What's on in London this week: 24 – 30 July 2023
Discover our pick of things to do in London this week: 24 – 30 July 2023.
Explore London
Festival14 Canary Wharf
Festival14 returns to Canary Wharf in July with music, theatre, and comedy. Headliners include Soul II Soul, Yazmin Lacey, and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra. Enjoy comedy acts by Desiree Burch, Shaparak Khorsandi, and Paul Chowdhry. Family activities, street performances, workshops, and delicious food!
Date: 26 July – 30 July 2023. Location: Throughout Canary Wharf, London, E14. Website: canarywharf.com
Image: Festival14 Canary Wharf. Canary Wharf Group
The Climate Conversation
Witness a compelling climate crisis discussion featuring Greta Thunberg, Tori Tsui, Vanessa Nakate, Daphne Frias, Mya-Rose Craig, and Ati Viviam Villafaña. Reuniting after nearly two years, these young climate leaders assess progress, address world leaders' inaction, and prepare for COP28. This event is part of the Southbank Centre’s Planet Summer programme.
Date: 30 July 2023. Time: 8pm. Location: Royal Festival Hall. Price: from £15. Book now.
Prom 14: Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations
As part of the BBC Proms, experience the captivating 'Enigma' Variations by Edward Elgar—a mystery he never fully revealed. Delight in the tender playfulness of orchestral variations inspired by Elgar's loved ones, including the cherished 'Nimrod.' Pianist Jan Lisiecki joins the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Elim Chan, for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3—a Romantic interplay between conflict and lyricism. The concert promises a program of powerful emotions and musical brilliance.
Date: 25 July 2023. Time: 7:00pm. Location: Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AP. Website: royalalberthall.com
Image: Body Movement 2022. Photo by Gemma Bell
Body Movements Festival 2023
Don't miss the highly anticipated third summer edition of Body Movements Festival this week. Celebrating the vibrant queer club culture, this festival brings together LGBTQI+ crews from the underground dance music scene. Experience a diverse musical journey with a lineup of LGBTQI+ artists, including Gideön, HAAi, Tygapaw, Jaye Ward, Octo Octa, and more. Mark your calendars and be part of this inclusive and energetic celebration of queer identity!
Date: 29 July 2023. Location: Hackney Wick, London. Price: from £25.90. Website: bodymovements.co.uk
Brown Jaga Brown Festival
Brown Jaga Brown Festival is a week-long celebration of Malay culture and identity, taking place at Applecart Arts. The festival aims to unite communities and empower the Malay diaspora in the UK while exploring the essence of Malay identity shared by people from diverse regions. Attendees can participate in intergenerational workshops, experience traditional Malay crafts and martial arts, learn Jawi, and enjoy film screenings and live performances. The festival, organised by Khai & Faizal, seeks to share their culture and heritage with the wider community, inviting everyone to experience the vibrant and enriching festivities.Click here for full programme line-up.
Location: Applecart Arts,The Passmore Edwards Library, 207 Plashet Grove, London E6 1BX. Price: The festival embraces the Pay If you Can policy, promoting openness and inclusivity by offering free registration and understanding financial limitations that some attendees might face. Book now.
Image: Nuclear.Instruments. Brown Jaga Bown Festival.
Heights Yoga Sessions at citizenM
Join HOLISTIC HEIGHTS, the brand new weekend yoga sessions at the rooftop of CitizenM Tower of London. Every Saturday, experience Gymbox's finest yoga classes combined with breathtaking 360° views of London's skyline. Flow through heart-and-body opening vinyasa sessions while basking in the morning sunshine. The experience includes a complimentary post-class breakfast featuring sparkling tea, fiery ginger shots, refreshing mimosas, creamy chia pudding, pastries, granola, yogurt, tea, and coffee. No need to bring a mat; YogiBare provides one for you. The schedule includes different yoga styles throughout July and August.
Date: 29 July 2023. Time: 10am - 11.30am. Location: citizenM Tower of London Hotel 40 Trinity Square London EC3N 4DJ. Price: from £18. Book now.
