Many parents decide to visit London for New Year’s Eve as a family, and choosing what to do on New year’s Eve in London with kids deserves some thinking. London is simply magical during the Christmas season but ending a trip to London celebrating the last night of the year in style as a family makes this an unforgettable experience.
New Year’s Eve is possibly the most important night of the year in London, and thousands of people plan to spend this magical night in one of the most wonderful cities of the world. With so many people and so many options, it can be tricky to choose how to send new year’s eve in London as a family.
What to do on New Year’s Eve in London with kids during the day
New Year’s Eve 2026 falls on a Thursday. Choose one main daytime stop—a museum, a show or an attraction—so you still have energy for your family’s evening plans.
Museums open on the 31st of December
Some of the museums you’ll be able to visit during the day on New Year’s Eve in London as a family are:
British Museum
The British Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world and here you will be able to admire a large amount of archaeological remains of ancient Egypt as well as other artefacts. Kids normally love looking at these objects in the British Museum. You can easily spend a few hours in the British Museum. There are coffee shops and restaurants inside it too if you need to take a break at some point. Pre-booking advised.
Where to find it: Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG.
Nearest Underground Station: Tottenham Court Road (Central and Northern lines) or Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines)
Entry fee: Free.
Opening times: Normally 10 am–5 pm, with free timed admission. The museum closes 24–26 December.
» More information and tickets: British Museum.
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum has to be one of my favourite places in London to visit as a family. Not only is it absolutely brilliant to visit with kids, but it is also one of London’s most amazing places to visit. As you enter the beautiful building where the natural history museum is housed, you’ll soon spot “Hope”, the skeleton of a whale that hangs in the central gallery of the museum. The museum is simply impressive and I’d say it is recommended if you’re choosing what to do during the day on New Year’s Eve with kids. The dinosaur exhibition is normally a favourite for the little ones. Pre-booking advised.
Where to find it: Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD.
Nearest Underground Station: South Kensington (Circle, District and Piccadilly Lines).
Entry fee: Free.
Opening times: Normally 10 am–5.50 pm, with free timed admission. The museum closes 24–26 December.
» More information and tickets: Natural History Museum.
HMS Belfast
One of the largest World War II ships preserved in Europe. It is moored on the River Thames and it’s an incredible place to take the kids.
Let the little ones explore the cabins and the engine rooms, and let them feel like authentic sailors for a few hours. Absolutely worth a visit.
Where to find it: The Queen´s walk, SE1 2JH.
Nearest Underground Station: London Bridge (Jubilee and Northern lines).
Entry fee: For September 2026–March 2027, standard admission is £26.80 for adults and £13.40 for children aged 5–15; under-fives enter free.
Opening times: Open daily except 24–26 December. Set aside at least two hours and reserve a 31 December admission slot.
» More information and tickets: HMS Belfast
Science Museum
A highly interactive museum where your little ones will not only be entertained for hours on end but where they will also be able to learn about the solar system, the human body, physics and chemistry experiments… They probably won’t want to leave!
Where to find it: Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD.
Nearest Underground Station: South Kensington (Circle, District and Piccadilly lines).
Entry fee: Free.
Opening times: Open 10 am–6 pm except 24–26 December. Reserve free entry for 31 December.
» More information and tickets: Science Museum.
Transport Museum
London’s Transport Museum is one of our favorites to visit with children. It is a very interactive museum for the little ones, and they will undoubtedly be fascinated when they find our they can explore London buses as well as trains from Victorian times.
» More information and tickets: London Transport Museum.
Sherlock Holmes Museum
Where to find it: 221b Baker St, Marylebone,London, NW1 6XE.
Nearest Underground Station: Baker Street.
Entry fee: See the museum’s booking page for admission by age.
Opening times: Book a dated 31 December entry slot on the museum website.
» More information and tickets: Sherlock Holmes Museum.
London attractions open on New Year’s Eve
Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland is a highlight with children. Its 2026–27 season runs from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closing only on Christmas Day. Choose a 31 December entry slot and allow time for rides, skating and food. It would probably be a good place to visit during the day on New year’s Eve in London with children, exploring the Christmas markets, the funfair and the ice skating rink. There are also numerous restaurants where you will be able to grab some lunch.
» More information: Winter Wonderland.
London Eye
The London Eye is the centre of the fireworks celebration, so book a daytime rotation on 31 December through the London Eye. Leave the area before the evening event cordon takes effect.
» More information and tickets: London Eye.
Tower of London
The Tower of London is another attraction that can be visited with children on New Year’s Eve. The Tower’s festive programme runs until 3 January 2027. Book a morning 31 December ticket to allow time for the Crown Jewels, White Tower and a Yeoman Warder tour.
It can take you about 3 hours to visit the Tower of London, so if you decide to visit on December 31st, we would recommend arriving for your booked opening slot as it’s probably going to be one of London’s busiest tourist attractions on this day.
» More information and tickets: Tower of London
London Zoo
Located in the northern area of Regent´s Park, London Zoo is one of London’s favourite attractions to visit as a family.
It is the oldest scientific zoo in the world since it was inaugurated in 1828. The original plan was to keep it as a space for the study of species, but in 1847 it was opened to the public and today it is home to almost 800 species.
London Zoo’s winter schedule includes 31 December 2026: 10 am–4 pm, last entry 3 pm. Its festive activities continue until 3 January 2027.
Where to find it: Regent´s Park, NW1 4RY.
Nearest underground station: Camden Town (Northern line).
Entry fee: See the zoo’s dated tickets for the current price by age.
Opening times: Open daily from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm during the winter, with normal opening hours on New year’s Eve.
