London is buzzing with energy and creativity this week, and there is something for every listener, from art fairs and performances to film festivals and family fun. Today, Sunday October nineteenth, Chelsea Town Hall hosts the Parallax Art Fair, Europe’s largest fair of independent artists and designers, with over ten thousand artworks and designs. Entry is free and it’s a playful mix of art, music, and technology, open until five pm. Over at Barbican Centre, the Black British Book Festival is in full swing, a celebration of Black British storytelling where listeners can engage with talks, workshops, and headline events that unite culture, community, and inspiration. For those with a passion for design, the V and A closes the London Design Festival today, with installations and talks exploring urgent topics like cultural heritage and AI’s impact on design.
If listeners fancy lacing up their trainers, Hampton Court Palace is the place for the ten kilometer run, starting at nine am and winding through the palace’s stunning grounds, complete with a regal medal and free garden access for participants. Film fans can swing by the BFI London Film Festival at the BFI Southbank, with today’s highlight Botanical Futures: Plant-Based Solutions for Climate and Sustainability at eleven am, a look at environmental innovation through cinema.
Throughout the week, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night wraps up its Globe Theatre run by Saturday. The Lambeth Fringe offers edgy theatre and comedy across venues until the weekend, from the hilarious Collywobblers Comedy to pottery workshops. Da Vinci’s Laundry at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios is a must for crime and comedy lovers, as this quirky play enters its final days.
For bookworms, Wimbledon BookFest continues south of the river with famous guests including Irvine Welsh and Terry Deary through Sunday. Families on half term holiday should check out the pirate exhibition, robot zoo, or Comedy for Kids happening at the Museum of Comedy. Friday kicks off MCM Comic Con at Excel, with celebrity panels, cosplay, and all sorts of gaming until Sunday. British Library’s Secret Maps exhibition opens on Friday and runs through January, showcasing rare and covert cartography.
Music fans have plenty to enjoy, with the K-Music Festival at Rich Mix in Shoreditch, and Multi Story Orchestra’s production Stuck lighting up Croydon on Friday night. On Saturday, Mercato Metropolitano’s Super Jumble brings thrift shopping, DJs, and street food; meanwhile, party-goers can don 1920s costumes for the Candlelight Club’s Halloween Ball or sample the Sri Lankan-Korean fusion menu at Jang Supper Club in the Royal Exchange.
Sunday, October twenty-sixth, is vintage heaven at Frock Me! fair in Kensington Town Hall, with a hundred stalls of antique and rare designer finds. Storytelling Sunday gets ghostly at Love Shack in Cambridge Heath, and comedy lovers can catch Phil Wang at Up the Creek in Greenwich for the Sunday Service.
Thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to hit subscribe. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI