Things to do in London this week

Wide Awake bills itself as a ‘musical melting pot’, and you can expect the usual mixture of leftfield indie, post-punk, electronica and techno at the 2025 edition, which sees ascendent Irish hip hop trio Kneecap headline, with Irish singer-songwriter Cmat, Mercury Prize-winning indie outfit English Teacher, and Canadian electroclash legend Peaches also on the bill. Further down the line-up, you’ll find DJ and producer Daniel Avery, experimental dance music maven Cobrah, NYC indie duo Fcukers, Philadelphia punk band Mannequin Pussy and many, many more. 

A fascinating feminist hybrid of EastEnders, Samuel Beckett and Wolf Hall, Ava Pickett’s 1536 is set in some marshland on the outskirts of an Essex village in the year Anne Boleyn was executed. The story begins as a funny drama focusing on three young Tudor women – Jane (Liv Hill), Anna (Sienna Kelly) and Mariella (Tanya Reynolds) – effing and blinding away. But news arrives that Henry VIII has arrested Boleyn and accused her of treasonous adultery. The men of Essex start taking cues from their king, with word reaching the village of adulterous local wives executed by their vengeful husbands. The engine of the play is Pickett’s superb dialogue and the sweary, lairy modern-language chats had by the women. It’s a droll and perceptive period piece that’s also a searing and unsettling contemporary feminist drama. 

From screeching tube carriages to the lulling podcast we listen to on our commute, noise is constantly shaping our lives, and the Barbican’s Feel the Sound exhibition promises to be a multi-sensory journey into our personal relationship with sound. Eleven commissions and installations will take over the arts centre, all exposing visitors to frequencies, sound, rhythmic patterns and vibrations that define everything around us. Even the Centre’s underground car parks will be part of the action as it’s transformed into a club space. Sing with a digital quantum choir, experience music without sound and look out for experiences celebrating underground club culture. 

Since opening in late 2024, myriad rants have been inspired by The Yellow Bittern. Largely, about the pretentious-leaning lore around it: you can only book this lunchtime-only bistro by phone, it’s expensive but cash-only, and proudly displays two portraits of Lenin. The room is somewhere between a French village luncheonette and an interwar Lyons teashop with Belfastian chef Hugh Corcoran thwacking loudly away in the teensy corner kitchen. An enjoyably sizable hunk of rabbit is served in a gleaming, amber sauce and a mountain of creamy mash, there’s an exemplary take on rustic roast chicken and an ample rum baba is appropriately boozy. This is simple comfort food done well and bountifully.

It’s been 14 years since the last Final Destination movie, so if you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a quick catch-up: in each movie (five so far), a young person sees a vision of themselves dying. They manage to dodge their fate, but Death is petty and doesn’t like his plans ruined, so he finds new ways to bump off everyone who should have died, and this might be the most fun one yet. It begins with the best death sequence of any of the movies that bounces you between wincing, shrieking and laughing, impressively balanced by directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, and then settles into an extremely enjoyable, vastly over-the-top mood. This movie does exactly what a horror reboot should, taking the best bits of the original and heading in a smart, inventive new direction. It’s daft as hell and a heck of a good time. 

In UK and Ireland cinemas Wed May 14. In US theaters Fri May 16.

Ever wanted to play on the pitch at Stamford Bridge like a true Blue? Well, now's your chance to do just that, and for less. Chelsea FC's Bring Your Boots Tour is back, and for a limited time only, fans can score 20% off this once-in-a-lifetime stadium experience.

After that FA cup victory, the vibes will be riding high at Crystal Palace Beer Festival, which takes place one day before the club’s final game of the 2024/25 season at their Selhurst Park ground. Celebrate by sampling the hundreds of beers and ciders on offer – from local breweries and beyond. There’ll also be plenty of entertainment, food and other refreshments to ramp up that festival feeling. 

Is it just us or does Field Day feel way younger than 17 years old? Time flies, eh? The electronic-heavy festival returns to Brockwell Park in 2025 after a stint in east London, with a line-up that leans more heavily towards DJs and producers than the spread of live acts and selectors we’ve seen at the festival in recent years. Major acts on the 2025 bill include Peggy Gou, Jungle, Bubble Love (a new project from Ross From Friends), James Blake (DJ) b2b Mala, VTSS, Special Request b2b Yung Singh, Jayda G, Fatima Yamaha, Skream and Benga, and Mall Grab alongside plenty more globe-trotting selectors, for a full day of non-stop dancing. 

Mischief Theatre – they of The Play That Goes Wrong – are now aiming their slick brand of ever-escalating theatrical farce at the spy genre in this West End premiere. When a top-secret file is stolen by a turncoat British agent, a deeply mismatched pair of KGB agents and a CIA operative and his over-enthusiastic mother collide in pursuit of it. General chaos ensues. Writers Henry Shields and Henry Lewis mine plenty of daft comedy from spy staples like bugged radios and improbable gadgets while paying homage to a decade in the UK rocked by the revelations of double agent Soviet Union spy rings. A talented cast know their mission, steering into every eccentricity in the play’s helium-filled parade of stereotypes. For bungling wit matched with peerless physical comedy, you’d be hard pressed to find better in the West End.

Treat yourself to a Mediterranean feast in the heart of Soho at Maresco, where Scottish seafood meets bold Spanish flavours. With this exclusive deal, you’ll get two courses, house sourdough and a glass of wine for under 20 quid – a serious steal in central London. Whether you're craving jamón ibérico, fresh octopus or rich paella, this buzzing spot brings sunshine to your plate without breaking the bank.

