Things to do in London this weekend

Ever wanted to have a nosy around some of London’s coolest private buildings? Open House London gives city dwellers free access to some of the capital’s architectural wonders that aren’t usually open to the public – from schools and offices to domestic homes and places of worship. The hugely popular, capital-wide fortnight-long festival is back for 2024, with properties open for you to peak in – for free – all across the capital’s 33 boroughs. All you need to do is create an account online and you can register to see as many buildings in the programme as you like. As well as the festival’s usual line-up of community events, drop-in sessions and tours. 

Lolo is Bermondsey Street’s third (third!) joint from convivial Spanish chef Jose Pizarro. SE1 domination? Done it, mate. Neither super-fancy Michelin star Madrid grill house nor a bare-bones Cadiz cava bar, Lolo is casual but content with its easy-breezy lot. Unlike his other two spots, this one is open all day, starting with sassy little breakfasts. In the evening, the dusty pink room easily transitions from a relaxed cafe into a romantic resto, with a series of enticingly snackable Spanish dishes with a coyly British bent, like a starter of devilled eggs, graced with a single smoked anchovy, chicken liver parfait laced with punchy Pedro Ximénez vinegar and Flintstones-worthy pork ribs which glisten with fat. Does it resemble something I would make if hungover and un-arsed to go to the shops? Yes. Is it also delicious? Definitely. 

The opening scene of Tom Stoppard’s ‘The Real Thing’ is Stoppardian to the point of parody. We meet a husband - Oliver Johnstone’s Max - who barrages his wife Charlotte (Susan Wokoma) with queries about her recent work trip abroad before casually revealing that he found her passport and she couldn’t have been in Switzerland – and has clearly been having an affair. But it’s all a feint, a scene from a play within the play by Henry (James McArdle), a Stoppard-proxy playwright. Wokoma’s Charlotte is in fact his actress wife and they’re having her co-star Max and his wife Annie (Bel Powley) over for drinks. Charlotte and Max are having an affair in the play; Henry and Annie are having an affair for real. It’s a dazzlingly arch exploration of performative identity and presents itself as a dizzyingly clever bit of autobiographical exploration, examining love, fidelity, writing and the faces we choose to present to the world. 

Banksy is back. Celebrate his return with a visit to this huge, brand-new space in Soho filled with iconic pieces that brought the anonymous artist international acclaim. Look at the ‘Girl With Balloon’, ‘Flower Thrower’ and ‘Rude Copper’ alongside unique works, including hand-drawn sketches and personal artworks, which Banksy created for friends, colleagues and lovers.

Get tickets to 'The Art of Banksy' exhibition from £9.95, onluy through Time Out Offers.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is Tim Burton’s best live-action film since 2003’s Big Fish and his most satisfying slice of goth hokum since Sleepy Hollow (1999) – which is not saying all that much, considering the competition includes Big Eyes and Dumbo. His return to Winter River is a wild ride on a rollercoaster that never feels entirely bolted to the ground. Sensibly, Burton leans into the things that made the 1988 original so memorable. Keaton’s zebra-suited underworld dweller, Betelgeuse, gets much more screen time here. He’s a blast, matched by the dependably brilliant Catherine O’Hara as Delia. It’s more of a collage of zany subplots than a coherent whole but powered by its own helter-skelter momentum, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice just about holds all its macabre threads together. It’s not Burton at his very best, but like its fiendish antihero, it does the trick. 

Kanishka has launched a brand-new brunch menu focussing on PanIndian food, with a menu embracing the flavours of India’s various regions, from Punjab to Kerala, Kolkata to Delhi and everywhere in between. Kanishka’s skilled kitchen team, led by chef Atul Kochhar, have curated a symphony of new dishes, including Khari paneer tikka, Palak paneer and Chicken tikka pie. And the best bit? You’ll be greeted with a seasonal welcome Kanishka punch cocktail and two hours of bottomless wine or beer. 

Save up to £20 on eight delicious dishes, a main course and a dessert platter at this Mayfair fine dining spot, only at Time Out Offers.

Peter Jones, the artist and creator of this colourful music festival, sadly passed away last year. But his legacy continues as Colourscape’s labyrinth of polychromatic tunnels is returns for a UK tour, stopping in Clapham Common once more this September. Never been? Self-described as ‘Europe’s most unusual festival’, wander around its big inflatable labyrinth to see what musicians you can find inside. You might happen upon a flautist, a classical guitarist or maybe some bloke playing an actual conch. Who knows!? Those kaleidoscopic innards are designed to surprise. 

