Discover local fun for all the family this half-term
There’s plenty of events and activities to keep all the family entertained in Camden this half-term.
Head to the Camden Centre for the Chinese New Year fundraising variety show to welcome the year of the sheep on Saturday 14 February. There will be traditional lion dancing, acrobats, a magic show, Chinese opera and more. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £3 for children.
Get crafty with free drop in workshops at Holborn Library. You can make an amazing tiger or lion mask on Monday 16 February or create a movable diving dolphin picture on Saturday 21 February. Budding artists can also head to the free family art day at Ben Uri Gallery on Sunday 15 February. Take a tour of their current exhibition ‘Refiguring the 50s’ and create your own masterpiece to take home. If that’s not enough, you can also drop into the free Super Sculpture workshop at the Foundling Museum on Wednesday 18 February to create clay sculptures inspired by portraits of children and mothers from their latest Sir Jacob Epstein exhibition.
Other free exhibitions to check out include Post-War Kentish Town at Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre, which includes fascinating interviews with residents about local life after World War Two by pupils from Acland Burghley School, and The Mysterious Mr K. and Company, which is surrealist artist Patrick Hourihan’s latest exhibition at Highgate Gallery.
For a thrilling day out, at the Hunterian Museum you can meet a barber-surgeon from the 17th century and discover gory secrets of surgery, from leeches to amputation. The sessions run on Tuesday 17 February and cost £2 per person. You can also make music with The Strings Club at Swiss Cottage Library. Have a go at ukulele, guitar and violin with lots of free music activities and games on Monday 16 February.
Keep children active with our half-term sports scheme at Acland Burghley School. There will be opportunities to play football, tennis, cricket, dodgeball and table tennis all week from Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February. The scheme costs £4 per day and all eight to 16-year-olds are welcome. There are also two courses running at Talacre Sports Centre: a dance, trampolining and gymnastics course, or a football course. Suitable for eight to 14-year-olds, these cost £35.30 with a concession Better card, £65.85 with a standard Better card or £98.00 full price.
Half-term is a great time to learn to ride a bike. Our free children’s cycling course on Monday 16 February and Tuesday 17 February has morning sessions aimed at complete beginners and afternoon sessions for cyclists who would like to practise in an off-road environment at Haverstock School. If you’d like to develop your cycling skills, you can also join one of our free regular urban cycle skills courses for adults.
You can find more events taking place in the borough throughout the year at Love Camden. Keep up to date with local events on Twitter: @lovecamden #DiscoverCamden