August bank holiday can be summed up in a few words: feathers, glitter and street beer. Yep, it’s Carnival weekend. But apart from Carnival, there’s so much else going on in London, from canal-side parties to treasure hunts at museums. The weekend doesn’t just have to revolve around Notting Hill. It’s a three day weekend and we’re not getting another for a while, so make the most of it. Here’re some of the best things, apart from Carnival, going on this weekend.
The Piano Works Farringdon
Live Music All Day and All Night Party
There aren’t many Sundays in the year where we can really let our hair down, so when a bank holiday comes around, we like to make the most of it. The Piano Works will be hosting an all-day party, The House of Song. There’ll be live music from 12pm until 1am – the band are open to requests, just write them on a napkin and hand to your waiter, then a DJ will take over until 4am.
Sunday 27th August
Where: 113-117 Farringdon Road, corner of Ray St Farringdon, London, EC1R 3BX
Nearest station: Farringdon (London) (0.2 miles)
Website: www.pianoworks.bar
SUSHISAMBA
Appreciation of all Things Kobe
Kobe meat has increasingly been appearing on menus in the past couple of years, and for good reason – it’s really really good. So from next week, SUSHISAMBA will be holding a Kobe week. The menu for the week includes some pretty inventive Kobe dishes, like the Kobe English breakfast, Robata grilled Kobe ribeye, and Kobe mini taquitos. There’s also a Kobe cocktail, made from Yamazaki Japanese whisky which has been treated to a wash of the highest grade Kobe fat, maple and salted caramel.
Monday 28th August – Sunday 3rd September
Where: Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY
Website: www.sushisamba.com
V & A Museum
Night at the Museum
Bank holidays are often a good time to escape to warmer climates, but we can’t always get what we want so for those staying put, the V&A Museum is hosting a “Don’t Forget Your Passport” themed Friday Late. The Late will be put on by THATMuse (Treasure Hunt at the Museum), so yes, there will be a treasure hunt. Teams will work together to decipher clues and take pictures with their finds, and complete bonus challenges, racing to be crowned the winning team. There’ll be treasures from the Silk Roads, Crusades and the Grand Tour to be found. You’ll forget you’re in London.
Friday 25th September
Where: Cromwell Road, Knightsbridge, SW7 2RL
Website: www.vam.ac.uk
No 90 Weekender
Canal-Side Fun
Canal-side Hackney Venue No 90 Bar & Kitchen really is making the most of this four day weekend with a four day mini festival. Kicking things off on Friday will be Rough Trade, who’ll be providing the soundtrack until the early hours, but there’ll also be an art exhibition along with live painting. Saturday will begin with a bottomless brunch followed by live music and the ‘House Clearance House Party’ where guests can take home vinyls from the DJ’s collection. Sunday will be all about the roasts and burgers with live music from Phonica Records. Monday will be all about the recovery, with a 2 for 1 offer on Bloody Marys and music from Jamie King and the Folkies.
Friday 25th – Monday 28th September
Where: 90 Main Yard, Wallis Road, E9 5LN
Website: www.number90bar.co.uk
Gaucho O2
Taking It Back to the 80s
This weekend, Gaucho is taking their Electro Brunch back in time to the 80s with their Retro Brunch. Feast on classic retro meals (that have been vamped up, of course), like Alphabetti spaghetti with Spanish chorizo, Pop Tarts, Kelloggs Cereal, and Jamie’s proper cheese on toast with Worcester sauce. Accompany that with unlimited Bucks Fizz as you boogie away to some of the best 80s hits and don’t forget to stop by the pick ’n’ mix station, cause you’ll just wanna have fun.
Saturday 26th August
Where: The O2, North Greenwich, SE10 0DX
Website: www.gauchorestaurants.com
100 Wardour St
Carnival Brunch
100 Wardour Street will be serving up their classic bottomless brunch with a twist this weekend. On Saturday, there’ll be Carnival themed entertainment, with a DJ keeping the party going until 7pm. On Sunday, the bottomless brunch will turn into an all day party, going up until 11:30pm. To eat, there’re dishes like crispy fried squid, eggs Benedict, sweet potato and shiitake mushroom hash, and pancakes with grilled pancetta and maple syrup. To drink, we think you’ll be wanting to go for the unlimited prosecco.
Where: 100 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 0TN, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Tottenham Court Road (0.4 miles)
Website: www.100wardourst.com
Rotorino
Pasta-thon
Rotorino has teamed up with Palatino and Hot Dinners to put on an all-day pasta feast. The menu features 5 types of pasta – of which you will try all. There’ll be puttanesca, bucatini amatriciana, cacio e pepe, ziti al forno and pesto maltagliati. There’ll also be antipasti, like arancini and olives, to share. Copious amounts of pasta will surely be the cure for the heavy weekend.
Monday 28th August
Where: 434 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AA, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Haggerston (0.2 miles)
Website: www.rotorino.com
Madison Restaurant
Rooftop Brunching
Celebrity DJ Vogue Williams will be throwing a club brunch like no other. Brunchers will be able to enjoy panoramic views of the city whilst sipping on tropical Bloody Marys and feasting on classic dishes like eggs royale and beef burgers. This club brunch is the first of many, with such events taking place every six weeks.
Sunday 27th August
Where: Rooftop Terrace, 1 New Change, St Pauls, London, EC4M 9AF, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Mansion House (0.2 miles)
Website: www.madisonlondon.net
Canopy Market
Sunday Market
Canopy Market will be returning to the restored Victorian West Handyside Canopy in Kings Cross this weekend. The market collaborate with Real Food Festivals to bring you the best of street food, with different vendors each month. This months vendors include Libelle, who’ll be selling artisanal pastries; Mei Mei Street Cart, who’ll be serving Chinese comfort food; and Casa Cannoli, who’ll be serving hand filled cannoli. There’ll also be retail vendors selling everything from baby wear to handcrafted jewellery, and beverage vendors selling gin, Indian tea, Italian and English wine, and juice.
Where: 1 Wharf Road, Kings Cross, N1C 4BZ
Website: www.kingscross.co.uk
Kopparberg Recycling Rig
Environmentally Friendly Fun
Sweden’s favourite fruity cider are throwing a party with a Scandi twist this weekend. Sweden is known for its environmental efforts so it fits that they’ve launched their Recycling Rig across London, which allows Londoners to trade bottles for music beats. In return for your efforts, Kopparberg is throwing a one off party with complimentary drinks – the bottles of which will then be used to power DJ sets from Pixie Geldof and DJ Yoda.
Saturday 26th August
Where: 90 Main Yard, Wallis Road, E9 5LN
Website: www.kopparberguk.co.uk
The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone
We Don't Just Live For the Weekend
Claudio Perinelli of The Soda Jerk in Verona, an acclaimed bar tucked away in the back streets of the city, will be returning to Seymour’s Parlour, where he previously worked before moving back to Verona, for one night only. Claudio is known for his unusual flavour combinations; his signature drinks include the El Giannissero – vodka, jerk liqueur, lemon, pomegranate, apple vinegar, spice bitters & ginger beer) and the Burning Room – jerk rum blend, cognac, bitter orange, pineapple cordial, yerba mate bitters, mint and absinthe).
Wednesday 30th August
Where: 28-30 Seymour Street, Marylebone, W1H 7JB
Website: www.thezettertownhouse.com