Things to do in London this week

Every year, the EFG London Jazz Festival brings together the best and brightest of the genre in venues across the city, from jazz staples like Ronnie Scott’s to the capital’s arts venues like Southbank Centre and new spots like Soul Mama. This year is no different. The 2024 line-up promises a bounty of bops, whether you’re looking to discover new artists on the scene (LCCM Presents Emerging Sounds Of London, Nov 15), want to celebrate past masterpieces (Hejira Duo Celebrate The Jazz Side Of Joni Mitchell, Nov 16), or want to witness some legends in action (Robert Glaser, Nov 18 and 21). As well as tons of concerts every day, there’s also sessions, workshops, talks and more to take part in and enjoy.

What’s more Christmassy than visiting Santa’s grotto? Going for a pint or two with the man in red in his favourite boozer, of course. Humbug, an immersive Christmas dive bar, allows you to do just that – and join Mr Claus in rounds of games, sing-a-longs, live performances, storytelling and more. It’s all threaded together with a mission to cheer a weary Santa up and help him rekindle his Christmas spirit. Humbug’s 2024 return will include a shrine to the queen of Christmas Mariah Carey, a beer can bowling alley, a grotto and cabaret from the venue’s regular cast. Saving the festive season never sounded so fun.

Savage baboons. Killer sharks. Opium hits. Panto villains. Ridley Scott’s brawny, bloodthirsty, and occasionally wildly camp sequel is not your dad’s Gladiator movie – or your history teacher’s. But for all its flaws, it’s a colossally entertaining ride that never stints on its efforts to wow you with its scale and spectacle. Where Gladiator deftly intercut its battle scenes with subtly plotted political manoeuvrings, this one works best when it’s just winding up one of its ballistas and launching a fireball at your head. There’s a brutal extravagance to the action, a dedication to the film’s theme of violence as a portent of social collapse that manifests in an extra slather of chopped limbs and slashing wounds. Paul Mescal proves that his charisma upscales to a monster blockbuster, without losing that rare sensitivity that powered his Aftersun and Normal People breakthroughs. 

Nigerian-born artist Rotimi Fani-Kayode lived in Brixton until his early death in his 30s in 1989. In the privacy of his studio, he was able to use the camera to explore ideas of difference, identity and a whole lot of desire. The first images here are full of African masks and twisted, nude anguish: naked bodies contorted and writhing in a cold, bare, unhomely South London flat. They’re images that express the reality of being an outsider in western society, of his Africanness, his queerness, his everythingness rubbing up awkwardly against the strictures of 1980s English life.

They’ve played Glasto, they’ve won a Mercury Prize and, most importantly, been on the cover of our mag. Now the jubilant five-piece Ezra Collective are taking on Wembley Arena. The group’s latest album Where I’m Meant To Be celebrates life’s brilliant complexities through a winding hybrid sound, tying together jazz, pop and hip-hop to explore themes of resilience and resistance. Their shows always have a community feel, with band members hopping off stage and into the audience, and a relentless commitment to getting everyone to dance. So prepare to get a wiggle on. 

OVO Arena Wembley, HA9 0AA. Fri Nov 15, 6.30pm. From £42. 

Getting a table at Singburi is a task so epic that even Hercules would sack it off, yet despite this, it is worth persevering. This small, family-run high street Thai canteen in deepest east London, is truly one of London’s greatest restaurants. Once you finally make it inside, splendour, and a beautifully relentless full-throttle flavour fest awaits. There’s a standard menu of classic Thai dishes, but nobody ever orders those. Instead, the move is to ask for everything off the blackboard listing the daily specials. No dish misses. 

