London Living's Freedom Day Feature
Over the past year the team at London Living have worked hard to provide tips, ideas and suggestions that keep our readers uplifted and entertained throughout the various lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions. It is a great pleasure therefore, to share the following Freedom Day feature post with you.
May it be the first of many more to come!
WHAT: Shakespeare in the Garden
WHEN: 13 July – 16 September 2021
WHERE: Multiple Venues
TICKETS: https://www.fullers.co.uk/event-finder/shakespeare-in-the-garden
COST: £18 per person
Fullers have teamed up with innovative theatre company Open Bar to bring to the stage some Shakespearean comedy, romance, and adventure. This is a great opportunity to experience Shakespeare as it was intended - informal, raucous and in a spacious pub garden with a drink in hand.
The two plays on the agenda are Love’s Labour Lost and ‘As You Like It’. These two popular classics are full of laughter, forbidden love, and quick costume changes! Open Bar also compose brilliant original songs so that those less familiar with Shakespeare can easily follow the plot.
London Living attended the debut of Love’s Labour Lost at The Plough Inn in Ealing this week so we can tell you first-hand, that this event is light-hearted, immersive, and delightful. You can eat, drink and watch as the talented actors entertain – and entertain they do! Be prepared for some belly laughs and hilarity as the actors switch characters, accents and costumes. This fun night is the perfect blend of culture and socialising - it gets a big thumbs up from us.
Top tip – Bring a blanket – just incase it gets a bit nippy after the sun goes down!
WHAT: Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature
WHEN: 17 May – 3 January 2022
WHERE: National History Museum, South Kensington
TICKETS: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/fantastic-beasts-the-wonder-of-nature.html
COST: From £17.50
‘Discover where the real world and the Wizarding World intertwine and how the wonders of the natural world have inspired myths, legends and magical creatures for generations’
The iconic Natural History Museum has opened a fantastical exhibition where magical beasts and animals dazzle guests with their abilities and behaviours. This is the ultimate escapism for all the family, with real-world scientists helping us to understand our planet's extraordinary creatures so we can protect them for the future. This is a must-visit for Harry Potter fans!
Visitors will see creatures, specimens and artefacts from the Museum's world-leading scientific collection displayed side by side with elements from the wizarding world – which will be immediately recognisable to fans of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts stories and the film series of the same names.
Combining the creative power of film, television, literature and science, Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature is a partnership between the Natural History Museum, th
e BBC and Warner Bros. which has been developed to shine a light on beasts in all their fantastic forms, including those created by J.K. Rowling both in her stories and in the Fantastic Beasts film series.
In the Museum's breathtaking Waterhouse Gallery, viewers will encounter legendary beasts next to dazzling specimens and historic objects from the world-leading scientific collection. Spellbinding digital installations and iconic wizarding world elements from the Fantastic Beasts film series will add an extra touch of magic.
For the first time, visitors will see a tiger and a Galápagos marine iguana alongside wizarding world specimens including an Erumpent horn and the dragon skull from Professor Lupin's classroom. They will learn about the character of Magizoologist Newt Scamander, who made his first appearance in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.Like the Museum's own scientists, Newt also dedicates his life to better understanding and protecting wildlife and the environments they rely on.
WHAT: Summer by the River
WHEN: 10 J
une – 30 September 2021WHERE: London Bridge City
TICKETS: https://londonbridgecity.co.uk/events/2021/june/summer-by-the-river-2021
COST: Free Entry
From 21st July, just after Freedom Day, ‘Summer by the River’ will be kicking off a summer-long events programme adding a slice of culture to the city. For an evening of entertainment under the stars, London Bridge City is bringing back the outdoor cinema which will host Hollywood classics, family favourites and sing-along movies. With an exciting summer of returned sport ahead, the Summer by the River screen will air Wimbledon and the Olympics from The Scoop.
The Summer by the River schedule also includes Massaoke, Musical Bingo and Barrioke, a special karaoke show with Barry Evans from Eastenders, and open-air fitness classes. With live music from up-and-coming London acts in collaboration with BBC Introducing in London, salsa and swing social dances with Havana Londres and Swing Patrol, and family-friendly events and entertainment across the weekend, there is something for everybody looking to celebrate the summer in the city.
Every event will be free to attend and open for walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis.
Visitors will be able to take in the riverside ambience and beautiful city skyline whilst tucking into fresh, delicious dishes and thirst-quenching cocktails and beer with two pop-up options. At London Bridge City Pier will be Piazza by the Pier, hosted by renowned British chef Jimmy Garcia and the infamous Jimmy’s Pop Up team.
Those after a flavour of Italy in the city, can head down to Piazza by the Pier for pizzas cooked over open fires and a menu filled with this summer’s must have cocktail, the spritz. Jimmy’s team will even be on hand to guide guests how to make their own perfect sourdough pizza with an opportunity to finish it off themselves in the wood fired pizza oven at the pre-booked 3-course interactive pizza party dining experience (£39.00 per person). Alternatively, you can book ahead in one of the Mediterranean-themed pagodas.
