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Loop Images Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo
Loop Images Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

Things to do in London this weekend

Can’t decide what to do with your two delicious days off? This is how to fill them up

Rosie HewitsonAlex Sims
Contributors: Rhian Daly & Liv Kelly
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Spooky season is upon us. Dark nights, harvest moons and foggy mornings are the perfect backdrop for the strange, macabre holiday of Halloween and London is celebrating it in style with a bunch of suitably eerie, hair-raising events and things to do. Party in your best synthetic wig and fangs at The Cause’s Halloween party, scare yourself senseless at the Odeon Cinema’s Fright Fest or pick one of the many creepy ghost tours happening at ancient London institutions. This weekend it’s also the beginning of London’s Bonfire Night parties, lighting up the London skies with spectacular firework displays. 

On the culture front, head to cinemas to see Steve McQueen’s ‘Blitz’, which questions the ‘keep calm and carry on’ spirit of the era. See Sarah Slappey’s erotic, tense, beautiful paintings of squirming bodies at the Bernheim, listen to Laura Marling in residency at Hackney Church and don’t miss Tinuke Craig’s revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 masterpiece ‘A Raisin in the Sun’, which is having a rare run in London at the Lyric Hammersmith. 

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What’s on this weekend?

  • Things to do

There’s nothing like gathering in a park in the nippy nights of early November to watch fireworks piercing the sky and a pile of flaming wood. Yes, Bonfire Night – aka Guy Fawkes Night –might sound strange to those unfamiliar with it, but it’s a great British tradition and one of the highlights of the second half of the year. Wrap up warm and get ready to head out to one of London’s many Bonfire Night and fireworks displays, where you’ll find sparkly skies, yummy street food and so much more.

  • Art
  • Mayfair
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Where there’s pleasure, there’s shame; at least there is in American artist Sarah Slappey’s work. She paints female bodies naked and writhing, reclining in baths, legs and arms intertwined. At first it’s plainly, obviously erotic. But then you notice little cuts and dribbles of blood. Is this an orgy or a crime scene? It’s the erotic as a spectacle, femininity as something constructed, something built to constrict women. It’s a vortex of symbols, art historical allusions and terror. And damn, Slappey can paint. This is precise, expert stuff - super-real, super-sumptuous. It’s a hugely erotic, nasty, tense, beautiful ‘fuck you’.

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  • Film
  • Drama
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

The term ‘the Blitz spirit’ gets bandied about a lot in the UK. Eighty years on, we still wear that ‘keep calm and carry on’ badge with pride. Should we, though? Steve McQueen’s anthemic film is in fiery conversation with those untouchable legends of Britain’s early war years. It suggests that German bombs rained down on a Britain that wasn’t exactly the united, anti-Nazi bastion of stiff upper lips and solidarity of lore. Instead, Blitz shows a place rife with social and racial division, where prejudice is just another kind of shrapnel for Black Londoners to dodge. It’s not a comfortable watch. McQueen isn’t questioning the courage or endurance of the city and its people through these brutal days. But he is probing our relationship with this over-lionised period of our history, though, and finding it hopelessly romanticised.

  • Drama
  • Hammersmith
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Lorraine Hansberry’s great 1959 work A Raisin in the Sun is a hugely famous play, frequently staged on Broadway, but for whatever reason much less so over here, so Tinuke Craig’s touring Headlong revival is the first big UK production to come to London in a very long time. What a great play it is. A rich and powerful mix of domestic blue-collar tragedy, capitalist critique, consideration of Segregation and clear-sighted look forward to a better Black future. It’s dark and light, tragic and hopeful, the texture of life.

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  • Mexican
  • Regent Street
  • price 4 of 4
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Fonda is kind of a big deal. The second London restaurant from Santiago Lastra, it follows the chef’s Michelin-starred Kol. Fonda is a more casual, a la carte alternative to Kol’s fine dining largesse. The focus is on Mexican food made with British ingredients alongside a pledge to never, ever use lime, in a ‘we’re not like other Mexican restaurants’, kind of way; think a chunky ceviche of Scottish sea trout, empanada-shaped quesadillas filled with Oaxaca-style cheese from Canterbury. While, the Arroz con Leche rice pudding is your go-to pudding order. 