Reckon you know your Chin Chin vinho verde from your Oniric pet nat? Can you sniff out a Santal 33-wearer from fifty yards? Are you, perhaps, the owner of an especially anxious sighthound? Do you ‘sort of know’ one of the shells from Two Shell? Then boy do we have the pub quiz for you. The anonymous memelord behind Real Housewives of Clapton has collaborated with dating app Bumble for a very special pub quiz themed around all things east London. Taking place at appropriately cool Clapton boozer The Star by Hackney Downs, the free event is hosted by Dalston Wine Club’s Hannah Crosbie, and winners will take home some seriously covetable swag (we’re hoping for a year’s supply of Lost Marys and a 400-minute Lime bike pass!) Grab your free tickets here. 

Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar, with a humongous light trail taking over the 300-acre botanic garden. See the space lit up with larger-than-life illuminations, with both the venue’s glass houses and the trees that cover its grounds drenched in different hues. The whole thing is stunning, but don’t miss the lake, where you’ll catch reflections of the vibrant bulbs dancing on the water, taking the magical feeling to another level.  Keep yourself toasty along the way with warming winter snacks and make sure you pop by the grotto to say hi to Father Christmas himself.

How to get Christmas at Kew tickets 

As the UK’s original light trail, this illuminated adventure sells out fast. So you’ll have to look sharp to secure your place. Keep an eye on Kew Garden’s booking page, which tells you what dates and times at each of the different entrances are available. If your desired dates are booked up, keep refreshing the page to track returns. Keep refreshing the page to track returns. 

What are the prices and opening times?

Tickets for non-members start at £25.50 for off-peak slots and £32 at peak times. Members can get discounted tickets with prices starting at £21.50 and going to £26 for peak times. Family and child tickets are also available.

Christmas at Kew is open from 4.20pm to 10pm. Each visitor is given a specific time slot, with the last entry at 8pm. 

How long does it take to walk around Christmas at Kew?

That’s really down to you. The glittering trail is 3km long so, depending on your speed and how long you spend taking in refreshments, visiting the fairground, toasting marshmallows and stopping by to see Father C, it can take up to two hours to walk around.

At it’s Best Jethro Compton’s ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ is an extraordinary thing, a soaring folk opera that overwhelms you with a cascade of song and feeling. Writer/director/designer Compton’s interpretation is very different to both F Scott Fitzgerald’s original short story and the 2008 David Fincher film starring Brad Pitt. For starters it’s a love letter to Compton’s native Cornwall, its story spanning much of the twentieth century. It has a joy, romance and big-hearted elan that stands in stark contrast to Fitzgerald’s cynicism and the dolefulness of Fincher’s sloggy film. It’s very good, but the last ten minutes or so are actively sublime. It’s full of charm, heart and magic.

The third major projection-based show to play at King’s Cross’ Lightroom venue is this immersive exhibition that will dip into the storied archives of Vogue magazine to explore the history of the fashion runway show. As ever at Lightroom, expect it to look ravishing, the footage blown up to gargantuan scale and definition by the venue’s high tech projection systems. Initially it will run in rep with long-running Tom Hanks hit Moonwalkers.

‘No Other Land’ follows the life of Basel Adra, a young Palestinian man living in a small village in the West Bank. Since childhood, Basel has filmed life in the village, predominantly recording the destruction of his home and those around it. This is not an objective documentary. There’s no voice of the Israeli military or government position. The only Israeli voice in the film is that of Yuval Abraham, a journalist who says upfront that he believes the destruction of the houses is a crime. There is no attempt to view things from both positions. And that is entirely valid, because it’s not presenting itself as anything else. It’s a moving, challenging watch. 

London Palestine Film Festival’s programme features films that both reflect on Palestine and share the political realities and experiences of Palestinian people both in their homeland and around the world. Many of the screenings are accompanied by talks, so you can get deeper context and understanding on the visuals, too. Look out for the likes of The Fifth War, a document of Israel’s 1978 invasion of Lebanon, Familiar Phantoms personal storytelling from Larissa Sansour, and To A Land Unknown, which follows a Palestinian refugee on the hunt for revenge in Athens.

