London

July | August | September

COMEDY N20 Comedy Festival
A pre-Fringe BAC showcase with a good eclectic mix of acts doing solo shows including Josie Long, The Penny Dreadfuls, Simon Day, Susan Calman and Pappy’s Fun Club. Until July 29, BAC.

AROUND TOWN Greenwich Observation Wheel
SE10 already boasts some of the capital's most ravishing sights and stunning views, now enjoyable panoramically from this 60-metre-high wheel. Until Sept 28, College Approach, SE10.

THEATRE Watch This Space
The National Theatre’s popular free outdoor summer theatre festival includes Avanti Display with ‘Leak’, Teatr Biuro Podrózy with ‘Macbeth: Who is That Bloodied Man?’, with motorbikes, stilts and a burning castle, and ‘The Threepenny Ring Cycle’ in which Les Grooms present 16 hours of Wagner in 79 minutes. Until end of Sept, National Theatre Square.

COMEDY Edinburgh Previews
The Arts Theatre and Hackney Empire are running impressive pre-Edinburgh festivals of fun with all the major acts heading up to this year’s Fringe trying out their shit. Check out Miles Jupp, Richard Herring, Mark Watson, Pippa Evans, Alex Horne and Terry Saunders. Until July 26, Arts Theatre and Hackney Empire. Feature continues

KIDS Brilliant
This Fevered Sleep production creates a world made of light, employing live music, movement and inventive lighting to conjure up an intimate experience for young children, directed by David Harradine. Age 3-4. July 9-Aug 16, Polka Theatre.

'Moonlight and Magnolias'

THEATRE Moonlight and Magnolias
Return of Ron Hutchinson’s comic account of the rewriting of ‘Gone with the Wind’ (the film, not the musical) and the politics of 1930s Hollywood. Producer David O Selznick, writer Ben Hecht and director Vic Fleming make up the characters. From July 10, Tricycle Theatre.

MUSIC Summer series
This established series of outdoor gigs returns to the Palladian splendour of Somerset House this year with a hit-and-miss line-up of headliners including Justice, Adele, Lupe Fiasco, The Blue Nile and We Are Scientists. Whatever, the surroundings always make shows here enjoyable, and it's bang in the middle of town. Somerset House, Strand.

CLASSICAL & OPERA Mostly Mozart
Over at the Barbican, this annual festival presents 11 top-flight concerts. It gets underway with Steven Osborne playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 27 with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Other highlights include soprano Danielle de Niese singing Handel and Mozart arias on July 17 and, also fresh from Glyndebourne, Alice Coote performing in ‘La Clemenzo di Tito’ on July 26. It all rounds off as ever with the Requiem. July 10-Aug 2, Barbican Hall.

COMEDY Ealing Comedy Festival
Great bills of summer fun held in the Big Top in Walpole Park over eight nights. Acts include Micky Flanagan, Rhod Gilbert, Jo Caulfield, Tim Minchin, Ed Byrne and a rare trip away from home for the Comedy Store Players. July 11-18, the Big Top, Walpole Park.

Jonny Woo's International Woman of Mr E

ALTERNATIVE NIGHTLIFE Jonny Woo’s International Woman of Mr E
Where other trannies dabble in wigging up and frocking on stage to mime the odd pop song, Woo delivers phenomenal original material that turns preconceptions about drag acts inside out. International Woman of Mr ‘E’ is Woo’s first full-length solo show. Boasting linguistic skills to put the most nimble council-estate MC to shame he runs through a Richard II monologue, surreal costume changes and songs that range from the humorous (‘Sports Kit Trannies’ looking forward to Hackney 2012) to the shocking (‘Bareback Riding’ covers). When Time Out saw the show last October, it wasn’t polished – at times, the mic cast a face-covering shadow, cues didn’t work, the sound wasn’t as clear as it should have been to fully appreciate his voice. But 'International Woman...' is clear evidence that when it comes to alt-drag, performance art and modern cabaret, Jonny Woo owns them all. July 14-19, Soho Theatre.

