10 Fun Things To Do This Weekend
Every week we comment on how cold it is, and then every week it just gets colder, so we are compelled to keep on mentioning it until it get’s warmer. Freezing, isn’t it? Thankfully, there’s lots of cultural activities on to keep your mind occupied. Whether you’re looking for some great art exhibits to warm your soul from the cold, to kick off your 2024 wellness journey, or eyeing up a chance at a free getaway, we’ve rounded up the best things to do this weekend.
Things to do this weekend, from The Canary Wharf Lights to Film Festivals
Follow the lights at Canary Wharf
No place in London confuses Google maps quite like Canary Wharf – it has attempted to walk me into the black docklands water on more than one occasion. Mercifully, we can now use the ever-popular Winter Lights Festival to illuminate our way.
Now in its eight year, the trail will be ablaze with 13 spectacular temporary installations, as well its permanent light artworks. This years line-up aims to shine a light on the intersection of nature and technology.
when: 17.01 – 27.01
website: canarywharf.com
See one of the biggest art collections in the world
One of the biggest dates in the London art world – the Art Fair is back. Featuring over 120 galleries, and over 1,000 artists, this is a rare chance to see some of the best art in the world before they’re shipped off around the world.
The Fair’s extensive gallery line up showcases a diverse cross-section of art from emerging talent to established art world favourites; alongside an inspiring programme of curated talks, panel discussions and artists insights.
when: 17.01 – 21.01
website: londonartfair.co.uk
Check out this short film festival
Every year, 250-500 British and international films, whittled down from some 5000+ open submissions, are presented at the BAFTA-recognised London Short Film Festival. A special emphasis is placed on spotlighting a multiplicity of filmmakers, visual artists and creatives, across intersections and with a commitment to peripheral voices.
In ten years you might be able to point to the new Oscar-winning director and say “I’ve been a fan since their first short film” – think of how cool (and annoying) you could be.
when: 19.01 – 28.01
website: shortfilms.co.uk
Visit this portrait of the London Tube
Ah, the Underground. It can be infuriating, like when it commits the unforgivable crime of making you wait more than three minutes for a tube, but it’s the vein that makes London work as a city.
Therefore, what could be a more perfect capsule piece of the city than a collection of sketches taking on the Metropolitan line? To be tired of London is to be tired of life, and to know London is to know the tube.
when: 03.01 – 29.01
website: barbican.org.uk
Kick-off your 2024 wellness journey
Looking to get more into wellness in 2024? This festival on the future of the industry might be the inspiration you need.
Included is live panel discussions, moderated by wellness journalists, uniting some of the UK’s leading dermatologists, aesthetic doctors and wellness practitioners – including Dr Wassim Taktouk, Ross J. Barr, Dr Alexis Granite, Rosemary Ferguson, Sarah Chapman, Dr Sophie Shotter, Clare Bourne, Dr Federica Amati and more.
when: 20.01
website: thebeautytriangle.com
Get experimental in Peckham
For a different kind of film festival, head to Peckham Arches on Sunday where a diverse range of experimental pieces will be showcased.
This new edition aims to creates a space to celebrate international experimental cinema, featuring an international body of moving image films. The day will showcase an eclectic selection of experimental and moving image films. Entry is free, and there are no precise screening times.
When: 21.01
Website: londonexperimental.org
Embrace the ick at this exhibition
Ok, bear with us. This unsettling but oddly artistic ‘ick-xhibition’ asks why we find disgust in mundanity by presenting ick-inducing, yet all too common, bathroom scenes.
Photographer Angèle Châtenet captures the unsettling yet captivating essence of bathroom revulsion – from the grisly residue left in toothbrush holders to the horrifying sight of armpit hairs entangled in deodorants.
when: 15.01 – 20.01
website: lifesupplies.com
See this iconic Queen concert
Abba, Elvis, the Eras Tour Film and now Queen – it seems the hottest concerts these days all feature acts who aren’t actually there.
This iconic live concert from 1981 is a window into Queen in their most unalloyed form, as rock & roll royalty Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon take to the stage in a historic and exhilarating performance of their greatest hits including We Will Rock You, Under Pressure, Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites the Dust, and more.
when: 18.01 – 21.01
website: queeninimax.com
2 events worth travelling to…
Bag a free escape with Little Moons
It’s that time of year we like to cheer ourselves up with a bit of holiday planning. Thankfully, in celebration of their new blood orange and grapefruit sorbet flavour, Little Moons has partnered with Coolstays to transform a three-bedroom countryside cabin into mochi-inspired haven. This is the perfect stay to help you feel refreshed for the year ahead.
For your chance to bag a free two or three night stay at this picture-perfect retreat, visit the Little Moons website and enter the ballot for your preferred dates.
website: littlemoons.com
Take your only chance to see these Turner paintings in Scotland
Here’s a cool fact – Scotland’s collection of Turner watercolours were left to the art collector Henry Vaughan, and since then have only ever been displayed during the month of January, when natural light levels are at their lowest.
Because of this, these watercolours still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour, almost 200 years since they were originally created. But this means it’s also your only chance to see these paintings until next year.
when: Until 31.01
Website: nationalgalleries.org
