From Friends Festival To Floating Cinemas: 11 Things To Do This Weekend

Shop art at this graphic fair 

They Made This is a brand new contemporary art store in Seven Dials. Hailing all of the way from the seaside city of Brighton, their new Neal’s Street store is home to fun, colourful artwork and designs. This weekend sees the brand host a Christmas Graphic Art Fair in Shoreditch, offering Londoners the chance to browse and shop an array of exciting art and talent. 

Running this Saturday and Sunday, the art fair will feature limited edition artwork from as little as £15, as well as host hand screening printing workshops. Pair that with mince pies and mulled wine and you’ve got a recipe for a very festive day out.

Live out your Friends dream at this pop-up

Fall back in love with all of your favourite Friends Christmas moments at FriendsFestive. Designed with the die-hard fans in mind, The Old Truman Brewery will be completely transformed into an immersive Friends experience. Running until 19th December, expect a whole host of Friends fun, from re-creating Ross and Monica’s iconic routine to paying a visit to the holiday armadillo’s grotto… 

There’ll also be Friends themed food stalls and a cocktail bar, plus a chance for fans to visit firsthand their favourite set moments, including re-enacting the Thanksgiving floating heads scene.

Soak up the festive season at this gingerbread city

Need some inspiration for your festive gingerbread creation this Christmas? Look to the Gingerbread City, the annual exhibition that sees architects, designers and engineers build a city out of gingerbread. 

Running from 4th December to 9th January, head down to get inspired by the creations, from the adorable little houses to windmills, skyscrapers to cars. This year’s theme is ‘Nature in the City’, helping to raise awareness of pollution and the environment.

See 25,000 roses light up 

The Ever After Garden has returned to the capital this December, allowing Londoners to visit and remember a loved one in Grosvenor Square. Mayfair’s Grosvenor Square will be taken over by more than 25,000 illuminated roses, each glowing and helping to raise money to support The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. 

Running until 23rd December, the installation is free to visit and you can choose to dedicate a rose from £10 in remembrance of someone.

Get Christmas shopping at FLOW Farmers Market 

For those scrambling around trying to find last minute Secret Santa presents or gifts for your extended family that somehow just keeps extending, look to FLOW Farmers Market. Returning with a festive twist every weekend from 4th until 19th December, the market will bring together local, creative traders of high-quality goods. 

There’ll be stalls offering everything from cured meats, top quality cheeses, fresh pasta, planted and baked goods for the whole family. Perfect for treating the foodie in your life or for storing away in the pantry until Christmas.

Head to a charity Christmas concert

This Thursday evening WellChild, the UK children’s charity making it possible for children and young people with serious health needs to be cared for at home instead of hospital where possible, will be hosting an exclusive Christmas concert in the Great Hall, Lambeth Palace. 

Head down and listen to an exciting array of performers, including English National Opera Tenor David Webb, soloist Natalie Rushdie, and some of WellChild’s celebrity ambassadors, supporters, and young people. The evening kicks off at 6:30pm with mulled wine and mince pies. The Note-Orious Choir will be bringing the festive cheer as they perform songs in the courtyard of Lambeth Palace, before the concert begins in the Great Hall. 

It’s set to be a fantastic evening and a brilliant one to help raise money for the national children’s charity.

Watch your festive favourites on a floating screen…

Sure, you could spend your weekend cosying up on your sofa watching your favourite Christmas movie on repeat but it’s not half as fun as watching it up on a big floating screen… 

This weekend head down to St Katharine’s Dock and book in for a cinematic experience unlike any other. The Floating Film Festival will be running for a short period only, showcasing all of your favourite Christmas films. Expect Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Arthur Christmas, Last Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol. 

See The Snowman on the big stage

Who doesn’t love the heartwarming story of the boy who becomes friends with his snowman? This Christmas sees Raymond Briggs’ winter novel come to life on the big stage. Fall back in love with the festive classic thanks to Bill Alexander’s directorial magic, music and lyrics from Howard Blake, including everyone’s favourite ‘Walking in the Air’, and choreography by Robert North. 

Watch the magic unfold through beautiful storytelling, dance and live music. Perfect for children, adults and everyone in between, this is one magical snowy production you won’t want to miss.

Visit Tate’s latest exhibition, Life Between Islands

A new exhibition exploring the work of artists from the Caribbean who made their home in Britain has landed at the Tate Britain. Running until early April 2022, Life Between Islands delves into the works of Caribbean artists as they settled in Britain, as well as the influences from other British artists whose work has since been inspired by Caribbean themes and heritage. 

The giant exhibition spans the movement, from the 1950s through to present day, in a series of visionary paintings, documentary photography, film, sculpture and fashion.

Sip on expertly mixed cocktails at this exciting reopening

The Bloomsbury Club Bar has reopened! Head down this weekend to experience all of their world famous interiors and cocktails in action. 

Drawing inspiration from the lives of the famously hedonistic Bloomsbury Set – a group which rejected Victorian ideas of religion and explored new sources of spiritual meaning through art and writing, their kinship’s and belief in an interconnected universe – the bar features an exciting array of cocktails inspired by Tarot cards. 

Expect fun and theatrics to follow you as soon as you step inside The Bloomsbury Club Bar.

Visit this pop-up exhibition by Red Eight Gallery

Head down to the Royal Exchange to catch the Red Eight Gallery’s short pop-up exhibition. The pop-up, named Life Laundry, has been designed and created by artist Panik, and will be on display until 6th December. 

Born and raised in Camden, Panik started painting graffiti in 1999, influenced and propelled by the DIY attitude and energy of the many subcultures swirling around the city streets at the time. 2005 marked a watershed moment in which Panik’s career turned to large-scale murals and studio work. Panik’s ‘Life Laundry’ sculpture will be on show, and all works in the exhibition are unseen.