Last minute tips: Open Garden Squares Weekend starts tomorrow!

With Open Garden Squares Weekend starting tomorrow (Saturday 9 June) we have a few last minute tips and useful links to help you get the most out of your weekend.

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1. Check the updates page

Our Updates webpage is full of useful information including new activities, travel information and changes to entrances and entry times since the guidebook went to print. To avoid disappointment please check this page before you make a special journey to a garden or activity.

Go to the Updates page 

2. Take a look at the online guidebook

Your paper guidebook is an invaluable source of garden information, but the guidebook is also available online – and it’s smartphone friendly! You can download the full book, or browse individual London areas – containing all the garden information – as simple mobile-friendly stories via Issuu. Bookmark them on your phone to browse during your garden visits.

Go to the online guidebook page

3. Follow us on social media

We’ll be on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram over the weekend, taking photos, posting updates and enjoying the gardens and activities on offer! Follow us for inspiration on where to go next, or to keep up with any last minute changes, and post us your photos and highlights using the hashtag #ogsw2018.

Facebook: @LondonOGSW 
Twitter: @OpenSquares 
Instagram: @OpenSquaresWeekend

4. Don’t forget your ticket, or make sure your phone is charged!

If you have a paper ticket make sure you bring it with you! If it’s on your phone, make sure you have enough charge to show it at the gate of each garden you visit. Students must have their NUS card ready to show at each garden.

Guest blog: Hoop’s family picks for Open Garden Squares Weekend

(c) Diana Jarvis

With Open Garden Squares Weekend opening tomorrow, we welcome Hoop to the guest blog. Hoop has chosen to list Open Garden Squares Weekend’s events on their app, and we’re pleased to bring you their top picks for families.

They say: “Hoop is a free app that helps families discover what’s on for kids. Listing over 70,000 different family activities and events each month from interesting workshops like those at Open Garden Squares Weekend to local baby and toddler groups – whatever your family loves to do, you’ll find it on Hoop.”

Don’t forget – under 12s go free. 

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Barnard Park (c) LPGT

Open Garden Squares is one of our highlights of the year for family events and 2018 is no exception. Packed with stacks of gardens and parks to explore and fairs to enjoy, this is a highlight in the Hoop calendar!

Pop-up Saturday at Barnard Park

With an adventure playground, bouncy castles and face-painting, Barnard Park is one of our top picks for the weekend. Don’t miss Hoop favourite Mrs H and the Sing-along Band at 11am.

When:  Saturday 9 June, 11am-4pm

Where: Barnard Park, Charlotte Terrace, off Copenhagen Street, N1 0ER

Crossrail Place Roof Garden

Head to a green oasis among the towering buildings of Canary Wharf. We’re looking forward to children’s workshops, garden tours, live music and story sessions!

When:  Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 June, 10am-6pm

Where: Crossrail Place Roof Garden, Canary Wharf, E14 5AR

World Peace Garden

This looks like one of our favourites – packed with music, storytelling, puppet shows and more! Children can tie a tag to the Wall of Hope – ‘what I want the world to be like when I grow up.’

When:   Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 June, 10am-5pm

King Henry’s Walk Garden (c) Diana Jarvis

Where:  World Peace Garden, 6 South Hill Park, Hampstead, NW3 2SB

Wild Cat Wilderness

One of our favourite wild spaces in SE London, with bushcraft activities and natural outdoor arts and crafts. We recommend making a day of it and bringing along a picnic to enjoy in the garden!

When: Saturday 9 June, 11am-4pm and Sunday 10 June, 11am-3pm

Where: Wild Cat Wilderness, Riverview Park Road, SE6 4PL

King Henry’s Walk Garden Summer Fete

A top pick for North London, families can take part in a treasure hunt and games, and enjoy some live music. Don’t forget to sample the Pimm’s bar, tea and cakes, and pizza from a wood-fired oven.

When: Saturday 9 June 2018, 12-4pm

Where: King Henry’s Walk Garden, King Henry’s Walk, N1 4NX

Centre for Wildlife Gardening (c) LPGT

Centre for Wildlife Gardening

Perfect for nature lovers big and small. There’ll be wildlife garden tours, bug-hunting and pond-dipping, plus a self-guided trail.

When: Sunday 10 June, 10.30am-4.30pm

Where: Centre for Wildlife Gardening, Marsden Road, SE15 4EE

Weekend highlights… something different!

In the last of our blog series leading up to Open Garden Squares Weekend 2018, we round up some of the events and activities taking place over the weekend that give you a chance to try something different. Alongside cultural events, nature and horticulture activities and family fun, we are proud to welcome a range of specialist or unusual events, open for everyone to enjoy.

Please note that all event details may change: check the Updates page on our website for the latest details.

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Royal Crescent Gardens (c) Duncan Catterall

Try yoga at Canons Park, George V Memorial Garden in Harrow on Sunday from 1-5pm, or a meditation session at the Jamyang Buddhist Centre on Saturday 10-4pm.

Walworth Garden will offer a series of workshops including herbal medicine, natural perfumery and beekeeping over the weekend, while at Bee Urban you can try beekeeping and candle-making as well as honey and honey beer tasting with Hiver Beers.

Join a game of croquet and try some delicious cocktails while you explore the beautiful Royal Crescent Gardens. Croquet & Cocktails will be in residence from 11am-5pm on both days providing free croquet games for all ages and abilities, or sit down and relax with a refreshing drink while you enjoy the garden. Cocktails on the menu will include Gin Basil Smash, English Garden Margarita and Pimms.