Image: Matthew Lejune
12th Knot Rooftop Disco
Get ready to experience an epic Rooftop Disco session this Friday at 12th Knot, as the legendary DJ Smokin Jo from Defected Records takes the stage. It's set to be an unforgettable night filled with pulsating house and disco music, delivered with Jo's trademark energy.
Date: 28 July 2023. Location: Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PD. Price: from £11.50. Book now.
Free festivals in London
London is bursting with free festivals this summer. We may already be partway through the season, but there are still plenty of ongoing festivals, with more set to start next month. From the return of the incredibly fun Summer in the Square at the National Gallery to King’s Cross's own music festival, not forgetting the cherished Notting Hill Carnival. Here's our roundup of the must-see free festivals in London this summer.
Image:Summer on the Square, photo © James Ross, courtesy The National Gallery, London
Summer in the Square
National Gallery's Summer on the Square, a free festival of creativity and community, returns in August to Trafalgar Square. Eight workshops led by artists will focus on child-led art, design, and play activities. Don't miss inspiring experiences, including bamboo construction, collaborative art galleries, and immersive 20th-century art. Part of Westminster City Council's Inside Out Programme.
Date: 1‒28 August 2023. Location: North Terrace, Trafalgar Square. Website: nationalgallery.org.uk
Greenwich Peninsula Summer Sessions
Greenwich Peninsula presents Summer Sessions, a season celebrating community, the outdoors, and the arts. Every weekend in August, enjoy a diverse lineup of events, including Yinka Ilori's colourful Mini Golf, Camille Walala's vibrant Ping-Pong course, dance workshops, live music, and more at the heart of Design District. The festivities also feature live jazz, a Big Music Weekend with Rhythm Section and Just Vibez, and an Outdoor Cinema hosted by Pop Up Screens. Whether you're a foodie, a film buff, or a dance lover, there's something for everyone to enjoy during this exciting summer season.
Date: throughout August 2023. Location: Design District, Soames Walk, Greenwich, Peninsula, London, SE10 0AX. Website: greenwichpeninsula.co.uk
Image: Image: Great River Race. Photo by Alan Skene.
Totally Thames 2023
Totally Thames 2023, London's annual river festival, commences in September. It showcases art installations, performances, river races, and more, focusing on sustainability and protecting the environment. The festival explores the intersection of art and everyday life amidst uncertainty. With events all month long and various weekend festival hubs, it celebrates the Thames and its role in inspiring and delighting people. Supported by multiple organisations, it offers a diverse array of activities and exhibitions for all to enjoy.
Date: throughout Summer. Location: along the Thames. Website: thamesfestivaltrust.org
Canada Water Love Summer
Love Summer, London's vibrant pop-up oasis, returns to Canada Water for its second year, offering a fantastic summer experience for both locals and visitors. Throughout July and August, the central waterside destination welcomes everyone to unwind and enjoy a plethora of free social activities, workshops, and live music. Located near Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Love Summer provides a diverse range of activities, including arts classes, health and wellbeing workshops, Wallball, and climbing sessions, as well as a delightful Summer Terrace and Plant Pavilion.
Date: 21 July – 28 August. Location: Canada Water. Website: canadawater.co.uk
Click here to discover more free festivals in London this summer.
Arts & Culture
Opening this week
Headway East London: differently various
The Barbican's iconic Curve gallery will host differently various, an immersive exhibition and public program by Headway East London, a charity supporting people affected by brain injury. Over ten days in summer 2023, the exhibition will showcase diverse artworks, celebrating the creativity of those with brain injuries. The event offers workshops, talks, tours, and performances, creating spaces for learning, creativity, and discussion. Workshops range from clay-making to drawing and music jam sessions. There will be a relaxed screening of brain injury-related films and collaborative activities like stitching and embroidery. Tours include sensory and British Sign Language tours, offering inclusive experiences for all.
