A truly inspired summer treat for families, Kids Week makes West End hits available to youngsters for free - as long as an adult pays the full price. For the whole of August, a child aged between 5 and 16 can go to any of the 43 participating shows for free and they get some top shows taking part. This year's line up includes School of Rock, Strictly Ballroom the Musical, 42nd Street, Disney's Aladdin, Wicked, The Lion King, Mamma Mia! and more. There are options for under-fives with a programme of shows and activities specifically for the very young. Tickets for Kids Week 2018 go on sale in June 2018 and adults can also buy up to two extra children's tickets at half price while paying no booking fees. Bargain!
The UK premiere of Carmen La Cubana featuring Bizet's classic score, with new orchestrations by Tony Award-winner Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton), comes to Sadler's Wells this summer. Performed by a large company of singers, dancers and musicians, the show is a sultry take on one of the most famous operas, set against the simmering turmoil of Revolution in Cuba, 1958. Inspired by Oscar Hammerstein II's Broadway hit Carmen Jones, Christopher Renshaw (The King and I) directs this UK premiere which mixes opera with salsa, mambo and cha-cha-cha.
This August, the Old Truman Brewery hosts brand new vegan lifestyle festival, V For. Offering a positive platform for vegans, vegetarians and the V curious, the festival, which will also take over various east London venues, offers everything from demonstrations and education sessions to fitness events and experiences. The increasingly popular Vegan Nights will be kicking off the occasion with a market of delicious vegan treats on 2nd August while other foodie offerings include a new vegan menu at Juju's, DF/Mexico and Ninety One and the introduction of vegan and vegetarian traders to Brick Lane Food Hall. Health and wellness events include a month of yoga, mindfulness and lifestyle sessions from Adidas Studio LDN; a special workout event from No Kane No Gain; and happiness workshop sessions from The Art of Living Foundation. On the rooftop, Jessica Skye's Fat Buddha Yoga sessions will offer some inner peace away from the bustling city. There will also be a showcase of ethical fashion, including a vegan shoe pop-up, London's first vegan fashion show and sustainable fashion rooms.
Step into the world of an American high school this August with Bring It On: The Musical, a stage adaptation of the popular noughties film. Staged at the Southwark Playhouse, it combines the talent of Tony Award-winner Jeff Whitty, Tony Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning composer Tom Kitt and Broadway lyricist Amanda Green to bring the story of friendship, jealousy, betrayal and forgiveness to life. Expect plenty of sass, somersaults and singing.
Part of Josie Rourke's penultimate season as artistic director, the Donmar Warehouse stages Brian Friel's Aristocrats. Directed by Lyndsey Turner, who returns to the Donmar following Faith Healer and Philadelphia, Here I Come!, the production comes 40 years after it premiered and explores the decline of a previously influential Catholic family. Once the regular host to grand balls, musical evenings and tennis parties, Ballybeg Hall used to be filled with painters, poets and politicians, with parties overseen by the imposing figure of Judge O'Donnell. Today, on the eve of a wedding, the O'Donnell children return to their ancestral home to find it in a state of disrepair.
Paul-Ryan Carberry directs Daniel Winder's lively adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's novel, which follows plucky d'Artagnan on her secret mission to be the first female Musketeer. Jenny Horsthuis (Inside Pussy Riot, Saatchi Gallery) stars as the gung-ho heroine, returning to St. Paul's Church as the brave d'Artagnan in Iris Theatre's re-gendered promenade production of The Three Musketeers.
Flower shop assistant, Seymour, discovers a mysterious new plant with questionable taste and a big appetite. Little Shop of Horrors brings the greenery to life as Maria Aberg (Dr Faustus, RSC, Fantastic Mr Fox) makes her Open Air Theatre directorial debut. A big musical number, the show features classic songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken including 'Suddenly, Seymour', 'Skid Row (Downtown)', and 'Dentist!' Find out whether our hapless hero will make the most of his newfound fame and win the attention of kind, sweet Audrey or will the mean green monster gobble them up?
