The Commitments musical makes its world premiere in London this September while The London Design Festival, 100% Design and London Fashion Week all return to the city. Open House Weekend gives nosy Londoners the chance to look inside some of the city's private buildings. And top chefs work their magic on the humble British snack at the Scotch Egg Challenge.
The London Mela in Gunnersbury Park is a wonderful celebration of Asian music and culture which always draws a big crowd of 55,000 visitors with its line-up of British Asian music, Bollywood figures and traditional and classical performances. Entertainment is spread over nine zones, all showcasing different types of music with urban, classical and experimental music, DJs, circus and comedy as well as dance, arts and a children's play area. Artists on this year's bill include Sufi songstress Harshdeep Kaur, Punjabi singer AS Kang, Bally Sagoo who makes his debut London Mela performance, BBC Asian Network DJs, and the Philharmonia Orchestra who perform with with Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan. There will also be a fun fair and hundreds of stalls selling food and handicrafts plus a new sports area, all of which makes the London Mela a magnet for a multitude of Londoners out for a good time.
The award-winning series of triathlons for people of all ages and abilities returns to London in September, raising money to support Leonard Cheshire Disability. All Tri Together events are open to disabled and non-disabled people, to complete beginners to the seasoned swim, bike and runner. There are junior and senior races, while competitors may take part on their own, in relay teams of twos or threes. For more information please visit www.lcdisability.org/tritogether.
The annual one-day Angel Canal Festival is based around the City Road Lock on the peaceful Regent's Canal in Islington and features all sorts of attractions and events for the whole family. Attractions include a children's fun fair, boat trips, regatta, live music, street theatre, a boat rally and The Floating Cinema. With 80 stalls and gazebos arranged along the towpath, there's plenty to choose from - expect to find stalls selling anything from crafts, books, jewellery, food and drink, etc. As well as local businesses, there are a variety of local and national charities on site to raise awareness for their respective causes and to provide entertainment. The festival will be opened, as it is each year, by the Major of Islington, who arrives by boat from the London Canal Museum and gives a welcome speech before starting the Bell-Boat Race in the City Road Basin at 1pm. Summer may be winding down but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a family day out by the canal.
Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Justin Timberlake and Thirty Seconds to Mars are among the headliners at the 2013 iTunes Festival which takes place every night in September at London's iconic Roundhouse in Camden. Phoenix, Jake Bugg, Jack Johnson and Primal Scream are also among the top acts at the free festival which features over 60 performers. To get free tickets for these intimate gigs you must enter a competition by going to the festival's official website, Facebook page or download the app for up-to-date additions to the line-up. Alternatively, all performances can be watched live or on-demand on Apple devices and via iTunes. The annual event has, in the past, featured some stellar acts, including Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Adele, Jack White, Oasis, One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Calvin Harris to name but a few.
The many truths and myths surrounding Richard Wagner are explored in this one-man show in which Olivier award winning actor Simon Callow plays the German composer. Specially commissioned for the Deloitte Ignite festival, curated by Stephen Fry this year, the play attempts to show what Wagner was actually like, and what it was like to be around him. Wagner was a mass of contradictions: a sublime visionary and a petty anti-Semite, a political radical but dependent on dukes and princes, irritating yet charismatic to the point of commanding absolute devotion. Inside Wagner's Head, staged in the Linbury Studio Theatre of the Royal Opera House, explores the life and legacy of Wagner in the composer's bicentenary year.
Each year, the Design Museum holds its Designers in Residence exhibition giving visitors the chance to see the work of young designers at the beginning of their careers. The 2013 Designers in Residence - Adam Nathaniel Furman, Eunhee Jo, Chloe Meineck and Thomas Thwaites - were selected through an open call in response to a brief to create a piece of work based on the theme of 'identity'. The annual show is the culmination of a year-long programme which supports and nurtures up-and-coming designers. The exhibition includes specially created new work from the four finalists and is backed by a series of events and talks, offering visitors the chance to meet the designers while giving them a test-bed for new ideas.
The 'godfathers of alternative cabaret', The Tiger Lillies, present their own unique repackaging of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner as part of the Southbank Centre's Festival of Neighbourhood. The band's take on Coleridge's well-known tale translates into 25 songs enhanced by large-scale virtual sets designed by Mark Holthusen. After a hit run of Hamlet at the Southbank Centre in 2012, the band - who are "unique, unapologetically offensive [and] raucously funny" (The Independent) - return with another adaptation of a macabre classic. "Think music hall performed by the undead", says Matt Trueman in The Telegraph.
Dennis Kelly, writer of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda the Musical, makes his debut at Royal Court Theatre this autumn with The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas. This will be the first production directed by Vicky Featherstone, the Royal Court's new artistic director, who describes it as a dark morality tale about "capitalism, greed and individualism". The central character is a man born in the 1970s who "is offered a chance to be really successful", she told The Guardian. "The play asks, if we pursue that, what happens when all those promises collapse?" Kelly's other credits includes The Gods Weep for the RSC at Hampstead Theatre, and Orphans at the Traverse Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival while recent television scripts include Pulling on BBC 3 and the six part Channel 4 series, Utopia.
Terry Johnson directs his own play, Hysteria, at the Hampstead Theatre, with Antony Sher playing the role of Sigmund Freud in the imagined meeting between the famous founder of psychoanalysis and Salvador Dali. In this hilarious and insightful farce Freud's radical revision of his theories of hysteria are under the spotlight when Salvador Dali turns up disturbs Freud's peace retirement in Swiss Cottage. A remounting of the critically acclaimed Theatre Royal Bath production staged last year, Hysteria features double Olivier Award winner Antony Sher who joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 and won his first Olivier there for his performance as Richard III. Writer-director Terry Johnson recently directed the sell-out hits Old Money starring Maureen Lipman and David Mamet's Race at Hampstead.
