What To Do This Weekend: 24th-26th June
The weekend is almost upon us… and whilst it is rather dreary and wet, if you’re staying in London at least you aren’t battling the traffic, mud and crowds at Glastonbury. Instead, we’ll be drinking Ab Fab cocktails, eating all the gelato at the Gelato Festival, catching some rooftop comedy and watching Pride! If you want to catch live music then keep things a little closer to home and head to Fold Festival at Fulham Palace to see the legendary Nile Rodgers!
Night Tales
Night Tales Launches For Summer
Most pop-ups are open now for summer but here is one more to add to your bucket list. Night Tales is launching in its new home in Hackney Wick, bringing with it street food, booze, DJs and generally just making Friday and Saturday evening decisions a lot easier. Rudie’s are serving their famous jerk, Nanny Bill’s will be whipping up croquettes and Slice Guys serving New York style pizza by the slice.
Where: 1-2 Hepscott Road, Hackney Wick, E9 5HB
Website: www.nighttales.co.uk
Gelato Festival
Italian Gelato Festival in Spitalfields
Authentic gelato trucks are parking up in Old Spitalfields Market this weekend, bringing with them some of the best gelato in the world. Audience participation is absolutely vital (we think we can comply) as the public gets to have their say and vote for the best flavours – and there 100 to choose from. As well as endless tasting, the festival will have demos, workshops and a laboratory area. Tickets from the website.
Where: Old Spitalfields Market, 109 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, E1 6BG
Website: www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com
Design Museum
End of an Era
The Design Museum is all packed up (nearly) and ready to move to it’s swanky new site at the former Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington in the autumn. Going out in style, this weekend sees a full programme of Punk-inspired activities and live music. Learn all about punky art and design, design your own choker, pin badge and zine… or pop into BluePrint Cafe next door for a ‘Funky Drummer’ cocktail.
Where: 28 Shad Thames, Bankside, SE1 2YD
Website: www.designmuseum.org
Pride London
The UK’s Biggest Pride Parade
You won’t have to walk far this weekend to see people celebrating Pride on the streets and in bars across the capital. With so much going on you may find it hard to decide exactly how to get involved but why not start with Saturday’s parade, which heads off from Portland Place at 1pm down towards Whitehall or tackle the crowds at Trafalgar Square for celebrity performances, food and drink.
Where: Various
Website: www.prideinlondon.org
The Roof Gardens and Babylon
Rooftop Comedy Festival
Edinburgh Fringe Festival isn’t until the August bank holiday but you can get a snippet of comedy gold this weekend 100ft above Kensington High Street at The Roof Gardens Comedy Festival 2016. The stellar line up features Katy Brand, Zoe Lyons and Matt Forde and, because it’s a whole festival, you can expect a whole day of garden games, cocktails and BBQ food, with comedy spread across two stages.
Where: 6th and 7th Floor, 99 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London, W8 5SA, United Kingdom
Website: www.virginlimitededition.com
BFG in Pictures
Happy 100th Birthday Roald Dahl
For many, the works of Roald Dahl were either a childhood staple or a go-to book to read the kids. THE BFG was one of Roald’s finest works and the illustrations of Quentin Blake only made things better. To celebrate Roald’s would-be 100th birthday, 40 new Blake illustrations, intended to be used in the BFG, are being put on display for the world to see. The perfect way to see the development and care that went into a childhood classic, and a great way to say happy birthday to one of the world’s greatest authors.
Where: 2 Granary Square, King's Cross, N1C 4BH
Website: www.houseofillustration.org.uk
ArcelorMittal Orbit Slide
The world's largest slide
It’s not often the humble slide, one of the simplest pleasures in life, 2 World and 1 national record, and it’s even less often that you’re actively encouraged to climb all over the artwork. But the ArcelorMittal Orbit (the big statue in the Olympic Park) is offering the chance to climb up the UK’s tallest public art exhibit (every young person’s dream) and ride down the World’s highest AND longest slide. This is not an opportunity to let slide….
Where: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 3 Thornton Street, Stratford, E20 2AD
Website: www.arcelormittalorbit.com
FOLD Festival
Live music legends
Nothing beats the magic of live performance. Sitting on the tube with your iPod in while dripping in sweat and bumping into people is all well and good, but wouldn’t you rather spend your weekend stood in Fulham Palace watching some of music’s biggest names strutting their stuff on stage? This weekend, Nile Rogers, Beck, Labrinth and John Newman are just a few of the names you can see do what they do best while you do what you do best, drink and enjoy the freedom of the weekend.
Where: Fulham Palace, Bishop’s Avenue, Fulham, SW6 6EA
Website: www.foldfestival.com
A Summer of Crawfish Boilin'
Living the Vida Louisiana
Not all of us will be able to get over the pond to America this summer, but thanks to Pamela Bar you can experience the American lifestyle as a taste of New Orleans comes to London. Just like they do in Louisiana, you can stand around a table over a bucket of boiled “craw-dads” with a few beers or cocktails and leave the busy London lifestyle behind you.
Where: 428 Kingsland Road, Dalston, E8 4AA
Website: www.pamelabar.com
Freedom Bar
Ab Fab Cocktails
When it comes to drinking partners we couldn’t think of anyone better than the fabulous Eddy and Patsy…granted we’d probably suffer the next morning. To celebrate the release of the Ab Fab film on 1st July, Stoli vodka has launched a series of inspired cocktails which you’ll find in Freedom Bar from this weekend. Choose from The Glitterati, The Bombshell or go for The Stoli Bolli as we will be, a mix of Bollinger Champagne, Stoli Vodka, lavender bitters and sugar cube. In the words of Edina ‘Right, time for another little drinky before we go…’
Where: 66 Wardour Street, Soho, W1F 0TA
Website: www.freedombarsoho.com