The London Craft Beer Festival returns for its 6th year in 2018 and it's moving to Tobacco Dock, which will be the event's residence for the foreseeable future. The popular event will return with over 50 breweries, hundreds of beers, talented chefs and hot DJs for three days of fun. The soundtrack to this year's festival is supplied by Greg Wilson and Hercules & Love Affair on Friday night, Huey Morgan, who's doing a DJ set on Saturday during the day, followed by a Two Door Cinema Club DJ set and Everything Everything on Saturday night with The Heatwave, Trojan Sound System and TODDLA T wrapping it up on Sunday. Food comes from the likes of Hoppers, Luca, Pitt Cue and Bun House while hand picked breweries include Lindheim Olkomani from Norway, Stillwater for the USA, Mahr's Brau in Bavaria and The Kernel, one of London's finest breweries, based in an archway in Bermondsey.
Gathering the world's finest barmen and mixologists, from the city's 5-star hotels to its hidden basement bars, Cocktails In The City brings together a selection of London's most exciting and exclusive bars. Taking place at Bedford Square Gardens, the two-day boozy affair not only offers all manner of cocktails - from champagne cocktails, rum sours and espresso martinis to beer cocktails and slushies - but also has a special series of events including a chance to be the bartender, mixing your own very special cocktail. In attendance will be The Nightjar, Mr Fogg's, The Cocktail Trading Company, The Alchemist and Burlock.
No need to sit in a darkened cinema in summer, Pop Up Screens give Londoners the chance to see cinematic classics in the great outdoors. With open air screenings of (500) Days of Summer, Notting Hill and Cool Runnings in August, followed by Donnie Darko, Dirty Dancing and Easy A in September. Coram's Fields is the place to go for uplifting films under the stars. Bring a picnic and something to sit on or opt for the food and fully stocked bar on site, washed down with a cold pint. Oh, and put on your cosy knits - the great British summer is not known for its balmy nights.
Returning to Morden Park, Eastern Electrics extends to two days in 2018 so you get a whole weekend of partying. Expect an Ibiza summer vibe, lasers and smoke cannons, upfront house and techno, big beats and a crowd of around 17,000 people up for a party. This year's festival welcomes Hot Creations and Paradise boss Jamie Jones, Amine Edge & Dance, Eats Everything, Alan Fitzpatrick, Skream, Dennis Ferrer, Sam Divine, TQD, The Menendez Brothers and more. Sir David Rodigan MBE headlines the second day which is priced from a reasonable 20 pounds. Partners for day two include label of D&B pioneers, London via Leeds party starters Reggae Roast as well as the one and only garage god Matt Jam Lamont who presents a history of garage and bass with some of the scene's biggest names.
Taking place at several intimate venues around London Fields, Visions Festival returns for 2018 with another one-day music line-up. This year welcomes Idles and HMLTD as headliners along with Marika Hackman, Yak, No Age, Rival Consoles, Lone and many more. Further to the music, there's also a craft beer and a food festival, t-shirt screen printing, palm and tarot readings, and beer pong. Be quick, however, it's proved popular and sold out quickly the past few years.
A celebration of the chicken wing, the London Wing Fest is inspired by the National Buffalo Wing Festival that's held annually in New York and sees 2.4 million chicken wings consumed over two days. Created by the team at Randy's Wing Bar, the London version brings together 35 of the capital's best poultry purveyors in an attempt to find the best buffalo wing, a traditional, unbreaded wing, and best wild wing, a category that has no rules. Taking place at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it welcomes the likes of Otherside Fried, Le Bun and Wingmans. Visitors will be able to sample the goods and vote for their favourite in each of the two categories. There will also be a traditional eating competition hosted by Frank's Red Hot, smoking BBQ demonstrations, live music and craft beer.
The 200 strong choir performs stripped back, acoustic versions from the best of the Some Voices catalogue. Revealing hidden harmonies in pop songs as well as R&B classics, unplugged and uncovered - all in London's last intact 1950's dance hall, the Rivoli Ballroom, which will be candle lit for the occasion. It promises to be like, "90's MTV's 'unplugged' but with an extra twist".
