May 2009

There's a holiday vibe this month with May Day and the Spring Bank Holiday giving us two days off on 4th and 25th May. Covent Garden's annual May Fayre and Puppet Festival and free street celebrations for Baishakhi Mela in Brick Lane help with the festival feel. There's plenty of music to enjoy too with Beyonce, Boyzone and Girls Aloud putting on blockbuster shows. But for fashionable people, the only thing to remember this month is the Clothes Show is coming to London, for the first time in twenty years.

Sister Act

London Palladium, W1F 7TF
7th May 2009 - 12th February 2010

We all remember those rocking nuns in 'Sister Act', the 1992 film led by a kick-ass Whoopi Goldberg as the irrepressible Deloris. Now Goldberg's getting in on the Act...again, but this time as producer of this West End show. It's all the rage to adapt classic musical movies from screen to stage, pulling in nostalgic oldies who remember the original and introducing a new generation of young fans, and this one looks set to be a hit. How could it fail with a Disney-ed up new score by Alan Menken (his impressive repertoire includes 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Aladdin') and the ultimate feel-good factor as disco diva Deloris goes into hiding in a convent for witnessing a murder and finds a choir of nuns who need a little bit of her razzle-dazzle. This show's all about shaking it up with the Sisterhood - infectious fun with a heavenly host of singing, gutsy nuns.

More info: Sister Act Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppetry Festival 2009

St Paul's Church Garden, WC2E 9ED
10th May 2009

He may be nearing his 350th birthday but Mr Punch is showing no signs of slowing down. This annual Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppetry Show celebrates the red-nosed stick-wielding puppet, bringing together dozens of puppeteers in a colourful, highly entertaining afternoon. The Covent Garden location is appropriately close to the spot where Samuel Pepys first sighted Mr Punch on 9th May 1662 and recorded the fact in his diary. Puppeteers from all over the country are accompanied by folk music, dancers, clowns and jugglers. The day's events start with a toast to Mr Punch, and a brass band-led Grand Procession starting at Church Garden - a beautiful little oasis in the city centre. There follows a special church service at St Paul's Church, with a sermon administered by Rev Mark Oakley and Mr Punch himself. An integral part of British heritage, the puppet with attitude is a wonderful, anarchic figure and this is a top, traditional family day out.

More info: Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppetry Festival 2009 Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Baishakhi Mela

Brick Lane, London, E1 6SB
10th May 2009

Famous for its curry houses, Brick Lane is the obvious choice of venue to celebrate Baishakhi Mela, the Bengali New Year. In London, you can ring in the changes with a colourful parade, traditional costumes, elephants, tigers and rituals. The details for this year's event are still in the planning stages with Tower Hamlets council looking to set up a new Mela Trust to manage the festival long-term. As a rough guide, the festivities usually begin with a parade from Allen Gardens to Weavers Fields, along Brick Lane, led by local children in dazzling traditional dress. A Bengali tiger, peacock boat, bridal ride, and street entertainers all mingle together, and stages in Allen Gardens, Weavers Field and along Brick Lane feature literally hundreds of musicians and dancers. You can also sample the famous spicy baltis, birianis and vindaloos from the numerous restaurants and stalls which put Brick Lane on the map.

More info: Baishakhi Mela Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Royal Windsor Horse Show

Windsor Castle, London, SL4 1NG
13th May 2009 - 17th May 2009

Founded in 1943 and attended by King George VI, the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Windsor Castle still has strong royal connections and HM Queen Elizabeth II often enters home-bred horses in the event. The Queen, Princess Anne and the Duke of Edinburgh have all previously competed. It's one of those events that makes you feel like you're taking part in a BBC costume drama, as the impeccably aristocratic competitors put their equestrian skills to the test in events including show-jumping, carriage racing, dressage and even polo. The show takes place inside the private grounds of Her Majesty's Windsor residence, a stunning area of parkland and garden. In the evening the castle is floodlit, creating a suitably grandiose backdrop to the competition. The event is finished in style with a fabulous fireworks display above the turrets.

More info: Royal Windsor Horse Show Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Museums at Night Weekend

National Gallery, WC2N 5DN
15th May 2009 - 17th May 2009

For 2009, Museums at Night Weekend replaces the Museums and Galleries Month traditionally held annually in May. The principle is the same - opening up our museums - but now it's condensed into one weekend and you can have a snoop behind the scenes after dark. Venues like the National Gallery, the Victoria & Albert Museum and Tate galleries join up to 70 museums in this UK-wide event for a weekend of after-hours activities and events. There's a sleepover at the Science Museum and Nick Park's film, 'The Wrong Trousers', partly set in an imaginary museum, is showing at a selection of venues including the National Maritime Museum.

More info: Museums at Night Weekend Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Mind Body Spirit Festival

Royal Horticultural Halls, SW1P 2QD
20th May - 25th May 2009

If you're always meaning to 'sort your life out', the Mind Body Spirit Festival could have the answer to your problems. Now in its 33rd year, this festival at the Royal Horticultural Halls continues to explore the holistic side of health. During the course of the event's three-decade history, healing, meditation and hypnosis have become everyday practices, available on the NHS or at the local leisure centre. The show includes more han 60 workshops, 72 free stage demonstrations and performances as well as over 100 stands with all manner of alternative aids from yoga mats to psychic readers. The long list of speakers already confirmed includes Deva Premal and Miten, the Barefoot Doctor and Yogic Arts master Duncan Wong - just looking at some of his Urban Yoga YouTube videos is enough to make us feel inspired and inadequate in equal measure. With so many experts in the field under one roof, this is an ideal opportunity to kick start a healthier living programme - just leave your inhibitions and your cynicism at the door, and discover something new.

