Nomad pop-up cinema

We all like the excitement of pop-up shops.  We all like good films.  Well HURRAH for Nomad then, who’ve organised pop-up cinema.

This latest spell of sunny weather has done nothing but fuel my desire for lazy summer evenings.  Good job then that tickets go on sale today for a number of films around London over the summer months.  Watch films under the stars in places like Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.

Watch classics like ‘Some Like It Hot’ and ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ along with a host of other great films.  It’s all very hush-hush – but from their past screenings, you can probably expect live music, costumed ushers and audience participation too.

Check the listings and book your tickets here.

Tickets are also available for film screenings in cinemas now.  Prices from £12.50.

 

Wandsworth Common Beer Festival

The weather has taken a good turn this week, so why not head to the Wandsworth Common Beer Festival this weekend?

With over 100 beers from across the country, there’s enough to suit every taste.  Children are welcome in the afternoons and along with the beer there’s plenty of entertainment on hand – they’re even showing the Wales v England match this afternoon.

Non-beer fans needn’t worry – cider and wine is on tap too.

Entry is a mere £2 (£1 CAMRA) and it’s all on at the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building on John Archer Way.

Head down there 1-11pm on Saturday and 1-4pm on Sunday.

Nearest Station: Wandsworth Town

 

International Chessboxing

Chess.  Boxing .  Combined, they make chessboxing.  And tonight, you have a chance to watch it.

So…what exactly is it?

Basically, what it says on the tin.  Designed to challenge you mentally and physically, participants take part in a quick warm up and then take turns to challenge each other in the ring – just like a normal training session.  But during the short recovery periods, athletes can also challenge each other over a game over chess.

After all the action, get involved with the cabaret dance party which will keep you entertained until the early hours.

Tickets are from £15 and are available only through the website.  There will be a limited number on the door.

It’s happening at the Dome at The Boston Arms, 178 Junction Road, from 7pm.

Nearest Tube: Tufnell Park

Forget the boat race – watch the GOAT race

The Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race is on this weekend.  But we all know it’s going to be packed and hard to get a good view along the river, right?*

So obviously the answer lies here: forget the boat race – head to Spitalfields City Farm to watch the great GOAT race instead.

Yep – you heard me – the Oxford v Cambridge goat race.

Two goats, both named after said universities.  Before they race around the farm, you can place a sly bet as there’ll be bookies on hand – but if that’s not your thing, just enjoy the goat themed stalls and entertainment.

The event starts at 1pm, but the race gets going at 4:30pm, on March 26th.

As expected, this is a popular event so book your tickets here – they’re only £4 (and the cash goes straight back into the farm).

Spitalfields City Farm is on Weaver St, just off Brick Lane.

Nearest Tube: Aldgate East/Liverpool Street

* Ok – if you do want to go and watch the actual Boat race, Time Out has a handy guide to the best viewing spots here.

London Photograph Fair

This weekend you can gain free entry to the London Photograph Fair.

All you have to do is click here, and then email through to receive your voucher.

The London Photograph Fair takes place four times a year, and has an emphasis on photos from the 19th and 20th century (although there are some from this one too).

There are often hard-to -find photography books on sale as well.

To take a peek at all this, head down to the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury on Coram Street.  The free vouchers are valid from 2pm on February 20th – otherwise it’s £3 to get in to the exhibition (although some exhibitors will refund that on purchases over £20).

The fair is open 10am-4pm

Nearest Tube: Russell Square/Euston/Kings Cross

Gloomy Valentines

It’s that time of year again, Valentines Day is just around the corner.  If you’re single though FEAR NOT.  Feeling Gloomy and Down With Dating are here to save the day.

Tonight you can head down to o2 Academy Islington and drown your sorrows/meet your future love from 8pm.

The evening is split into two parts:

Feeling Gloomy embrace single behaviour on Valentines

Part One is organised by Down With Dating and is a speed hating and blind hate event.  No – that’s not a typo.

Speed Hating works the same as speed dating, but you get to rant about all the things you dislike about the world, and hope the person opposite you feels the same way.

Blind Hate works as if Cilla were there in person, asking you questions like “If I left you how would you take your revenge on my beloved pet kitten?”

Surprisingly, many people have found love through these events…

Part Two is brought to you by Feeling Gloomy, who will play you sad songs to let you remember your singledom.  Expect heartbreakers like Tainted Love and classic hairbrush sing-along song Total Eclipse of the Heart.

To add insult to injury, dead flowers will be scattered around the room, along with tissues to dry those eyes, and favourite divorce film Kramer vs Kramer will be screened on the wall throughout the evening.

Down With Dating starts at 8pm; Feeling Gloomy starts at 10:30pm.

Down With Dating tickets are £10 advance, whilst Feeling Gloomy tickets are £4.50 adv, £6 before midnight, £8 after, NUS £5.

All tickets are available from Feeling Gloomy or Down With Dating – or call 0844 477 2000

Nearest Tube: Angel

Hop into the year of the Rabbit

Kung hei fat choi!

That’s happy new year to you and me, yes – we’ve made it through to another Chinese New Year.  One of my favourite times of year, there are plenty of ways to get involved and see what makes it so special.

Thursday, Feb 3 and Friday, Feb 4

Burlesque dancer

Chinese New Year Cabaret

For an alternative way to see in the new year, head on down to Volupte to see Marianne Cheesecake host Suri Sumatra and Rachel Ong as they bellydance and burlesque their way through the evening.

There are two shows starting at 6:30pm and 9:30pm at Volupte, 9 Norwich Street.  It’s £15 entry.

