From channeling your inner Picasso at Tate Modern’s giant collective exhibit to perfecting your yoga poses at South Place Hotel’s Bend & Brunch weekender, we’ve rounded up the ten best things to try out this weekend.
Channel your inner child at The Festival of Fairytales
Explore a wonderland of circus showcases, storytelling and crafting workshops this weekend at The Garden Museum’s Festival of Fairytales. Taking place this Sunday 15th, the day festival has been designed with little ones in mind, bringing all of their wildest dreams and imaginations to life.
Throughout the day parents and children can explore the Museum and the festival activities. Expect to be cooking along in workshops, listening to live music, gazing at circus performers and listening to magical stories in the storytelling den.
The festival is running on two time slots – 10am-2pm and 2:30pm-6:30pm.
When: Sunday 15th August
Where: The Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7LB
Website: www.gardenmuseum.org.ukales
Unwind with the Sea Containers London’s wellness weekend
See out the weekend with a trip to Sea Containers London for their wellness weekend. Running this Sunday 15th, Londoners can take part in a day-long fitness retreat and enjoy a variety of workouts along the Thames.
Start out with a 5km run with The Runner Beans on the Thames River, before throwing some punches at a BUDDHABOX boxing class or relaxing with a vinyasa yoga session. Finish off the day with a sound bath and journaling session with Laura B Childs.
Make a weekend of it with a stay at the hotel and receive a 15% discount to be used Friday, Saturday, Sunday or the whole weekend in one of the hotel’s Tom Dixon designed guestrooms or suites.
When: Sunday 15th August
Where: Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, South Bank, SE1 9PD
Website: www.seacontainerslondon.com
Check out Napoli Gang’s exciting foodie pop-up
If I could get away with writing this all in capitals I would, but do not – I repeat, DO NOT – miss your chance to catch Napoli Gang’s pop-up this month.
Brought to you from the group that brought us Circolo Popolare, Gloria and, more recently, Ave Mario, this month sees Big Mamma’s delivery-service Napoli Gang head to central London for a massive foodie pop-up. The team will be taking over the Fiorucci flagship store this August as part of the fashion house’s inaugural Summer Series.
Equipped with DJs and artist takeovers from Fiorucci, expect plates of fresh burrata and parma ham from Luigi Devodier and mortadella from Giovanni Bertarini.
As well as their legendary XXL lemon pie...
WHEN: 2ND – 31ST AUGUST
WHERE: FIORUCCI, 39 BREWER STREET, SOHO, W1F 9UD
WEBSITE: WWW.NAPOLIGANG.CO.UK
Celebrate Afternoon Tea Week
As if we needed any more of an excuse to tuck into bite size sandwiches, warm scones and miniature pastries, it’s Afternoon Tea Week.
Running Monday 9th – Sunday 15th August, restaurants, hotels and tea rooms across the city are celebrating the British classic, bringing with them copious amounts of English Breakfast tea (or, unlimited flutes of Champagne if you’re that way inclined).
From quintessentially British takes at Fortnum & Mason to Aqua Shard’s Peter Pan inspired experience, here are 32 of the best afternoon teas you need to try out this summer.
Create your own artwork at Tate Modern
Unleash your inner Picasso and head to the Tate Modern this weekend for their exciting collaborative artwork. Hosted in the Turbine Hall, children and adults alike are invited to take part in the UNIQLO Tate Play: Mega Please Draw Freely.
This installation-style exhibit is the brainchild of artist Ei Arakawa, who was inspired by the Gutai group, a group of Japanese artists who helped pave a new road for painting, performance and children’s play. It invites everyone to get creative to create a collective art piece. Draw on the floor or paint up a banner and see this giant artwork come to life as it happens.
There’s even a weekend-long picnic event happening this Saturday and Sunday. So pack your sandwiches, pick up your paints and get drawing.
When: Running until 29th August
Where: Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, SE1 9TG
Website: www.tate.org.uk
Perfect your yoga poses at this Bend & Brunch experience
Put your yoga moves to the test with this exciting yoga and brunch collab. Boutique hotel, South Place Hotel has teamed up with yoga studio Easy Tiger to put on two weekends of yoga, brunch and good times.
Taking place this Saturday 14th and Sunday 29th, the Bend and Brunch will kickstart with the relaxing yoga session in one of the South Place Hotel rooms. The session will then be followed by a two-course brunch in the hotel’s Secret Garden hideout. Choose from dishes such as soft shell crab with crushed avo, hollandaise and muffin; pork and pistachio terrine with summer piccadilly and croutons; or try their confit duck leg on waffle with fried egg and red wine jus.
Yoga mats are provided but do bring your own water for your yoga session.
When: Saturday 14th & Sunday 29th August
Where: Easy Tiger Yoga & South Place Hotel
Website: www.danddlondon.com
Fight off a lion at Burlington Arcade
Tread carefully as you pace through Burlington Arcade this weekend as you might spot a pride of lions…
The Lion Art Trail from Tusk has popped up at the luxury retail arcade this week. Running until late September, follow the trail of lions and uncover their unique beauty and artwork at all once. The initiative supports conservation in Africa and each lion sculpture has been designed and painted by different artists, including @patrickhughesartist and @robandnick.
Part of the Tusk lion trail, there are several other lions popping up around the city. Check out their locations here.
Expect rainbow and floral furred lions to be popping up throughout.
When: Until 24th September
Where: 51 Piccadilly, Mayfair, W1J 0QJ
Website: www.burlingtonarcade.com
Go wild swimming at Beckenham Place Park
This Friday and Saturday will see Beckenham Place Park become a tranquil oasis as OSU Apple Cider Vinegar pitches up to bring an Onsen-style experience to the UK.
A Japanese Onsen is a traditional bathing experience, traditionally formed on natural springs. The Japanese have been bathing daily in mineral-rich waters for centuries, so OSU will be bringing the experience to the UK for the first time. There’ll be two mineral-laden wooden tubs set to 25 degrees that the public are invited to enjoy, relax and sip on OSU Apple Cider Vinegar.
Unwind from the week in style at this hot-tub style experience and soak up the surroundings as you watch swimmers dip into the wild swimming lake.
When: Friday 13th – Saturday 14th August
Where: Beckenham Hill Road, Beckenham, BR3 5BS
Website: www.eventbrite.co.uk
Revive your sneakers at this arty pop-up
Give your kicks a refresh at this arty pop-up hosted by 1800 Tequila. The drinks brand has teamed up with streetwear artist Daniel Cordas to bring two-day celebration of tequila, creativity and art.
Running this Saturday and Sunday, the pop-up will see Cordas himself working his magic and creating bespoke crep artwork. Goers can even level up their kicks for free as Cordas paints out a special design. Alongside the artwork, 1800 tequila will be serving up cocktails and hosting tequila masterclasses too.
When: Saturday 14th – Sunday 15th August, 11am-7pm
Where: 15 Bateman Street, Soho
More info at 1800’s Instagram page
Check out the giant pop-up moon in Kensington
This week sees the touring Museum of the Moon arrive in the capital, meaning Londoners can get that dreamy up-close photo of the moon (albeit staged) and give Bezos’ Mars snaps a run for their money.
Museum of the Moon, designed by UK artist Luke Jerram, has landed in Kensington Town Square for a five day pop-up (with a later, longer location yet to be announced). The exciting installation features a seven metre sized moon and features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. Each centimeter of this internally lie sculpture represents 5km of the actual moon’s surface – pretty cool.
When: Wednesday 11th – Sunday 15th August
Where: Kensington Town Square
Website: www.kcfestival.co.uk