  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs
  • South Bank

Every winter the Southbank Centre turns the banks of the Thames into a frosty wonderland, full of little wooden Alpine-style cabins selling gifts, warming drinks, and snacksThis year, you can cosy up at Fire And Fromage with its heated riverside igloos where you can snaffle down cheese fondue. Further down, you’ll find huts serving up truffle burgers, duck wraps, and many more tasty morsels to keep you full and warm. Or grab a glass of mulled wine while you look through gifts, jewellery and decorations made by independent craft traders and take in those sparking riverside views. 

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Phantom Peak's spookiest season returns with Hallowed Peak. The immersive theme park built to look like an IRL town is celebrating a ‘Lunar Festival’, with ghosts and ghouls taking over the minds and nightmares of the townsfolk. Expect thrills, tricks, and treats with mysteries to solve and new trails to wander around. There’s also a new seasonal menu to tuck into. 

Get tickets to Phantom Peak from £30, only through Time Out Offers.

  • Music

Laura Marling is one of the UK’s most lauded indie musicians. Her last release, Song For Our Daughter, was nominated for Mercury, Ivor, and Grammy awards, so she’s had a tough task matching it with the new one. However, if the single Patterns is anything to go by, we are in for a treat. Patterns in Repeat is out on October 25, and she’s doing a four-night residency at Hackney Church to mark the occasion. Grab one of the few remaining tickets while you can. 

Hackney Church, E5 0PD. Tue 29, Wed 30 Oct, Fri 1, Sat 2 Nov, 7pm. From £50.60.

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  • Art
  • Bloomsbury
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

No object is just an object: everything is a symbol. And in Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke’s excellent exhibition of items from the British Museum’s endless archives and stores, every object is a symbol of power, dominance and exploitation. Locke spent two years digging through the stores, finding artefacts that tell countless clashing stories of empire, countless narrative threads. The show comes right in the middle of a long debate about the purpose of the British Museum and the restitution of its many looted treasures. The show doesn’t resolve that debate, it just adds fuel to the fire. It’s about the evils of empire and power. There’s so much shocking, harrowing death and violence here, so much greed and exploitation. It’s horribly, deeply uncomfortable. 

  • Things to do
  • Film events

The beautiful Rivoli Ballroom – one of the last remaining ballrooms in town – is open again for its usual series of Halloween pop-up film screenings. In the days running up to fright night, it’ll be showing movies of the spooky and scary (and camp) variety, including 'The Lost Boys', 'The Shining', 'Hocus Pocus' and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Scroll down for the full details of the spooktacular film programme.

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Brunch is essential for most Londoners, so why not make your next spot SOUND cafe? Perfectly located on the corner of Oxford Street and Park Lane, this sensational music-themed restaurant offers a delicious main course, a dessert and a choice of bottomless drinks – a symphony of flavours harmonising with the rhythm of live performances. With iconic musical memorabilia on show and a venue once frequented by industry legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Wonder, this renowned location is a must.

Enjoy 50% off Bottomless Brunch at the SOUND Café, only through Time Out Offers.

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  • Things to do
  • Shoreditch

Remember those big immersive light shows Four Tet did at Ally Pally? The collective behind them, Squidsoup, is launching London’s newest light show this winter. Having previously worked with the likes of Burning Man festival, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, the ‘pioneers of dynamic light and sound environments’ have taken over a 3-level, 30,000sqft gallery on Shoreditch’s Curtain Road for their latest project, Lost in Light. It features five immersive light and sound installations suitable for all ages. It looks a bit like Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Rooms, but big enough to walk around. And you can bet it’ll look just as good on your Instagram story. 

  • Film
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

In 2015, as a young female journalist, Shiori Ito was raped by veteran Washington bureau chief of the Tokyo Broadcasting System, Noriyuki Yamaguchi, in a hotel. The man’s connections ran all the way to Japan’s then-Prime Minister. Yamaguchi’s arrest was mysteriously called off at the last minute and criminal charges were never brought against him. This film, made with cold courage by Shiori, shows her pursuing the man who raped her with every means at her disposal. It’s an unsparing, fly-on-the-wall journey through a legal and societal hellscape that raises at least as many questions as it answers.