» More information and tickets: London Zoo
Disney on Ice: Discover the Magic
Disney on Ice returns to The O2 this Christmas with stories from Coco, Moana, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and more. It makes a wonderful daytime family show before an early dinner.
31 December 2026: The O2 lists doors at 9.30 am and 1.30 pm for two performances. Where: The O2, North Greenwich. See the performance and tickets.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve in London with kids
The first thing you should know about celebrating New Year’s Eve in London is that it does get very busy. A good idea if you’re planning on celebrating New year’s Eve in London with kids is to book a hotel which will be easy to get to from wherever you’ll be celebrating New year’s Eve.
New Year’s Eve Family Restaurants in London
Most restaurants in London offer a special New Year’s eve meal, including many family-friendly restaurants. We highly recommend booking in advance if you want an evening meal in central London on New Year’s Eve.
Some well-known family-friendly restaurants in central London that we would consider are:
Hard Rock Cafe
Where to find it: Building 225, Criterion, 229 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HR
Nearest underground station: Piccadilly Circus.
Price: Book a 31 December table and view the current menu at Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus.
Other family-friendly restaurants for New Year’s Eve with kids in London
Pizza Express is one of our favourite family-friendly restaurants in London, and there are a few to choose from in central London. Other family-friendly Italian restaurants you may want to consider are Bella Italia, Zizzi or Prezzo. These are all brilliant if you’re planning on visiting London with toddlers.
Other family-friendly restaurants we would recommend checking are Giraffe, Bill’s, Pizza Pilgrim’s, Shake Shack… One of our favourite themed restaurants is Sarastro, but we would probably recommend this for slightly older children.
Family-friendly New Year’s Eve river cruises in London
A New Year’s Eve cruise is a wonderful family experience: you have somewhere to sit, illuminated landmarks to look at during the wait and a river view of the midnight fireworks. Some boats are strictly adults only, so choose the particular 31 December 2026 sailing with care.
Doggett’s dinner and Sapele cruise
Meet at Doggett’s Coat and Badge, 1 Blackfriars Bridge, at 5 pm for a three-course dinner and welcome drink. Afterwards walk to Bankside Pier for boarding from 9.30 pm; the boat leaves at 9.45 pm, with live music and an onboard cash bar, and returns to Bankside at about 1.15 am. The operator offers adult and child tickets. It is a long evening, including dinner, so the children need to be happy staying up late.
See the 2026 Sapele cruise and dinner.
Celestial cruise
City Cruises describes Celestial as a family-friendly option. Its current listing describes a deluxe hamper, champagne, live music and a bar on an approximately three-and-a-half-hour cruise. It suits families who want the fireworks from the water without sitting down to a formal dinner. Select your children’s ages and boarding pier on the operator’s 31 December booking page.
Watch London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks with kids
From the banks of the River Thames
If you want to watch the London Eye New Year’s Eve fireworks live from the banks of the River Thames, you need to make sure you buy tickets in advance as they sell out very fast.
Do we recommend buying tickets to watch the New year’s Eve fireworks in London with kids? The answer to this question will probably depend on how old your children are. It is an option, but there are two things you need to have in mind: 1 – the large number of people who attend this event, and 2 – the waiting, as you usually have to go in 2 to 4 hours before the fireworks start.
With a baby or a child who cannot comfortably stand for several hours, we would choose a restaurant, family cruise or the BBC broadcast over the official riverside viewing area.
Then once the fireworks have finished, everyone needs to get out, so leaving the ticketed area can be a bit daunting with little children. In these cases, we usually just stay a bit longer and wait for the crowds to go before we even try to leave. The nearest underground stations also get very busy.
Other ways to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks in London with kids
There are some places in London from which you’ll be able to watch the fireworks, even if you’re not first in line to watch the fireworks, and you may see them a bit far away.
- Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath, for a distant skyline view,
- Vauxhall Bridge
We have watched the fireworks from these areas ourselves. For a family evening, dinner in Hampstead followed by Parliament Hill can feel gentler than the crowded riverbank. The Royal Parks has closed Primrose Hill on recent New Year’s Eves, so we would not plan a 2026 family visit there. A distant viewpoint gives you a skyline display rather than the sound and close-up view from the ticketed banks.
What to do on New Year’s Day in London with kids
The best things to do on New Year’s Day with family are:
New Year’s Day Parade
On the 1st of January London celebrates the New Year with one of the year’s most anticipated events: The New Year’s Day parade. This is an impressive parade, which runs through the main streets of central London and it’s a fantastic way of spending New year’s Day in London with kids.
On Friday 1 January 2027, the official parade begins at 1 pm. It follows Piccadilly, Regent Street St James’s, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall until around 4.30 pm. Standing viewing is free; arrive early to find a good spot with children.
» More information: New Year’s day parade London
Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park will also be open on New Year’s day, and this may be the perfect day to go if you haven’t taken the kids yet!
» More information: Winter Wonderland.
Hi, we are Alberto and Amy, the London locals behind PlanTrip London. We’ve lived in London since 2010 and have spent every year since exploring the city, from its famous landmarks to the markets, pubs, parks and hidden corners most visitors never find. Over the years we became the go-to trip planners for friends and family visiting London, so we created this site to share the same first-hand, tried-and-tested advice with you. Every itinerary, tip and recommendation here comes from our own experience with our two children, so you can plan a London trip that’s easier, better value and far more memorable.
2 Comments
Does harry potter tour do partys
Hi Ann,
Do you mean children’s parties? They do private packages but not necessarily as you would know for children’s parties, I would check their website and get in touch with them to see what they can offer you. Hope that helps!