Things To Do In London Next Week
Shining a light on the next 7 days of London life
ART & CULTURE
Visit the Winter Art Antiques Fair, running from the 1-6th November at Olympia, to bag a unique gift or exclusive piece from over 20,000 works of art, antiques, furniture, sculpture, jewellery, textiles and collectors' pieces. You will find over 70 specialist dealers presenting a selection of irresistible pieces from the modern and eclectic, to the traditional and classic, offering a treasure trove of extraordinary choice for creating stylish interiors and inspiring collections.
Go for a blind date with a book at SoLo Craft Fair in Elephant & Castle, on 30 October 2022, from 2pm - 4pm. A stall of second-hand books is set up outside the store, but each book will be wrapped in plain paper with only a few key details to the genre of the book written on the front. This means you have to take a chance and choose the book based on its "personality" - maybe you'll even find your new favourite book! The books are free, and you are encouraged (but not required) to bring an old book along to swap for a mystery new one.
Tip - one of the books will also contain a £10 SoLo Craft Fair voucher to spend in store, so visit on Sunday 30th October between 2-4pm to select your story!
Book yourself into a screening at The London Korean Film Festival which is celebrating 17th year, from 3 November – 17 November. Featuring 35+ cinema screenings in leading venues around London, the festival has now become one of the longest running and most respected festivals dedicated to Korean cinema in the world. It has built a name upon presenting line-ups consisting of everything from the country’s most successful blockbusters to thought-provoking independents from its finest auteurs.
Visit Soul Journey, at Boo’s Closet in Notting Hill. The photographic exhibition has just been extended until the 31st October, so you have time to catch the two artists, Frederique Feder and Helen Pilkingtonand see their show. Soul Journey is free to enter and open from 10am-6pm everyday (except Mondays).You can find out more about the artist duo in this London Grilling.
LONDON FAMILIES
Welcome in the festive season with a trip to see the Oxford Street Christmas lights switched on this Wednesday 2 November 2022. The dangling stars, all 5,000 of them, are focused on sustainability this year, with reduced operating hours and LED lights combining to use two-thirds less energy than last year.
The Carnaby Christmas lights are close to follow with a theme of ‘Expect the Unexpected". The shopping district has a new theme for its festive decorations every year, from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody to sub-aqua scenes. 2022 will be a compilation of the best from the past 25 years, with elements of 14 different themes all incorporated. It launches on Tuesday 8 November 2022, with the usual shopping and switch-on party taking place that evening.
South London's Herne Hill hosts a family-friendly Halloween fireworks display tomorrow night, with seating and banked tracks offering plenty of vantage points for gazing skywards. You will find food and drink stalls, with hundreds of available seats. We think the Herne Hill Velodrome is the ideal venue for a fireworks display. The gates open at 5.30pm, the Bonfire is lit at 7pm and the Fireworks display is at 9.30pm. Tickets are £10 and under 16s £1 but must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets only available in advance so grab them now.
The Wimbledon Fireworks are back for 2022. You can choose from one of two shows per venue: an earlier show more suitable for families with 'feel good/pop' music and a later show with a Kings and Queens music theme. Expect two dazzling musical firework shows at each venue, plus street food village and a Funfair on site. Gates will open Saturday 5th of November at 5.15pm and the funfair closes at 10pm with the first firework show at 6.45pm.
If you are looking for Halloween plans in London, Phantom Peak is the place to be - but only for the bold, the brave and the adventurous. The limited time only ‘Hallowed Peak’ is a thrilling, open-world adventure at Canada Water offering 13 trails and quests, horror experiences, carnival acts, spine-chilling ghost stories, and live music. Perhaps one for older children, you will find paranormal investigators roaming the town, and a whole host of new adventures, from spine-chilling ghost stories to science fiction mysteries. The experience runs Friday - Sunday and lasts 5 hours.
Get prehistoric at Jurassic World in London Excel. Your kids' eyes will pop out their heads as they come face-to-face with life-size dinosaurs after walking through the world-famous Jurassic World gates! Based on one of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history, the exhibition immerses audiences of all ages in scenes inspired by the beloved films. It will take you into the world of the franchise where “life finds a way”. Expect to come eye-to-eye with an Indominous Rex and to find yourself inside the Raptor enclosure. Get your tickets here.
FOOD AND DRINK
Stroll along the Thames under twinkling lights and sample indulgent drinks, scrummy street food and seasonal goodies from traditional alpine-style chalets. With winter pop-up bars and street food stalls, the Southbank winter Winter Market is a wonderful festive treat. From Thursday 4th November you can keep your belly merry with savoury plates of truffle burgers, fish wraps or gourmet cheese toasties; winter classics like fondue, bratwurst and eggnog; and mince pies, dutch pancakes and other sweet treats, while warding off the cold with a mulled wine, hot toddy or hot chocolate.
Grab your friends and head to the heart of London this weekend where you will be able to sample the very best of Chinese and Pan Asian food at the Chinese Food Festival in Bedford Square. More than just a typical food festival, this is a chance to immerse yourself in Chinese culture. You can expect workshops, demos and market stalls, authentic dishes and drinks and interactive activities in Bedford Square Gardens, London's largest private Georgian garden.
Go festive food shopping at Mercato Metropolitano Elephant & Castle. They are offering bespoke hampers for Christmas with artisan products from their grocery selection. You can choose a selection of tasty treats; fine cuts of meat from Benny the Butcher, wines and delicatessen from Santo Grill & Wine, dim sum from the Dim Sum Lab, homemade pasta and sauces from Pasta Lovers, rotisserie from L’burgero or gelato from Badiani.
Japan Week 2022 will be running in London from the 26th October - 1st November. There will be workshops and experiences like mindfulness taster sessions, screenings of the film “Takumi: a 60,000 hour story on the survival of human craft, and Kanpai sake tastings. Restaurants around the city like The Aubrey, Pantechnicon, and Duomo are working on special menus and supper clubs to experience throughout the week too.
South West Londoner’s can enjoy a pint at Teddington Beer Festival which is running from the 3rd-5th November. Held in the Landmark Arts Centre, a charity, for the past 25 years or so, The Landmark Arts Centre is a cathedral sized space which hosts gigs, concerts, fairs, exhibitions, classes, and many community-based events. The beer festival is raising funds to support the creative work of the centre. Standard Tickets are £10 per person including souvenir glass, programme, first 1/2 pint beer token and entertainment.
If beer isn't your thing then not to worry Eataly are hosting their first ever wine festival from Thursday 3rd to Saturday 5th November in Bishopsgate. You will be able to meet a series of Italian producers from vineyards located throughout Italy. The producers will be sharing their knowledge, passion and comprehensive wine notes on the wines selected from their Italian vineyards. Tickets cost £20-30
LONDON WELLNESS
Exercise some demons before winter strikes this Sunday 30th Oct with a weird and wonderful Halloween yoga flow alongside Live DJ, Live Act, Sound Healing Instruments, Gong Bath, Chanting, Singing and Ceremonial Cacao. The class will be held at The Baths 80 Eastway London E9 5JH and tickets cost £16.76 – £20.
Get running with MoRun for Movember this week by signing up to the worldwide Virtual MoRun challenge which kicks off on the 1st of November. All you need to do is register yourself, your family, or friends, log your results as often as you run during the month, keep an eye on the live leaderboard and aim to improve your time from the start of the month until the end of the month. (In person participation will begin in London with 5k MoRun, 10k MoRun and a Half Marathon from the 27th).
Treat yourself to some indulgent nail art with one of London’s most in-demand nail artists, Pria Bhamra (otherwise known as BhamBNails), who is launching a pop-up nail bar at Browns boutiques. Her A-list celebrity clientele ranges from Serena Williams and Lily Allen to Jorja Smith and FKA Twigs, who are all fans of her colourful designs, which range from cute hearts and smiley faces to her signature flames. There will be three tiers of nail art intricacy available for each two-hour appointment, from simple designs like a half moon mani to elaborate custom creations, and all of the Gel Bottle polishes Bhamra uses are vegan and cruelty-free.
New Mum’s can join a Mum & Baby yoga class and learn poses that are safe for both you and your little one while helping them develop strength, coordination and flexibility. Classes are geared towards babies, 6 weeks - crawling ages and the next one is on the 2nd November, 1.30pm-2.30pm at the Aura Organics Spa, E15 2GW.
EVENTS
Castle Square is running a series of free festive activities for all ages to get involved in. On Saturday 27th November from 2-6pm two ‘instagrammable’ Christmas themed grottos will be opened and will be open every Saturday in December in the lead up to Christmas. Following the opening of the grottos, Londoners and locals can celebrate the switching on of Castle Square’s Christmas lights! A giant Christmas tree will be lit up and the Elephant and Castle Community Hub choir, featuring some of the Castle Square traders, will sing ‘The Twelve Days of Castle Square’ based on Castle Square and Ash Avenue businesses.
Attend a free display of veteran cars in St James’s, London, courtesy of The Royal Automobile Club. The show will be taking place one day before the world-famous RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, on the ‘St James’s International Concours’ and will include around 100 of the 350 veteran cars – all at least 118 years old. This is a unique opportunity for members of the public to see the cars up close and to talk to many of the owners from 9:30am until 3.30pm on November 6th, on Marlborough Road, next to St James’s Palace, which is being closed to traffic for the day. The concours will be a competition as well as a display and television personality, gardener and classic car lover Alan Titchmarsh MBE will be presenting the awards. Categories include an overall winner as well as individual category honours, plus a special prize for the driver and passengers wearing the most stylish period costumes.
The car run itself will be setting out for the Sussex coast from Hyde Park at dawn on the 7th.
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