If you’re looking for some fun and excitement in East London, you can’t miss the legendary slides in the Victoria Park playground. These slides are not your ordinary slides, they are huge, fast and thrilling. You can slide down from the top of a hill, through a tunnel, or even on a spiral. Check out our review of the top play areas in Victoria Park.
4 Different Play Areas in Victoria Park
- The Main Playground: This is the largest and most popular play area in the park. It is located on the east side and features one of the longest slides in London. You can climb up the wooden towers, cross the rope bridges, swing on the monkey bars, and slide down the giant tube. There are also smaller slides, swings, and seesaws for younger kids.
- Splash Pool: If you love water, you will love this play area. It is open in the summer season and has fountains, water pumps, jets, and sprinklers. You can splash around, cool off, and have a blast. There are also benches and picnic tables nearby where you can relax and enjoy the sun.
- Skatepark: This is the place for skateboarders, rollerbladers, and BMX riders. It is one of the best skateparks in London and has a variety of ramps, rails, ledges, and bowls. The most impressive feature is the skateboard cradle, which is a huge circular structure that you can ride inside. It is challenging and thrilling for experienced skaters.
- The V&A Playground: This is a play area designed for younger children. It is located on the west side of the park and has a theme inspired by the nearby Victoria and Albert Museum. You can find sculptures, mosaics, and artworks that reflect different cultures and periods of history. There are also slides, swings, sandpits, and climbing frames for kids to enjoy.
1. Victoria Park Main Playground
If your kids like slides, Victoria Park’s main playground is probably one of the best spots in London to let them loose. You’ll find a really good variety of play equipment for different age groups and abilities. There is a giant spiderweb climbing frame, challenging for both young and older kids. And there’s also a nice sandpit area with excavators nice for toddlers and younger kids.
The Vicky Park Slides
There are three slides running in parallel from the big mound. The one in the middle is the steepest and most challenging one, popular with school-age children frantically sliding down in acrobatic positions to impress their friends. Many carry sand from the sandpit pouring it on the slide to go faster. It’s also wide enough for several kids to tumble down next to each other, or alternatively for a parent to hold hands with their child.
We wouldn’t recommend for toddlers to go on the main slide on their own, but luckily there are two other slides to choose from, one on each side of the big slide. One is a bit more challenging than the other where you go in stages down from the top of the mound, while the easiest one is just a bit shorter
2. The Splash Pool
The Victoria park splash pool is located right next to the main playground and is one of the biggest free water play areas in London with a safe rubbery surface and countless water jets. It’s the perfect place for inner-city kids to cool off in the summer, and it was greatly missed when it remained closed for a very long time during COVID lockdown.
3. The Skatepark
The skatepark in Vicky Park is quite compact, but with some decent features. Vicky is the only skatepark in London featuring a cradle, which is popular with more advanced skaters. There are also some easier street elements, but it gets really busy during weekends and school holidays so it’s not the best place for kids just starting to learn how to skate.
4. The Victoria & Alexandra (V&A) Playground
We first thought the initials stood for Victoria & Albert, like in the V&A Museum of Childhood and V&A Museum in Kensington, but in this case, the old Queen is associated with her daughter-in-law Alexandra!
From a distance, the playground looks a bit like a Gallic village taken straight out of Asterix with lots of wooden structures and play elements. We really liked the natural feel of the playground with its sandpits and water pumps. For toddlers and preschoolers, this is a great place to spend some time.
Highlights of Vicky Park
- Summer music festivals
- Great selection of cafes and pubs
- Victoria Park Lake
- Summer-evening cricket matches
- The Bathing Pond is popular with London’s anglers.
- The beautiful Victoria Park Village is nearby with its Georgian and Victorian terraces.
- The elegant Victorian drinking fountain (so beautiful that it has been awarded Grade II listed status by English Heritage)
- The broad paths are great for kids practising scooting or roller skating
Music & Festivals
A place for fun and debate since Victorian times
When Victoria Park was opened to the public in 1845 it provided greenery for the cramped, impoverished working-class slum areas of the East End. The popularity of Vicky Park (as the locals call it) made it known as ‘The People’s Park’.
In the 19th century, Vicky Park became associated with left-wing politics with its Speakers’ corner becoming a hotbed of socialist and reformist debate, an ideological tradition that continued in the 1970s and ’80s when the park would associate left-wing music festivals, featuring performances by artists like The Clash.
The park has continued its association with indie and alternative rock music with the likes of Radiohead having staged huge concerts there in the 21st century, maintaining the park’s status as one the most popular East London attractions.
From festivalgoers to families with kids, Vicky Park is still one of the most popular green spaces in East London.
Key Information Vicky Park
- Free entry
- Outdoor
- Type: Park
- Borough: Tower Hamlets
- Area: East London
- Tube: Mile End
- Nearby: The Olympic Swimming Pool
- Tower Hamlets Website
Is Victoria Park within the congestion zone?
No, it’s outside of the congestion zone.
Is Vicky Park safe?
It’s pretty safe, but like always in London there’s a certain chance of a robbery or phone snatch.
Is Vicky Park good for families?
Yes, the park has several playgrounds and it’s a great place for family picnics in the summer.
What’s the best thing for kids in Victoria Park?
The steep slide in the main playground is a long standing winner among kids in East London.
Is Vicky Park good for parents?
Yes, the playground is safe for children to explore independently and its open space layout makes it easy for parents to keep an eye on their children.
Is Victoria Park open during lockdown?
Yes, Vicky Park is open during lockdown. Check the park website for details.
How are the toilets in Victoria Park?
The public toilets in the park are well maintained.