Festivals
Notting Hill Carnival
Aug 23-25, Ladbroke Grove, W2
Europe's biggest celebration of
music, movement and masquerade features dozens of colourful floats,
reggae bands and many soundsystems along a three-mile route through west
London. Sunday is traditionally more family-oriented.
Shoreditch Festival
Aug 16-24, Shoreditch Park, N1
Saturday sees the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra present the Proms in Shoreditch Park, capped off with a huge
fireworks finale. Sunday's celebrations intend to mark the moment that
London's takes over the Olympic flag with a free 1948-style street
party.
Trafalgar Square Festival
until Aug 23, Trafalgar Square, WC2
The final day of this three-week
outdoor jamboree falls on bank holiday Saturday where Spanish dance
theatre company Factoria Mascaro present The Garden of Wonders, a
free playful water show in the square's fountains.
Vyner Street Festival
Aug 23-24, Bethnal Green, E2
Free alfresco live music fest
centred on the cobbled streets outside The Victory pub, an old-school
boozer favoured by the local arty types of Bethnal Green.
See more London festivals
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Outdoors
Beijing Olympics in Trafalgar Square
Aug 24, WC2
A
colourful handover ceremony sees the official start of the capital's
Olympic campaign as the Mayor receives the Olympic flag on behalf of
London and the UK.
London Eye City Seaside
until Aug 26
Fun for all the family at this urban beach with seaside-themed activities, deckchairs and street performers
Museums and Attractions
Battersea Power Station Tours
until Aug 30, SW8
A rare chance to take a self-guided tour around Sir Giles Gilbert
Scott’s art deco monument, not opened to the public since 2006.
Kew Gardens Festival of Trees
until Sept 18, Kew, TW9
Including the 18m-high, 200m-long Xstrata Treetop Walkway, which allows visitors to wander through Kew's canopy of trees.
Skeletons at the Wellcome Collection
until Sept 28
The lives of 26 Londoners retold through their bones: a moving and personal history of the city, its diseases and deaths.
See more Museums and Attractions
Art
Psycho Buildings
until Aug 25, Hayward, SE1
It's
your last chance this sometimes-patchy, but often entertaining
show of installation works from artists including Rachel Whiteread and Austrian
group Geitlin, whose mid-air miniature boating lake is a whimsical highlight.
Street Art
until Aug 25, Tate Modern, SE1
Last weekend for these monumental outdoor works on the walls of Tate Modern.
See more Art shows
Clubs
South West Four
Aug 23, Clapham Common, SW4
Dance music all-dayer with club kings Carl Cox, John Digweed and Erick Morillo in charge of the decks.
Rinse fourteenth birthday
Aug 22, The End, WC1
Rinse is fourteen, so it can go to the Underage Festival next year. Help them celebrate and kick off your weekend in style.
Radioclit Notting Hill Carnival Soundclash
Aug 25, Nektar Bar, W10
Free post-Carnival bash from two in the afternoon until perdition.
Film
Film4 FrightFest
Aug 21-25, Odeon West End, W1
The
annual gorefest returns to the West End, this year featuring 'Eden
Lake' and 'The Midnight Meat Train', with Vinnie Jones. Yikes!
Films you've been meaning to catch all summer
Since it seems likely that it will be raining at least at some point over the weekend, remember there is still loads of summer big-screen action in the capital, including blockbusters ('The Dark Knight', 'Mamma Mia'), the quirky ('Man on Wire', 'Somers Town') and the family-friendly ('Wall-E', 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging).
See more films
Kids
Kids' Week in the West End
until Aug 29
Annual
promotion allowing one accompanied child into big West End shows
(including 'Billy Elliot', and 'Into the Hoods') free, and two more at
half-price.
Teddy Bears' Picnic on Hampstead Heath
Aug 22 & 29, Preacher's Hill, NW3
Children can take along their favourite teddy, doll or soft toy to
enjoy storytelling, songs and poetry at the Keats House teddy bears'
picnic.
Super Start
Aug 25, Tate Modern, SE1
Family-focussed art activities, storytelling and art films for kids.
See more kids' events
Music
Eastern Electrics
Aug 23-24, secret east London location
Hedonistic knees-up happening over two days at a secret Shoreditch
venue. DJs and live acts including wordy grime-y raver Man Like Me come
together on a grand indoor stage while outside there's a lounge area
serving food and drink.
Get
Loaded in the Park
Aug 24, Clapham Common, SW4
Iggy and the Stooges headline with support
from Supergrass, Kate Nash, The Gossip and chart-bothering folk tyros
Noah and the Whale.
See more gigs
Picnic Concerts, Katherine Jenkins
Aug 23, Kenwood House, NW3
Welsh opera pin-up rounds off a season of
outdoor concerts in the elegant setting of Hampstead's Kenwood House.
See more classical concerts
Theatre and Comedy
Open-Air Theatre at the Scoop
until Sept 7, SE1
Free theatre from Wednesday to Sundays at 6pm and 8pm at the South
Bank's atmospheric sunken amphitheatre. The Steam Industry
theatre company presents Ted Hughes's version of Federico García
Lorca's 'Blood Wedding' and 'Petite Rouge', a family show based on Mike
Artell's book inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. No booking required.
See more open-air theatre
Watch This Space
until Aug 31, National Theatre
One of the last remaining weekends to catch some free street
performance at the National Theatre's front garden. Friday sees the
return of the Addictive TV's traffic-stopping audiovisual art projected
onto the theatre's fly-tower for the fourth successive year, while free
ballroom, tango and lindy hop dance classes are held throughout the
weekend.
See more theatre listings
Camden Fringe
until Aug 24, Etcetera Theatre and Liberties Bar, NW1
With the comedy world decamping to the Athens of the North, a few resourceful comics are making the most of the relatively civilized capital.
See more comedy listings
6 comments
i need da all many da bank london
All we need now is some sun...?!
It is incredible that over the bank holiday they have not got more to offer. Most of the things that we are seing have been around all month
To be honest, if this is all that is available in London -one of the biggest capitals in the world- to do over the weekend, I think I better have a heart attack. And please cater for more audiences
SATURDAY 23RD AUGUST
FREE!
RICHARD PRINCE TALK BY POLLOCKS
Pollocks is fundamentally a web-based playground where creativity runs wild, offering endless opportunity. Pollocks provides the platform for fresh, new talent to express themselves to an audience of diverse thinkers and related industries.
The Serpentine Gallery have invited us to talk in response to their current 'Richard Prince Exhibition'.
Pollocks believe in interaction and having fun. We promise no whispering or intellectual jibber jabber. Come and listen, and we want everyone to be able to express their opinion.
There will be debate and performance, it will be loads of fun so please come down!
Serpentine Gallery 020 7402 6075 Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA. Nearest Tube South Kensington. Sat 23 August 3pm. FREE
On the Sunday night, there is also the TunA the Day launch party happening - 5 great unsigned bands, stand up comedy and till-late DJ all for only £10. Venue is 229.
For tickets, see www.tunatheday.com