Since the 1970s, Lonnie Holley’s been at the forefront of a loose movement of Black American artists from the Deep South exploring the legacies of slavery and everyday injustice that shape their society. By digging through the refuse of society, the decaying bones of America, and improvising with it, Holley can tell stories that need telling. He reconstitutes and reconfigures the world around him, and the results feel powerful, necessary and often beautiful. See his exhibition at the Camden Centre before it closes on Sunday. 

You’ll know London’s Jazz Cafe as the brick-and-mortar venue in Camden that’s been giving city-dwellers memorable nights out in Camden for 35 years. This summer, it’s branching out and heading to Burgess Park for its first-ever festival. The Jazz Cafe Festival will continue its M.O. with a line-up bursting with brilliance and artists that span genres. Nils Frahm will headline with support from EarlI Sweatshirt, Baby Rose, Gilles Peterson, Omar Souleyman and many more.

The culinary hotspots of Regent Street and St James’s play host to the Future Of Food Festival. Expect panel talks with industry experts to get some insight into where food is heading in the coming years, tuck into unique dining experiences and meet innovative chefs, restaurateurs and suppliers. There’ll be the opportunity to try dishes by Michelin-starred chef Alex Dilling and feast on sustainable treats at Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill and Wilton’s. 

Kreative Crafts Club is bringing you an epic BYOB Rug Tufting Workshop, a hands-on class led by skilled instructors who will provide all the guidance and materials you need to create your very own mini rug masterpiece. Learn the essentials of rug tufting, from setting up your frame to using a rug tufting gun and creating patterns. Whether you’re looking for a unique date activity or just want to try something new, this Rug Tufting Workshop is the perfect choice. And don’t forget to BYOB!

Save £100.50 on this rug tufting experince with Kreative Crafts Club, only through Time Out Offers.

This annual free festival is all about championing Tottenham’s immensely talented creatives through three days of art, music and talks. Festival HQ is Gaunson Creative Studios which will be open throughout the fest so visitors can meet the makers, go behind the scenes and see live art installations in the studio’s yard. The programme also includes panel talks with established creatives, art workshops, live music, short film screenings and DJs soundtracking street parties.

Celebrate the DIY creativity of the zine community at the fourth edition of the PageMasters Summer Zine Fair. Pop down to explore a wealth of unique zines and chat with the people behind them, or get stuck into the craft yourself with a workshop that will give you all the tools to start your very own indie publication. Whether you’re already an established member of the zine world or curious to learn more, you’ll come away buzzing with inspiration.

Step into Atelier Coupette, Soho’s charming French bistro located at 9 Moor Street. Renowned for its artisanal cocktails and French-inspired tapas, Atelier Coupette offers an atmosphere that whisks you straight to the streets of Paris. Delight in a three-course meal or enjoy a £17 discount when you pair your dining experience with three bespoke cocktails. Perfectly positioned near the Palace, Prince Edward, and Shaftesbury Theatres, it’s an ideal pre-theatre dining destination.

Savour culinary artistry with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients transformed into exquisite dishes and innovative cocktails at Atelier Coupette Soho for £29, only through Time Out Offers.

Summer might be fading out, but there’s still time to enjoy some festival fun. Created by the gang behind Percolate and Croatia’s Love International, Waterworks returns to Gunnersbury Park ready to turn the leafy surroundings into one banging party. This year’s line-up is another stacked one, with the likes of Erol Alkan, Objekt, Conducta, Interplanetary Criminal, Jamz Supernova, Ross From Friends, Kode9, Mia Koden, Leon Vynehall, Shanti Celeste, Moxie and many more on decks. 

All summer, street food traders from across the country have been vying for a spot in the 2024 British Street Food Awards – the world’s biggest street food competition. Now, the grand final is almost upon us. Over the weekend 12 finalists will descend on Hackney Bridge and cook up a storm in the hopes of being crowned champion for their one ‘killer’ dish. In the running are Edinburgh’s Planet G and her vegan haggis, Wales’ Pasta A Mano and their linguini vongole, Wing Fest and Wing Jam winners Chicken George and more.