Anything less than a firm Friday night thrashing at Wembley would be disappointing for Roy Hodgson's England, who beat lowly Moldova 5-0 in their away fixture back in September 2012. In fact, the only thing which should keep the goal tally down is the fact that England play Group H main rivals Ukraine four days later in Kiev.
Rubber-faced comedian Lee Evans and well known actress Sheila Hancock star in Barking in Essex, Clive Exton's black comedy which tells the story of notorious gangster Algie Packer who is finally coming home after seven years in the clink. The quality cast and crew behind the production, with Evans playing the hapless, dim-witted Darnley and Sheila Hancock as Emmie, his fearsome mother, means there will be high demand for tickets for the show which previews from the 6th September 2013 at Wyndham's Theatre. Clive Exton, one of Britain's foremost television dramatists, known for his adaptations of Jeeves and Wooster and the Poirot mysteries, wrote Barking in Essex in 2005, two years before he died. Don't miss out, book tickets for Barking is Essex now. *Contains bad language, not suitable for ages below 16.
Mayor's Thames Festival
A major carnival celebrates the river that runs through London.
There's a change to the Mayor's Thames Festival this year with the event covering ten days instead of one weekend. In place of the night carnival and fireworks finale there will be events bringing the festival back to its original focus - the Thames, the main waterway which winds its way through the heart of the city. Highlights include '1513: A Ships' Opera', an opera performed by a fleet of historic vessels which finishes with dazzling finale, a one-off spectacular nighttime opera, staged in the waters at Tower Bridge. At All Hallows by the Tower, the oldest church in the City of London, you'll see a twelve-foot boat festooned with ornamental flowers and trinkets, artist Hew Locke's memorial to those who have lost their lives on the river and at sea. Other highlights include a 600-voice children's choir performing songs inspired by Henry VIII's connections with the Thames, a deluxe river cruise with darkly comic commentary, and riverside screenings of 125 short films. Added to these are art, music and educational events both on the water and along its banks and bridges - much of which is free - at various riverside locations from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge and beyond.
The actor, writer, presenter and life-long opera aficionado Stephen Fry curates a specially elongated 2013 Deloitte Ignite series in association with the Royal Opera House this September. Entitled Verdi/Wagner (200), the festival will celebrate the joint bicentenary of musical maestros Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner by exploring the two composers and their music in innovative and creative ways. A range of largely free events - from dance and music to film and workshops - includes a unique installation in Covent Garden Piazza by award-winning costume designer Es Devlin (a zoetrope using footage from a production of Die Walküre), a one-man show by the actor Simon Callow (portraying Wagner), hand mime artist Andrew Dawson performing a potted version of Wagner's Ring Cycle, a global recording of people from all walks of life singing the slaves' 'Va Pensiero' from Verdi's Nabucco, and comedy dance duo New Art Club presenting their own interpretation of Verdi operas, not to mention myriad live radio broadcasts and choral work. Unlike previous years, Deloitte Ignite 2013 extends over four weekends rather than just one, with both free and ticketed events. For more information and full listings please visit www.roh.org.uk/deloitteignite.
Marin Alsop will make history on Saturday 7th September 2013 at the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall when she becomes the first woman to conduct the world famous final night of The Proms. Nigel Kennedy and Joyce DiDonato are the star soloists in a programme that picks up sea-faring themes from Bantock and George Lloyd and includes a transatlantic flavour. Described by conductor Jiri Belohlavek as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival", the much-loved classical celebration now encompasses more than 100 concerts each year. The rousing Last Night is traditionally very different from the eight weeks that precede it, following a lighter, 'winding-down' vein and often pandering to popular classics and Patriotic Anthems (Rule, Britannia!, anyone?). Tickets are almost as hard to come by as Centre Court passes for the Wimbledon finals, but like the tennis, the whole thing is broadcast live on the BBC - and all round the world. Plus on the same night there's the popular Proms in the Park party, hosted by Terry Wogan. Check the LondonTown Proms feature for highlights of the 2013 Proms programme.
Bryan Ferry heads the BBC Proms in the Park line-up in 2013, Britain's largest classical music event which is now in its 18th year. The outdoor concert is a rousing alternative finale to two months of the BBC Proms for those unable to snare tickets to the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. While the whole Last Night shebang is broadcast live on the BBC, nothing quite beats experiencing the biggest night in the classical music calendar under the stars in Hyde Park. Families and friends gather with picnic hampers and rugs for five hours of evening entertainment hosted by Radio 2 DJ Tony Blackburn and the inimitable Sir Terry Wogan. Joining Bryan Ferry in the 2013 line-up are world-famous tenor Joseph Calleja, violinist Nigel Kennedy who will hot-foot it to play in the Royal Albert Hall on the same night and Dame Edna Everage who will be leading the traditional sing-a-long. Other acts include dancers Anton de Beke & Erin Boag, a live performances by the cast of Let it Be, early evening entertainment from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and a sensational firework finale above the stage to cap things off.
Regarded as the rowing equivalent of the London Marathon, the Great River Race is bursting with colour, spectacle, intense competition and casual fun. The race is run upstream, starting at Millwall Slipway in London's Docklands and finishing with a spectacular riverside party at Ham. The extensive 21 mile course takes crews from the industrial cityscape of the Docklands all the way along the Thames to the idyllic semi-rural Richmond shores. Since launching in 1987, entries have snowballed from a mere 72 to a massive 300 boats carrying over 2,000 competitors, racing for 35 trophies. Festivities along the river at Richmond will begin at noon with live music, a children's beach, donkey rides and food and drink stalls.