Nearest Tube: Chancery Lane

Saturday, Feb 5

Drop-in Day

The National Portrait Gallery is holding its annual Chinese New Year drop-in day.  I went to this last year and it was great fun…it’s aimed at kids really, with lots of story telling, but the performances can be enjoyed by all ages.  You can see traditional dancing and acrobatics, and learn about the Chinese calendar.

It’s free entry and on 1pm-4pm.

Nearest Tube: Charing Cross/Leicester Square

Chinese Lanterns in NYC's Chinatown

Lantern Making

Get the kids involved and get over to the Geffrye Museum this Saturday.  Here you’ll be able to make Chinese lanterns using paper from the museum’s collection.

Activities are for those aged 11-16 and are free.

The Geffrye Museum is on Kingsland Road, and the event runs 10:30am-12:30pm and 2pm-4pm.

Nearest Tube: Liverpool Street/Old Street, then 149, 242 or 243 bus

Saturday, Feb 5 and Sunday, Feb 6

Chinese Calligraphy

Another one for the kids, this time you can learn to write in the Chinese art of calligraphy.

For children aged 6+.

It’s taking place at the Museum of London Docklands from 12pm-3pm

Nearest Tube: West India Quay (DLR)

Old Chinatown

The original Chinatown in London was in Limehouse – now’s your chance to have a tour around the area and find out what things were like in those days on this walking tour.

Tours are on Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 2pm each day, and tickets can be booked here (scroll to the bottom of the page).  Tickets cost £6, £5 concession.

The tours leave from the Museum of London Docklands (see above for details)

Lion dancing through the streets

Sunday, Feb 6

Paint Your Own Rabbit

Another activity at the Museum of London Docklands, this time you can paint your own ceramic bunny to take home.  Suitable for ages 3+.

It’s free and painting takes place at 12:30pm-1:30pm and 2:30pm-3:30pm.

The Main Event

This is it! The big celebration in Chinatown.  Loads of stuff is happening around Trafalgar Square and Shaftesbury Avenue on Sunday.

The opening ceremony kicks off at 12pm in Trafalgar Square, followed by dragon and lion dances, acrobatics, music and dance.

Chinatown will be awash with food and trinket stalls – but the traditional fireworks display that normally goes on in Leicester Square are cancelled this week, due to the work that’s going on there.

Celebrations will be on 12pm-6pm.

Nearest Tubes: Charing Cross or Leicester Square

 

 

Place In Mind

Is the daily grind getting you down? Feeling claustrophobic in London? If you’ve forgotten what green space looks like, worry not – head down to see Harry Cory Wright’s ‘Place In Mind’ exhibition.

Taking photos of a variety of landscapes across the country (including Stonehenge and come of Britain’s coastal cliffs), ‘Place In Mind’ captures the intensity of each scene.

Taking only one photograph in each location, Harry Cory Wright also uses an old-school camera (rather than a DSLR) to capture the moment.

The exhibition is on at Eleven, 11 Eccleston Street and opens this Friday, February 4.  It runs until March 26.

Opening hours are Tues, Wed, Fri: 11am-6pm; Thursday 11am-7pm and Saturday 11am-4pm.

Nearest Tube: Victoria or Sloane Square

Review: London Voucher and Guide Book

Mike Bradley www.brilliamstv.com

Having negotiated my way through the opening three pages of TakeTwo’s ‘London Voucher and Guide Book,’ I found myself recalling one of Groucho Marx’s funniest quotes, ‘From the moment I picked up your book up until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it.”

Published on behalf of the ‘SOS Children’s Villages’ charity, readers are urged to ‘…enjoy the best of London at half the cost.’ And enjoy the best of London at half the cost they certainly can – providing the London Wetland Centre and Fan Museum occupy the top spots on their ‘must-see’ list.

Several colour-coded indexes add to the untidy, cluttered design as do the pages of translated text which crop up at random intervals. A better idea would have been a separate section aimed exclusively at overseas visitors, further broken down by their country of origin.

And there lies the main problem for the book, just who is it aimed at? Many UK and indeed overseas visitors would set their own itinerary in advance no doubt focusing on the attractions and sites we could all reel off without research. However in the unlikely event they are tempted to sample a TakeTwo suggestion, one of the first on offer (the Vintage Red Double Decker Bus Tour and River Cruise) requires advance booking either by telephone or email. Could you be bothered?

If a trip to the Golden Hinde happens to be on your list, you’re in luck…providing you have three other people in your party as the guide book appears to imply their ‘2 for 1’ voucher is only valid when used by four people. I’ve lost interest already.

With gastronomic delights to suit all budgets scattered throughout our capital I was angered by the inclusion of Planet Hollywood which gets the ‘Places to Eat, Drink and Dance’ section underway. Hand on heart, would you?

Having already dug deep and paid a hefty £14.95 for the book, I doubt many readers philanthropy would further extend to spending an extra £29 on a three-and-a-half hour jogging tour or worse still, the special offer price of £30 for the, wait for it, ‘Hairy Goat Photography Mystery Tour.’ No, I hadn’t heard of it either.

Tremendous concept, commendable aim, questionable research, poor execution. Time to TakeTwo on the next edition.

My Sugarland Car Boot Sale

Car boot sales. Always fun.

I love a good rummage around; I also love clothes. So this weekend I’m in luck – because My Sugarland (cool vintage and new clothes/fashion website) is hosting a car boot sale.  Wooo!

Catering for men, women and children (generous), the car boot sale is on over two days starting on Sunday, January 30th and is open from 10am-6pm on both Sunday and Monday.

Head on down to 402 St. John Street to bag yourself a bargain.

Nearest Tube: Angel