Over 66,000 people flock to this massive celebration of our national drink, which features over 900 real ales, ciders, perries and beers from around the world. There are over 350 different British breweries featured at The Great British Beer Festival and with the brewery boom across the country, and in London in particular, being chosen for the festival is a real privilege. Although it sounds like a fun event, don't be surprised to see a lot of very serious faces and concentration; some real ale experts are genuinely obsessive - and for them this isn't merely an occasion to get sozzled. Tutored tastings are on offer for anyone who wants to learn the subtleties of what makes a great beer. For the rest of us, though, this is a jolly day out with some delicious brewed drinks. Besides the amber nectar, there's a load of activities to keep you interested, including traditional pub games, live music and, to soak it all up, some hearty traditional pub snacks.
From the creators of Aliens Love Underpants comes Monstersaurus, an energetic show full of science, songs, magic and mayhem. There's original music and lots of audience participation. The children in the audience, for instance, are given ingredients, called upon when Monty, the main boy in the story who is an inventor, tries to make a monster friend. First he magics up the monster Bogablob, portrayed by a puppet, then he creates Dusty the Dustmonster who spreads dust everywhere. Dusty and Bogablob fight so Monty needs to make another monster to sort out the problem... and Monstersaurus arrives. While the age guidance is 3 and up, it's ideal for young children aged four or five.
Enchanting and magical, Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies have been an inspiration to generations and this summer the Garden Museum presents an exhibition featuring more than 40 of her designs, first published a century ago. Fairies were popular at the time with the mystery surrounding the Cottingley fairy photographs which Arthur Conan Doyle published in a sell-out article for The Strand. In this exhibition, original artwork from all eight of the books is displayed alongside research materials and previously unseen sketchbooks and drawings. Barker's carefully observed flowers continue to appeal to the avid gardener while younger visitors can dress up as some of their favourite fairies.
For the largest experience they've ever produced Secret Cinema puts star crossed lovers centre stage as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is made immersive. They're recreating Verona Beach at a secret outdoor London location in the spectacular, immersive way that only Secret Cinema can. Live bands, DJs, choirs and actors take on the legendary characters and feuding families, with the themes of peace, redemption and salvation explored. As many as 5,000 people a night will be transported to a world where the most memorable moments of Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film become reality and Shakespeare's story is told in a way you've never seen it before.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and King Arthur are the stories told as the free open air theatre returns to The Scoop for its 15th year, presenting outdoor theatre every Wednesday to Saturday evening throughout the summer. Join Dorothy and her dog Toto for an adventure down the yellow brick road and see a new adaptation of Sir Thomas Mallory's 1485 retelling of King Arthur, focusing on the love triangle between a king, a queen and a handsome young knight. The outdoor theatre season, part of the London Bridge City: Summer By The River festival, is supplemented by free community activities including workshops, concerts and talks. Free riverside theatre to dip your toe into, set against a backdrop of London landmarks like City Hall and Tower Bridge.
Children aged between three and eight are invited to join The Star Seekers, Alph, Betty and Gammo on a journey through space. Inspired by a childhood wonder of the universe, this theatrical experience explores the limitless majesty of galaxies, the solar system, shooting stars and planets through songs, silliness and anti-gravity antics. The many interactive elements ask children to make suggestions for what to bring on a space journey and what planets might be made of. Visit the NT space station an hour before the performance to take part in free family activities, or book in for a family workshop and create space-tastic songs in a music making workshop. You can also hear from the star seeking cast in a special post-show Q&A.
The most famous of all the open air film events in London, Summer Screen returns to Somerset House in association with Film4 to bring cinema lovers a truly eclectic mix of movies. Opening with the premiere of The Wife, starring Glenn Close, who will introduce the film with director Bjorn Runge, the 2018 line-up includes Inception, Labyrinth, Call Me By Your Name and Blue Velvet. New for this year, Somerset House has commissioned a short film by performance artists Mel Brimfield and filmmaker Ewan Jones Morris, both resident artists in Somerset House Studios, to be screened ahead of each evening's feature film. There will also be DJ sets inspired by the evening's main event, al fresco picnics and a fabulous summer vibe. Additionally, Behind the Screen with Grey Goose will see the drinks brand host panel discussions and conversations from industry insiders who are shaping the world of cinema today. The line-up includes director and writer of God's Own Country Francis Lee, Star Wars set decorator Stella Fox and BAFTA-nominated CAROL producer Elizabeth Karlsen. Guests will also be able to sample a unique Grey Goose dream-themed cocktail while relaxing in the courtyard.
