Things to do in London this week

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’. 

First thing’s first: it’s not really a canteen. It’s a small room, with tiles, near Finsbury Park. There’s also no one called Frank here. It’s the name of the owner’s son. That’s where the misdirection ends, though. Frank’s Canteen wears its sauce-laden heart on its sleeve. What you see is what you get, and that’s a friendly space with a bubbly atmosphere and lots of sharing plates. Owner Paul Warburton’s enthusiasm and love of hospitality is what keeps this place humming. It’s tangible in the staff’s easy-going geniality, the ever-shifting menu and - crucially - the big, bolshy flavours crammed clown car-like into every morsel. Bring some mates, grab a carafe and don’t skip dessert: Frank’s is a good time waiting to happen. 

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. 

It’s cruel that the ground-breaking work of Jean Purdy in the creation of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) went unrecognised for half a century. But who better to set the record straight than prolific screenwriter Jack Thorne and his co-writer wife Rachel Mason? Their son is one of the so-called ‘test tube babies’ born since 1978. Unless you live in a deep red state, it may be hard to imagine the opprobrium massed against embryologist Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie), scientist Robert Edwards (a jovial James Norton) and surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy) as they set out to find a way to help the one in six people affected by infertility. By reframing the story from Purdy’s perspective, and introducing us to many of the would-be parents the trio is trying to help, Joy delivers cinema-worthy emotional clout. It’s an extremely moving and deeply affecting drama about a woman’s persistence in the face of overwhelming odds.

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.

This autumn, celebrate the season by picking your perfect pumpkin straight from Hobbledown’s patch! Whether it's a family day out, a fun date, or a trip with toddlers, enjoy seasonal delights, street food, and Instagram-worthy photo spots in a hidden green oasis in West London. Located near Hounslow Heath, the pumpkin patch offers a variety of pumpkins to choose from. With a combined ticket, make it a full day by exploring Hobbledown's adventure playground and zoo before heading to the patch!

Celebrate the season and pick your favourite pumpkin at Hobbledown Heath's brand new pumpkin patch for just £5, only through Time Out Offers.

London’s biggest Diwali event, around 35,000 revellers will descend on Trafalgar Square to celebrate the Hindu, Sikh and Jain Festival of Light. Expect a sensory kaleidoscope of activities. including music and dance, delicious food, arts and crafts, workshops and more. 

London nightlife big hitter The Cause is no stranger to throwing killer parties and this mega day-to-night Halloween extravaganza will more than prove that. This year’s line-up and attractions will be revealed in due course, but the 2023 event boasted funfair rides, food stalls, games and circus performers, as well as a frighteningly good cast of DJs on the decks.

LEAFF brings another stacked roster of films from East Asia to London. Expect 11 days’ worth of premieres, retrospectives and celebrations of filmmaking from the region, including films from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, and more.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

London rap star Ghetts is heading to the Southbank Centre, fresh from releasing his latest album On Purpose, With Purpose earlier this year. The new collection feels unflinchingly honest in its expanded sonic palette and razor-sharp, uncompromising tone. Hear his crystal-clear rhymes, characterised by humour and intelligent wordplay as he performs in partnership with the London Literature Festival.  

Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX. Sat Oct 26, 9pm. From £25.

Step into Atelier Coupette, Soho’s charming French bistro located at 9 Moor Street. 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.

Enjoy three courses at Atelier Coupette from £29, only through Time Out Offers.

Expect ‘1980s gore, pounding rock music, and some unexpected 4D thrills’ at the latest edition of the Last Frame Club and Token Homo’s Queer Horror Nights. London drag artists Loose Willis and Co Kendrah will be hosting this extra-special Halloween screening at the Rio, where guests are invited to go all-out on fancy dress for the annual Monster Ball (there’ll be prizes for ‘the freakiest looks’) and to head down to the cinema from 10pm for pre-drinks ahead of a screening of the 1985 Italian splatter movie ‘Demons’, which is set in a haunted cinema. Be warned: you will not be alone in the auditorium! 

The producers of Kew Gardens’s beloved Christmas trail are getting spooky this year, with a brand new Halloween trail through the iconic gardens. It’s a light trail with eerie illuminated trees, ghoulish installations, fire performers and a troupe of actors on hand to stoke up our horrors (in a family friendly way of course). There are three timeslots with daylight sessions for younger audiences and moonlight slots which are scarier. 

Get a starter, a main and an aperitivo cocktail for £23, only through Time Out Offers.