More info: Mind Body Spirit Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Chelsea Flower Show

Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, SW3 4SR
19th May - 23rd May 2009

Founded in 1913, the Chelsea Flower Show is an extraordinary event - famous around the world. Eight hundred of the greatest exponents of imaginative garden design spend nearly a month creating a horticultural wonderland over an 11-acre site in Chelsea's Royal Hospital gardens. Most of London society, including the Queen, regards the Chelsea Flower Show as a highpoint of the London summer season, so if you get bored of the blooms you can have a great time celeb-spotting. The 20,000 glasses of Pimm's consumed over the five days confirm it as a very sociable, very British event. This beautiful and inspiring show is a real treat, even for non-gardeners.

Chelsea Flower Show

Girls Aloud

The O2, London, SE10 0AX
23rd & 24th May 2009

Girls Aloud remain quite the most amazing pop band in Britain. Relentlessly (inexplicably) innovative, utterly catchy, decidedly easy on the eye, and (debatably) quite nice people, they've changed the mould for pop musicians everywhere, and set a standard that none of this year's bland 'X-Factor' contestants have a hope of meeting. The fact that somebody has finally allowed them to spend some money on their videos also bodes well for the live show. In any case, these O2 gigs are the only London gigs on their tour and will sell out in no time flat, so get on the phone immediately. If you failed to get tickets for this show, you can try to catch them at Wembley.

More info: Girls Aloud Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Cherry Orchard

Old Vic Theatre, London, SE1 8NB
23rd May 2009 - 15th August 2009

Sam Mendes has brought a seriously starry cast with him to the Old Vic, including Simon Russell Beale, Ethan Hawke, Sinead Cusack and Rebecca Hall. Mendes made his name directing in London (at the Donmar Warehouse) before he stepped across the pond to win an Oscar for 'American Beauty'. He's returning to direct a pair of plays in a collaboration between the Old Vic Theatre, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Neal Street Productions. The first play is 'The Cherry Orchard', in a new translation by Tom Stoppard that should bring out all the wit and quiet cruelty in Chekhov's masterful exploration of nostalgia, materialism and the slow fading of the European aristocracy. It's a subtle ensemble piece that may not lend itself to an all-star cast, but Beale and Cusack are always worth watching, and Mendes is one of the great theatre directors of his generation.

More info: The Cherry Orchard Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Beyonce

The O2, London, SE10 0PE
25th & 26th May 2009

The best-looking, most talented member of Destiny's Child is now a bona-fide global superstar in her own right. Fans at the O2 will welcome her back for her 'I Am' tour, the first live gigs she's played in the UK for over two years. Beyonce is a real talent, as her performance on the 'X Factor' showed, offering much more than the slick production values which can make a pop star out of anyone. She has a truly great, octave-gliding voice and original musical sense. You can count on a visually stunning stage show and an energetic, booty-shaking dance routine too.

More info: Beyonce Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur

British Museum, WC1B 3DG
28th May 2009 - 23rd August 2009

The British Museum is staging an Indian Summer this year with a programme of events and an exhibition which includes treasures from India never seen in Europe before. To tie in with the theme, the museum's forecourt becomes an Indian landscape with help from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Inside, the exhibition focuses on the painting styles in the region of Jodhpur from the 17th to 19th centuries. It was a time when Rajasthani styles were being combined with artistic tastes of the court of the imperial Mughals in this northern part of India. Featuring 55 works on loan from the Mehrangarh Museum Trust in Jodhpur, this exhibition is set to be a highlight of the arts calendar this summer.

More info: Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Clothes Show London

ExCel Exhibition Centre, London, E16 1XL
29th May 2009 - 31st May 2009

For 20 years the Clothes Show Live has been the biggest fashion event in the UK. Sadly for Londoners, the show has always been held in Birmingham... until now. This year, for the first time since since 1989, the largest fashion and beauty event in the world comes to London in May for what's set to be an annual event. Every fashionista in the city will be vying for front row seats at the catwalk shows, catching up with top tips from the fashion experts and trend reports. There's hair and beauty advice and demos, a nail and champagne bar, clothes shopping, nutrition advice, everything a trend-conscious bod could want. The show is also a notorious hunting ground for model scouts - put your best dress on, strike a pose and who knows, in no time you could be on the cover of Vogue.

More info: Clothes Show London Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Donmar West End: Hamlet

Wyndhams Theatre, WC2H 0DA
29th May 2009 - 22nd August 2009

Jude Law stars as the troubled Prince of Denmark in the final play in the Donmar's West End season. His star power means this is certain to sell out months in advance, but we can't help feeling a little nervous about the idea of Jude Law's Hamlet. He tends to be at his best in roles where raw physical grace can carry him through, coming across a little flat in his more talkative films. Also... isn't Jude Law a little old to be playing the Student Prince? It was surely the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that were bothering him, rather than male pattern baldness. Still, this is a Donmar production with Michael Grandage at the helm, so it's pretty unlikely to be anything less than brilliant.

More info: Donmar West End: Hamlet Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube