9 of the Best: Alternative Father’s Day Activities in LondonBy Francesca Brooking
Looking to celebrate Father’s Day with a bit of a twist this year? From baking classes to bee nurseries and even a steak eating challenge, discover our top picks for the best Father’s Day activities to do this year. Celebrate the dad in your life and do something a little different:
1. For a Baking Masterclass: Bread Ahead
The Lowdown: Does your dad love baking? This Father’s day, give him a baking experience of a lifetime with the gift if a Bread Ahead Baking Masterclass. He will have the chance to learn how to bake delicious bread and sweet treats while gaining valuable knowledge from talented professional bakers. It’s the perfect gift for baking lovers at any level.
What to Expect: Bread Ahead has put together a fantastic selection of recipes for your dad to try from an incredibly moreish Guinness and Cheese flavoured soda bread followed by Bread Ahead’s signature brownies to ensure that both sweet and savoury are covered. Guests are invited to tuck into their freshly baked goods or take them home to be enjoyed by the whole family. The masterclass will be a memorable experience totalling three hours of baking goodness.
Price: £90 per person
When: June 16th – 10:00am-1:00pm and 2:00pm-5:00pm
Where: Bread Ahead Borough Market, Cathedral Street, SE1 9DE & Bread Ahead Pavillion Road, Chelsea, SW1X 0BP
To Book: here
2. For an Experience: Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience
The Lowdown: If you’ve ever wanted to know what a Martian invasion was like then invite your dad to step inside Virgin Experience’s immersive War of the Worlds. Based on H.G Wells’ Victorian England, this experience combines virtual reality, live theatre and cutting-edge technology to give you Martians, battlefields and a crumbling society. Designed to test your nerve, it’s a thrilling opportunity to find out if you’ve got what it takes to survive a sci-fi adventure.
What to Expect: Your experience is set across multiple levels over 22,000 square ft and lasts for 1 hour and 50 minutes with a 20-minute intermission at the Red Weed Bar for the chance to grab a quick refreshment before you carry on with your adventure. It’s advisable to wear comfortable footwear and clothing as you will be moving about, crawling, bending down and squeezing into tiny tunnels.
Price: £99 per person (off-peak) or £119 per person (peak)
When: The experience is available 6:00pm to 7:00pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 12:00pm to 1:00pm and 5:00pm to 6:00pm on Sundays 2019
Where: 56 Leadenhall, EC3A 2BJ
To Book: here
3. For Fun: Faulty Towers Dining Experience
Photo Credit: Torquay Suite Theatre
The Lowdown: It’s a dining experience like no other as you step into a hilarious evening hosted by Basil, Sybil and Manuel from the hit 70’s show. Join them for a 3-course meal that will have you in stitches of laughter. Heaped with food, theatre performances and improvisation, this multi-sensory experience has been internationally hailed by critics as a 5* success and it’s not to be missed.
What to Expect: Expect to be laughing the moment you walk through the door as you’re seated at the table and served by the well-loved characters of Faulty Towers. Guests will be treated to a 2-hour shambolic service complete with mayhem and spontaneity. It’s a perfect Father’s Day romp but hurry because it’s selling out fast!
Price: Tickets from £70-£80 per person
When: Various dates from Thursday to Sunday every week. June 16th – 6:30pm to 8:30pm (tickets selling fast).
Where: 9-13 Radisson Blu Hotel, Bloomsbury Street, Bloomsbury, WC1B 3QD
To Book: here
4. For Food: Savoury Afternoon Tea with Local Cider
The Lowdown: 144 On The Hill are offering an exclusive Father’s Day Afternoon Tea with an entire savoury menu of classic pies and pastries accompanied by a pairing of local cider. What better way to celebrate the dad in your life than pie and cider in a gorgeous setting?
What to Expect: Reserve a table for the afternoon and sit down to a beautiful platter of savoury morsels to nibble on as you make the most of the very Instagrammable setting that echoes the beauty of the neighbouring Richmond Park. Ask for the best local cider pairings to complete your Father’s Day Afternoon Tea experience.
