August Bank Holiday 2016: Family activities

The big one: Notting Hill Carnival 2016

For two days every summer, the leafy, distinguished quiet of West London’s ice-cream coloured squares is blown apart.

Expect a flood of Caribbean colours to transform the area and enjoy three days of goat curry, steel drums, rum punch, coconuts, jerk chicken and a whole lot of joy. Here's our guide to making the most of it with the family

Theatre for children: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips review ★★★★★

Our pick of all the children's plays on now -- this emotional adaptation of a classic Michael Morpurgo novel at The Globe tells the tale of 12-year-old Lily and her beloved cat during the second world war. Expect dancing, singing and lots of laughs

Hang out in a park: Hampstead fair

On the Lower Heath this Bank Holiday at Hampstead comes the Summer fair. It's set to be a sunny, sunny week end and Hamstead village itself, with great shops and neighbourhood bustle, is a perfect place to spend it. Read more about London park events below

Meet the dinosaurs: Cinema under the stars at Kew

Be transported to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Force Awakens showing in Kew Gardens this bank holiday or run from the raptors with Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park,

Mean Girls and Labyrinth (the film commemorating David Bowie) will both also be showing

Get them outside: Magic Garden at Hampton Court Palace

Welcome to the magical garden at Hampton Court, a brand new playground where mysterious mythical beasts have descended alongside battlements and quivering towers ready to be besieged and secret grottos for little ones to discover. This is a space made for running, dreaming and discovering the history of the great Tudor Palace

Get Crafty: Found Photograms, The Foundling Museum

Bring a small object to this family workshop, where little ones make a graphite drawing and then work outside to produce a photo using light sensitive paper and the sun.

Set in the beautiful and historic Foundling Museum -- currently host to our favourite summer exhibition FOUND -- we recommend this to everyone over the age of six

Become a magician: Children's Magic Workshops, Museum of Comedy

Ever wanted to be a magician? Close your eyes and say abracadabra. Ta da! A workshop in London's West End for kids between the ages of 7-13 where they learn the basics of magic at the hands of a top Magic Circle London magician

For the little ones: The Fantastic World of Dr Seuss, Discover Children's Story Centre

The Discover Children's Story Centre has re-opened for the summer holidays with a new, immersive exhibition inspired by the beautiful illustrations from Dr. Seuss.

Discover funny and fantastical stories from The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham and Oh, The Places You'll Go. Dress up Thing 1 and Thing 2, play music with the Boom Band and come across The Cat in the Hat or Sam-I-Am