London is enjoying superb weather for this weekend’s annual Mayor’s Thames Festival as you can see from this photo. It was taken yesterday in The Scoop and you can see Tower Bridge in the background. And it’s not over! I’ll be heading down to the river later to enjoy today’s festivities and the spectacular parade and fireworks this evening. The event coincides with the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony.

Have you ever been to the Mayor’s Thames Festival? What was your highlight?

The show opened with a set featuring iconic London landmarks. I spotted:

• The London Eye
• St Paul’s Cathedral
• The Gherkin
• Battersea Power Station
• Tower Bridge
• Royal Albert Hall
• And last and but not least Big Ben (out of which appeared Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill!)

This section was accompanied by artists from top West End show, Stomp.

We were then treated to a journey through British music with a focus on artists from the last 50 years including The Kinks, George Michael, Queen, Tinie Tempah, Jessie J, Kaiser Chiefs, Liam Gallagher, Take That and The Who. You can explore the rich tradition of British pop music at the British Music Experience or revel in Queen’s music at We Will Rock You!

The Spice Girls’ performance proved particularly popular and fans can look forward to a brand new musical – Viva Forever – premiering in London in November.

The ceremony also celebrated fashion with appearance of top British models including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. You can find many top British designers in London along with some of the world best shopping districts. Fashionistas should also head to the V&A and Fashion and Textile Museum.

There was an injection of comedy with Eric Idle’s rendition of ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. You can enjoy this and other Monty Python classics in popular musical, Spamalot.

The Olympic flag was passed to Rio ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games and London’s Olympic Cauldron extinguished in a dance sequence starring Darcey Bussell. You can discover more about the cauldron at the current Thomas Heatherwick exhibition.

The athletes thoroughly enjoyed the show and Team GB were celebrating their success. I can’t wait to join them for the Our Greatest Team victory parade in London on 10 September.

Now eyes turn to the London 2012 Paralympic Games from 29 August until 9 September, which promise to be another impressive display of sporting prowess and courage. Beyond that I look forward to the legacy of London 2012.

What was your favourite moment of the London 2012 Olympic Games?

Open to everyone – including non-UK residents – the scheme was expanded earlier this year to include more of East London. There are now 8000 bikes and 560 docking stations.

Cycling is a great way to see the city whilst getting some exercise - plus it can often be quicker than other forms of public transport. I’m guessing cycling will become even more popular in London following Team GB’s stellar London 2012 Olympic performance!

Have you tried the bikes? Tell us about your best journey?

Greenwich Park was resplendent yesterday for a day of equestrian competition. As a local, I was very keen to see how this beautiful Royal Park was adapted for the Olympic Games and the results are amazing.

The main grandstand and arena are set against a spectacular backdrop: the world heritage site of Maritime Greenwich. The Queen’s House is perfectly framed and beyond that are the Wren domes of the Old Royal Naval College. Also visible are the National Maritime Museum and 3 masts of the recently reopened Cutty Sark, along with the impressive modern architecture of Canary Wharf - simply breathtaking.

After the Dressage event was over, the crowd was invited to inspect the Cross Country course. It is laid out across the park, overlooked by the home of Greenwich Mean Time: the Royal Observatory.

The course uses the surroundings to brilliant effect for example going through the flower garden, which is in full bloom. There are beautiful and humorous elements such as the jump near the bandstand featuring musical notes and instruments. The water section has a Wind in the Willows theme and uses the boating lake where you can usually hire pedaloes in the summer months.  

Great care has been taken to preserve the park and it will be returned to its former state once the excitement of the Games is over. 

Which is your favourite venue of the London 2012 Games? Will you be visiting Greenwich next time you’re in London?

Tourists often ask if they can go on a day trip to Stonehenge from London (the answer is yes). But now this English icon has come to the capital. Well, sort of…

Sacrilege is effectively a massive bouncy castle, the creation of Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller. Unlike the real Stonehenge, visitors are encouraged to interact with the structure and wow, is it fun! Adults and children alike jump and run with expressions of pure joy (and ultimately exhaustion) on their faces. My young family and I loved the experience so much, we went back to North Greenwich the next day for more. It’s free and no ticket is required.

Part of the London 2012 Festival, Sacrilege is touring the UK and is in London between now and the end of the Olympic Games on 12 August. The remaining London stops are:

• King Edward VII Park, Brent (25 Jul)
• Paddington Recreation Ground (28 Jul)
• Cheam Park (29 Jul)
• Ravenscourt Park (31 Jul)
• Hampstead Heath (1 Aug)
• Clapham Common (2 Aug)
• Burgess Park (4 Aug)
• Barra Hall Park (5 Aug)
• East Ham Central Park (7 Aug)
• Crystal Palace Park (9 Aug)
• Alexandra Palace (10 Aug)
• Christchurch Green (11 Aug)
• Waterworks Nature Reserve (12 Aug)

For full details see London 2012 Festival. So, will you be making a date to get in touch with your bouncy inner child? Now the school holidays are here, what’s your favourite London destination for family-friendly fun?

BMW Art Car. Image courtesy London Media Centre/London & Partners

From today a car park in East London hosts a unique collection of artworks. BMWs have been transformed by some of the world’s most celebrated artists including David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Don’t miss this fantastic, free exhibition – perfect for lovers of art and automobiles.

For the past 35 years, BMW has commissioned contemporary artists to decorate its cars. Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Jeff Koons, Frank Stella, Jenny Holzer, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, Sandro Chia and Matazo Kayama are among the artists involved.

Jeff Koons shares his enthusiasm about the project: “These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy. You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy.”

The BMW Art Cars are on display for two weeks only from 21 July until 4 August in the multi-storey car park on Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch ( described by organisers the ICA as a “brutalist landmark”). The exhibition is part of the London 2012 Festival.

Which artist would you choose to decorate the car of your dreams?

Our group of two adults and four kids (aged one to three years) went along to Eltham Palace recently for a fun and informative day out with a Knights and Princesses theme. Fantastic costumed guides entertained the little ones in the beautiful grounds of the palace. Many of the kids had come prepared in their dressing-up outfits but there were plenty of props available so everyone could get involved.

First, a storytelling session was brought to life as children, picked from the small crowd, acted out a tale of chivalry. Next, we learned how youngsters served their lords and ladies in medieval times and then had a quick dance lesson.  Finally, it was over to a knight for (super safe) sword fighting and jousting -using a trusty hobby horse! 

While the under fives there were fascinated, activities are primarily aimed at older children. This is reflected in a £1 surcharge for over fives on Time Travellers Go event days.  A good thing about Eltham Palace is that you can opt to pay only for entry to the grounds rather than both palace and grounds.

The next Time Traveller Go activities at Eltham Palace take place on 21 -23 Aug (Medieval) and 28-30 Aug (Gruesome!).

What better way to entertain the kids than a trip to see a classic story brought to life at the theatre? The Tiger Who Came to Tea, written and illustrated by Judith Kerr, has been entertaining children since 1968 and my three-year-old loves the book.  So we leapt at the chance to see it on the London stage.

The excitement had reached fever pitch by the time we arrived at the Vaudeville Theatre on Saturday morning. The normal chaos of a theatre foyer was multiplied but we corralled the kids to their seats.  

The stage set is immediately recognisable from the book and the production does an excellent job of capturing the look and feel of the original. The show itself is a joyous blend of music and speech that expands on the book’s content. Plenty of audience participation is encouraged and most of the kids had no problem maintaining concentration for the hour-long show.

 The highlight was inevitably the arrival of the tiger to squeals of delight as well as – it has to be said – the odd scream.  It wasn’t long though before almost everyone was enjoying the tiger’s antics.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea is in London throughout the school holidays and there were some empty seats even at the Saturday performance we went to.  Fans might also be interested in the Judith Kerr Retrospective exhibition now on at the V&A Museum of Childhood.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea , Vaudeville Theatre until 4 Sep 2011. Book Tickets

Check out our Family section and follow #kidslondon on Twitter for more ideas for families in London this summer.

I’m no trainspotter but I was excited to return to the old Eurostar terminal at Waterloo. Fond memories of day trips were supplemented by curiosity about this unique production of E Nesbit’s classic tale.

The Railway Children first came to Waterloo last year. Positive reviews and an Olivier Award followed. It’s back until 4 September.

I wasn’t disappointed – The Railway Children is innovative whilst oozing nostalgia and charm. I agree with much of Jenny’s original review.

Asking around the audience, I discovered someone who’d also seen the show in 2010. Her feeling was that the already good show had been refined and was better than ever. There’s also new cast including comedian and broadcaster Marcus Brigstocke as Station Master Perks. However, for me the star of the show remains Stirling Single, the 60 tonne steam locomotive which makes its spectacular entrance at the end of the first half.

Note to parents: the mums in our group felt that the show was not suitable for young children. There are some loud and potentially scary moments. I’d say 7 and above to be on the safe side although the recommendation appears to be 5+.

Railway Children is at Waterloo Station until 4 September

I was lucky enough to be at The O2 yesterday when British gymnast Beth Tweddle won Gold in the Women’s Floor event at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2009.

Beth pulled out all the stops in front of the home crowd in a dramatic final. Having performed first, we had to wait for a further seven competitors to complete their routines before Beth’s efforts were rewarded. There was also drama when one of the gymnasts, Jessica Ortiz, was stretchered off following a nasty fall, reminding us what a demanding sport it is. Ortiz is recovering in hospital.

The O2 proved to be a great venue for the Championships. Even those of us without a lot of background knowledge of the sport were able to follow and appreciate the performances taking place on the arena floor below. This bodes very well for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games which will also feature gymnastics at The O2. With any luck Beth will be competing then too. Although, at 24, she is already past the age at which the majority of gymnasts retire, she showed yesterday that she is still in top form.

Watch Tweddle’s performance at bbc.co.uk