12 Things To Do This Weekend

Get ready for London’s newest food festival 

From big-name chefs and on-street feasts to retail offers and special menus, the brand new food festival, Future of Food, will be taking over Regent Street and St James’s this month. A celebration of sustainability and central London’s diverse culinary scene, there are a host of events, as well as restaurant and retail offers to get involved in. 

If you aren’t heading to a ticketed event, you can still take full advantage of special offers and giveaways happening across restaurants, bars, pubs and coffee shops. Highlights include 20% off selected sustainable drinks at The Nest in Treehouse Hotel London; raman and sake deals at Yokocho; 10% off seafood dishes at Gouqi; and more. Head to Future of Food’s website for more information on how to redeem. 

The festival will also see Regent Street unveil its first-ever Urban Farm, with daily drop-in sessions and ticketed events running throughout September. It’s a chance to delve deeper and learn more about sustainable urban practices, from micro herb masterclasses to educational talks. Urban Farm is free for all to visit. 

Head to V&A’s giant Chanel exhibition

It’s always exciting when the V&A opens a new exhibition and its upcoming launch may just be our favourite yet. Titled Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, it’s the UK’s first exhibition dedicated to the work of French couturière. 

Launching this Saturday 16th September, the exhibition will explore the rise of the House of CHANEL and Gabrielle’s iconic design style throughout history. 

There’ll be over 180 looks drawn together, with everything from jewellery to accessories, cosmetics and perfumes.  

Celebrate Mexican Independence Day in style

If you’re looking for a Mexican restaurant with a different, look to Los Mochis Notting Hill who will be packing out the party vibes this weekend to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. 

The Tokyo-meets-Tulum restaurant will be putting on a party to remember, complete with a fusion of flavours and live music. Taking place this Friday 15th September, look forward to sampling a range of Mexican-Japanese culinary dishes and dancing into the night to live music. An authentic Mariachi band will be serenading you while you dine on dishes such as truffle guacamole on crispy rice and tuna poke tostaditos. 

Once you’ve finished dinner head over to Los Mochis’ sister bar, Viajante87, for a post-meal cocktail. 

Try a rejuvenating yoga class

Shake away those autumnal cobwebs that have already begun creeping in and kick-start your weekend with a rejuvenating yoga class. Led by expert yoga teacher, Lauren Tai, the class will take place at The Westin London City and will offer you the chance to connect with like-minded individuals through an energising class. 

Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or looking to get your step into yoga, the class will cater to all experience levels.

Head to an underwater extravaganza

Berkeley Square’s majestic Sexy Fish restaurant has undergone a transformation, complete with new interiors features and a new, illuminated pink onyx bar top. Drawing inspiration from its sister restaurant in Miami, expect to uncover a fresh new look and glass artwork from renowned artist Paul Clifford. To go alongside, the restaurant is reintroducing its late-night entertainment series that’ll allow you to soak it all up. 

Launching this Friday, the series will take place on three consecutive weekends and will see guests transported under the sea. Diners can look forward to a DJ set that’ll see renowned DJs spinning the best house, electro, disco and funk music – confirmed guests include Jean Claude Ades and Fiorella and Damian Lazarus.  Take the night up a notch and order a round of cocktails from the Trinity menu, including the Marshmallow & Raspberry, featuring marshmallow-infused Roka Gin.

Catch the last few episodes at the London Podcast Festival

One for the audio listeners, London Podcast Festival has returned to Kings Place this month. The 10-day program comes to a close this weekend, but there are still plenty of events to book yourself in for. 

The annual celebration of UK and international podcasting talent, look forward to talks and live recordings from the likes of Black Prose; The Way They Were; Lexx Education; and Wrestle Me.  

Book Ahead: Lexus Immersive Light Experience

Plan your next weekend early and book yourself in for an immersive light display courtesy of Lexus. 

The iconic car brand is transforming an ordinary London underground car park into an extraordinary light installation to mark the launch of the LBX, an all-new landmark model for the brand. 

Taking over 51 Poland Street, the experience takes the familiar process of driving into a multi-storey and turns it into an art experience. You’ll be able to follow a walking route of discovery through a series of LED arches and canopies of lights. Triggered by voice activation, a field of light bulbs will spring into action, while a display of LED batons pulse in rhythm with the viewer’s heartbeats. You can sign up for free here.

See the world’s greatest space photography

Whether you’re a budding astronomer or not, there’s no denying that we’re all a little fascinated with what’s out in space. This weekend will see you take your fascination up a notch with the return of the Astronomy Photography of the Year exhibition launch. 

The annual competition features the world’s greatest space photography, with photographers from all over the world competing to take home the title. 

At this year’s exhibition, over 100 photographs will be on display at the National Maritime Museum. From fiery suns and silver moons to glittering stars and galaxies, see it all for yourself through these inspiring photographs.

See the newest Poirot film at this exclusive preview

Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot hits cinemas again this weekend, this time against the romantic backdrop of Venice. Everyman Cinemas has partnered with The Platinum Card® from American Express for a series of showstopping events, and Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice is happening this Thursday 14th September to kick things off.

Set in eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve, A Haunting in Venice is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Sit back in one of the iconic sofas and grab your popcorn- this one is not to be missed.

Find out more about the new film release here.

When: Thursday 14th September

Where: Everyman Cinemas across the UK

Website: www.everymancinema.com

Celebrate the literary hero, Jane Austen, at this festival

The longest and largest festival dedicated to Jane Austen has returned to Bath this September, bringing with it a ten-day programme of events. 

Taking place at the Jane Austen Centre, the festival features everything from guided walks and costumed balls to theatrical performances and inspiring talks by Austen experts.

Discover new talent at this music event

Independent music lovers should head over to Newcastle Upon Tyne this weekend to discover new talent at Generator Live, the North East’s newest music festival. 

Taking over the city’s Boiler Shop and World Headquarters, this Saturday 16th September will be packed out with indie musicians and rising names, including Little Comets.

The festival will kick off at the landmark venue Boiler Shop before heading to World Headquarters for late night electronic performances.

Catch big-name acts at Radio 2 in the Park

Another music festival, this time it’s Radio 2 in the Park that’s set to take over Victoria Park, Leicester this Saturday and Sunday. 

Huge names are set to take over the stages, including Bananarama, Tears for Fears, James Blunt, Beverley Knight, Kylie Minogue, Pretenders and Jessie Ware. 

If you can’t make it down to the festival, enjoy the next best thing and tune into BBC Radio 2 for all the highlights.