THEATRE Under the Blue Sky
David Eldridge’s Time Out Award-winning play gets a revival in the West End with Francesca Annis, Lisa Dillon, Chris O’Dowd, Dominic Rowan and Catherine Tate. Six teachers explore lust and love outside the classroom. July 15-Sept 20, Duke of York’s Theatre.

MUSIC Leonard Cohen
Fresh from Glasto and on his first tour in 15 years, the darkly debonaire troubadour proves that at 73 he is still relevant, while hits like 'Suzanne', 'Hallelujah!' and 'Chelsea Hotel #2' remain affecting and poignant. Expect previews from his 12th album, due later this year. July 15, O2 Arena.

MUSIC Points of the Compass
Spanning four nights in, crucially, four different parts of London, this is ’08’s best opportunity to get your folk on. Organised by folkmasters The Local, it covers all points both geographically and musically, with neo-folk from David Thomas Broughton, power-folk from Emily Barker, minimal folk from This Is The Kit and post-rock, kitchen-sink folk from Revere. July 17-20, various venues.

THEATRE Street Scene
The Young Vic will stage Kurt Weill’s ‘Street Scene’ in a co-production with The Opera Group and Watford Palace Theatre for the first time in the UK for 20 years. It will include a mass ensemble company made up of 15 singers drawn from the worlds of opera and musical theatre, a chorus of 50 (including 25 young people recruited locally for each venue), a chamber orchestra of 30 and a dog. July 17-22, Young Vic.

THEATRE Wink the Other Eye
Wilton’s first true music-hall show since 1880 is set between 1859 and 1922, in Wilton’s and around the East End. The show centres on two artists, Daisy and Walter, as they fall in love while desperately seeking fame and fortune in the music hall. Acts ranging from escapology, tight-rope walking, flying trapeze, songs, dance and pyrotechnics will be performed by seven musician-actors. July 17-Aug 16, Wilton’s Music Hall.

Pixar's Wall-E (© Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios)

FILM Wall-E
Pixar’s last film, ‘Ratatouille’ proved that the innovative company is making the best animated films at the moment and that, since reasserting its independence from Disney, it’s back on track making the most sheerly cinematic, literate and enjoyable mass-market films in the world today. Its summer release of ‘Wall-E’, written and directed by Andrew Stanton, describes the adventures and sentimental education of a 20-inch robot (a Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class who spends his time sifting the rubbish dumps of abandoned earth). It’s Pixar’s most exciting project to date, a movie that promises not only to rival but to exceed the rich pleasures of its breakthrough movie, ‘Toy Story’. Released July 18.

CLUBS Fabric Live
Wall of Sound, Kill ’Em All and Fabric Live only combine once every couple of months, but it’s worth waiting for, as they come together to deliver three rooms of cutting-edge partying. It’s set to thrill with live sets by electro-rockers The Whip, XX Teens and Slagsmalklubben, Norwegian electropop star Annie and Das Pop plus the dirty, flirty electrobeats and krautrock stylings of DJs Riton, the Filthy Dukes, Headman and Trevor Jackson. If that’s not edgy enough for you, head up to room three for the mash-up magic of DJ-producers Sinden, Boy 8 Bit and Patchwork Pirates. July 18, Fabric, EC1.

THEATRE Edward ll
Michael Oakley, the winner of this year’s James Menzies-Kitchin Young Director Award 2008, stages Christopher Marlowe’s ‘Edward II’ at BAC as his prize. The play describes the bloody fate of the homosexual English king. July 18-Aug 9, BAC.

SPORT Football: Fulham v Celtic
Attractive warm-up game for the club whose relegation from the Premier League seemed almost certain with a month of the season remaining, but whose late rally has kept them among the elite for another campaign. This is important for London football in general, since Craven Cottage is the only ground where casual fans have a chance of buying tickets for top-flight matches. July 19, Craven Cottage.