WHAT: Back To Life at Ministry Of Sound
WHEN: 19th July 2021 - 10:00 pm till late
WHERE: Elephant & Castle
TICKETS: https://www.ministryofsound.com/club/events/2021/july/back-to-life/
COST: Table bookings of 2 - 14 people with a £100 per person minimum bar spend package, 15% service
Strictly for the over 18’s, Back to Life will be bringing the First Dance, The First Party, The First Night Out of 2021, in no other than the legendary Ministry of Sound. From 10pm till late, across all 4 arenas of the Ministry of Sound,15+ DJ’s with co2 cannons, lasers, strobes, LED Screens, and an outside bar will provide the ultimate Freedom Day party for adults. Expect a mixture of House, Garage, HipHop, R&B, Tech, Disco, Drill, D&B, Afrobeats & Vibes.
Ministry of Sound first opened its doors way back in September 1991. Inspired by New York’s cavernous house venues, our home was a derelict bus garage in south London - an area that, at the time, was more infamous than famous. The first night had no alcohol, three flashing lights, moody security and unless you knew the names of at least half-a-dozen Chicago house DJs, you were never getting through the menacing, prison-like, gates.
Despite these eccentricities, the night was a success and within a matter of weeks, word had spread that something special had landed smack bang in the middle of London’s club scene. This was the first club dedicated to house music, the first club to pick up the gauntlet laid down by the second summer of love and, most importantly, the world’s first nightclub with a room built purely for exceptional sound quality.
Image credit: https://www.ministryofsound.com
WHAT: Gala Festival
WHEN: 30 July – 1 August 2021
WHERE: Peckham Rye Park
TICKETS: https://thisisgala.co.uk
COST: From £35.00
‘Three days of independent music, food and drink in Peckham Rye Park’
Founded in 2016, GALA is an independent South London festival celebrating club culture and the history of dance music each year in a woodland corner of Peckham Rye Park. Renowned as one of London’s most inclusive festivals, GALA hosts a hand-picked line-up that avoids trends in favour of the organic and soulful sounds dance music was built upon.
Expanding in 2021 to a three-day offering, GALA will bring together dance music heavyweights alongside local and emerging favourites – topped off with some of the best-loved chefs, restaurants, breweries, record labels and party brands in South London. GALA hosts a hand-picked line-up that avoids trends in favour of the organic and soulful sounds dance music was built upon.
WHAT: Luna Cinema
WHEN: 29th July – 1 August 2021
WHERE: Multiple locations across London
COST From £13.50
Luna Cinema Summer 2021 is finally here and that can only mean one thing - The UK’s #1 Open Air Cinema is back! The open-air cinema has popped up in numerous locations across London and we think it’s the perfect place for a date night! Picture it now... a warm summer's evening, a breath-taking backdrop, your favourite people by your side and an epic movie on the big screen. After months of 'sitting room cinema' doesn’t this sound blissful?
You can visit the Luna Cinema website to discover your local Luna Cinema, but for something extra special why not book to watch your favourite film at London’s Westminster Abbey! It doesn’t get more atmospheric than that - catch classics like Knives Out, Notting Hill, and The Dark Knight in the shadow of the cathedral’s incredible architecture.
WHAT: London Zoo Twilight opening (for adults only)
WHEN: 1 Jul - 23 Jul 2021
WHERE: Regents Park London
COST: £19.95
This July London Zoo is staying open later – for adults only (18+) – so you can discover wonderful wildlife in a relaxed, child-free environment. From 6-10pm on Thursdays and Fridays in July, London Zoo will be transformed so you can satisfy your travel bug without leaving London. Along with 19,000 amazing animals, you’ll celebrate world cultures with pop-up activities and experiences across the zoo, explore different habitats from rainforest to savannah to jungle, and when you’ve worked up an appetite, enjoy an array of street food vendors offering exciting flavours from around the globe - and because it’s adults only, you can grab some refreshment from the bar before kicking back in the Latin American themed chillout zone in the heart of the Zoo. With ‘animal themed conversation starters’ and an ‘unravelling of the mysteries of sex in the animal kingdom’, you wouldn’t be short of conversations starters on a first date!
WHAT: Freedom Day Celebration at The Piano Works
WHERE: 18th July
WHEN: Piano Works, Farringdon
TICKETS: https://pianoworks.bar/freedom-day/
COST: Starting at £10.00
The Piano Works is hosting a countdown party this Sunday for the day that we’ve all been longing for: lockdown restrictions easing (almost) completely! Expect a mammoth midnight countdown with bottomless prosecco until 1am. They’ll be a symbolic cutting of a ribbon on their dance floor after which guests can leave their tables to dance for the first time in over a year! To add to the occasion, it also happens to be the venue’s 6th Anniversary so there will be cake, and lots of it!
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post as much as we enjoyed writing it. Please remember to stay mindful, respectful and keep yourself and each other safe so that we can continue to enjoy all that London has to offer.
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