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REM will be playing the Royal Albert Hall

Music
Easter is more commonly associated with chocolate than tunes, but that doesn’t stop the capital’s promoters from staging gigs galore across the long weekend. Champions of whinge REM are back for a very special Albert Hall session, where Stipe and co will perform alongside psychedelic pop aristocrat Robyn Hitchcock, hip punksters Foals and band du jour Duke Spirit. Those forced to rock out with the rentals should check out the Eagles at the temple of corporate worship that is the O2. More hipster fun is on offer dahn sarf at the Brixton Academy where the Xfm crew are hosting their Big Night Out bash. Spiky northerners the Futureheads headline, supported by Kooks-like teens ONO. If you’re looking for some more laidback grooves then shuffle over to the Jazz Café where ‘friend of Kayne’ and all-round soulmaster Dwele will be stretching his vocal cords with assistance from Brit Schooler Tawiah. A bona fide legend rocks into town on Easter Sunday as Chuck Berry graces the stage of Oxford Street’s 100 Club. And if for some reason you lose all grip on reality, or have younger siblings to keep sweet, why not visit the freak show otherwise known as X-Factor on Tour.
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The Presets at Adventures in the Beetroot Field

Clubs
Chocolate is the last thing on dedicated clubbers’ minds, who usually exist on a diet of water, drugs and adrenaline for the duration. Kicking things off are rock ’n’ rave dons Adventures in the Beetroot Field, whose Fabric party promises great things with Erol Alkin, The Presets, Chrome Hoof, Four Tet and just about every hip new act you care to mention. Down in Ditchland, Trailer Trash wheel out their wares at the Hearn St car park for a monster fourth birthday mash-up, while hot new venue East Village welcomes the Warm crew with deep-house meister Château Flight on the decks. Way out west there’s a surprising amount of fun to be had with the Death To All Culture Snitches boys back for an Easter blow-out with innovative minimalism from Riton, electro-nonsense from Spektrum and disco-house from Mock 'n' Toof. Eggcellent! (sorry). If you still can’t handle the idea of a ‘raahve’, then scuttle south; there’s a Secretsundaze & friends bash at the Coronet on Thursday, Brand New Fiction presents Daniel Bell at the lovely Corsica Studios on Saturday and the amusingly-titled P45 & Sparkly Nutz at Clapham's White House on Sunday. After all that we advise some serious kip, or a dose of Fondue Fun-Do the following Wednesday at the St Moritz with those crazy Allez-Allez kids.
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Restaurants
One of the best things about the long weekend is having the time to linger over a lazy late breakfast. Add some continental flavour to your break with our guide to London's best brunch spots.
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China Design Now (© Chen Man)

Around Town
We’re all hoping that spring will finally be in the air and where better to get in the spirit than at Kew’s seasonal festival? Or take a stroll round the landmarks of swinging '60s London on the Beatles-themed Magical Mystery Tour. If it stays wet ’n’ wild there are plenty of cultural curiosities to explore at the Design Museum’s Brit Insurance show. Or across town at the popular China Design Now show, where Londoners’ obsession with all things oriental continues. Alternatively you could go and hide yourself away from family, friends and the Easter Bunny in the underground tombs of the London Bridge Experience.
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Film
Ignore the usual bland bank holiday fare (hands up who's bored of Bond) and dig out one of these sacrilegious classics. From the laughable (think 'Sirens') to the mindbogglingly epic here's our guide to best, or worst, films to watch this Easter.
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Comedy
For some po-faced Londoners cracking a smile is harder than cracking an egg. But never fear because there’s a host of diverse comedy capers to cheer up your Easter. The Comedy Store boasts a globetrotting line-up including Londoner Ricky Grover, Canadian Tom Stade and Aussie Pete Jonas. The excellent Stephen Merchant tops the bill at The Comedy Tree. Those who like their comedy freestyle should head to The Wheatsheaf this Thursday for Grand Theft Improv, while the likes of Robin Ince and Rob Rouse can be found at Saturday's Comedy Carnival.
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Pirate Fun Day on board the Golden Hinde

Kids
Keep the little tykes amused this Easter and get out and about to some of the capital's more unusual events. Easter In The Ballroom takes place at the Royal Festival Hall across the weekend and boasts a treasure hunt, a host of hula dancers and even the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain. For parents who like to bring a little of the surreal to their children’s Easter, however, the Easter Sunday Bunny Stroll promises 500 people dressed as bunnies skating through central London. Aquatic japery can be found on board the Golden Hinde at the Pirate Fun Day, where kids can dress up, join a treasure hunt and hear tales of famous pirates. Fans of Harry Potter can enjoy the bespectacled wizard’s entire childhood neatly encapsulated in just 75 minutes in Potted Potter at Stratford Circus. To round off the weekend, head to the Hard Rock Café, for a buffet breakfast with the Easter Bunny (or possibly a man in an Easter Bunny suit) leading the face-painting and egg-decorating.
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Francis Picabia 'Femmes au Bull-Dog' 1940-1942. Centre Pompidou © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2008

Art
Tate Britain’s Peter Doig exhibition might be worth the scrum, but if you don’t want to spend your bank holiday rubbing backpacks with hordes of Gitane-smoking exchange students then avoid the major galleries' free exhibitions. Tate Modern’s ‘Duchamp, Man Ray and Picabia' is a safe bet, as is their positively unsettling Juan Muñoz retrospective. Grids, girls and graphics come together in a display of Russian revolutionary photography at the Hayward’s Alexander Rodchenko show while the Royal Academy’s ‘From Russia’ offers slightly more sober exhibits – plenty of Chagalls and Kandinskys alongside a number of superb Matisses and Picassos. Beware the crowds at the National Portrait Gallery’s populist ‘Vanity Fair Portraits’ exhibition; instead for award-winning photojournalism head to the quieter ‘Terry Fincher: Tempus Fugit’ exhibition at the Getty gallery.
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Travel
If you’re determined to flee the Big Smoke (and possibly your family too) this Easter then why not take a city break in the rainy old UK. If you’re feeling flush then escape the weather by splurging some cash on a long weekend in one of the world’s hottest cities. And you never know – the weather might just surprise us, making a picnic (with blankets) or even a trip to the Great British seaside a possibility. Rather you than me…

Music | Clubs | Restaurants | Around Town | Film | Comedy | Kids | Art | Travel