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  • Things to do
  • Festivals
  • Greenwich Peninsula

Greenwich Peninsula is celebrating Diwali this year with a packed schedule of events and workshops for all the family. DJs will be soundtracking the festival throughout the day, while there’ll also be performances from dancers Akademi, who’ll be highlighting the elegance of South Asian dance, and Dhol drummers, who’ll bring a taste of Bhangra to the affair. Elsewhere, you’ll find a tea and light ceremony, a lantern-making workshop, and the chance to get a bespoke henna tattoo to remember the day with. The whole thing will cap off in the evening with a dazzling riverside lantern parade, where all attendees are invited to reflect on the meaning of the day as lights dance along the river.

  • Things to do
  • Literary events
  • South Bank

London Literature Festival is back to celebrate the power of the written and spoken word’. Its 2024 line-up is as stacked as always, no matter what your literary tastes. Head down to the Southbank Centre during its run to celebrate first-time writers and the inspiration they’ve taken from the capital at ‘Debut London Literature’ and discover a wealth of fresh poetry talent at ‘New Poets Collective Showcase’. Big names like Russell Kane, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Rupert Everett and Richard Dawkins will all take part in the festival, alongside kid-friendly events like ‘Alphabet Soup’ and ‘The Elmer Adventure’. 

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Head to The Table Battersea Rise for a perfect blend of healthy indulgence and award-winning, sustainable food. Enjoy brunch for just £18 (down from £24) with a mimosa and your choice of pancake and waffle combos, like banana & bacon with maple syrup or cinnamon poached pear with mascarpone and chocolate sauce. For dinner, treat yourself to three small plates and a signature cocktail for £25, all in cosy booths or large feasting tables. Dog-friendly and close to Clapham Common, The Table is your new favourite spot year-round!

Exclusive: enjoy a pancake or waffle brunch or a three plate dinner with a signature at The Table, only through Time Out Offers.

  • Art
  • Soho
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Letizia Battaglia saw the mafia tearing Italy apart in the 1970s, murdering its sons, raping its daughters, and she documented all of it with her camera. She captured the bloody reality of life under the oppressive rule of the mafia. There are images in the opening room of parties, dances, kids, lovers. But they’re overpowered by the endless photos of death on display. Battaglia was first on the scene after judges were assassinated, politicians killed, henchmen murdered. There’s no Godfather-esque glamourisation of mafia life here and there are some incredible photos. Excellently composed, shockingly confrontational, but tender despite the grimness.

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  • Things to do
  • Ice skating
  • Canary Wharf

The first ice rink of the season is here. Canary Wharf shakes off its business image a little with the return of its long-running slice of ice. From October through to late February, you’ll be able to spin and drift around the 1,200-square-metre arena, so whether you’re looking for a pre-Christmas activity or a fun way to kick off the New Year, this bad boy’s got you covered. Talking of covered, the whole thing is under a canopy that means not even the unpredictable British weather can spoil a sesh here. There’ll also be a ringside bar and themed DJ nights to ramp the good vibes up even higher. 

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  • Drama
  • Seven Dials
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Adrien Brody hasn’t performed on stage since 2003. So it’s unexpected but very cool that he’s popped up as the star attraction in the first play in Timothy Sheader’s first season in charge of the Donmar Warehouse. The Fear of 13 is US playwright Lindsay Ferrentino’s stage version of a 2015 documentary by British filmmaker David Singleton, which tells the story of Nick Yarris, a Pennsylvania man who spent 22 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. It puts Brody’s incorrigible protagonist at the heart of a mostly male ensemble who take on the role of various wardens, cops, prisoners and miscellaneous others. And they sing, too! It’s a beautifully theatrical production and a charismatic turn from Brody. 