Date: 29 July – 6 August 2023. Location: The Curve , Barbican , Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS.
Image: Headway East London
London Art Biennale
The London Art Biennale showcases diverse artistic movements without a specific theme, featuring painting, sculpture, digital art, and more. The exhibition gathers artists from around 50 nations, from established masters to emerging talents, creating a stimulating and coherent experience. Held at Chelsea Old Town Hall, it attracts galleries, critics, and clients from across the globe, promoting art and culture as its main focus.
Date: 27 - 30 July 2023. Location: King's Road, London, SW3 5EE. Price: Free. Website: londonbiennale.co.uk.
Image: London Art Biennale at Chelsea Old Town Hall. Image courtesy of London Art Biennale.
#FLOFAVOURITES: THIS WEEK
Asim Waqif: वेणु [Venu]
Asim Waqif's bamboo installation, वेणु [Venu], can now be seen at Hayward Gallery Terrace. The striking structure explores urban space, ecology, and community, blending traditional crafts with biomimetic architecture. Supported by the Bagri Foundation, it fosters spontaneous creativity and brings new public artworks from Asia and its diaspora to Southbank Centre.
Date: 20 July – 22 October 2023. Location: Hayward Gallery Terrace, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: Free.
Image: Holly Hendry's 'Slackwater' Artist Roof Garden. July 2023. © MTotoe.
Holly Hendry: Slackwater
Holly Hendry's art installation, Slackwater, takes over the Artist's Garden by Temple tube station. The installation features a maze of intricately entangled tubes, constructed with industrial-scale ducting, electricity spools, and inflated boat fenders. Representing the area's watery history and the abstract rhythms of the Thames and the human body, this large-scale sculpture will be on display on the rooftop site until September 2024.
Date: until September 2024. Location: The Artist's Garden Temple Station Roof Terrace, London WC2R 2PH.
Reframe: The Residency Exhibition
Experience the immersive exhibition Reframe: The Residency Exhibition, showcasing powerful responses from 77 Black and Black mixed heritage artists to climate change. Part of Southbank Centre's career acceleration program, Reframe empowers Black creatives, addressing barriers in the arts and creative industries. Curated by Misan Harriman, the free exhibition combines film, photography, music, and sound design to offer a unique perspective on the climate emergency.
Date: 19 July – 27 August 2023. Location: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Price: Free. Book now.
Image:Reframe The Residency Exhibition. Photo by Pete Woodhead
Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World
Christie's in London presents an extraordinary exhibition celebrating the Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture and Youth and the Barjeel Art Foundation. The showcase features a diverse collection spanning over 80 years of creativity. The exhibition pays homage to the artistic diversity of West Asia and North Africa, showcasing celebrated and underrepresented Arab artists.The exhibition has a focus on the profound legacy of pioneering Emirati conceptual artist, Hassan Sharif, and how his dynamic creativity shaped the United Arab Emirates' art scene. It's a superb exhibition showcasing a vast and diverse collection of artworks that offer a unique opportunity to gain insight into the rich history of art in the Arab world.
Date: 20 July – 23 August 2023. Location: Christie's, 8 King St, St. James's, London, SW1Y 6QT. Price: Free. Website: christies.com.
Image: Hussain Sharif (b. 1961, Dubai) Untitled. Emirati Art Reimagined: Hassan Sharif and the Contemporary Voices part of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World. Christie’s London. July 2023. © MTotoe.
Life is more important than art
Life is more important than art is a summer-long program at Whitechapel Gallery, exploring the intersection of art and everyday life. Inspired by James Baldwin's perspective, it reflects on the role of art amidst the cost-of-living crisis and post-pandemic challenges. The exhibition focuses on London's dynamic histories of migration and difference, showcasing how art can reflect lived experiences and open new possibilities. Don't miss the podcast with the artists for deeper insights into the exhibition's themes.
