Things to do in London this week
Discover the biggest and best things to do in London over the next seven days
Hello London, got a quiet week ahead? Not anymore. Get a load of this week's hottest happenings and you'll be begging for a night off by Sunday. From new restaurant openings, museum shows and the latest art exhibitions, to out-of-the-way events and secret gigs that you don't want to miss - here's your social life-saver over the next seven days. If you've got a tip for something fun going on in London tweet us your suggestion and help spread the word.
RECOMMENDED: Time Out's London hot list
Gurls Talk x Coach Festival
Gurls Talk, the online platform empowering young women, is hosting its first ever event in London in partnership with New York fashion house Coach and supported by Dazed. The festival will kick-off with a talk from Gurls Talk founder Adwoa Aboah, followed by an action-packed day of talks, workshops and pop-ups.
Restaurant of the week: Xu
The first ‘smart’ restaurant from the crew behind cult hit Bao is a love letter to 1930s Taipei, with some serious class and some seriously magnificent food. From a bowl of plump rice with chewy fried onions, to grilled asparagus with the crunch of lily bulbs, to a juicy, sweet, smoky slab of char sui Ibérico pork – there’s a devotion to subtle nuances in texture.
Festibowl
Shuffleboard is trendy in the US, but we’ve got our own old-people sport to update. Festibowl takes over Finsbury Square this week with DJs, food, cocktails and – yep – lawn bowls. Teams of four will need to book in advance, but if you're bowling solo, just turn up between 12.30pm and 1.30pm this Wednesday and Friday to play for £5.
Gloria
A fast-talking, cynical look at office politics and the culture of creative ambition, 'Gloria' sits comfortably in Hampstead Theatre’s regular diet of talky American dramas. But the dialogue is super-smart, it’s crisply funny in its relentless skewering of the pettiness and pretentions of a bunch of journalists, as well as offering a more profound look at the way traumatic experiences may be packaged up and sold to the highest bidder.
REVEAL Festival
Celebrating the V&A's 165th anniversary and the opening of its brand-new Exhibition Road Quarter, REVEAL is a free, week-long festival inviting the public to explore the new space through events and activities, which will bring the architecture and collections to life. A special and digitally-themed Friday Late hosted in collaboration with Boiler Room opens the festival this Friday.
Sargent: The Watercolours
The American artist is best known for his fantastically accomplished, mildly eccentric society portraits. He was the classic expat Yank Europhile, courting favour among monied sorts in Paris and London. Alongside his day job, though, he painted watercolours throughout his life, and this show of them on now at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the first in this country since 1918, reveals Sargent’s manic devotion to his craft.
Bar of the week: Bobby Fitzpatrick
Welcome to Bobby Fitzpatrick: a ’70s-themed cocktail bar in West Hampstead that takes nostalgia to new levels. Think natty wallpaper, a stucco ceiling, a vintage playlist and way too much wood. But once you get over the weirdness of watching north Londoners in their shirtsleeves perched on old folks’ home armchairs, Bobby Fitzpatrick works. There’s also something weirdly comforting about escaping our decade for the evening and getting drunk in another one.
Ken Archive Exhibition
If you think Barbie has been through some weird incarnations, wait until you see the evolution of the Ken doll at Machine-A’s in-store exhibition. Meet MC Hammer Doll (with a real cassette) and the Jedward-prescient ‘Totally Hair Ken’, both circa 1991. There’ll also be an exclusive Ken-based T-shirt with a 1968 print reworked by Martine Rose available in the pioneering shop famed for its dedication to new talent and noteworthy collaborations.
Tate Tap Takeover x Cloudwater Brew Co
Taps at the Tate Modern are being taken over this Thursday by the seasonal brew experts at Manchester based Cloudwater Brew Co. Expect an evening of trialling and tasting with the teams behind the measures on hand to talk through the brewing process and all things booze related. Cloudwater will also be showcasing seasonal artwork from seven artists their award-winning British beers.
Chorus Festival
Get ready to unleash your vocal chords, because the Southbank Centre's 'Chorus Festival' is back. Celebrating the power of singing alongside others and belting out a tune, this time around there are over 40 free performances from choirs across the whole weekend. Highlights include ‘Surrounded by Strangers’ featuring stories and singers from Iceland and the UK, plus a late stage with sets from Festival Voices choir.
Find more things to do in the capital
101 things to do in London
London is a treasure trove of brilliant days out and activities worth boasting about. Find great new ways to fill your free time with this list of our favourite things to do in the capital.
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Massive street party in Bankside this Sunday (18 June) for the Great Get Together. Nine hours of fun: feast on the street, hipster races, four music stages, dancing, dog show, bake offs, an urban farm and more. Bankside Open Spaces Trust. Programme here: http://www.bost.org.uk/thegreatgettogether-bankside/