London Easter 2026: events, exhibitions and the proper things to do

Easter weekend in London is a four-day window where the city gets unusually programmed — major exhibitions opening, the parks doing their things, the kid-friendly stuff out in force, and the weather (usually) being the kind that means you can finally sit outside without your hands going numb. Here's what's actually on for Easter 2026 worth your time, written from someone who does this every year and notices the patterns.

The major exhibition openings

Easter weekend traditionally lines up with several major exhibition openings or anchor weekends:

• Tate Modern — the spring blockbuster typically opens in March, peaks Easter weekend. Book ahead for the timed-entry tickets.
• National Gallery — the spring-summer headline exhibition usually opens around now. The Friday before Easter is the quietest moment to catch it.
• The Royal Academy — between exhibitions in early April; check what's on but the building itself is worth a wander.
• V&A — fashion or design show usually open across Easter, the Cromwell Road site is a proper rainy-day option.
• The Hayward Gallery at Southbank — programming is consistantly sharp, worth checking the current show.
• The Design Museum in Kensington — the spring exhibition is reliably interesting.

If the weather goes south Easter weekend (it definately might), the indoor exhibition stack is your friend.

Egg hunts that aren't naff

Most "London Easter egg hunts" are corporate-sponsored grim affairs in shopping centres. The good ones:

• The London Easter Egg Hunt at Kew Gardens — proper, family-scale, beautiful gardens. Book ahead.
• Hampton Court Palace Easter Adventure Quest — actually well-done, themed, kid-led, the palace is beautiful in spring.
• The Royal Parks Easter activities at Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Regent's Park — free or low-cost, properly traditional.
• Fortnum & Mason Easter window display — not a hunt, but a London Easter ritual worth a wander past.
• Borough Market Easter weekend — special programming, food-focused, less kid-and-more-adult-friendly.

If you're going with kids, Kew is the safe bet. If you're going without, the parks programme is gentler.

The Boat Race

The University Boat Race usually falls on the Easter weekend Saturday. The route is from Putney to Mortlake along the Thames, and the riverside pubs (the Bull's Head in Barnes, the Ship in Mortlake, the Dukes Head in Putney) are the proper viewing spots. Genuinly free, properly British, quite fun even if you don't care about the result. The race is usually around 3pm on Saturday — get there at noon to secure a riverside spot.

Theatre and shows

West End is mostly running its rep shows, which is fine. The Easter-specific picks:

• The Globe opens its outdoor season around Easter — the first weekend tends to have a soft launch with limited shows. The £5 groundling tickets are released in batches.
• Family-friendly theatre — the Unicorn Theatre, Polka Theatre, and Little Angel Theatre all programme heavily for Easter half-term.
• The Royal Albert Hall Easter concerts — typically a classical programme, often St Matthew Passion or similar, Friday before Easter.
• St Paul's and Westminster Abbey Easter services — the music alone is worth attending even if you're not religious. Free, no booking, dress smart-ish.
• Open Air Theatre Regent's Park — too early in the year for them, opens later in May.

The Easter Sunday brunch and lunch question

London restaurants do a roaring Easter Sunday lunch trade. The dependable picks for booking ahead:

• Hawksmoor — Sunday roast dialled up for Easter, books ahead.
• The Ivy in any of its incarnations — touristy but reliable.
• Dishoom — bottomless brunch is the Easter Sunday standard for most younger Londoners. Books out.
• Riding House Cafe in Fitzrovia — solid, less pretentious, walkable from the West End.
• Bistrotheque in Bethnal Green — drag brunch around Easter weekend is a London staple.
• The pub Sunday roast circuit — the Anchor & Hope on the Cut, the Duke of Cambridge in Islington, the Crooked Well in Camberwell. Book by Wednesday before.

If you've left it late, walk-in lunch at a less Instagram-famous gastropub is your move.

Outdoor and parks programming

If the weather holds, the parks are at their best:

• Hampton Court for the formal-gardens-and-tudor-history combination.
• Kew Gardens with the magnolias usually peaking at Easter.
• Wisley in Surrey if you want the full RHS spring garden experience — train from Waterloo.
• Battersea Park with the Pump House Gallery and the Easter market when it runs.
• Hampstead Heath for the long walk option, Kenwood House at the top for a stop.
• Richmond Park for deer and views, Pembroke Lodge for tea.

The market weekend

Easter weekend brings the farmers markets and craft fairs out:

• Maltby Street Market Saturday — busier than usual, food-focused.
• Spitalfields Easter weekend — extended hours, often special programming.
• Marylebone Farmers' Market Sunday — the upmarket pick.
• Broadway Market Saturday — Hackney's Saturday market, lively.
• The South Bank Centre Easter market when it runs — Easter eggs and craft, alongside the riverside walk.

What to skip

The disappointment list:

• The "Easter Egg Hunt" at the major shopping centres (Westfield, Kingsway). Corporate, plastic, queue-heavy.
• The Easter "experience" pop-ups in Old Vic Tunnels or wherever this year's landed. Mostly thin.
• Generic riverside cruises with an "Easter Sunday brunch" theme — overpriced, food is poor.
• Anything billed as a "luxury Easter experience" with stock-photo cover art.

The long-weekend rhythm

The shape that works for Easter weekend in London:

• Good Friday: quieter day, exhibition or museum, dinner that you booked.
• Saturday: Boat Race in the afternoon if it's on, market in the morning, evening at a pub or theatre.
• Easter Sunday: brunch booking, long walk, light dinner.
• Easter Monday: the bank holiday day, parks if weather allows, cinema if it doesn't.

Don't over-plan the Monday. The bank holiday extra day is for slow stuff.

What to actually use

For finding the smaller events and the proper local Easter programming, the London this-week feed is the cleanest aggregator. The Royal Parks website for the official programmes, the individual museum sites for exhibition booking, and Time Out's Easter guide for the broader scan.

Last note

Easter in London is properly under-rated as a long-weekend programme. The weather is usually mild, the parks are the best they've been since September, and the cultural programme aligns with the season change. Pick three anchors, leave the rest open, and accept that one of the four days will probably be rainy enough to push you into a museum. The plan is to have flexibility, not to optimise.