Things To Do Over Easter Weekend in London
Date post added: 15th March 2024
Easter means different things to different people. It could be all about the Easter hunt for chocolate eggs, hot cross buns and Easter bunny. It could be the Easter bank holiday weekend and four days to relax and enjoy. It could be about Spring time, tulips and daffodils. (Aside, ah, yes, daffodils. Daffodils and Easter weekend London Walks. Great beauty and a two hour fact-filled feast. For example, walking through St Jame’s Park on the Royal London Walk and having your guide mention in passing, “Look around you. Every living thing on earth and has a common ancestry dating back to approximately 3.8 billion years ago. That is why you share 98.4 percent of your DNA with a chimpanzee and roughly 40 percent with a daffodil.”
Or it could be about the church service remembering Christ’s death and resurrection. After all, Easter is essentially a Christian ceremony albeit riding piggyback on a pagan sun-worshipping religion.
This year, Easter takes place at the end of March. Good Friday is on 29th March with Easter Monday following on 1st April. However you want to spend the Easter holiday, we have some cracking ideas for Easter activities in London.
What special events are happening in London over Easter weekend?
The Church Services
Let’s start with the religious aspect of Easter. After the period of denial that is Lent, Holy Week leads up to Easter Sunday celebrations.
St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey host re-enactments, communion services and their glorious church choir throughout Easter and are open to all. Our City Churches walks explore these two fascinating institutions and more.
Other than those grand places of worship, there are myriad smaller churches that are wonderful to visit. St John’s in Hampstead is one of these. Its churchyard is “the oldest unspoilt churchyard in the London area.” Even if you don’t set foot inside the church building, sitting in this historic churchyard and listening to the choir rehearsing is a simply sublime pleasure. It’s a great start to our Hampstead Walk too.
A few more hidden gems that are well worth a visit (some of which are explored on our Inside London walk). Corpus Christi Catholic Church on Maiden Lane and St Paul’s in Covent Garden have magnificent interiors to admire. The Westminster Cathedral (the Catholic cathedral in Victoria not the better known Westminster Abbey) is a beautiful venue and the Campanile tower has a viewing gallery from which you can enjoy breathtaking views across London.
Finally, a production of The Passion of Jesus, a portrayal of Jesus’ final days, will take place in Trafalgar Square on Good Friday. With 100 Wintershall players involved in the production, it’s bound to be pretty special. Oh, and it’s free too!
The Spring Flowers
Springtime is also the time of hope and new life, hence the significance of Easter bunnies and chicks. The emergence of tulips and daffodils, igniting the ground with natural colour after the long, grey winter in England never fails to impress and lift spirits.
London parks and gardens spring to life at this time of year. In particular, there’s Kew Gardens to the west, Horniman Gardens in the south, Regent’s Park in the north and Victoria Park to the east, not forgetting the floral brilliance of St James’ Park in central London (explored in our Hello London walk).
One other location worthy of a mention is the Brompton Oratory, near the V&A Museum. The combination of those two venues is a wonderful way to spend a day in London.
What are the best family-friendly Easter events in London for 2024?
There’s so much Easter fun to be had for the whole family in London over the long weekend and the school Easter holidays. Whether you plan to overindulge in sweet treats or enjoy the (hopefully) spring fair weather or both, there’s family fun to be had over the Easter break.
London Zoo in Regent’s Park – join the Zoonormous Easter egg hunt! Follow the Easter trail to discover egg laying creatures including reptiles, fish, birds and butterflies. Solve clues to find the secret golden egg and receive an Easter treat.
Hampton Court Palace – the Lindt gold bunny hunt hops back to Henry VIII’s home of Hampton Court. The lure of chocolate bunny Easter hunt entices kids to explore the beautiful gardens and discover historical facts.
Kew Gardens – join the popular Aussie Heeler, Bluey at Kew this Easter. There’ll be plenty of playful activities as well as the ever popular children’s play area and log trail.
Horniman Spring Fair – on Easter Saturday, there’ll be live music, crafts, street food and activities for kids at the Horniman Gardens in Forest Hill.
Covent Garden – Peter Rabbit is expected to hop into Covent Garden this Easter with a live, interactive experience. Details are yet to be released, so keep an eye out for info.
The London Easter 10k run in Regent’s Park on Easter Monday for those wanting to end the long weekend on an active note. There are adult and junior options, so the whole family can take part.
Other favourite family walks taking place over Easter weekend:
Harry Potter filming locations
Easter feasts
Much like Christmas, Easter becomes an excuse for overindulgence. With no work for four days (for many), that Sunday lunch or bottomless brunch can go on and on and on.
Afternoon tea
Enjoy exquisite and decadent (read expensive) sweet treat options at Claridge’s, Laduree or Fortnum and Mason. Other worthwhile destinations include Hummingbird on Portobello Road or Violet Cakes in Hackney (made famous since making the wedding cake for Harry and Meghan). The top floor of Waterstones Piccadilly is also a great spot for a cup of tea and cake after a browse of books of course.
Sunday roast
Spending time with friends and family over delicious food is really one of the best things in life. Having someone else cook it for you is the cherry on the cake. Mr London Walks, David recommends Rules restaurant in Covent Garden. It’s London’s oldest restaurant, dating back to 1798 and serves classic British dishes. Another favourite of his is The Holly Bush in Hampstead, renowned for its excellent Sunday roast lunches.
Chocolate shops
Forget the run-of-the-mill supermarket chocolate. If you’re going to indulge, Easter is the time to do it and do it in style. Fortnum & Mason have the most luxurious and simply beautiful selection of chocolate eggs. (And, yes, as always, ever companionable London Walks is right there with you. Shepherding you along. The London Walk that takes in Fortnum & Mason is The Old Palace Quarter. As David puts it, “I’d put this one in the top three of the 59 different London Walks that I’m personally able to guide. It’s got everything I want in a walk.”)
Also in the West End, Charbonnel et Walker in the Royal Arcade off Bond Street is one of the oldest chocolatiers in the world and get royal approval. And on our Village in Piccadilly Walk you, our walkers, get free samples – royal indeed, we get to sample the late, much loved Queen’s favourite chocolate) when we pitch up at Charbonnel et Walker. But, hey, they’re named Charbonnel et Walker (Walker, nudge nudge). In Camden, you’ll find Paul A Young who’s recognised as one of the best chocolate makers in the world. Head to his Camden chocolate shop to find exquisite yet unusual artisan chocolates (Marmite choc anyone?).
Balance out the calorie consumption with a 2 hour London walk this Easter! Choose from our Thames sightseeing tour (which includes a boat trip), Hidden London, The Regents Canal from Little Venice to Camden, and many more.
David Tucker
David – the Seigneur of this favoured realm – broods over words, breeds enthusiasms and is “unmanageable.”* He’s a balterer, literary historian, university lecturer, journalist, logophile and lifelong thanatophobe. For good measure, he’s the doyen of London guides.
Pippa Jackson
Pippa is a word nerd and content aficionado with a background of working in TV on both sides of the globe. She loves to discover and share the diverse and wonderful stories of her much-loved London. When she’s not writing blogs and articles, you’ll find her walking beside the Thames or even paddleboarding on it (in the finest of conditions only!) or enjoying a coffee in the sunshine with a good book.