This October half term (Saturday 25 October-Sunday 2 November), families visiting the award-winning London Transport Museum in Covent Garden can step back in time to the 1920s and enjoy a programme of activities celebrating this iconic decade. The activities are part of the Museum’s season of art deco-inspired events.
From singing and storytelling sessions set on an imaginary open-top bus to mosaic-making and design workshops with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), families can explore how art deco style helped shape the capital’s visual identity and heritage. They will also have the chance to discover vehicles from the era, hear the stories of those who travelled on them, and uncover the lasting impact of this iconic design movement on London’s transport history.
The half term fun also sets the stage for the Museum’s upcoming blockbuster exhibition, Art deco: the golden age of poster design, opening on 21 November 2025. This new exhibition will explore the style’s enduring influence through a striking display of original transport posters, photography, artworks, short films and ceramics – marking 100 years since the 1925 Paris exhibition where art deco originated.
October half term activities at London Transport Museum
‘Doris Dane’s big bus adventure’ singing and storytelling sessions
Weekend dates from 25 October – 2 November. Suitable for children aged 0-5 and their families.
Young visitors and their families can join imaginary passenger Doris Dane as she sets off on a lively adventure around 1920s London in an open-top bus. Through songs, storytelling and sensory play, little ones can explore what it was like to travel by bus a century ago.
Mosaic making
Weekend dates from 25 October – 2 November. Suitable for children aged 3+ and their families.
Families can get creative by designing brightly coloured foam tile mosaics inspired by art deco objects from the Museum’s collection. Finished pieces can be taken home or added to a collaborative display.
‘Moving to Metro-land’ costumed tour
27–31 October. Suitable for children aged 5+ and their families.
Visitors will meet Mauve, an imaginary 1920s Londoner deciding whether to move to the suburbs of Metro-land. They can help her explore the possibilities and discover the transport innovations that made this new way of living possible.
‘Mail Rail makers’ arts and crafts with The Postal Museum
27–29 October. Suitable for all ages.
Visitors are invited to discover the story of ‘Mail Rail’ the world’s first driverless electric train, which carried mail beneath London from 1927 to 2003. In this creative activity, families can make their own Mail Rail-inspired arts and crafts.
Deco-rate and collaborate with RIBA
30-31 October. Suitable for all ages.
Visitors can join RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) experts to design and decorate a ‘brick’ inspired by art deco motifs, then add their creation to a collaborative cardboard Tube station inspired by Charles Holden’s iconic architecture.
During a visit to the Museum, families can also climb aboard historic vehicles – including a vintage art deco style 1938 stock Tube train, try driving an Elizabeth line train in the Future Engineers Gallery and explore mini trains in the All-Aboard play zone. When it is time for a break, visitors can visit the Museum’s cafe for a bite to eat or head to the Museum shop, where they will find an exclusive range of transport-inspired toys, gifts, stylish homewares and vintage posters.
Kids go free! Adult tickets to London Transport Museum include free return entry for a whole year. Concession tickets are also available. Book in advance online: ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/family-events/october-half term-roaring-twenties