Taking place in the walled gardens, the Great British Food Festival comes to Chiswick House and Gardens for the first time, from Friday 10th August to Sunday 12th August. Over 70 different traders will be there offering artisan food direct from the producer and street food. In the marquee are chefs including former Great British Bake Off star Beca Lynn Perkis, who has her own Welsh language cooking show, give demos, sharing tips on everything from baking to fine dining. There'll also be foodie talks, men vs food and cake competitions - enter a cake to get free entry to the festival - plus there's live music throughout the day and into the evenings. A fun day out for all the family with kids' cookery lessons, free circus skills and small inflatables.
No need to sit in a darkened cinema in summer, Pop Up Screens give Londoners the chance to see cinematic classics in the great outdoors. With open air screenings of 10 Things I Hate About You, the 2017 release of Beauty and the Beast and The Greatest Showman, Ravenscourt Park is the place to go for Oscar-winners, romance and films that stand the test of time. Bring a picnic and something to sit on or opt for the food and fully stocked bar on site, washed down with a cold pint. Oh, and put on your cosy knits - the great British summer is not known for its balmy nights.
With Carnaby home to so many delicious food spots, the Carnaby Street Eat food festival is a great opportunity to sample everything in the local area. The one-day event sees the area's tastiest restaurants, bars and cafes set up food stalls and trucks to serve cuisines from all around the world. Feast on dishes by the likes of Dehesa, Dishoom, Dirty Bones, Pizza Pilgrims, Shoryu, The Detox Kitchen and Wright Brothers. Special guests and tempting offers at Carnaby's shops, including discounts, DJs and live music, make this a fun summer's day out.
It's an all-girl line-up when Pop Up Screens comes to Guildhall Yard this summer with Wonder Woman, Thelma & Louise and Suffragette projected on the big screen under the stars. As well as the film there's everything you'd expect from a good outdoor cinema - food, popcorn and a fully stocked bar - but guests are also welcome to bring their own picnic. Pop Up Screens are cropping up all of the city this summer, find them in Coram's Fields, Fulham, Hammersmith, Greenwich and Hither Green plus they're popping up in Kingston, Maida Vale, Denmark Hill and Crouch End for the first time.
Playing during the day from 14th August 2018, dinosaurs return to Regent's Park in Dinosaur World Live, a brand new 50-minute show complete with Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Giraffatitan and Segnosaurus, to name a few. Interactive and engaging theatre for children aged 3 and over, you'll explore unchartered territories to discover a pre-historic world of astonishing (and remarkably life-like) dinosaurs.
A follow up to the hugely popular 1999 BBC television show, here comes another chance to go Walking With Dinosaurs again. The arena spectacular has now been seen by over 9 million people worldwide and will be stopping by The O2 this August to depict the dinosaurs' evolution with almost cinematic realism. The updated show will depict spectacular and colourful changes to dinosaurs based on the latest scientific research and present nine species from their entire 200 million year reign. You can get up close to the terrifying Tyrannosaurus-Rex, who towers over us at an impressive 39ft, and walk alongside Allosaurus - one of the largest carnivores of the Jurassic period. Other dinosaurs featuring include the Plateosaurus and Liliensternus from the Triassic period, the Torosaurus and Utahraptor from the Cretaceous period and, the largest of them all, the Brachiosaurus, which stands at 11 metres tall and 17 metres from nose to tail.
This August, Mr Black's Espresso Martini Festival returns for its second year. Launched last year by coffee liqueur company Mr Black, the event is London's first-ever festival dedicated to the espresso martini. Running from 16th to 19th August, this year's festival welcomes 100 of the top cocktail bars across the city to serve their unique take on the coffee-based cocktail, each of which will be available for £6. Bars on the line-up this year include Original Sin, the London Cocktail Club, Three Eight Four, Discount Suit Company and Ben's Canteen. By purchasing a £10 festival pass, visitors will be able to enjoy £6 drinks at each of these venues as well as access to 1000 free Espresso Martinis on 16th August.
