Imagine Children’s Festival – Everything You Need To Know

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Southbank Centre’s Imagine Children’s Festival returns just in time for half term starting on 12 and ending 23 February 2025.

Imagine Children’s Festival is London’s leading arts festival for children aged 0-11 years old.

Returning for its 23rd year, Imagine Festival will transform the Southbank Centre into a vibrant cultural playground for the February half term with a range of events for children and their grown-ups to enjoy.

The festival is renowned for inspiring and allowing children to express their creativity, explore their artistic potential and to celebrate their unique talents.

The Imagine programme offers unbeatable cultural experiences, from music to storytelling, comedy, poetry, dance, visual arts and a range of free events.

Running alongside the festival, the immensely popular REPLAY returns to the Southbank Centre’s Spirit Level in the Royal Festival Hall.

Part installation, part adventure playground, REPLAY is a space built entirely out of waste materials repurposed for fun.

With the aim of creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all, Southbank Centre’s Imagine is a relaxed Festival, with a relaxed approach to noise and movement in the space.

In addition, there are specific BSL-interpreted, captioned and audio described events.

Highlights of this year’s programme includes:

There’s a Bear on My Chair

In this first ever stage adaptation of Ross Collins’ much-loved books, Toby Olié brings Bear and Mouse to life through loveable, life-sized puppets. Enter the mischievous world of Bear and Mouse for a show packed with laughs and surprises.

CBeebies Wildlife Jamboree

Join Duggee, the Squirrels and lots more CBeebies friends to celebrate the natural world, and look forward to songs, music, lots of fun and opportunities to join in and meet new wildlife friends!

Rollercoaster

The show features a four-metre transparent tube making balls spiral around Peden’s body, spinning plate rituals, epic disco juggling and some of the most difficult juggling ever done on stage, accompanied by electro beats composed of distorted rollercoaster sounds.

A Morning With Dav Pilkey

Get ready to howl with laughter as the creator of DOG MAN leads an event filled with everyone’s favourite characters, sneak peeks and tonnes of inspiration.

Don’t miss the chance to meet the award-winning author and illustrator in the UK for the first time in 10 years!

Poetry Adventures with Kate Wakeling

This event features lively poetry performances from poet Kate Wakeling with relaxed and unusual opportunities for children to get involved and write their own poems.

Book your tickets on the Southbank Centre website.