London

Art

Now’s your last chance to catch the last embers of sizzling summer art events which are wrapping up to make way for autumn’s bumper crop of shows. David Byrne is still offering the chance to make noise with the Roundhouse in his interactive (and family friendly) ‘Playing the Building’; suits are centre stage until August 31 at Somerset House’s ‘Singular Suit Project’; but you’ll have to be quicker for 'East End Academy' at the spruce new Whitechapel, which packs up its collective canvases on August 30.

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Cabaret

Dickie Beau at RVT's Hot August Fringe

Decadent supper clubs to get your tush along to include Wam Bam Club at Cafe De Paris and Varietease at Volupté on Aug 29. The RVT is the place to be this weekend, with the seminal Duckie as well as the final weekend of the Hot August Fringe, which sees the venue taken over by drag queens, burlesque singers, magicians and gypsy bands. Find more cabaret

Clubs
The clubbing calendar is as packed as it always is when there’s an extra day in the weekend. Two festivals vie for your stamina reserves – electro extravaganza Eastern Electrics is at a secret London venue, while Clapham Common on August 29 pulses to South West Four sounds picked by Sasha and John Digweed (if you didn't manage to get tickets for the sold-out event, try the official after party at The Coronet). Over in Shoreditch, Cargo laughs in the face of economic gloom with the genre-defying Modular Records Recession Party. The weekend wraps up on Sunday night with the Warm Tenth Anniversary, celebrating everything electronic from NYC disco to deep house.

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Family events
Arena spectacular Walking with Dinosaurs roars its last at Wembley. Osterley Park and House, like several National Trust properties in London, is running a Kids Go Free promotion in August, and there’s a family Discovery Day on August 30. Horrible Histories appeals to kids’ gross-out sensibilities to convey the realities of life in the trenches, while Pools 4 Schools offers the chance to splash about in a pop-up pool on the South Bank.

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Festivals

Jason and the Argonauts © Sheila Burnett

Notting Hill Carnival is the man event, but there's much more out there. The Scoop’s the place to be if the weather complies, as the More London free summer theatre season continues with The Steam Industry’s update of Euripedes’s revenge tragedy ‘Medea’, plus another show of Greek origin, the lighter, family-friendly musical version of the ‘Jason and the Argonauts’. Watch this Space continues apace at the National Theatre, with a two-pronged theme for the weekend: Catalan variety acts and a dance special with shows that buck the usual offerings – how about a knees-up with The Cockney Awkestra?. While you’re at the National, check out the last days of the reliably striking images in the ‘The Press Photographer’s Year’ exhibition.

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Foodie pursuits

Grow herbs and salad stuff

Spend a day on the farm finding out how to grow herbs and salad stuff at Spitalfields City Farm, and finish the day cooking a vegetarian meal from produce picked fresh on the day. Alternatively, take a walk through the deserted City and learn how the eating habits of Londoners have changed over the centuries.

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Get active
Start the weekend with a little light exercise (including raising a pint or two), on The Friday Evening Bicycle Jolly. The big participatory event (suitable for adults and kids) at Southbank Centre is Dance Mob, where you can practise your moves in free workshops in preparation for a mass synchronised dance routine on August 30. Dance is everywhere this bank holiday – anyone fancying themselves as a bit of a moonwalker can take part in the world record attempt Thriller Dance Flashmob.

Museums & Attractions

Tudor Tournament © HRP

The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms go underground with new exhibition ‘Undercover: Life in Churchill’s Bunker’, opening on August 27. It’s all go at Hampton Court, where a three-day Tudor Tournament takes over the magnificent grounds with riotous jousting. One of London’s lesser known museums, the Musical Museum, brings a different historical period to life with its 1940s Weekend complete with a VE Day street recreation and an appearance by rationing maven Marguerite Patten.

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Music
All roads lead to SW4 this weekend for Get Loaded in the Park, brought to you with Time Out. Orbital are headlining and the diverse line-up also includes Röyksopp, Roni Size's Reprazent, Laurent Garnier and Peaches. The Vibe Bar hosts a more boutique-style festival, Off Modern’s South East in East, showcasing SE London arts, music and literature – Hot Club de Paris and The Invisible feature. Our favourite Mercury-nominated post-jazzers Led Bib play The Luminaire, while classical fans can look forward to three days of BBC Chamber Proms – 12 concerts showcasing the talents of participants in the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists programme.

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Shopping

Prints Charming at Liberty © Rob Greig

Much loved department store Liberty is once again top of the fashion radar with its ‘Prints Charming’ exhibition, showcasing archive prints brought bang up to date with contemporary takes on the classics. Shhh… savvy shoppers might like to keep this one to themselves: the On the QT sample sale is back with bargains for those in the know – Miu Miu and Acne are up for grabs.

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Theatre
The curtain is raised for some well-known names, including Alan Cumming at the Vaudeville Theatre with ‘I Bought a Blue Car Today'. Matt Lucas returns to the stage for the first time in donkey's with a pre-West End run of 'Prick Up Your Ears' at Richmond Theatre. ‘A New World’, Trevor Grifffith's play about Thomas Paine opens at the Globe on August 29. And younger theatre fans will be clamouring to the New Wimbledon Theatre for a two-week run of ‘High School Musical 2'.

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