Celebrating 250 years of circus, the Southbank Centre is putting on a weekend of free workshops and performances as part of the national #Circus250 celebrations. This weekend will include an array of free workshops where you can learn a new skill as well as live circus acts from Backbone performers, who are performing on the main stage at Royal Festival Hall, and others. The free Circus 250 Weekend events take place on the Riverside Terrace stage outside Royal Festival Hall.
After a successful debut last August - when 25,000 people flocked to London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for a first class rave - elrow Town returns on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th August 2018 and this time they promise even more mayhem. Paul Kalkbrenner headlines on Saturday while Fatboy Slim graces the decks on Sunday supported by Idris Elba, The 2 Bears and top DJs playing to a pack-out crowd. The set is something special, from a colossal multi-story tower-block stage to giant puppets, enormous inflatables and a twenty-foot high mechanical camel to dazzle partygoers dancing beneath a monsoon of streamers and confetti. Club night organisers elrow are also responsible for creating Monegros Festival and legendary Club Florida 135 in Fraga, Spain, and they have teamed up with Amnesia in Ibiza, adding circus and herds of unicorns to the club's Saturday nights.
For the Underbelly Festival's final headline show of 2018, Black Cat Cabaret takes up a six week residency at the spiegeltent on the South Bank. Flying the flag for London's underground cabaret and circus scene, Black Cat: Bohemia is the perfect place to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the first circus - when Philip Astley first created a ring just streets away in the marshland around Waterloo station. Heading up the troupe is flame-headed diva Miss Frisky, one half of comedy duo Frisky & Mannish, who introduces resident aerial daredevil Katharine Arnold. Charlotte and Nicolas (Cirque du Soleil, Limbo) are the new Bohemians on the block, part of the show's 12-strong cast which includes La Soiree mainstay Leon Fagbemi. Cabaret and circus brought to new levels of jaw-dropping glamour.
The internationally acclaimed St Petersburg Ballet Theatre make a welcome return to the London Coliseum this summer, with their full-length classic production of Swan Lake. Led by prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova, whose last Odette/Odile in Swan Lake in London in 2015 was described by the Telegraph as "Truly a thing of beauty" and "Technically flawless", the company performs the classic love story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. Kolesnikova is joined on stage by guest stars from leading ballet companies including principal dancer Denis Rodkin from the Bolshoi Ballet.
A festival for makers and doers, MAKEMORE is a new summer jamboree in Victoria Park where you can try your hand at crafts activities, with live music and immersive theatre thrown in. An uplifting festival where you eat, drink, socialise and have a go at making something, take part in bushcraft activities with The Exploration Society, turn wood with Barn the Spoon or venture into the world of model animation with Wallace and Gromit creators, Aardman productions. Create your own posters, join a printing workshop, see how tiny house building is done, learn how to throw a pot and join Whelans Weaving for a live interactive art installation. Foodies are very well catered for too with Angela Clutton pulling together a who's who of published talent from Charlotte Pike, award-winning food writer and author of Smoked, to Masterchef's Dhruv Baker. Performing arts include a mix of cabaret, comedy, burlesque and puppetry from Frantic Assembly, Little Angel Theatre and Polka Theatre, supplemented by live music from London choir, Some Voices.
Based on Oliver Jeffers' beautifully illustrated book, Branar Teatar do Phaisti return to the Southbank Centre to present the theatre show of How to Catch a Star. Following the story of a boy who dreamt of having a star as a friend, the performance combines puppetry and a magical original score by Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Directed by Marc Mac Lochlainn, Branar's signature storytelling creates a show that reminds everyone to follow their dreams.