With its legend tied up in that of its director Stanley Kubrick, its star Peter Sellers, its magnificent monochrome cinematography and moreover its release against the backdrop of the actual Cold War, Dr Strangelove is a film comedy that gets treated with arthouse reverence. And for that reason, there are nagging doubts about the idea of a stage version. Is director Sean Foley in the same league as Kubrick? Is Coogan in the same league as Sellers? At its heart Armando Iannucci and Foley‘s stage adaptation is just very aware that Dr Strangelove is fun, funny and possessed of a play-like structure. Rather than try and out-auteur Kubrick, it’s an accomplished, funny West End comedy, and even if the Cold War is over it still has some topical bite. 

Lightroom is back with another spectacle set to take your breath away. Tom Hanks narrates an epic experience that offers a unique new perspective on humankind’s past and future voyages to the moon. See this exciting Apollo Remastered collaboration with Tom Hanks, Christopher Riley and 59 Productions with an insight into the impending return of crewed surface missions by going behind the scenes of the Artemis programme, including interviews between Hanks and Artemis astronauts. With a musical score by Anne Nikitin, Lightroom’s powerful projection and audio technology will transport you to another world.

Get adult tickets for £19, (down from £29.50), and child tickets for £10 (down from £15), only through Time Out Offers.

Dreaming of a kitsch Christmas? New York’s famous Miracle on Ninth Street bar is popping up in London for its seventh year, ‘50s Christmas decorations, nostalgic accessories and creative new spins on beloved cocktail favourites in tow. This year’s menu is still a work in progress, but past years have seen the bar slinging the likes of a Snowball Old Fashioned or a Christmapoliton, which includes cranberry sauce and absinthe mist – a take on Christmas trimmings that’s not for the faint-hearted. If you’re failing to find the Christmas spirit, this is one great place to come find it.

Somerset House’s iconic ice rink has become a Christmas tradition for Londoners and visitors heading to the capital for some festive cheer. There’s good reason – gliding (or, at least, attempting to) around the rink, gazing upon the Georgian architecture and 40ft Christmas tree feels like you’ve skated onto a movie set, ready to be watched by families settling in for their post-turkey food coma. There’s more to this rink than just skating, though. This year, pop-up gourmet dining spot The Chalet and rosé brand Whispering Angel’s skate lounge will return to keep you fuelled up. Skate Lates are also back, with DJ takeovers from Rinse FM, Daytimers’ Rohan Rakhit, Dankie Sounds, and Jay Jay Revlon. 

Find more places to go ice skating in London

Right on the edge of Covent Garden, Elaine’s London brings a taste of New York to London with a fun, eclectic menu. Kick off your three-course feast with the soup of the day or wild mushroom and truffle arancini. For mains, dive into The käsekrainer hot dog – a cheesy, juicy twist loaded with fried onions, sweet mustard, and salt beef. Save room for dessert, because you’ll be finishing with a baked New York cheesecake, profiteroles, or an epic gelato sundae. Top it all off with a glass of prosecco for the perfect night of indulgence!

Enjoy three courses and a glass of Prosecco at Elaine's Bar, Restaurant & Deli, only through Time Out Offers.

The reputation of the Lyric Hammersmith panto is as the spikey satirical bad boy of the London pantomime scene. Last year’s ‘Cinderella’ was distinctly cuddlier – however the 2024 show reunites the 2022 team of director Nicholai La Barrie and writer Sonia Jalaly. Specific details of their production are thin on the ground at the moment, but rest assured it’s not going to be one of those iffy yellowface productions you still hear about. Andre Antonio stars as Aladdin, with the redoubtable Emmanuel Akwafa returning on daming duties as Widow Twerkey.

If you’ve not heard of ICCO, then prepare to be amazed, since 1999 this family-run pizzeria has offered freshly cooked 12” pizzas for unbeatable prices. Known as “The People’s Pizzeria”, ICCO is offering a Margherita pizza plus one topping for just £5 or enjoy a Margherita pizza, soft drink and any side or dessert for an unbeatable £9.99!

Head to either the Goodge Street or Camden High Street branch for your exclusive deal, only through Time Out Offers.