CLASSICAL & OPERA BBC Proms: Nigel Kennedy Twice
The big event this year, and every year, is the at the Royal Albert Hall. This time around the Proms promise an exciting line-up, kicking off with two concerts from the ever-young Nigel Kennedy – first playing the Elgar Violin Concerto and then returning with his quintet for some late-night jazz. July 19, Royal Albert Hall.
See all Proms listings.

SPORT Football: London Masters
The waistlines may be thicker these days, but the appeal of watching the old-timers in action grows with each passing year. Since the Emirates is a sell-out each week, perhaps this is the only way many Arsenal fans can actually watch a team wearing red and white play live. The Gunners will be up against West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford, Crystal Palace and 2007 champions Chelsea, who beat Spurs after a penalty shootout in the final. Sat July 19, Wembley Arena.

MUSIC Lovebox London Weekender
It’s a two-day explosion of rock, pop, funk, dance, hip hop, global beats and everything you can squeeze in between, but most people will simply want to know who the headliners are. Fair enough: Goldfrapp, Manu Chao, The Flaming Lips, Groove Armada, Jack Peñate, The Human League and Young Knives should whet your appetite, and the likes of Roni Size & Reprazent, The Go! Team, Lightspeed Champion, Lethal Bizzle, Sébastian Tellier and Buraka Som Sistema demonstrate the range of acts on show. There are eight stages and lots of DJ action driven by Mulletover, Secretsundaze, Horse Meat Disco, The Glimmers, Stanton Warriors, The Nextmen and many more, plus cabaret, kids’ areas, circus rides and 30 acres of lovely Victoria Park to play in. See the Lovebox London website for full line-up details. July 20-21, Victoria Park, E3.

CLUBS Trailer Trash Summer Camp
This is easy to love, as we’re already fans of Trailer Trash’s unfeasibly popular weekly electrotech party for Shoreditch’s polysexual ravers, and the same applies to the disco shenanigans at South London’s Horse Meat Disco and Dalston’s Disco Bloodbath. This follows the Lovebox weekender’s Saturday shows, so many of the crowd will already be warmed up for guest DJ sets from continental aces Brodinski and Tomboy (aka Who Made Who) alongside Hannah Holland, Mikki Most and Ian Robinson in the ‘Rave Tent’. Expect sizzling sibling rivalry of epic disco proportions in the ‘Disco Tent’ as HMD’s DJs Jim Stanton, Severino, James Hillard and Luke Howard take on Disco Bloodbath’s Dan Beaumont, Damon Martin and Ben Pistor. Their weapons of choice: rare re-edits, spaced-out Italo beats, strung-out pop and twisted proto-house. It’ll be a scream. Which reminds me, there’s karaoke and a games area too. July 20, a secret outdoor Shoreditch location.

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2008 (under construction). Designed by Frank Gehry. © 2008 Gehry Partners LLP

AROUND TOWN Serpentine Gallery
This year’s annual architecture commission taking up temporary residence beside the Serpentine Gallery is designed by Frank Gehry and will feature a network of overlapping glass planes, large steel planks and huge steel columns. Evening events include talks, peformances and music, plus film shows on a 50-foot open-air screen curated by exhibting artist Richard Prince, among them director Monte Hellman’s 1971 road movie ‘Two-Lane Blacktop’ and George Stevens’s Academy Award-nominated ‘A Place in the Sun’, from 1951. Serpentine Gallery, Jul 20-Oct 19.

CLASSICAL & OPERA Humperdinck at Glyndebourne
If you enjoy dressing up and spending an afternoon in the country, the Glyndebourne Festival continues, with the much under-performed ‘Hänsel und Gretel’ by the original Englebert Humperdinck. July 20-Aug 29, Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

TV The Wire Season Five
Narrative sideswipes and shock revelations as this modern American saga reaches its fittingly ambiguous conclusion, this time filtered through the increasingly warped viewpoint of Baltimore print journalists in the field. Starts July 21, FX.