This August Bank Holiday weekend, for three nights only, the dance company set up by internationally celebrated choreographer Hofesh Shechter will present Shechter Underground, a site-responsive show that will lead audiences through the atmospheric maze-like underground tunnels and rooms beneath Somerset House. The company's talented young dancers take the audience through spaces not usually open to the public, as they play their parts in a macabre circus of comedy, murder and desire. Dancer Erion Kruja will take original movement from Hofesh's hit show Clowns and shape it to respond to Somerset House's historical setting.
The pop princess brings her record breaking Las Vegas show, 'Britney: Piece of Me', to The O2 for the first and only time. Since opening at Planet Hollywood in Vegas in December 2013 Britney has performed a record-breaking, four-year headlining residency there, staging more than 250 shows. Now she brings her glitzy show to London and has added an extra date after tickets sold out in minutes... and soon appeared on eBay for over £1,000. There's no doubt Britney fans are willing to pay good money to see her 'sing' hits like '...Baby One More Time' and 'Oops!. . .I Did It Again!' while strutting across the stage in feathers, sequins and skin baring outfits.
They gave us The Beast last year and now they're back with more Bank Holiday fun and this time they're bringing The Monster, the ultimate bouncy castle experience for adults. Arriving at Alexandra Palace for four days over the August Bank Holiday, the popular inflatable assault course proves that bouncy castles aren't just for kids. The Monster is over 300 metres long with 42 brand new obstacles including an 18 metre mega slide, a tunnel of love and The Bouncy Cage of Doom. Added to that there's street food, refreshing super-cocktails, craft beers, DJs, giant adult ball pits and other crazy fun activities.
Horrible Histories, a marching band and roller disco come to Smithfield Market on the August Bank Holiday weekend for a free two day festival to celebrate 150 years of the historic Victorian market. It's being billed as "the biggest birthday party in the capital's history" and 30,000 Londoners are expected to enjoy fairground rides, communal feasts, roller skating, dog shows, marching bands, a procession of large scale puppets, ping pong, pop-up markets, glitter stalls, dressing up as well as food and drink as stalls are set up along Long Lane. There's even a special area for under 5s who get their own mini-festival. Join in at the printing and stencilling workshops run by Anorak, explore the hidden histories of Smithfield and see a travelling cinema on wheels as Kino Van presents a film on the centenary of women's suffrage - a prominent theme at the festival.
Now a firm favourite on the London festival calendar, South West Four is back for two days of dance music and big names over the bank holiday weekend. This year's line-up is yet to be announced but former programmes have provided a strong offering so we're expecting great things. The festival has proved a great success over the past fourteen years, filling Clapham Common with revellers united in the knowledge that they don't have to slum it in a tent and that there's no work the next day - so the party can go on and on. The music may finish around 11pm but there are after-parties for those keen on all-night revelry.
Taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, the Hampton Court Palace Food Festival comes to Hampton Court Palace giving visitors a great selection of food to sample and expert tips from well-known cooks and chefs. This year welcomes Michel Roux Jr, Nadiya Hussain, Lisa Faulkner, Melissa Hemlsey and Dr Rupy Aujla who'll take part in live cooking demonstrations. The festival also offers tastings and masterclasses, pop-up restaurants, book signing opportunities and over 100 producers of speciality foods. Feast on street food, enjoy afternoon tea, sip on cocktails, quaff Champagne from pop-up bars and leave time to visit Hampton Court Palace - all tickets include free entry into the beautiful home of King Henry VIII.
The Wimbledon Park Food Festival returns for its fifth year this August Bank holiday, bringing 50 stalls of food and drink to the south London venue. Visitors will be able to feast on everything from artisan bread, pastries and crepes to smoked BBQ pulled pork, cheese and charcuterie. There will also be a Talks and Tastings Hub with a full programme of chefs and food experts (book in advance) while on Sunday a special evening session will offer beer, ale, cider, gin and wine tastings. Add to that special children's activities, and there's something for everyone.
This year, The London Cabaret Club is putting on its own Notting Hill Carnival celebrations at The Bloomsbury Ballroom. The Summer Bank Holiday Carnival Special will be the perfect alternative to the hectic celebration, ideal for anyone who wants to avoid the crowds. The show will offer tropical vibes and immersive cabaret with vibrant live performances, colourful carnival dancers, exotic rum-based cocktails and a mouth-watering Caribbean menu. Extravagant live performances from Brazilian Carnival dancers can be enjoyed while tucking into a tailor-made menu of West Indies and Caribbean flavours.
Held since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival was originally a local affair for west London's homesick Caribbean community, this has evolved into Europe's biggest street party. Carnival sets London on fire in a blaze of Caribbean spirit as extravagantly costumed dancers, calypso and soca musicians, giant sound-systems and steel bands are joined by over a million revellers of all ages. Sunday is officially children's day, but there are loads of kids on both days enjoying the bright colours of the floats and the dancers' feathered costumes. Adults can shake their booty at dozens of stages and there are tunes for all tastes, from house to hip-hop. It's a huge area and can get very crowded, so be prepared for an exhausting day out, but for anyone who loves a party, carnival remains the absolute highlight of the London summer.
Chris Bush's vivid new adaptation of Shakespeare's late romance, Pericles, comes to the National's Olivier Theatre this summer. Directed by Emily Lim, the adaptation of the epic story of love, loss, family and community features choreography by Imogen Knight and music composed by James Fortune. This will be the first Public Acts production - a nationwide initiative in the UK that will create extraordinary acts of theatre and community - and will feature a large community ensemble and small cast of professional actors.
Starring Guy Pearce (Memento, LA Confidential) and British actor Terence Stamp, The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert is given the Nomad Cinema treatment with a special open-air screening in Queen's Park in Kensal Rise. The road trip film tells the tale of two drag queens and a transsexual on a journey from Sydney to Alice Springs to perform their show. The characters are brazen, filthy and mischievous and the 1994 film marked a pivotal moment in bringing LGBT issues into mainstream consciousness. This screening is in the local park to the Nomad and its Cine Sister, the Lexi, and food and drink are available from the BBQ at the new Queen's Park Cafe.
The UK premiere of Stephen Karam's "blisteringly funny, bruisingly sad and altogether wonderful play" (The New York Times), The Humans, is at the Hampstead Theatre in autumn 2018. The award winning drama, which won four 2016 Tony Awards including Best Play when it was shown on Broadway, is a documentary-like portrayal of the fragility of human life. Directed by Joe Mantello, the play is performed by the complete award-winning New York cast. Reed Birney and Jayne Houdyshell reprise their roles alongside original cast members including Cassie Beck, Lauren Klein, Arian Moayed and Sarah Steele. The scene is set as three generations of the Blake family come together for Thanksgiving in Brigid and Richard's ramshackle pre-war apartment in Lower Manhattan.
Smokestak, Gunpowder and Breddos Tacos are three of the top restaurants appearing at London's meatiest food festival as Meatopia returns. Originally conceived by the late Josh Ozersky, the concept is the biggest festival of BBQ and smoking to hit London, welcoming a raft of UK and international chefs, restaurants, butchers and food heroes. Taking place at Tobacco Dock, the carnivore's paradise will treat guests to tasting-sized portions of dishes from renowned chefs and iconic restaurants. Chefs making their Meatopia debut include Jeremy Chan of Ikoyi, Sam Bryant of Coal Rooms, Freddy Bird of Bristol's The Lido, Ben Davy from Ox Club, Rok Shoreditch's Matt Young and Aaron Webster & Remi Williams of Smoke & Salt. There's an eclectic line-up of live music, DJs, informal workshops, live chef demos and, with the Saturday night session lasting an hour longer, there's more time to appreciate those smokin' hot chefs.
The creators of Silent Disco at The View from the Shard come to the Underbelly Festival to give you The Silent Disco Show featuring surrealist lip-syncing as well as your favourite songs on headphones. More than just bopping along to your favourite Britney track, this silent disco is hosted by the gorgeous Darren Hartman and comes with drag and burlesque performers, acrobats and spandex-clad disco dancers, colourful cabaret, dance-offs and singalongs. Choose from three different soundscapes - red, green and blue - and you can listen to pop ballads, 90s RnB, soulful house, Britpop, disco classics and the latest hits.
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