  • Art
  • Fitzrovia
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

The TJ Boulting gallery doesn’t smell great. A gross, acrid odour greets you as you walk in; the stench of eggs. This health and safety nightmare is Sarah Lucas’s fault: the megastar British artist came into the gallery and smashed a thousand eggs against the wall to inaugurate this show. It’s left a vast yellow, dripping stain down the main wall of the space, shell and albumen crumbled against the plaster. It’s a brilliant, joyful, funny work, riffing snarkily on the masculinity of ‘action painting’, the history of abstraction, all while protesting against the way women’s bodies are used and reduced down to nothing but fertility and procreation. 

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  • Nightlife
  • Clubs
  • Angel

Club de Fromage’s usual pop party takes a petrifying new turn for Halloween, with spooky visuals, dance-offs, apple-bobbing and Halloween props – including, they say, a real coffin –all on the cards. Thankfully, the music will be as anthemic and powerful as always, with killer tunes guaranteed all night. Place your bets now for how many Chappell Roans and Charli XCXs you’ll spot.

  • Drama
  • Charing Cross Road
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Robert Icke’s take on ‘Oedipus’ benefits from a lethal but compassionate decluttering, a singularity of purpose that distils a famously lurid story into something empathetic, lucid and quite, quite devastating. Mark Strong is Oedipus, a passionate, self-serious politician whose upstart party is on the verge of securing a landslide victory in a sort-of-British version of Thebes and Lesley Manville plays his wife Jocasta, who gets a lot of meat to her character’s bones. It’s really bloody good, with two astonishing leads. Even if you’re aware of every twist and turn of the story, this ‘Oedipus’ glints with a deadly sharpness. 

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  • Art
  • Bankside
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

A vast engine spins, spilling noxious, viscous liquid onto the floor of the Turbine Hall. Mire Lee’s machine is draped in tentacles which ooze and flop around, drenching the cavernous space. The Korean artist’s machine isn’t useless, it produces, it makes products. Hung from the ceiling of the Turbine Hall, stretched taut on metal frames, are countless ‘skins’; ripped, clay-coloured fabrics which look like leather made from some unknown creature…maybe even made from humans. And that’s the point. By dragging the Turbine Hall’s industrial past back into the present, reanimating the corpse of Britain’s power, she’s talking about the human cost of industry. It’s the best Turbine Hall installation for years. 

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  • Drama
  • Euston
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Hell has been realised in Milli Bhatia’s production of Sonali Bhattacharyya’s Women’s Prize-nominated play, King Troll (The Fawn). With a sudden flash of light, the audience is plunged into horror, with darkness and a sense of trepidation mounting as the play progresses. Bhatia has pulled out every ounce of dread from Bhattacharyya’s script to make it a full, immersive experience. With piercing sound design by XANA that makes the whole theatre rumble and crack and a set by Rajha Shakiry that looks like its been lifted from a nightmare, the result is a play that warns, frights and chills us to the bone. It’s a thumping parable about the human crimes of now. This production sizzles and stings. 

  • Art
  • Charing Cross Road
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Francis Bacon (1909-1992) was a giant of modern art, maybe the twentieth century’s greatest painter. He’s been analysed and over-analysed for decades. It makes you walk into this exhibition of his portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery (coming only two years after the Royal Academy’s Bacon show) and think ‘oh god, more Bacon?’ I'm already full. But then you see the paintings – the writhing bodies, the contorted grimaces, the screaming faces – and damn it, call your cardiologist, you’re ready for another helping. It's full of viscerality, the anguish of existence, the torment of love, etc etc etc, over and over. It’s great.

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  • Drama
  • South Bank
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Writer-director Alexander Zeldin made his name with the plays ‘Beyond Caring’, ‘LOVE and Faith’, ‘Hope and Charity’, a trilogy of agonisingly empathetic shows about Britain in the age of austerity. Now, he’s produced this psychosexual take on Sophocles’s ‘Antigone’For the first half, it cleaves closely to ‘Antigone’ thematically, albeit smartly transposed into the present, with Emma D’Arcy playing modern-day Antigone, Annie. Both source material and Zeldin’s new play are about a woman apparently pushed over the edge by the death of a loved one and here it all unfurls with a shimmering, merciless elegance. An evocative electronic score from Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis provides a chic mix of juddering shock and eerie ambience. It’s all very intense. 

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