ALTERNATIVE NIGHTLIFE Marc Salem’s Out of his Mind
Don’t believe in mind readers? If you don’t, Marc Salem might well ‘read’, then change, your mind. His acclaimed show reveals tricks of the trade, how to spot when someone’s lying and, apparently, how genuinely to read someone’s mind. Freaky? Not half. July 22, Shaw Theatre.

AROUND TOWN Skeletons: London’s Buried Bones
Over the past 30 years the Museum of London’s Centre for Human Bioarchaeology has examined and archived more than 17,000 skeletons – all removed for their preservation from building sites around London. Representing 2,000 years of history, 26 of the more noteworthy examples go on display in this exhibition at the Wellcome, including the skeleton of a young woman discovered at the Royal Mint, whose bones were stained green from copper residue, and another with traces of syphilis in her bones. Each skeleton is accompanied by information about the health and social conditions of the individual and a photograph of the burial site where they were discovered. Associated events include family activities (July 31) and a panel discussion (Sept 18). July 23-Sept 28, Wellcome Collection.

FILM Rushes Soho Shorts Festival 2008
All hail the short film. Bite-sized, easy to digest and, in many instances, impressively thought-provoking, short films are the wannabe filmmaker’s best route to recognition. Rushes is an annual event that champions the works of both known and unknown filmmakers. The shorts – often made with the aid of established industry folk – are screened to the public and judged by a panel of experts. Previous winners have included Chris Sadler’s ‘Shaun the Sheep’ and newcomer Richard Murphy’s marvellous ‘Fish Can’t Fly’. This year’s event boasts an expanded programme and roster of venues. See www.sohoshorts.com for the year’s line-up. July 23-Aug 1.

Wizard of Oz (© Darren Hope)

KIDS Wizard of Oz
Southbank Centre’s big summer offering for families is directed by its artistic director, Jude Kelly, and based on the RSC stage version, which is faithful to the 1939 film classic of L Frank Baum’s story. During the production’s run, a yellow-brick road will lead visitors to the Royal Festival Hall, an Emerald City illuminated in green. The familiar songs – ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, ‘We’re Off to See the Wizard’ – are performed live by a 20-piece band. Age 7+. On July 25-26, and every Friday and Saturday in August, free performances entitled ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ take place at 6pm in The Clore Ballroom, suitable for all ages. July 23-Aug 31, Southbank Centre.

THEATRE Her Naked Skin
Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s play is the last of this year’s Travelex £10 season. Lesley Manville plays Lady Celia Cain, a suffragette in London in 1913 who meets a young seamstress while serving time in Holloway jail. From July 24, National Theatre Olivier.

AROUND TOWN Hadrian: Empire and Conflict
Everyone knows about Hadrian’s most famous legacy in Britain – the eponymous, 73-mile-long wall he had built between England and Scotland following his first tour of the country in AD 121 – but few other facts about the Roman emperor (AD 117-138) have become common knowledge. The BM’s major summer exhibition seeks to redress this by examining, through 180 exhibits – including the museum’s bronze head of Hadrian – the complex life of this leader. A ruthless military man who was also devoted to his young male lover, Antinous, he showed tolerance for other cultures and took a great interest in architecture, commissioning buildings including the Pantheon in Rome. July 24-Oct 26, British Museum.

Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'

FILM The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan’s much anticipated follow-up to his excellent, brooding ‘Batman Begins’ finally receives its worldwide release, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the untimely death of one its leading men (Heath Ledger playing The Joker) will effect the film’s commercial prospects. Christian Bale dons the figure-hugging rubber suit once more as Gotham’s caped crusader in what promises to be an altogether darker blockbuster compared to much of this summer’s sunny, big-budget fare. Released July 25.

CLASSICAL & OPERA BBC Proms: Musorgsky – Sir John Tomlinson, Thomas Adès
The award-winning bass sings with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, made famous by Simon Rattle. July 26, Royal Albert Hall.
See all Proms listings.

