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November’s here and along with crunchy leaves and a chill in the air, it’s also bringing Bonfire Night, ice rinks, election parties and a mighty fine spread of food events and restaurant openings. We’ve also rounded up ten great new plays for you to check out, found a Brexit-themed club night to get down to, and have all you need to know about the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival. Enjoy!
THINGS TO DO
Nov 1: Crick Crack Day of the Dead The Crick Crack Club's annual celebration of the Día de los Muertos festival where guests are invited to bring along photos of lost loved ones to add to a special altar.
Nov 2: Free Tea Day What do Londoners love more than tea? Free bloody tea, that's what! Teapigs will be handing out cups of the rejuvenating hot stuff to thirsty commuters and customers all day.
Nov 2: 80 Years of Television On November 2 1936 the first high definition television service was broadcast from Alexandra Palace. Discover the origins of the gogglebox at this performance by comedy troupe Do Not Adjust Your Stage.
Nov 3: People's Question Time in Brent Come and grill the mayor on his first six months in power.
Nov 3-5: Wahaca Day of the Dead Festival A Mexican-themed fiesta with live music, talks and a whole lot of spicy food and drink.
Nov 3-29: Lucy Sparrow: Shoplifting Artist Lucy Sparrow returns with another felt-focussed exhibition and this time around she's recreated commonly robbed items from UK supermarkets.
Nov 4: Wellcome Late Let me hear your body talk! Artists, academics and activists Dr Charlotte Cooper, Josh Bitelli and Dr Harry Witchel lead a late of slapstick, sign language and zine-making.
Nov 4: Reading Agency Lecture This year's lecture is given by radio personality and journalist Gemma Cairney, following talks from Shami Chakrarbarti and Russell Brand in previous years.
Nov 4-5: House of Hyundai Travel through five sensory zones meeting innovators and experts along the way in this immersive experience where you'll meet a guy that makes clothing capable of cleaning the air, a London-based perfume-maker and some people who will sculpt your head in chocolate.
Nov 4-6: Lazy Oaf's Lazy Land Super cute clothing brand Lazy Oaf celebrate 15 years in the business with a three-day pop-up in east London.
Nov 4-8: The Art of Ping Pong Returning for a fourth year in 2016, this exhibition and charity auction features a selection of beautifully painted ping-pong bats created by international artists and designers in aid of the Alzheimer's Society.
Nov 4-Feb 25: Canary Wharf Ice Rink The business district's soaring towers lend Canary Wharf Ice Rink an imposing backdrop, and some exciting extras help it to keep up with its extravagant surroundings.
Nov 5: Diwali at NMM Head to Greenwich to take part in family-friendly events to mark the Hindu festival of lights.
Nov 5: London Sketchfest This increasingly popular weekend-long blowout is the capital's only festival dedicated to the underrated art of sketch comedy.
Nov 10: Collabo Dance companies and crews come together to collaborate on new work and take on musical challenges of an urban/contemporary bent.
Nov 10-20: The Waldorf Project: Chapter Three An experimental performance combining emotional experiences and each of the senses through food, scent, drink, movement, sound and environment.
Nov 11: Astronights At the Science Museum's Astronights sleepovers, everyone spreads their sleeping bags across the floor of the 'Who Am I?' gallery, a space designed to teach children about the science of being human.
Nov 11: Win Games and Beat People Science Editor at The Times, Tom Whipple has taken a lot of time to talk to overqualified experts about the art of winning games. Tonight he shared what he learned from aerodynamicists, game theorists and pillow fighting pros.
Nov 11-Jan 22: Bump Roller Disco Do you love nothing more than rolling with your homies? Then head down to Bump's wooden-floored roller disco that's popping up at the Southbank Centre for another year.
Nov 11-Jan 25: Southbank Centre Winter Festival The Southbank Centre Winter Festival returns for 2016 and along with its array of festive shows and performances they will also be celebrating the coldest season with a fistful of fun pop-ups and activities.
Nov 12: Christmas at Duke of York Square The King's Road gets into the festive spirit with a whole sackload of Christmassy fun.
Nov 12-13: RHS Urban Garden Show Discover the best succulents, herb gardens, ivies, palms and ferns as well as tips from experts on how to look after your living wall.
Nov 14: Craft Central The Museum of London pairs up with Craft Central for an inspired Christmas market.
Nov 16-Jan 3: Tower of London Ice Rink Located in the dry moat, the Tower of London ice rink offers a grand historical setting for seasonal skating sessions, along with views of London's ancient fortress.
Nov 17: NMM Late Emma Hamilton was the It girl of her day, so discover this new exhibition about the dark side of her fame with talks, curator Q&As, a mini gossip mag production workshop and a fake paparazzi.
Nov 17: Lego Store opens in Leicester Square Come and see a Lego Big Ben nearly seven flipping metres tall at the opening of a new central London store for the brand.
Nov 17-Jan 16: Skate at Somerset House A glorious backdrop and special events help make a trip to this outdoor rink one of the city's most festive outings.
Nov 18: Star Wars Identities Explore a collection of 200 props, models, costumes and artworks from the Star Wars film series to explore the genetics and psychology of characters in its universe.
Nov 20: Hamleys Parade Ghostbusters, Mr & Mrs Potato Head, Optimus Prime and Peppa Pig will be storming Regent Street today with dancers and a marching band for Hamleys' annual parade. Fun, and free.
Nov 23: Bianco Ditch the panto in favour of this winter circus show by NoFit State, to be performed in their Big Top in the Hungerford Car Park.
Nov 24-Mar 1: Time Run - The Celestial Chain A new 90-minute game from Time Run sees teams of 3-5 people on a mission to stop an escaped goddess.
Nov 25-27: Hyper Japan Christmas Market Browse stalls selling fashion goods, toys, wrapping paper, traditional tableware and crockery, then pick up edible presents in a food hall packed full of exotic teas, chocolate and Japanese snacks.
Nov 25-27: Being a Man Festival A celebration of boys and men, discussing the pressures of masculine identity through talks, debates and workshops.
Election parties Check out the best spots to eat, drink and try to be merry during the 2016 US presidential election results.
Fireworks Ooooh, ahhhh, wow... Admire London's biggest and best fireworks displays this Bonfire Night.
Christmas markets Looking for gift inspiration? A last-minute bauble? Look no further than London's Christmas markets and fairs.
Ice rinks Whether you dance on ice like Christopher Dean or scramble around like Bambi, London's outdoor ice rinks are some of the most magical locations you'll see all season.
Spread London
FOOD
Find all the new restaurants opening in November right here.
Nov 1-2: Soul Food Session Presents Edson Diaz-Fuentes' Day of the Dead Dine on grilled ox tongue tacos, Michoacan style pig cheek, sea bass al Pastor, slow-cooked brisket Barbecoa, and soft shell crab during this collaboration with Mexican chef Edson Diaz-Fuentes of Santo Remedio.
Nov 3-26: Lobstar Topofthepopups return with a seriously tasty sounding shellfish party in Brixton, serving dishes that include whole boiled lobster, mac n cheese with crabmeat and crispy onions, juicy kings prawns and cheesecake and pavlova for dessert.
Nov 4: London Terrariums Workshop Dinner with Spread This terrarium workshop and supper club will see guests create their own self-contained ecosystems to nurture at home, before enjoying a four-course dinner prepared by Spread London.
Nov 5: Brunch with Social Pantry Battersea-based Social Pantry will be whisking some of their tastiest dishes over to the King's Road for this weekend brunch bonanza, soundtracked by DJ Sophie Bond.
Nov 5: Cocktails and Candy Apples: A Mindful Kitchen Preserving Party Join the Mindful Kitchen for an afternoon of apple preserving. A tasting session will be followed by a hands-on workshops where guests will rustle up apple powder and an apple brandy infusion.
Nov 6: Reggae Roast A custom-built soundsystem brings this all-day 'Sunday Skank' to life. Get down to roots, dub and dancehall and catch special guests DJ Shepdog and Decks Ray Spex.
Nov 11-13: BBC Good Food Show This enormous festival of the edible features talks and demonstrations from some of the most recognisable names in food.
Nov 14: Kitchen at Harrods Tom Kitchin takes the reigns as 'chef of the season' at Harrods with a week-long pop-up in The Georgian restaurant.
Nov 17, 19-20: KinoVino Emma Spitzer from MasterChef 2015 will be rustling up a Middle Eastern feast accompanied by a screening of ‘Hummus, the Movie’ on Nov 17 followed by a Jewish-Russian pop up at Calvert 22 Nov 19-20.
Throughout Nov: Squid Kitchen Residency Transport yourself to a food market in Madrid with help from Squid Kitchen who are launching a kitchen residency at 119 Lower Clapton Road. Expect signature dishes such as baby squid with piquillo peppers and sherry vinegar chickpeas.
© Jan Versweyveld
THEATRE
Nov 1-Jan 22: Lazarus The late David's Bowie's musical sequel to 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'.
Nov 3-Dec 15: The Tempest Harriet Walter stars as a sorcerer who's losing her powers in this striking update of Shakespeare's late play.
Nov 14-Feb 18: Buried Child The highly respected, five-times-Oscar-nominated Hollywood actor Ed Harris makes his West End debut in a revival of his long-time associate Sam Shepherd's play 'Buried Child'.
Nov 15-Feb 11: Nice Fish The brilliant Mark Rylance in an oddball comedy, co-written with poet Louis Jenkins.
Nov 16-Dec 29: Peter Pan The poignant festive favourite gets an inventive production at the NT.
Nov 17-Jan 14: The Children Two retired scientists have their idyll interrupted by some alarming news in this new play from Lucy Kirkwood.
Nov 19-Feb 25: This House James Graham's brilliant political drama returns for 2016.
Until Dec 3: King Lear The legendary Glenda Jackson returns to play Shakespeare's mad monarch.
