13 things to do in London this Easter weekend

With a four-day Easter weekend upon us, you can easily make plans for a couple of days and still get a weekend’s worth of lie-ins. EXCELLENT.

We’ve picked out some of the best things to do in London this weekend, whether you’re with the family, with friends, or just getting a bit of time to yourself.

1. Balham Easter Market

One for the folks who think most of the markets in London are too food-heavy and too craft-light. This Saturday afternoon event at Balham Bowls Club will feature 30 independent traders, plus live music and a well-stocked bar, and you have the choice of showing up on the day for free or buying a £10 VIP entry ticket that comes with a goodie bag worth much more than that.

http://www.solocraftfair.com/upcoming-events-1/2018/1/10/balham-bowls-club-31st-march-2017 - Free, Saturday 12pm-5pm, Ramsden Road SW12

2. Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt

A variety of National Trust properties in London and across the country are holding Easter egg hunts this weekend, with attendees able to pay a small entry fee to go in search of lots and lots of chocolate. It’s a good way to keep the kids occupied for an afternoon while not having to buy them treats on the way home afterwards. Two birds; one stone.

https://easter.cadbury.co.uk/#easter-egg-hunt – Various prices, All weekend, Various locations

3. Homerton International Festival of Beer & Bar Snacks

If you like beer and bar snacks, and we bet you do, this does exactly what it says on the tin. Running throughout the long weekend at the Adam & Eve pub, it’ll have beer from some of London’s best as well as food from the likes of Smoking Goat Shoreditch and Rockadollar. There will also be a number of DJ sets across the weekend, including a Sunday night appearance from ex-footballer Pat Nevin. Of course.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1869842963305811/ - Free, All weekend 12pm-late

4. Horniman Easter Fair

The Horniman Museum has a range of family-friendly events this weekend, including arts and crafts, Easter trails on both Saturday and Sunday, and a farmers’ market running for more of the weekend than usual. At the time of writing there are no places left on their The Ugly Duckling storytelling event, but there’s plenty going on besides that.

https://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/horniman-easter-fair-1402 - Free, Saturday and Sunday 10.30am-4.30pm, London Road SE23

5. Pickled Egg Eating Contest

Is this listing on the Long Arm pub’s website an April Fool? You might think so, but we all know April Fool’s Day only applies until noon and this begins at 3pm, so we’re trusting them. Also, eggs have an Easter connection, and it’s Easter Sunday as well as April Fool’s Day. Eat three pickled eggs quicker than anyone else and you win an afternoon and evening’s worth of free beer. It’s that simple.

http://longarmpub.co.uk/events/pickled-egg-eating-competition/ - Free, Sunday 3pm, Worship Street EC2A

6. Wes Anderson Pop-Up and Ramen Bar

For a few days, The Store X is turning into a version of Megasaki, home to Wes Anderson’s new film Isle of Dogs. The pop-up will include 17 original sets, including a life-size noodle bar where visitors can take a break from the rest of the exhibit and enjoy ramen from Engawa chef Akira Shimizu, washed down with sake.

https://thespaces.com/2018/03/22/inside-the-insane-sets-of-wes-andersons-isle-of-dogs/ - Free, Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday-Monday 11am-7pm, The Strand WC2R

7. Christathon Pub Crawl

The idea of a ‘crucifixion-themed pub crawl’ is, we’ll admit, a weird one. Weird enough that we’ve questioned whether it’s just an elaborate April Fool’s Day gag, but it seems to have happened in previous years so we’ll run with it. It’s a tour of London beginning at the Trinity pub in Borough, drinking ‘holy water’ at every stop. Spoiler: it’s not real holy water.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1954564431538627/ - Free, Sunday 1:45pm-11pm, Borough High Street SE1

8. Greenwich Vegan Feast

On Saturday and Sunday, Cutty Sark Gardens in Greenwich will be home to more vegan food than you know what to do with. Think Middle Eastern and Ethiopian food, vegan sushi, drinks, sauces and live entertainment across the weekend. You can even work off the food with a walk around nearby Greenwich Park, if you fancy.

http://streetfoodmarkets.co.uk/event/vegan-feast-18-greenwich/ - Free, Saturday and Sunday, 11am-4.30pm, Church Street SE10

9. Granary Square Easter Brunch DJ Series

With a four-day weekend coming up, it feels like a waste to not go for brunch at least once. Granary Square Brasserie, in Kings Cross, is running a three-day series of brunches over the long weekend, with live DJ sets from Goldierocks, Leah Weller and Miss Mavrik. There’s a wide brunch menu, including eggs, pancakes steak and more, and anyone making a brunch reservation will get the music thrown in for free.

https://www.granarysquarebrasserie.com/easter-brunch/ - Free entry (menu prices apply), Saturday 11am-6pm, Stable Street N1C

10. The 27 Club

The Blues Kitchen in Camden is paying tribute to the far-too-many musicians who died aged 27 with a specially-curated setlist from house band The Beekays. The night will feature music originally performed by the likes of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones and Camden regular Amy Winehouse, and a handful of early-entry tickets are still available at the time of writing.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-27-club-tickets-43662194800 - £5, Sunday 9pm, Camden High Street NW1

11. Hope to Nope: Graphics and Politics 2008-18

This Design Museum exhibit looks at how political engagement has changed over the last ten years, beginning with Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States and running right up to the present day. It includes protest art, activism-related displays and more, from Europe, Asia and the Americas, with works relating to the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street.

http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/hope-to-nope-graphics-and-politics-2008-18 - £12, All weekend 10am-6pm, Kensington High Street W8

12. ‘Power Up’ at the Science Museum

If you’re responsible for children this Easter Weekend, or if you’re just a big kid yourself, this gaming exhibit at the Science Museum looks like a great fit. It looks at 40 years of console gaming, from Pong right through to the present day, with 180 games available to play. If you’re good enough, you can even get your name onto their leaderboards.

https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/power - £10-18, All weekend 11am-5.45pm, Exhibition Road SW7

13. Springfest

If you missed out on last year’s Oktoberfest festivities but still like wearing lederhosen and drinking ridiculous amounts of beer, Springfest at Alexandra Palace ticks both of those boxes. The one-day festival has a range of German beers on offer, plus jagermeister and schnapps, while food comes from the likes of Bodean’s and German Sausages.

http://springfest.alexandrapalace.com/ - £17, Friday 5.30-10.30pm, Alexandra Palace Way N22

(Images: Getty/20th Century Fox)