Taking to the stage at the Noel Coward Theatre, this revival of Shakespeare's popular comedy is one of five plays in the Michael Grandage season – for which 100,000 £10 tickets are available. The penultimate play in the season, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' has an impressive cast. Sheridan Smith, quite the regular on the theatre circuit, will play Titania and David Walliams takes on the role of Bottom. The comedy has three intertwining plots, connected by the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazon queen, Hippolyta. It tells the story of four young Athenian lovers, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena and Hermia, and a group of amateur actors, who are manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which the play is set.
'Jerusalem' actor and former artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe Mark Rylance directs Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones (the voice of 'Darth Vader') in The Old Vic's staging of Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Last seen in the West End together in 2011, in Driving Miss Daisy at Wyndham's Theatre, the two lead actors play reluctant lovers Beatrice and Benedick in this A-list production which begins in the month that marks Kevin Spacey's 10th anniversary as artistic director of the Old Vic. Book tickets for Much Ado About Nothing at the Old Vic Theatre, London.
A free weekend of outdoor entertainment, Stratford Rising brings free screenings, shows, adventures, games and activities to Theatre Square in Stratford, home to Stratford Circus. Turning the square into a giant pop-up playground, Stratford Rising promises to deliver some big surprises by world-class artists including something for everyone, whether you're a grown up, a small child or a child at heart.
Meet Paralympic medallists, try out sports and watch the athletes at the National Paralympic Day, a family event marking the first anniversary since the London Paralympic Games. Held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the event includes the Liberty Festival a free festival featuring Graeae's 'The Limbless Knight' and a special appearance from singer Andrea Begley, winner of the BBC's 'The Voice'. As well as seeing the elite athletes from around the world compete in the newly re-opened Copper Box, there will also be a chance to meet some of the stars of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. You can have a go at Paralympic sports like wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball and accessible climbing wall. Anyone can take part and all activities are supported by professional coaches. A limited number of free tickets will be available on the door for the international matches, so arrive early if you want to be in with a chance of seeing them.
Held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the first time, the Liberty Festival, London's annual disability rights festival, presents an exciting programme of deaf and disability arts and performances. Highlights of the 2013 festival, which is part of the National Paralympic Day, include Cube of Curiosity, a new dance performance commissioned exclusively for the festival, Graeae's 'The Limbless Knight', and a special appearance from singer Andrea Begley, winner of the BBC's 'The Voice'. As well as street theatre, dance and live music there are film screenings, installations and children's activities. Whether you want to take part, educate your kids about disabled arts, or just enjoy some music and comedy in the sunshine, this is an excellent piece of free entertainment.
Radio 2 broadcasts from one of London's favourite parks for the BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park concert. The one day event sees the radio station's regular presenters joined by bands and singers that the broadcaster is associated with. Last year's line-up boasted the likes of Tom Jones, 'The Voice UK''s judge Jessie J, British rockers Status Quo, Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, London songstress Paloma Faith, Scottish funksters Average White Band and hot new talent Emeli Sande. To find out up to date information on this year's artists, keep an eye on the BBC's official website.
Run to the Beat
Running for charity, participants are geed on with live music stages.
The two things that put most people off running a marathon are i) the length of the race, and ii) the habitual banning of iPods and other musical devices. Well, bypass both issues with September's Run to the Beat, London's official music half marathon. Starting at The O2 Arena and taking place around Greenwich and Woolwich, the charity race is a mere 13.1 miles and not only are iPods encouraged, there are also 12 different musical stages dotted around the course where bands play live music throughout the race in a bid to gee on the participants.
Following the overwhelming success of last summer's Olympics, London's Hyde Park has been selected to host the eighth and final leg of the 2013 ITU World Triathlon Series. Bronze medallist in London 2012, home hope Jonathan Brownlee is the current defending champion; his older brother, Olympic gold medallist Alistair, took the title in 2011 but missed most of last season prior to the Olympics through injury. The course is identical to the one used during London 2012, setting the scene perfectly for a dramatic showdown between the Brownlees, who will be joined by 5,000 of the world's top triathletes (from varying age-groups) over six days of action in and around the Serpentine Boating Lake, culminating in the elite women's and men's races.
Kevin Spacey is portrayed in character as Richard III and Damien Hirst as dark overlord of the Contemporary Art scene in Jonathan Yeo Portraits, a free exhibition which gives an overview of one of the most highly regarded portrait painters working in Britain today. A regular contributor to the National Portrait Gallery's BP Portrait Award, Yeo gets his first solo exhibition at the gallery this September. The artist, who was commissioned by the gallery to paint a portrait of broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson in 2010, has portrayed well-known figures in the world of culture, media and politics, including Model Erin O'Connor, Rupert Murdoch and artist Greyson Perry who are displayed here alongside private studies of the artist's family and friends.
Returning after a successful debut last year, Kew the Movies sees the beautiful botanical gardens of southwest London host a pleasant pop-up cinema beneath the stars over three consecutive nights. In partnership with The Luna Cinema, the 2013 Kew the Movies programme opens on Thursday 12th September with Cinema Paradiso, Giuseppe Tomatore's beautiful bittersweet Oscar-winning film about a little boy's love affair with the silver screen. Friday 13th September sees Richard O'Brien put in a special appearance on stage as he introduces his wacky The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the comedy musical's 40th anniversary year. To tie things up with a combination of watermelons and the funky chicken, the last night finale of Dirty Dancing on Saturday 14th September will no doubt see the fairer of the sex have the time of their lives. The iconic Kew Palace and Gardens acts as a grand backdrop to the giant screen while guests are invited to bring picnics to spread out on the lawns. Just cross your fingers the rain keeps away - and the Kew queues aren't too long.