Until Feb 11: Half a Sixpence A new version of the classic musical about a young man who hits the big time.
Until Feb 12: School of Rock - The Musical Andrew Lloyd Webber's unexpected Broadway hit moshes over to the West End.
GIGS
Nov 1: Bad Bad Not Good This young trio found fame by covering the songs of hip hop troupe Odd Future in a cool jazz stylee, eventually collaborating with Tyler, The Creator himself.
Nov 1, 5: James Blake The Mercury-nominated post-dubstep producer from Deptford returns to live action in possession of new material: ‘The Colour in Anything’.
Nov 5: GoGo Penguin Catch the Mercury-nominated jazz trio improvising live on stage.
Nov 6, 16: Gabrielle Hackney's premier chart diva (sorry, Leona Lewis) performs her thoroughly likeable soul-pop with deliciously smooth and creamy vocals.
Nov 8-9: Peaches Electroclash provocateuse Merrill Nisker is back, delivering her notorious brand of porno-rap with jerky groovebox beats.
Nov 9: Margaret Glaspy Glaspy is a delight, managing to combine the cutesy, indie quirk of Joanna Newsom with the gut-wrenching sincerity that Laura Marling's tonality holds.
Nov 9: Nick Murphy (Chet Faker) Chet Faker grabbed attention with his woozy, bass-tinged, jazz-inflected, organ-based take on Blackstreet's 'No Diggity' way back in 2011 and his raspy voice has been gathering fans at a bewildering pace.
Nov 10-11: Cinematic Orchestra Jason Swinscoe's Ninja Tune project mixes up jazz improvisation, sampled soundtrack music, film images and dance music tropes, and really cuts the mustard in a live setting.
Nov 11: The Wytches Crunchy surf-rockers The Wytches do their doomy garage band thing in the headline slot.
Nov 18: Keaton Henson Incredibly sad west London singer Henson suffers from debilitating stage fright, making his live appearances incredibly rare.
Nov 20-22: Chance the Rapper Chance the Rapper's third mixtape 'Colouring Book' is filled with high profile collabs - everyone seems to be clamouring to dive into his hooky, soulful hip hop with slightly off-centre beats.
Nov 30: Melt Yourself Down There’s only one word that does justice to Melt Yourself Down: skronky.
The Hydra
NIGHTLIFE
Nov 3: Goldbars & Thank You The two brains behind indie disco I Predict A Riot are jumping ship for a night to captain The Lexington.
Nov 4-14: The Hydra Underground party pros The Hydra are back with a top-quality programme, bulging with more globally renowned DJ talent.
Nov 16-19: Brexit the Musical With half of Europe making a song and dance about our Brexit chances, it seems fitting that London's cabaret scene should get in on the act.
Nov 19: Buttmitzvah London’s first ever queer Jewish club night is arriving this month and putting the ‘Oy Gay!’ into the ancient teenage Jewish ritual, Bar Mitzvah.
Nov 25: Mike Skinner The mockney urban musings of The Streets may be but a distant memory, but Mike Skinner's separate DJ career has turned out pretty well.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
FILM
Nov 11: A Street Cat Named Bob Based on true events, this drama is the story of homeless ex-heroin addict James Bowen, whose friendship with a stray cat, Bob (playing himself), helped him pull his life back together.
Nov 18: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Here it is! The first instalment of a new series from the wizarding world of JK Rowling. Inspired by the Hogwarts text book, Eddie Redmayne is eccentric magician Newt Scamander, who arrives in 1920s New York with a case full of critters.
Nov 25: A United Kingdom British director Amma Asante tells the real-life story of the marriage in the 1940s between a Botswanan prince (David Oyelowo) and a white British secretary.
ART
Nov 2-Mar 12: Hair by Sam McKnight As one of the first stylists to have solely carved a career in the fashion world, McKnight's portfolio spans beautiful blow drys, braids and waves for editorial shoots, ad campaigns and catwalk shows.
Nov 4-Apr 17: Portrait of the Artist Self-portraits by world-renowned painters, such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Rubens, Lucian Freud and David Hockney, sit alongside portraits of artists by friends and pupils.
Nov 10-May 7: Radical Eye Elton John is lending around 150 key images for this major Tate Modern show, which focuses on the decades 1920 to 1950, when photographers and artists started to use the medium in earnest to create truly modern visions of the world.
Nov 17-Jan 7: Teller on Mapplethorpe One photographic provocateur curates another, as the German-born Juergen Teller is invited to select a number of the legendary Robert Mapplethorpe's pictures for this exhibition.
Nov 23-Feb 12: Anselm Kiefer: Walhalla The German gloom-monger makes a welcome return to White Cube's Bermondsey space. His paintings and sculptures have a timeless quality, but deal with the traumas of recent European history.
Nov 23-Mar 19: Gavin Turk: Who What When Where How & Why Damien Hirst's Lambeth space will be showing the work of fellow YBA Turk in what's his first major solo exhibition since 2002. Expect lots of his signature bronze casts, and witty riffs on authorship, value and art history.
WAHOOOOOO!