AROUND TOWN Village Fête
The V&A’s alternative village fête is held in the John Madejski Garden and features stalls run by contemporary artists and designers, a tombola with designer prizes you might actually want, live music and tongue-in-cheek games such as ‘Pimp my Plimsoll’. Some events are ticketed. See the website for details: www.vam.ac.uk/fridaylate. July 25-26, V&A.

SPORT Athletics: Aviva London Grand Prix
A rare sprint showdown between Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell should be the highlight of a meeting which gives the world’s top athletes one last chance to find form before the Beijing Olympics. July 25-26, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

AROUND TOWN Summer Opening of Parliament
Entertaining, anecdotal tours conducted by Blue Badge guides during the summer recess of Parliament run every 15 minutes. Starting at Victoria Tower, they take in the Queen’s Robing Room, the Royal Gallery, the Prince’s Chamber, the Chamber of the House of Lords, the Central Lobby, the House of Commons, the Members’ Lobby and St Stephen’s Chapel. Tours last an hour and a quarter. July 28-Sept 27, tours Palace of Westminster, Houses of Parliament, Whitehall.

'Love is in the Hair' at Camden Fringe Festival

COMEDY Camden Fringe Festival
The Etcetera Theatre and Liberties Bar in Camden host a month of comedy from all the funny people who aren’t going up to Edinburgh. There’s an impressive line-up of some truly alternative acts. Highlights include Gothic Tales Volume One, Abigail Burdess, Improtwat (a night of impro with Marek Larwood, Greg Davies and Sophie Black), Chris Neill, Rosie Wilby and Scott Capurro. July 28-Aug 24, Etcetera Theatre and Liberties Bar.

THEATRE …Some Trace of Her
Katie Mitchell’s exploration of Dostoyevsky, with Hattie Morahan and Ben Whishaw. From July 30, National Theatre, Cottesloe.

MUSIC Time Out Vortex Festival
The Vortex in Dalston has long been one of our favourite venues. So much so that next month we’re taking it over for our own nefarious ends, like a parasitic wasp. Time Out and the Vortex will be offering up a selection of astounding new musical, theatrical and comedic talent – and much of it will be free. Miss it at your peril. Especially you, subscribers. We know where you live. July 31-Aug 3, The Vortex.

FILM Film4 Summer Screen
Slightly odd selection of films (does 'Léon' really merit the state-of-the-art outdoor cinematic technology used here?) that, like all events at Somerset House, is transformed by the spectacular surroundings. Chief draw is the Soviet-sounding 'People's Premiere' of 'Hellboy II', and serious cushioning is recommended for the 'Elephant Man'/'Wild at Heart' double bill. July 31-Aug 9, Somerset House.

ALTERNATIVE NIGHTLIFE Miss Behave Variety Nighty
Divine sword-swallower, husky-voiced comic and gorgeous live cartoon, Miss Behave hosts a month-long variety show. Stomp and cheer for Marjo, the Québécoise circus performer making her UK debut, Frank Sanazi and his Iraq Pack who are darkly and hilariously similar to Sinatra, Australian hula girl Kalki, pyromaniac freakshow artist Lucifire, physical comedians Spymonkey and exquisite aerial artist Bret Pfister. Drop-in performers will vary each night (although expect Dusty Limits for much of the run) picked from her staggering contacts book. July 31-Aug 24, The Roundhouse.

TV Arena: Cab Driver
After the tube and the Routemaster, the ‘Arena’ team completes its London transport triptych with the stories of five cabbies whose experiences of the capital span 70 years. Late July, BBC4.

THEATRE Blood Wedding
The sixth annual summer season of free theatre at The Scoop at More London amphitheatre, next to City Hall on the South Bank of the Thames, will include Lorca’s tragedy and ‘Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood’, a new family musical version of the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ story, from New Orleans. 31 July-7 Sept, The Scoop at More London.

July | August | September