Date: until 17 September 2023. Location: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. Price: Free. Website: whitechapelgallery.org
LAST CHANCE
Ai Weiwei: Making Sense
Last chance to see Ai Weiwei's exhibition, Making Sense, at the Design Museum. The exhibit features a mix of recent works and commissioned pieces, exploring value, humanity, art, and activism. Ai's engagement with material culture delves into the tension between the past and present, hand and machine, precious and worthless, construction and destruction. It intertwines traditional craftsmanship of historical Chinese artefacts with China's recent history of demolition and urban development.
Date: until 30 July 2023. Location: 224-238 Kensington High Street, Kensington, W8 6AG. Price: from £15. Concessions available. Book now.
Pop-up & Venues
The Battersea Games
Image: The Battersea Games at Battersea Power Station. Photo by Charlie Round Turner.
Battersea Power Station hosts The Battersea Games, a thrilling summer sporting event that is free to visit. It features padel, running, basketball, fitness classes, dog-friendly activities, indoor climbing, ping pong, vintage arcade games, virtual reality experiences, and sports gear shopping. With 30 cafes, bars, and restaurants, it's the ultimate summer hotspot.
Location: Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW11 8AL. Website: batterseapowerstation.co.uk
#FLOFavourites: Pick of the week
FREE EVENT OF THE WEEK
Friday Lates: DIVA Disruption
Unleash your inner diva at V&A's Friday Late: Diva Disrupted this Friday. Celebrate divas' disruptive power in pop culture through live music, performances, and workshops. Explore the Divine Feminine, sci-fi, and ritualistic practices, challenging societal norms on beauty, gender, and body representation. Enjoy sensorial experiences, karaoke, and digital activations at this fantastic free event.
Date: 28 July 2023. Time: 6.30pm - 10pm. Location: V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road London SW7 2RL. Website: vam.ac.uk
Image: V&A South Kensington. May 2023. © MTotoe
Food of the week
La Crêperie de Hampstead
Image: Banana, white chocolate, topped with nuts at La Crêperie de Hampstead. July 2023. © MTotoe.
Image: La Crêperie de Hampstead store. July 2023. © MTotoe.
La Crêperie de Hampstead is a renowned crêpe spot in London, offering some of the city's best crêpes. With a focus on authenticity, they serve up a tasty selection of savoury and sweet crêpes, including crepes that contain cheese, ham, asparagus, mushrooms, and garlic, as well as seriously good sweet combinations like banana and Belgian milk or white chocolate topped with crunchy nuts. Founded in 1977, it has become a beloved Hampstead institution, attracting locals, tourists, and even celebrities. Click here to discover more about their scrumptious Crêpes.
Location: 77 Hampstead High Street Hampstead London NW3 1RE. Instagram: @lacreperiedehampstead
Interview of the week
In conversation with Cynthia Valianti Corbett
Image: Cynthia Valianti Corbett. Photo by Emma Pratte
Cynthia Valianti Corbett is the founder of the Cynthia Corbett Gallery. She established her own gallery after a successful career as an international economist. Cynthia launched the Young Masters Art Prize in 2009 and has since expanded it to include the Young Masters Ceramics Prize and the Young Masters Emerging Women Artist Award, recognising emerging women artists. In 2021, she initiated the "Focus on the Female" project to support women artists. The Young Masters Art Prize will return in 2023 for its 6th edition in London. Click here for full interview.
Cause of the week
Team Up
Image: Team Up
Team Up is a movement aimed at addressing educational disadvantage in the UK. They use inspirational role models to provide tuition, helping students from low-income backgrounds improve their academic attainment and expand their opportunities. Their mission is to break the link between parental income and academic success by offering small-group tuition and valuable career development for their tutors. Founded by Sharla Duncan, Team Up started as a way to break down barriers to university for underprivileged children and has grown into a registered charity supporting over 7000 young people in Maths and English. The organisation focuses on inspiring role models to create positive changes in the lives of these students.
Click here to discover how you can volunteer with the organisation.
Website: teamup.org.uk. LinkedIn: Team Up