This new festival at Battersea Power Station is shining a light on the cuisines, culture and creativity of the South East Asia. The iconic power station will be transformed by lanterns, sculptures and immersive installations and renowned chefs from the region will serve up delicious delicacies, with Malaysia’s Roti King, Singapore’s Old Chang Lee and Budgie Montoya’s APOY, Thailand’s Yaay Yaay, Indonesia’s Makatcha and more all confirmed so far. There’ll also be an artisan market, arts and crafts workshops and live music. 

Tired of merely listening to your favourite podcast hosts yabbering away? Now you can watch them at it IRL at London Podcast Festival, which is hosting some of the best podcasting talents from the UK and US live at Kings Place. This year get a front seat at plenty of big shows in the audio world, including Like Minded Friends with Tom Allen & Suzi Ruffell, Secretly Incredibly Fascinating, Beef and Dairy Network and Drunk Huns Solving Ghosts. Your ears are in for a treat.

London’s history is rich and sprawling. For every glossy skyscraper, there’s a slew of ancient stories, legends, landmarks and hidden curios dotted through the city that have shaped its DNA. London Heritage Open Days is a celebration of these pockets of antiquity. Over ten days it opens up some of London’s oldest spaces for walks, tours and talks so we can get to know our city better. This year’s programme includes everything from culinary tours of Willesden Jewish Cemetery, nature walks around the ancient Manor Farm House, tours of restored 18th-century houses in Spitalfields and rides on old Route Master buses around south east London. If you thought you knew London, get ready to be surprised.

Every year, London’s famous river gets a whole festival of art installations, performances, and talks devoted to her watery charms, many of which are free to check out. This year’s Totally Thames Festival has scores of events throughout September, all dotted along riverside locations from Richmond to Barking & Dagenham. This week, look out for mudlarking masterclasses, kayacking taster sessions and live performances in the beautiful Crossness Pumping Station. 

There’s an irony that ‘Fiddler On the Roof’ is being revived in the only theatre in London that doesn’t have one. But Jordan Fein’s joyous, then suddenly very sad production is all about uprooting traditions, a production about reinventing a classic musical through small gestures and symbols, rather than radical high concepts. Famously, ‘Fiddler’ was criticised when it premiered in 1964 as ‘shtetl kitsch’. But Fein, who co-directed ‘sexy Oklahoma!’ when it came to London last year, eradicates the kitsch here. Yes it’s funny – Adam Dannheisser’s Tevye still cracks jokes – and yes it’s faithful, but this is a serious production. It’s a thoughtful, hopeful take on the old classic, traditions change.

The Globe’s take on ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ is a landmark for a major theatre, being a full on bilingual English/BSL production, built around a lead performance from deaf performer Nadia Nadarajah as Egyptian queen Cleopatra. It’s a spirited and breezy take on Shakespeare’s oft-dense tragedy. Director Blanche McIntyre creates a typically rambunctious Globe treatment of a classic that’s often handled with kid gloves and Nadarajah is excellent: she plays Cleopatra with her whole body, and her heady physicality and total sense of living in the moment sets the whole stage alight. 

The Arcola Theatre's alt-opera festival Grimeborn returns for its seventeeth year in 2024 and it’s as eclectic as ever, from a gory feminist reworking of Heinrich August Marschner’s nineteenth century opera ‘Der Vampyr’ (Aug 14-17) and the return of Logan Lopez Gonzalez and Eleanor Burke’s Paul Verlaine opera ‘555: Verlaine en Prison’ (Sep 4-7) to ‘Mr Punch at the Opera’ (Aug 21-24) a family-friendly remix of Pergolisa’s ‘La Serva Padrona’.

Peter Kennard is outraged, irate and angry. Because when the British artist and professor of political art looks at the world around him, he sees nothing but injustice, greed, violence and pain. But rather than shouting pointlessly about it, he channels his ire into art. His stark photomontages have been a visual diary of corporate greed and state warfare for decades. Here at the Whitechapel, posters from throughout his career attack nuclear proliferation, the Gulf War, Thatcher, British imperialism, Nato’s involvement in Yugoslavia, privatisation and countless other charged, sensitive, volatile topics. Kennard’s points are clearer, more pointed and powerful than anyone who has come after him. 

Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’s three-part study of the state of the nation and what it means to be British is a decade-long project that began its life in 2024 as a ‘microplay’ commissioned by The Guardian in collaboration with the Royal Court. Now it storms into the West End, with three of the original four stories (‘Michael’, “Delroy’ and ‘Closing Time’) being performed in rep this summer (the fourth, ‘Face to Face’, is a film). It spans the Covid and Brexit years, and asks the pertinent and forever timely question of what it means to belong. Back to back, the plays make Dyer and Williams’s analysis of Britain’s complications prick even deeper. Full of rage, love, pride and deep bewilderment, these are stories that are grown authentically on British soil and are desperate for a stage.

Situated on the ground floor of Sea Containers and offering scenic views over the Thames, Lyaness is the pioneering flagship cocktail bar of maverick mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan. With numerous accolades to its name – including being named as World’s Best Bar in 2022 – it’s an essential visit for any Londoner with even a passing interest in mixology. And there’s no better time to do so than a sunny weekend afternoon, when you can sample its new Perfect Afternoons menu, offering two delicious drinks and two bar snacks for just £30. 

Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's midlife musical romcom is a goofy love letter to Dolly, a widow who takes a train to Yonkers, fixes everyone else’s romantic problems and eventually her own. And ‘wow, wow, wow, fellas, look at the old girl now, fellas!’ - Imelda Staunton is making herself gloriously seen and heard in Dominic Cooke's lavish revival of ‘Hello, Dolly!’. Cooke's show is a big old-fashioned bells and whistles production with impressive hoofing choreography and the rare pleasure of a real orchestra. It’s a terrific old-fashioned show which audiences love, and it knows it. 

In American director Gordon Greenberg’s charming production of Joseph Stein and Stephen Schwartz’s 1989 musical there’s a lot more to ‘The Baker’s Wife’ than ‘Meadowlark’, its best-known song. For one thing, there’s a whole village in 1930s Provence seemingly addicted to bread. They’re practically salivating by the time the new baker, Amiable (Clive Rowe), arrives. This is followed by gossip about how much younger his wife, Genevieve (Lucie Jones) is. She quickly catches the eye of local heartthrob Dominique (Joaquin Pedro Valdes) and scandal among the sleepy café tables ensues. This particular show benefits from director-of-musicals extraordinaire Greenberg’s in-depth familiarity with it. Crucially, he understands that romance is only one strand of the story and that perhaps the most important ‘character’ is the village itself.

Polish-born, London-based artist Goshka Macuga has filled Bloomberg’s gallery with vast gleaming stalactites and stalagmites. They erupt from the floor, drip from the ceiling, glistening in pinks and browns and purples and blues. They look like ceramics, but they’re resin-coated foam, dominating the space with their bodily, physical, penile presences. There’s a lot of gloopy geological ceramic-y art out there, but it’s Macuga’s ideas that make this work. The cave as a concept symbolises safety, a metaphorical, prehistoric womb for humanity to crawl back to. 

Modern-day revivals of musicals from the genre’s so-called ‘Golden Age’ can be challenging – caught up, as they often are, in the sexism of their time. ‘Kiss Me, Kate’, which debuted in 1948, is a particularly acute example. But it’s to big shot American director Bartlett Sher’s credit that this major new revival is heavily laced with irony. As Petruchio, Fred (Adrian Dunbar, swapping ‘Line of Duty’ for the chorus line) can’t get his whip (don’t ask) to work and looks stupid; in the climactic scenes, Lilli (played by bona fide Broadway star Stephanie Block) sings ‘I Am Ashamed’ with the kind of knowing wink you could probably see from space. This is all amplified by Michael Yeargan’s gorgeously elaborate set. This is a lush, wittily spectacular production. 

In a warren of concrete bunkers deep beneath the strand, the masters of high end immersive AV art have pulled together some big hits. ‘Reverb’ is a celebration of speakers, drums, beats, songs and noises, of the links between music and art. Four Technics turntables allow you to play looped records by German artist Carsten Nicolai, Jeremy Deller lectures kids on the history of rave, Jenn Nkiru’s traces the history of Detroit techno and Cecilia Bengolea films the convulsive body-popping joy of Jamaican dancehall. It’s a love letter to the power of music, an ear-rattling testament to how sound shapes society, emotion and history.