London is probably the best city in the world in terms of activities for families and children including lots of free activities and events. We list here lots of initiatives that we believe London Mums and their children from babies to teenagers would enjoy especially at the most entertaining places such as the Science Museum, The V&A, Kew Gardens, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Richmond Park, Greenwich, West End shows, the London Eye, the London Aquarium, Kingston upon Thames, Chelsea, SouthBank and so much more.
FREE Olympic un-ticketed events for families & useful linkes to get the most out of the Games
- Activities
- Published on Saturday, 30 June 2012 09:10
- Last Updated on 28 June 2012
- Monica Costa
- 1 Comment
There are plenty of FREE Olympic events that do not require tickets where you can get quite close to some of the world’s top athletes. All FREE events are taking place away from the Olympic Park in the east end of London.
Olympic Games
27 July – 12 August 2012
Paralympic Games
29 August – 9 September 2012
This is an excellent website for info on transport news during the Games – they also have a service update alert if you register to receive info during the Games.
Official Games’ website
Marathon
Sun 5 Aug 11am-2pm, women; Sun 12 Aug 11am-1.40pm, men
For London 2012 the entire length of the 26-mile course is open to the public, a circular route that will begin and end on The Mall. Best vantage point The steps of St Paul’s. Olympoccupy the City.
Walking
Sat 4 Aug 5pm-6.30pm, men’s 20km; Sat 11 Aug 9am-1.20pm, men’s 50km; 5pm-6.45pm, women’s 20km
The race walk will take place on chunks of the marathon course, with the men doing 20km and 50km, the women restricted to the 20km.
Best vantage point Ideally the walk would be going down Oxford Street, providing a rare and startling glimpse of people moving above 1.5mph. Alternatively the Embankment is always a spectacular place for a nice walk.
Road cycling
Sat 28 Jul 10am-4.15pm, men’s road race Sun 29 Jul 12pm-4.15pm, women’s road race Wed 1 Aug 10am-11.30am, women’s time trial; 1pm-4.15pm, men’s time trial
4 separate events to choose from in what is perhaps the premium unticketed event of London 2012. Best vantage point The wondrously scenic Box Hill; or, alternatively any Richmond pub with an outside table.
Triathlon
Sat 4 Aug 9am-11.40am, women Tue 7 Aug 11.30am-2pm, men
Hyde Park
Sailing
29 July-11 August
A vantage point by Newton’s Cove; a free site with a giant screen on Weymouth beach.
Open water swimming
Thu 9 Aug 12pm-3pm, women
Fri 10 Aug 12pm-3pm, men
Another Hyde Park event. Best vantage point The bridge over the Serpentine; alternatively a £10m penthouse at One Hyde Park.
Top Tips to get the MOST out of the Games
· When travelling around London on public transport, make sure you avoid affected areas on the underground, train and roads by taking alternative modes of transport. Visit www.getaheadofthegames.com to plan journeys accordingly.
· With an extra 3 million more journeys expected in London on the busiest day of the Olympics, look at travelling out of peak times to avoid the crowds. Visit www.tfl.gov.uk for a full breakdown of how transport and roads will be affected.
· Join in the atmosphere and watch the Olympic Torch Relay as it’s carried through more than 1,000 cities, towns and villages in the UK. Visit www.london2012.com for a full list of locations.
· Even if you don’t have tickets and are staying in London, enjoy the party by visiting some of the National Hospitality Houses celebrating the Games www.visitlondon.com/london2012/national-hospitality-houses-for-london-2012.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
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