Price: £26 per person
When: Served daily from 2:30pm-5:00pm
Where: 144-150 Richmond Hill, Richmond, TW10 6RW
To Book: email booking@144onthehill.co.uk or call 020 8940 2247
5. For Free Beers and Burgers: The Crystal Maze Live Experience
The lowdown: If you’re looking for an action-pact day to celebrate Father’s Day then look no further than the Crystal Maze Live Experience. They’re offering an exclusive deal for dads who like a burger and a beer. Book in advance and earn him a free pint of Pravha beer and a mouth-watering burger and chips from Nanny Bill’s. Take on different challenges through the maze’s four zones (Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and Futuristic) with the ultimate goal of winning a crystal and earn your place on the leaderboard.
What to expect: Dads can get this exclusive deal by phoning the number below and quoting LondonDAD to be booked in for Father’s Day. There are eight people in a team although you can book smaller groups with the chance that you may have additional members added. Then simply turn up and let the challenges begin!
Price: From £56.99 per person
When: June 16th
Where: 22-32 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EU
To Book: Call the guest service team to get the deal 0161 791 0727 and quote LondonDAD to book for Father’s Day, June 16th
6. For all the Family: Raver Tots Drum and Bass Rooftop Rave
The lowdown: Raver Tots have just the thing for dads who are looking to celebrate their day with the whole family. The UK’s biggest award-winning rave for families has a packed lineup of DJs from Kenny Ken, The Nextman and Reggae Roast to get the whole family on the dancefloor while raising money to support children with autism and ADHD.
What to expect: Head on down there with the whole family and get stuck into the food, drinks and entertainment that will be on offer. The little ones can enjoy activities from UV face painting, glow sticks, crazy confetti, bubbles, parachutes and more! Be advised that tickets are sold in advance only and there won’t be any on the door.
Price: £10 per child and £12 per adult
When: June 16th – 3:00pm-5:00pm
Where: The Prince of Wales, 467-469 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 8HH
To Book: here
7. For a Nature Experience: Create a Bee Nursery Father’s Day Workshop
The Lowdown: Petersham Nurseries are offering the perfect opportunity for dads to bond with their kids with workshops centred around the protection of the honeybee. It’s a great way to get in touch with nature and get your inner arty side going as guests will have the chance to build their very own bee nursery to take back with them.
What to Expect: Workshops include a hands-on lesson on how to make a bee nursery with refreshments including homemade lemonade and biscuits. After the workshop guests can pick up a flower spotter sheet and explore the nursery. Each group of guests will be given a set of bee-friendly flower seeds and factsheets to attract bees to their own gardens. Workshops are 45 minutes long and the ticket priced at £35 include a father and two children. Additional children are welcome for £10 per child to be paid on the day.
Price: £35 per person
Where: Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond, TW10 7AB
When: June 16th – 11:00am to 11:45am
To Book: here
8. For Meat-Lovers: Mighty Tomahawk Challenge
The Lowdown: If your dad likes steak and a challenge then head to M Bar & Grill this Father’s Day. Enter your dad into the Mighty Tomahawk Challenge for the ultimate lunch. To beat the challenge dads must single-handedly finish off a 1.2kg Tomahawk steak on his own. If he wins he will get a Johnnie Walker Gold Label Whiskey for a prize.
What to Expect: Book the Tomahawk Challenge online and head over to M Bar & Grill on the day. Dads will be given the steak and an unlimited supply of triple cooked chips to polish off to be in with the chance to get their hands on a bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold.
Price: £65 per person
When: June 16th – 11:00am – 9:00pm
Where: 1 Brewery Lane, Twickenham TW1 1AA
To Book: here
9. For a Good Cause: Hoppers Soho
The Lowdown: Hoppers Soho will be hosting their monthly Sunday Session this month on Father’s Day (Sunday 16th June) and all proceeds will be going to the charity Kind Hearted Lankans, helping those who were affected by the recent attacks in Colombo.
What to Expect: Karan Gokani will be inviting friends Nial and Amanda Fernando to celebrate, as they cook some of their favourite vegetarian dishes using secret family recipes that have been passed down through generations. Dishes will include Okra Plantain Fries, Beetroot Kari, Pumpkin and Jak Seed Kari, Pol Roti and Amanda’s Watalappan Pudding.
Price: Tickets will be priced at £35pp
When: June 16th – there will be three sittings at 12pm, 3pm and 6pm.
To Book: See here