Get two courses with sourdough and wine, for £19.95 (originally £31), only with Time Out Offers.

All of London’s hippest and hottest people will be making the pilgrimage to Peckham for the tenth edition of electronic music bonanza GALA. The festival is celebrating reaching double digits with a stellar three-day line-up curated in partnership with NTS radio, plus some of the city’s most acclaimed music and nightlife brands. Expect headline sets from Floating Points, Moodymann and Theo Parrish on Friday, Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO and KiNK on Saturday and Caribou, Floorplan and Hunee & Antal on Sunday. 

Got a passion for pre-loved fashion? You’ll love this free festival popping up at both London branches of Westfield this month. The shopping centre has teamed up with Depop, swap shop Loanhood, door-to-door clothing repair business Sojo and skincare brand Kiehl’s to stage a series of free workshops, masterclasses and eco-conscious experiences designed to inspire visitors to embrace sustainable shopping habits. Learn how to turn unwanted clobber into cold hard cash, as well as scrunchie making and denim repair. You can also shop for new threads at the pop-up Depop Marketplace. 

After two years and a £85 million spend, the National Gallery’s refurbished Sainsbury Wing is now fully completed and opens along with the ‘Wonder of Art’: a major rehang of around 1000 works in the gallery’s collection of European painting. The new-look Wing is a sanctuary from Trafalgar Square; all neutral limestone shades and vast expanses of glass encompass a wide, open foyer. Your eyes are immediately drawn to digital HD screens showing a slow-moving pan of a painting housed on the floor above, which shows every crack of oil paint and immaculate stroke. Now this is a proper welcome to one of the world’s greatest art museums. Lively and inviting, the result is a triumph.

Tucked just behind Greenwich station, Vintners Lanes isn’t your average bowling spot. Recently named Best in the World (seriously) for its jaw-dropping design, this boutique six-lane venue brings together vintage vibes, industrial-chic interiors, and top-notch food and drink. With this exclusive offer, you’ll get a game of bowling, a burger (beef, chicken, veggie or vegan), crispy fries and a beverage, including a pint, wine, cocktail or soft drink. It’s the perfect way to strike up some fun.

Enjoy a beverage, bowling and a burger at Vintners Lanes for £24.95, down from £33.50, only with Time Out Offers.

Munich-born, London-based producer Mechatok has worked with all the hyperpop girlies (Charli xcx, Oklou, Bladee), crafting a distinctive euphoric minimal sound that’s synonymous with the scene. His most recent single, ‘Virus Fresstyle’, recorded at Virus Studios, is a lot more playful. A gradually fizzing dance anthem, it’s the kind of thing you could imagine prancing around a warm summer field to, can in one hand and cig in the other. Make the most of a little escapism when catching it live this month. 

Colour Factory, E9 5EN. Fri May 23, 10pm. From £22.56.

Looking for a wholesome, creative night out that doesn’t involve a hangover (unless you BYOB)? Token Studio in Tower Bridge offers relaxed, hands-on ceramics classes where you can spin, shape and decorate your own pottery piece. Whether you fancy throwing a pot on the wheel (£32) or painting a pre-made mug or plate (£23), it’s the perfect mix of fun, mindful and surprisingly therapeutic. And to top it all off, you can sip while you sculpt as it’s BYOB and super chill.

Enjoy your Token Studio session from just £23, only with Time Out Offers. 

The Natural History Museum always has fun with its big, slick exhibitions: for 2025 it poses one of the big questions of our times – are we alone out there? Could Life Exist Beyond Earth? won’t be getting bogged down in what aliens might want from us, but it will be focussing on the geological side of space: the NHM’s collections contain some of the world’s most important space rocks, many of which will be on display here. Snap a selfie with a piece of Mars, touch a fragment of the Moon and lay your hands on the Allende meteorite, which is, remarkably, older than Earth itself. Listen to the sounds of Mars and smell the smells of outer space.

Doing something genuinely original with Romeo and Juliet is no mean feat, but Sean Holmes’s latest Globe version transposes fair Verona to the rootin’ tootin’ American West, the cast donning stetsons and petticoats befitting a trad production of Oklahoma! as the sighs of our star-cross’d lovers are scored by a banjo and intercut with the odd ‘yee-haw!’ This Romeo and Juliet is remarkably unafraid to have fun. The Western theme is wrung tightly to eke out every last drop of comic potential. You have to admire the Globe’s commitment to doing something different. 

In the Barbican’s new, light-filled gallery, the City of London skyline provides a fitting backdrop for the tall, wiry works of Alberto Giacometti beside the hybrid, fragmented figures of Pakistani-American sculptor Huma Bhabha. For ‘Encounters’, the Giacometti Foundation has lent some of the Swiss artist’s most elemental figures for an exhibition that will evolve in the coming months with responses from other artists, including Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum and American sculptor Lynda Benglis.The result? A lens through which the instability, impermanence, and human condition itself are explored.

The home, migration, global displacement: these are all themes Do Ho Suh explores in his work, consisting of videos, drawings, and large translucent fabric installations of interiors, objects, walls and architectural structures. Often brightly coloured, skeletal and encompassing, this survey exhibition at Tate Modern will showcase three decades the celebrated Korean-born, London-based artist, including brand-new, site-specific works on display.