Artist, illustrator and writer Oliver Jeffers, best known for his picture books Stuck, How to Catch a Star and This Moose Belongs to Me, presents an insight into his world in Nothing to See Here. The exhibition at Lazarides gallery displays a new series works by Jeffers, who originally comes from Belfast but now lives and works in Brooklyn. An investigation into the conundrums of modern life, Jeffers presents familiar 18th and 19th century European landscapes defaced with the words, 'Nothing To See Here', challenging what the viewer believes - their eyes or their ears. A visual treat and a thought provoking exhibition, especially for fans of Jeffers's beautiful picture books. If you haven't already been seduced by his books go, buy them, and they will soon become a family favourite. "It all began when Floyd got his kite stuck in a tree..."
The sixth annual Kings Place Festival takes place in mid-September with a unique formula of 100 events and concerts squeezed into just three days. Audience numbers have risen higher with every year and are expected to be at an all-time high this year with events like Alice in Wonderland by Box Tale Soup, Pappy's, and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment lined up. A jam-packed schedule in the halls, galleries and foyers of the King's Cross arts hub blends musicians, artists and cultural figures over one balmy long weekend. The festival presents an extraordinary line-up of classical, contemporary, experimental, folk, jazz and blues music, alongside the finest spoken word, visual art, comedy and food. If you book more than three events, you can benefit from the 'click'n'mix' discount offers.
Running concurrently with the main event, the London Fashion Week Exhibition is open to all UK and international media and buyers. The exhibition houses work from more than 100 designers and offers a presentation of London's ready-to-wear and accessories brands. The stands include the Estethica stand which highlights the best in fair-trade and ethical design, the NEWGEN stand (sponsored by TOPSHOP) which picks out the finest up and coming designers, and 'Headonism' which showcases new British milliners.
London Fashion Week has spawned a whole off-schedule show in 'Vauxhall Fashion Scout', which gives up and coming designers the chance to show their latest work to the trend-making fashion editors and buyers in town. The event has been responsible for showcasing some of the most innovative names in the industry including David Koma, Peter Pilotto, Felder Felder and Phoebe English. Previous years have also boasted the likes of Emma Watson, Jade Parfitt and Jasmine Guinness filling the front row.
This September London Fashion Week will once again inject a burst of style into Somerset House; the iconic building with its famous courtyard is a magical setting for this high profile fashion industry event. The week features 200 of the industry's most creative designers and businesses, in the UK and internationally, with catwalk shows, exhibitions and award ceremonies. It's all wildly exclusive, of course, and if you don't have any connections with the fashion industry there's no chance of acquiring tickets to the main event, however the whole capital will no doubt be bustling with fashion fever and the streets could become your very own catwalk.
Olga Neuwirth presents this radical reworking of Alban Berg's opera 'LuLu'. Set in 1950s New Orleans, 'American Lulu' transports audiences into a world of smoky jazz clubs set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement. The story follows a young dancer as her world is torn apart by the jealous and overpowering men and women who long to be her lover. Taking a look back on her past, the seductive yet scarred Lulu is confronted by a sordid history of sex, murder and suicide.
From 13th September until 10th October 2013 visitors can climb a temporary staircase to the sky, four and a half times the height of Big Ben. The Endless Stair outside Tate Modern, designed by architectural practice dRMM, is a landmark project of The London Design Festival 2013. The 436 metre interactive structure is made of a series of interlocking staircases, inspired by drawings of M.C. Escher. With 187 steps, the 7.7m tall Endless Stair is of the same height as a three-storey building, and will provide both Tate Modern and river Thames views. Open during daylight hours, the structure can accommodate a maximum of 93 people at a time.
Actor Rory Kinnear has already proved his mettle in roles like Iago in the National's current production of Othello and in Bond movies but he exchanges acting for writing with his first play, The Herd, which comes to the Bush Theatre this September. Described as a, "witty and heartfelt look at family life when it doesn't turn out quite the way you imagined", you can expect an insightful evening into a family both falling apart and pulling together. Casting includes Emmy award winning actress Anna Calder Marshall whose film work includes Anna Karenina, Adrian Bower whose television credits include Rev, Harry and Paul, Teachers and Gimme Gimme Gimme, and Louise Brealey who last appeared at the Bush Theatre in Sixty-Six Books. Howard Davies, the Olivier Award-winning director with whom Kinnear has worked with at the National Theatre, directs.
Up to 60 influential artists and art movements from London past and present, including Bodymap, Giles Deacon, Zaha Hadid and Sarah Lucas feature in A Journey Through London's Subculture: 1980s to Now, a major new off-site project organised by the Institute of Contemporary Arts at the Old Selfridges Hotel Part of a series of events curated by the ICA this summer which started with Glastonbury Festival, the London exhibition includes installations formed around 50 custom-made vitrines, showcasing the creative culture of the capital city, from the post-punk era to the current day. Find the project, which occupies the vast first floor of the Old Selfridges Hotel directly above the department store, by the entrance near the Selfridges Food Hall. A series of free weekly talks and events will take place while the six-week exhibition is on including talks by SHOWstudio, Tom Dixon, and the Warhol Museum.
The revival of The Wall, 30 years after Pink Floyd first toured their most famous concept album, has already played 192 shows to over three million fans. On Saturday 14th September 2013 Roger Waters brings the show to London's Wembley Stadium as part of a 24-date European stadium tour. 'The Wall' It's not simply a gig, but a spectacle of a show, featuring a 36ft wall, animations by Gerald Scarfe, a bunch of school children, fireworks and plenty of giant inflatables. If the politicised story at the centre of the show is a little oblique (young man Pink turns his back on his family and society in general), bassist Roger Waters's singing more than makes up for it, as does the brilliance of his six piece band and male backing singers.
The London Design Festival is an ambitious project. Hundreds of events, locations, shops, universities and design agencies are involved in the nine days of talks, exhibitions, competitions and activities. It's a true celebration of the capital's all-encompassing design industry, taking in sectors as diverse as fashion, architecture, retail, typography, photography, textiles, interior decoration and manufacturing. Events come in all shapes and sizes from product launches in tiny boutiques to massive trade shows including '100% Design' at Earls Court, the UK's largest contemporary design trade event. The festival hub is at the Victoria and Albert Museum, there's the Endless Stair installation outside Tate Modern and there are over 300 events taking place across the city. For a round up of the best design events see the LondonTown feature on events in London during the London Design Festival.
Colourscape is one of the UK's most unusual music festivals, combining colourful visual art with contemporary music. Taking place once again on Clapham Common, the festival runs for a whole week, with concerts on the weekends and colour and music workshops throughout the week. The Colourscape installation, a centrepiece of the festival, is described as 'a labyrinth of intense colour that expands the appreciation of some of the finest performances of contemporary music and dance'. Last year, one of the performances took inspiration from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and offered an enchanting show that saw the creatures and characters be represented by musicians.
This modern take on Euripides' The Bacchae at the Globe combines cross-dressing, drug abuse, internet porn and classical myth - all told with a Shakespearian disregard for the usual conventions of time and place. The Lightning Child sees writer Che Walker and director Matthew Dunster reunited after their inventive and anarchic 2008 production, The Frontline, described invariably as "life-affirming" (Time Out) and "superbly orchestrated" (The Times). In ancient Thebes - or is it contemporary London? - worshippers gather to join the orgiastic rites honouring Dionysus. Only the disapproving, woman-hating Pentheus seeks to put a stop to the fun. Elsewhere, in this ancient/modern city, the addicts Drax and Shug and the musician Louise and her flatmate Antonia are drawn towards their own forms of retribution. Fans of Doctor Who will be interested in seeing Arthur Darvill's name on the credits: 'Rory', the annoying companion to Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor and husband of 'Amy Pond', indeed wrote the music for this intriguing play - which contains filthy language and strong content.
Organised and hosted by the London Jewish Cultural Centre, the Hampstead and Highgate Literary Festival has quickly become a much loved event in London's literary calendar. This will be the fifth time the three day book festival festival returns since launching back in 2009, putting well known authors - most of whom come from north London - in the spotlight. New for 2013 is Kidsfest which takes place on the Sunday offering a host of 'kid for a quid' events and activities for younger readers. Another new addition is Poetry in the Park on the bandstand in Golders Hill Park. Top authors and celebrities confirmed for the festival include Ruby Wax, Nick Ross, Baroness Gillian Shephard, Mark Billingham, Tracy Chevalier, and Maggie O'Farrell. There are close to 60 festival events to choose from, hosted in the former home of prima ballerina Anna Pavlova in a picturesque part of town, with creative writing workshops on offer as well as book sales and signings at nearby Daunt Books after each event.
The world's biggest duathlon returns to Richmond Park this September as athletes prime themselves to run, bike and run a little bit more on closed roads in south west London's area of outstanding natural beauty. This double-discipline endurance test is ideal for sporty types who fancy doing a triathlon but are put off by the cold water of the Thames. There are three main categories: fun (5km run/10km ride/5km run), challenge (10km run/20km ride/5km run) or challenge team relay (10km run/20km ride/5km run). While 50 per cent of the 3,500 entrants are competing for the very first time, top athletes will also be able to take part in separate elite and junior elite sprint races. The London Duathlon is sponsored by Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity and encourages participants to raise money for charity.
Some of London's leading chefs take to the kitchens with the aim elevating the humble bar snack to new heights in a cook-off and blind tasting to find the nation's best Scotch Egg. Returning to The Ship pub in Wandsworth for a third year, the Scotch Egg Challenge is a must-see (and taste) event for any posh foodie fan - with the competitors cooking enough eggs for the audience to feed their faces for free. Last year's event saw 24 finalists (including the Harwood Arms, Duck and Waffle, The Modern Pantry and Cinnamon Soho) being judged on three categories - taste, texture and appearance. There were outlandish combinations on offer such as chorizo with fennel, curried smoked haddock and wild boar, heart and liver, black pudding and also - gasp - vegetarian. But the gold medal went to the Bladebone Inn in Berkshire for a genre-bending "ham, egg and chips" offering made with duck egg, truffles, and a potato 'n' Parma ham breadcrumb coating. With a big screen showing all the action live from the kitchen, plus Fortnum & Mason on board to provide chutneys, join the judging panel and give a demonstration on how to make their original 1738-style Scotch egg, this is a truly egg-cellent event.
Describing itself as the UK's first and leading contemporary design event, 100% Design is a four day extravaganza held at Earls Court devoted to the latest product launches, ideas, designs and technology. You can expect more than 400 exhibitors, hundreds of interior design and architectural product launches and plenty of talent, both familiar and rising, on display. Attracting architects, interior designers and industry insiders from all over the world, the event is the best place to marvel at the newest and most innovative designs from an emerging and exciting talent pool. If that's not enough, the event also encompasses 100% Design; an interactive feature with suppliers and manufactures showcasing their products through samples and workshops and 100% Futures; a section of the show dedicated to the design superstars of the future. There's also a great programme of in depth seminars running throughout the four day programme with all sessions free to attend.
