There is always something to see and do in London. With some of the world’s best art, entertainment, shopping, dining, and history, it’s impossible to be bored in this vibrant city. Check out some of the best things to do in London over the next few days.
SEE
The inaugural London Mural Festival launches this weekend with more than 150 global artists arriving to London to paint some 40 large scale walls, alongside a plethora of smaller activations. As well as using London as a vast canvas to celebrate creative communities across the world, there will be a 100-artist hoarding jam taking place at International Quarter London (IQL) in Stratford, closing the festival on 03/04 October. The festival will showcase art from local, national and international talent, including Camille Walala, Gary Stranger, Lucy McLauchlan, Mad C, Marija Tiurina, Otto Schade, Suiko and Zabou. Wembley Park will unveil its LMF commission as part of its new site-wide public art trail, which launches this autumn.
ENJOY
Founded in 2014 by YBF Baking Award Winner Terri Mercieca, Happy Endings has turned the London dessert scene on its head. Its ice cream sandwiches and soft-serve combine modern and traditional techniques to create desserts that are bold in flavour, temper sweetness with savoury and balance textures. The perfect pitstop for a fun, delicious moment of ice cream joy to experience by yourself, with friends or family.
FLOAT (IN)
Move over drive-in, hello float-in! A new joint venture between Openaire, Merchant Square and GoBoat has arrived. A fleet of 16 eco-boats will provide the seating for up to 128 people at this innovative new alfresco cinema experience on Regent’s Canal. First, you can captain your self-drive vessel around Little Venice, before mooring at Merchant Square to settle in and see the film. A giant 6-metre by 3-metre hi-res LED video screen will beam blockbuster hits such as Titanic and A Star Is Born across the water, while high quality audio will be provided via sanitised wireless headphones. The line-up includes afternoon showings of family favourites such as Toy Story and The Lion Kings, while evenings lend themselves to singalong showings of Grease, Rocketman and The Greatest Showman. Tickets are £200-£250 for boats accommodating six to eight people, while deck chairs are £15 each. Running from Wednesday to Sunday throughout the month from 02 Sept.
WATCH
A GoFundMe page has been launched to help support Newham Talks, a series of videos exploring economic and social issues within the Newham, London. Each video will feature Kano and a Newham-born creative, such as D Double E, Ghetts, Idris Elba, Posty, Footsie, Christine Ohuruogu, Joy White, King Cook and Chris Hughton. Newham Talks will launch via Youtube this Friday, 04 September, and donations are welcome to help fund the series. “Growing up in Newham, made me the artist, and the man that I am today,” Kano said. “Newham is one of the most culturally rich but economically one of the poorest boroughs in London, and as the effects of Covid-19 continue to hit the community hard we must come together and do what we can to help.” All proceeds will go towards The Renewal Programme, which will split the funds between themselves and various Newham-based charities.
ATTEND
The Concours of Elegance returns to Hampton Court Palace with another splendid parade of classic, rare and unique cars. This year, the event will once again bring together a selection of 60 of the rarest cars from around the world – many of which will never have been seen before in the UK. Many of the Concours cars will also take part in a two-day driving tour in the days running up to the main event. Plus, there’s the Club Trophy, which sees some of the UK’s most prestigious car clubs offer up their finest examples to an independent panel of judges, and the winning Club Trophy car will secure a place in the following year’s main Concours of Elegance event. Tickets from £30.
LAUGH
A night of open-air comedy kicks off Thursday, 03 September at the Five Points Mare Street Taproom, Hackney. Expect award-winning stand up from four comedians, plus fresh Five Points beers and wood-fired pizza from ACE PIZZA – all in a safe, socially distanced open-air environment at its warehouse yard near London Fields. Tickets are £13 and include a pint of Five Points beer or a soft drink on arrival. Pop in from 6pm for beer and pizza before the show starts at 7:15!
CELEBRATE
Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF), the festival of outdoor theatre, is set to be the UK’s first full festival since lockdown. The programme, running across the Royal Borough of Greenwich and East London, features site-responsive theatre, dance and street arts. This weekend’s highlights include Dancing City, GDIF’s annual outdoor dance programme, which will take over Canary Wharf’s fantastic alfresco piazzas and landscapes on Saturday 05 September from 1-5pm; Cloudscapes by Gobbledegook Theatre, a dreamy commentary on the passing skies with a Cloud Museum where you can learn about cloud-gazing and climate change and The Open Air Drawing Room by Eric MacLennan, a thought-provoking performance inspired by the great 19th century painter JMW Turner and the 31 sea areas of the Shipping Forecast. All events will have free, allocated access for local residents, with further free and paid ticketing arrangements to help manage capacity.
