5 non-naff ways to celebrate Father’s Day in London

This hour-long virtual reality experience promises to transport visitors back to the height of the Acid House era during 1989’s Summer of Love. Having premiered at the London Film Festival back in 2022, the hour-long experience takes over the The Pit at the Barbican for ten weeks this summer. The handiwork of filmmaker Darren Emerson and is soundtracked by some of the era’s biggest bangers, from Joey Beltram’s ‘Energy Flash’ to Orbital’s ‘Chime’. Sadly, there’s no discount for anyone old enough to remember Shoom. 

Your Dad can get himself a Guinness any time he likes. So for his special day, broaden his horizons and take him to try quirky sours, funky ales and other off-beat beers at one of London’s best taprooms or breweries. The behemoth Big Penny Social in Walthamstow has 82 taps serving a rotating lineup of beers from local and independent breweries and Blondies is the perfect place for metal-loving pops. For the sober-curious fathers, there’s the Small Beer Brew Co serving up number of low-calorie, low-ABV brews without sacrificing any of the flavour. 

In an era where almost all cinema screenings are digital, this BFI mini-festival is dedicated to celebrating the beauty of physical film. It'll be raiding its deep archives to show off some rarities of every format from 8mm to IMAX to Pathé’s forgotten 28mm gauge. The fest kicks off with a bonafide dad-pleaser: Star Wars (1977), screened in its original form for the first time in decades. Its closing night will show an unearthed copy of Twin Peaks' original pilot episode, presented by its star Kyle MacLachlan. 

Mischief Theatre (the people behind The Play That Goes Wrong) are now aiming their brand of ever-escalating theatrical farce at the spy genre in this West End premiere. When a top-secret file is stolen by a turncoat British agent, a deeply mismatched pair of KGB agents and a CIA operative and his over-enthusiastic mother collide in pursuit of it – along with an over-the-hill actor and a young couple – at the Piccadilly Hotel in London in swinging 1961. General chaos ensues. 

 Go head to head with your dad at the Science Museum’s ‘Power Up’ gaming experience. With more than 160 consoles, this is a place of gaming dreams, for every generation. There’s a Mario section and a Sonic section, a rhythm action game bit and a VR gaming bit, there's 16-player Halo and solo Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. There are PC games and handheld consoles, Gamecubes and Megadrives. Want to save Lemmings? Race Micromachines? Fight the Empire? It's all here.