Following a successful run at the Chichester Festival Theatre, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui now transfers to the Duchess Theatre. With Henry Goodman once again in the title role - who, according to The Daily Telegraph, "you simply can't take your eyes off...he is horribly, hypnotically watchable" - this play is a funny and witty interpretation of Hitler's rise. Written by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht in 1941 in only three weeks, the play focuses on Arturo Ui, a fictional Chicago mobster, to create an allegory of Hitler's Nazi Germany. Tickets for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui are available on LondonTown.com.
Tom Ellis (who plays love interest Gary in BBC comedy Miranda) plays Curtis Lyons in The Lyons which comes to the Menier Chocolate Factory this September, helmed by the play's original New York director, Mark Brokaw. Ellis stars alongside Katy Secombe, Charlotte Randall and Ben Aldridge in this dark comedy written by Nicky Silver. The drama centres on the Lyons family, who have gathered around the hospital bed of their dying father, Ben. But soon sadness and compassion give way to familial bickering and the betrayal of secrets. The Lyons first ran off-Broadway in 2011 and then transferred to Broadway the following year when the New York Times critic gave it a glowing review, describing it as "directed with a pulsing comic rhythm".
London Fashion Weekend
Open to all, the weekend event is the most accessible part of London Fashion Week.
Along with the main London Fashion Week event, the open-to-all London Fashion Weekend is returning to Somerset House this September. This fashion-focused weekend is an opportunity for everyone to get access to the latest designer trends - even if they don't have a stylist's little black book. The frenzied London Fashion Week is all about work for models, buyers and fashion editors who run around at breakneck speed. But this consumer show, which takes place on the weekend after the main event, offers savvy shoppers the opportunity to check out the latest fashions at a far more leisurely pace. Tickets are on a timed entry basis to make sure the crowds never get 'first-day-of-the-sales' busy. And with over 150 London Fashion Week designers offering their clothes at cheaper than retail prices you can find some real bargains. But it's not just about the latest clothes, you also get makeovers and styling tips while sipping on a champagne cocktail - very stylish.
A wide-ranging immersive exhibition, developed to coincide with the first performances of the choreographer, Wayne McGregor and company, Random Dance's new work, Atomos. The Wellcome Collection's autumn exhibition Thinking with the Body explores a series of long-standing interdisciplinary projects organised by McGregor's company, Random Dance to investigate creativity in dance. Featuring multimedia installation, photography, video and commissioned artworks, the exhibition explores a series of interdisciplinary projects undertaken by the company. Projected images, choreographic software and human-scale 3D animation highlight the vast range of artistic influences McGregor and his dance company have undertaken including collaborations with artist Mark Wallinger and designers rAndom International, to further investigate creativity in dance.
Bermondsey Street Festival returns to South London, bringing street fashion shows, al fresco films and live bands to the area on Saturday 21st September. The brainchild of Rob Wray, local DJ, filmmaker and the man behind Bermondsey Square's independent Shortwave Cinema, the festival has been successfully bringing a party vibe to the area each September for the past six years. Popular festival favourites are back including the Dog Show and screenings at the outdoor cinema. Make your way from Delfina cafe, up Bermondsey Street towards the Square and you'll see all the attractions extending into nearby Tanner Street Park including maypole dancers, an acoustic music tent, arts and crafts and food stalls.
There's some serious monkey business going on in London this September; back for its 11th year the Great Gorilla Run will be bounding through the streets of the capital. Aiming to raise money to save the world's remaining gorillas, hundreds of people will be pulling on their gorilla costumes and running, jogging or walking the 7km City and Bankside route. Expect to see many humorously adapted costumes, including cheerleading gorillas prancing across Tower Bridge and ballerina gorillas perfecting their poise by the Tate Modern. Runners hoping to participate need to pay a registration fee which can be done through The Gorilla Organisation website (a gorilla costume is included!) and should head to the London Underwriting Centre off Mincing Lane in the City of London where the run starts and finishes.
For one weekend a year many of London's architectural landmarks open their doors offering us a glimpse behind doors which are, for the rest of the year, closed to the public. There's a wealth of architectural gems to choose from including some of the most beautiful buildings - old and new - in the city. You can also get inside some of the grandest private homes in your own neighbourhood - it's a voyeur's dream come true. For the more serious student of contemporary design, this is a chance to visit spaces by famous modern architects, some of whom give talks and tours of the buildings they've designed. An inspired idea and a real treat whether you're a lover of architecture or just plain nosy.
In September 2013, the Royal Academy of Arts will present a 'long overdue' survey of Australian art, the first major exhibition on the country in the UK in over 50 years. Indeed, "The last time the RA looked meaningfully at Australian art was 1923", notes The Guardian. Australia, put together in partnership with the National Gallery of Australia, will reveal the development of Australian art through over 180 paintings, prints and drawings, watercolours, photographs and multimedia works. These will include works by Aboriginal artists, 19th century European immigrants as well as the Australian Impressionists and early Modernists. The presence and influence of Australia's land and landscape will be an underlying theme throughout the exhibition.
From humble beginnings, starting with a grain of sand, pearls become beautiful jewels, treasured for their beauty and you can see some of the best examples in the world at the Victoria & Albert Museum's autumn exhibition. A pair of drop pearl earrings owned by Elizabeth Taylor, a 16th century salamander pendant, and a group of tiaras worn by European royalty are among the highlights. But as well as displaying robes dripping in pearls worn by Far Eastern rulers, this exhibition will explore the history of pearls beginning with the early Roman Empire - when an entire military campaign could be financed by selling just one pearl earring.
Roddy Doyle's bestselling novel 'The Commitments', best known as a hit film in the 1990s, comes to the London stage more than 25 years after the book first published. The show, which has been more than two years in the making, has been adapted from the novel by Doyle himself and will be brought to the Palace Theatre stage by award winning director Jamie Lloyd (the man behind the Tragalgar Transformed season at Trafalgar Studios and the recent production of Macbeth starring James McAvoy). The story is a heartwarming tale about a group drawn together by an advert to form the "finest soul act in Dublin". With the music playing such a key role in Alan Parker's 1991 film, and with Doyle and Lloyd behind it, The Commitments has the potential to make a first class musical.
More than 4,000 people are expected to cycle the 45 miles from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle when they take part in the Palace to Palace charity bike ride organised by The Prince's Trust. The route starts on The Mall and goes along St. James's Park towards Buckingham Palace before turning towards the River Thames. Riders then pedal through Fulham and across Putney Bridge before entering Richmond Park, the Royal Park famous for its free roaming deer. The route then goes out of town towards Kingston-upon-Thames and crosses back over the river into Bushy Park. It then continues on to Virginia Water and Egham before the final approach to Windsor Castle and the finish line at Royal Windsor Racecourse. A fun way to raise funds for a worthwhile and effective charity.
Michael Lesslie's prequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet enjoyed a sold out run at the National Theatre back in 2010. Now, Prince of Denmark returns with a run at the Ambassadors Theatre. Directed by Anthony Banks, the play is set a decade before Shakespeare's play and incorporates romance, love and rebellion as teenagers Hamlet, Ophelia and Laertes rage against their parents' expectations in royal Elisnore. Book tickets for the Prince of Denmark at the Ambassadors Theatre through LondonTown.com.
The world's bravest theatre company - the Belarus Free Theatre - return to the Globe this autumn to perform Shakespeare's great play about speaking the truth. In Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship, the company is forced to hold their rehearsals and free performances in secret locations, normally small private apartments or in the woods. Praised for being "energetic... extraordinary... charming" by The Guardian, the Belarus Free Theatre first performed King Lear in London during last year's splendid Globe to Globe event in the World Shakespeare Festival. Granted, the famous tale of a King falling into madness may be performed in Belarusian, but theatre fans should come in their droves for a second chance to see such a towering production.
Welsh veteran alternative rockers the Manic Street Preachers perform a medley of hits and promote their new album Rewind The Film, their first record since 2010. The title track of the new album features Sheffield crooner Richard Hawley on vocals alongside Manics frontman James Dean Bradfield, while the first single 'Show Me The Wonder' is a classic Manics track - an upbeat nugget of pop with soaring horns, a joyous chorus and some questioning lyrics. The rest of the album is a more reflective, stripped-back, acoustic affair which should keep one of the UK's most lasting rock bands in the limelight for a while longer. Support at this Shepherd's Bush Empire gig comes from the unique London duo Public Service Broadcasting.
Marking 35 years since the release of their classic album 'Rumours', Fleetwood Mac will be playing at London's O2 Arena for three nights this September. This much anticipated tour will see original members Mick Fleetwood and John McVie be joined by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who both joined in 1975. The band hasn't toured since the sell-out 'Unleashed' back in 2009 and this will be a rare chance for fans of the veteran group to enjoy live renditions of their classic blues influenced rock. Audiences can expect to enjoy both old favourites and new work from the quartet.
An exploration of the relationship between musician and dancer with an evening of live acoustic music and breathtaking dance from ZooNation, the creators of the critically acclaimed, award-winning West End shows, 'Into the Hoods' and 'Some Like It Hip Hop'. Unplugged gives audiences a rare opportunity to experience hip hop music and dance stripped bare of all the bling.
Just weeks after The Proms 2013 season concludes, Scottish classical violinist Nicola Benedetti performs a one-off recital at the Royal Albert Hall. The former BBC Young Musician of the Year and last year's Classic BRIT Award winner may upset the musical snobs with her risky avant garde interpretations and her absence of historic assertion - but there's no denying Benedetti is hot property having played an extraordinary three Proms at the tender age of 25 in 2012. The programme for this midweek concert has yet to be announced but the Royal Albert Hall stage has already proved a welcome platform for Benedetti's unassuming virtuosity, boundless energy and graceful poise.
The Raindance Film Festival, described by The Guardian as "the indie-est film festival this side of the Atlantic", is the UK's largest independent films festival and it's been going for over 20 years. The festival, which also played a role in founding the British Independent Films Awards in 1998, mixes famous names and rising stars appearing in films made with small budgets. The full line-up has yet to be announced but you can expect a wide choice of feature films and cutting-edge documentaries. Last year there were more than 90 UK premieres from 36 countries, including over 30 international premieres, and a further 150 shorts, cementing Raindances position as on of Europe's top independent film festivals. All films are screened at the Apollo Cinema in Piccadilly Circus, except for the Opening Night which is usually a premiere followed by an after-party with live music.
One of Latin America's most important post-war artists, Mira Schendel and her contemporaries reinvented the language of European Modernism in Brazil. Bringing together 250 paintings, prints and sculptures, this exhibition will represent works from across her entire career, including some works which have never before been exhibited.
A new fairytale musical written by Tori Amos, The Light Princess premieres at the National Theatre's Lyttelton stage on 9th October 2013, with previews from 25th September. Marianne Elliott, whose previous National Theatre credits include War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, directs the production which features music and lyrics by Amos and book and lyrics by Samuel Adamson. The cast of this coming-of-age story stars Rosalie Craig as Althea, the princess, who plays opposite Nick Hendrix as Digby, a neighbouring Prince, and includes Clive Rowe who recently starred in The Hothouse at Trafalgar Transformed. This "dark fairytale about grief, rebellion and the power of love" follows the lives of a princess and prince who have both lost their mothers. In the midst of war, the pair meet on contested land and start an illicit affair but the princess must still confront the darkness and her fears.
Ghosts, Henrik Ibsen's drama on the family travails of the Alvings, is adapted and directed by esteemed theatre director Richard Eyre at the Almeida Theatre this autumn. Lesley Manville, best known for her frequent collaborates with film director Mike Leigh, taking the lead role in 'Another Year', stars as Helene Alving alongside Jack Lowden who plays her son. Lowden's recent theatre credits include Quartermaine's Terms at Wyndham's Theatre while Will Keen, who plays Pastor Manders, was most recently playing Eric Liddell in Chariots Of Fire at the Hampstead Theatre and in the West End.
This is your chance to meet and sample food from specialist producers, chosen for their high standard of quality goods, produced ethically without cutting corners. As well as street food to sample, there are demos by top chefs, the Sheep Show featuring live animals, and plenty of live music. This three day festival champions small producers, the kind who are often too small or niche to set up a rent paying shop. So it's down to events like this to give them a platform. It's a great way of networking and building a little black book of trusted suppliers - and most likely ones that the top London restaurants are using too.
Three large screens in Gillett Square will be be the focus of the Night Contact Festival, a new photography and multi-media festival in Dalston, East London. At dusk on Friday 27th September 2013, projections will be beamed at a number of indoor and outdoor venues including the premiere of a new site-specific work. The majority of the work comes from open submissions - so anyone can take part - shown alongside a curated programme. These are displayed at six satelllite venues including The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston Boys Club, Servant Jazz Quarters and Bird Cafe, each showing a programmed screening. As well as the projected works which will take over the streets of Dalston, across outdoor spaces, bars and music venues, there will be stalls, music, food and drink with vouchers offering deals at local bars and eateries.
New York ballet company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, returns to Sadler's Wells this autumn after a hugely successful UK debut last year, performing for two nights only. The 16-member company which was founded in 2003 by the Walmart heiress Nancy Laurie has become known for featuring work by contemporary European choreographers. The company will be performing three works - Indigo Rose, created by renowned choreographer Jiri Kylian; Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue by Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite; and Necessity, Again by Norwegian choreographer Jo Stromgren, set to a selection of songs by Charles Aznavour. With the recent departure of artistic director Benoit-Swan Pouffer, the Cedar Lake ballet master, Alexandra Damiani, will oversee the company during its European tour.
This all-Beethoven evening will see David Hill conduct the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and members of London Philharmonic Choir for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5 'Emperor' and Symphony No 9 'Choral', which climaxes with the 'Ode To Joy'. Taking place in the majestic setting of the Royal Albert Hall, this is set to be a spectacular evening of music.
For the first time in history, not one but two NFL regular-season games touch down in London in 2013. The first clash sees the Minnesota Vikings play their first game in the UK since a 1983 pre-season clash at the old Wembley. The Vikings host the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team who boast the NFL record of six Super Bowl championships, who are making their first ever London appearance. The Steelers' President is called Art Rooney II - and with a name like that, he'll look for inspiration in a stadium where his namesake footballer often gets on the scoresheet. American Football at Wembley Stadium is seen as something of a curious novelty in the UK, with crowds topping the 80,000-mark every year since the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins played the first NFL game back in 2007. In the second 2013 NFL International Series game, the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the San Francisco 49ers a month later in October.
Each year London's Pearly Kings & Queens come together to welcome the new season in style - and boy what a style they have, with extravagant Smother Suits covered top to toe in sparkly buttons, badges and glitter. The free festival starts in the afternoon at 1pm at Guildhall Yard before a parade to St Mary-le-Bow Church for a harvest festival service. No doubt the celebrations will then continue with some pints of ale and plates of jellied eel at an East End boozer - perhaps interspersed with a spot of Morris dancing. Offerings are donated to the Whitechapel Mission, a charity aiming to help those caught in poverty. A second Pearly Kings & Queens Harvest Festival is held on Sunday 20th October in Covent Garden, starting at 10am in St Paul's Church.
Emeli Sande, Rizzle Kicks and Ed Sheeran are just some of the big name stars appearing at a fundraising concert marking the 20th anniversary of the murder of Stephen Lawrence. Unity: a concert for Stephen Lawrence, will also feature performances from Plan B, Tinie Tempah, Jamie Cullum, Jessie J, and Labrinth, among others. The event, which aims to champion youth and social empowerment, will take place at London's O2 arena on 29th September 2013. Proceeds go to The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.
The Wimbledon BookFest, extended to 16 days in 2013, has a strong cast of literary and cultural heavyweights lined up this year including author Roddy Doyle, dancer Darcey Bussell and journalist David Goodhart who joins Channel 4's Faisal Islam to discuss his study of the reality of UK immigration. The south west London literary festival has welcomed a raft of top authors since its debut in 2007, including the likes of Salman Rushdie, William Boyd, Michael Morpurgo, AS Byatt and Victoria Hislop. It's a community-driven event which aims to spread a love of reading and writing, and fire the ambition of local writers - young and old. The heart of the festival is a special Big Tent on Wimbledon Common, but author events take place in a variety of venues in and around the local area.
Following a ten-year absence from the London theatre scene, the much loved lyricist Tim Rice returns with From Here to Eternity, a musical version of James Jones's classic 1951 novel which previews from Monday 30th September 2013 at the Shaftesbury Theatre. In a career spanning five decades Rice has written lyrics for Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Lion King, earning him three Oscars and an Olivier Award for his 'outstanding contribution to musical theatre'. For his latest project - which you can buy tickets to by clicking here - he teams up with young composer Stuart Brayson, author Bill Oakes and director Tamara Harvey to bring the tale about the trials and tribulations of American soldiers in the run up to Pearl Harbor to the stage. Priscilla Queen of the Desert star Ben Richards plays Sergeant Warden, the part played by Burt Lancaster in the 1953 film version.