne Sports Centre in Westlea Road, where they can join in a variety of team games and sports from Tuesday, April 2 to Friday, April 12.
Activities include a trampoline course, badminton, table tennis, dance mat, Wii Club and painting. Open to children aged four to 14, full days will run from 9am to 5pm. It costs £10 for a half day, £17 for a full day, or £74 for the week.
Further reductions are available with a Junior Leisure Pass.
Ealing’s Easter Egg-stravaganza is taking place on Saturday.
Held to raise money for charity organisation Raise the Roof Kenya , the event will run from 11am to 4pm in Churchfield’s Conservation Area in Hanwell, where the organisation is based.
Entry is free, and the proceeds from each stall will go to charity. For more information on the charity visit www.raisetheroofkenya.com.
Southall Park Fun Fair is a guaranteed hoot for all the family and will run until Sunday, April 14.
Perfect for a family day out, the fair will run from 2pm to 10pm every day, with rides and food stalls. Entry is free.
hounslow
Bedfont Lakes Country Park have planned Easter fun days today (Friday) and tomorrow.
There will be an Easter egg trail, face painting, crafts and baby animals. Entrance is £5 a child and advance booking is necessary. For more information call 07887 410 811.
Witness the baby boom at Hounslow Urban Farm and take part in their Easter Egg-travaganza, which runs from today (Friday) until Sunday, April 14.
Visitors will be treated to the bottle feeding of lambs and calves, as well as piglet racing, owl displays and egg hunts.
One of London’s largest examples of its type, Hounslow Urban Farm is home to a variety of colourful and unusual farm animals, including five types of pigs, plus goats, cows, rabbits, ducks, geese, alpacas, rheas, peacocks and lots more.
Adult entry costs £6, or £4.50 for children, with under-twos free. For more information see www.hounslowurbanfarm.co.uk .
Help transform an area of land into a community garden at the Hounslow Dome Badminton Centre on Friday, April 5.
This is a chance for 12 to 18-year-olds to show off their gardening skills while creating a space for the local community to grow food and enjoy – a great way to do something worthwhile for the community and make new friends.
To find out more about this free event, call Noha Nasser on 07712 672 121 or email noha.nasser@mc-uk.org.
