07.09.17: 5 Unmissable Events in London This WeekendBy Angelica Malin
Looking for things to do in London this weekend? Well, your weekend starts here. There’s nothing we like better this time of year than festivals, summer feasting and getting our dancing shoes on. Diaries at the ready, here’s 5 unmissable events happening in London town:
Weekend Guide: Saturday 9th September
1. For a Day at the Races: Food and Wine Racing Weekend at Ascot
What: Foodies and racegoers alike are invited to a glorious weekend of feasting, drinking and racing as part of the four-day Festival of Food & Wine Racing Weekend at Ascot Racecourse. Raymond Blanc OBE and Candice Brown will be headlining the chef demonstration stage on Saturday (9th September), with wine expert Neil Phillips talking visitors through his pick of wines.
Why: Also on Saturday, racegoers can also look forward to a four-course menu designed by renowned chefs Raymond Blanc OBE, Phil Howard and James Tanner, alongside Ascot’s award-winning head chef Ben Dutson. To be served in the Parade Ring Restaurant, dishes will be perfectly complemented by a fine wine selection curated by connoisseurs, Bibendum. The four-day Festival of Food & Wine runs alongside two days of Ascot’s flat season racing and is one of the summer’s culinary highlights. As well as live chef demonstrations, more than 140 stallholders will be showcasing produce from across Britain and beyond.
Price: Tickets here
Where: High St, Ascot SL5 7JX
2. For a Fitness and Music Mash Up: Backyard Cinema x Ministry of Sound
What: Backyard Cinema are teaming up with Ministry of Sound’s, Ministry Does Fitness for one epic day only on London’s very own ‘Miami Beach’. Yogis will feel the sand between their toes as they downward dog to the Miami sun rising (on a cinema screen), and Miami beach goers will be put to the test in the body blitz HIIT workout sessions.
Why: The day kicks off with a 10am Disco Flow – it’s all about finding your groove, breakin’ a sweat and connecting to your super smooth self. A 70s affair, this is a beach party you won’t forget. At 11am, don your wetsuit (if you wish) for Surf’s Up Yoga. A class combining breathing, yoga and, maybe some surf moves. Backyard Body Blitz takes place at 12pm and 1pm, and once you step on the beach you’ll be a part of their team where no one gets left behind in HIIT x Strength x Party mash-up rolled into one 45min EPIC fitness experience.
Price: £15 per class. Ticket here.
Where: 42 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6DR
3. For Cheap Garms: Pop Brixton
What: As a particularly British summer draws to a close, Pop Brixton will be hanging on to the last days of the warmer weather with their mega kilo sale. Get your winter wardrobe sorted with South London’s best vintage kilo sale, and raid through tonnes (no, really) of vintage clobber.
Why: Get stocked up on shoes, vintage garms and accessories for a ridiculous bargain. All stock is priced at just £15 per kilo, and entry is free. Here’s how it works: find what you want, get it weighed and pay for it. And to keep you fed and watered post-shopping, there’s Basque tapas at Donostia Social Club, amazing pizza by Made of Dough, West African munch at Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen and sweet and savoury crepes by L’Amuse Bouche.
Price: Free entry
Where: 49 Brixton Station Rd, Brixton, London SW9 8PQ
Weekend Guide: Sunday 10th September
4. For Talks, Roasts and More: Sunday Papers Live
What: Celebrating late summer and the winding-down of the festival season with their second and final London event of the year. This is your last chance to experience Sunday Papers Live until April 2018. Hear stories of drag ballet in Iraq, listen to debates on whether post-truth is really a new political era, and learn how to fake a TED talk. A salvo of remarkable people will bring you poetry, song, stories, games, comedy, advice and opinions. They will challenge your positions on everything from drugs to Brexit to sexuality.
Why: World news comes by way of Guardian star-journo Matthew D’Acona in conversation with legendary columnist and author David Aaronovitch – two titans of UK journalism and one rising star explore the new war on truth – and how to fight back. In UK News Shappi Khorsandi and Geoff Norcott, two of our finest stand-up comedians – one veering left, the other right – take on the state of the nation. VICE UK bring an all-female panel of harm reduction experts discuss the issues facing female drug users; and the Science and Technology section sees philosopher-scientist extraordinaire and co-writer of Ex Machina and World War Z, Adam Rutherford. A panel of remarkable female adventurers including Anna McNuff, Lois Pryce and Pip Stewart take on the travel section. And popular science writer Marcus Chown will boggle your mind on a scaled walk across the solar system via Primrose Hill. The perfect Sunday – but bigger – the papers brought to life, roasts as big as a house, long walks with some of our finest cultural commentators, and lashings of Bloody Marys.
Price: Tickets here.
Where: Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Road, London NW1 7AY
5. For Music and Food: On Blackheath Festival
What: On Blackheath Festival is back for another year – taking place on the historic green space of London’s Blackheath on Sunday (10th September). As well as live music from some of Britain’s best loved bands including Travis and The Libertines, enjoy award-winning street food, take part in special masterclasses, and attend chef demonstrations.
Why: In additional to a stellar music line-up the festival, Masterchef finalist, Tony Rodd has curated an incredible food arena. Chef demo highlights include John Torode, the renowned Masterchef judge, Michael Bremner, who has appeared on BBC2’s Great British Menu and is the owner and head chef at Brighton’s 64 Degrees restaurant, Adam Simmonds, multi-award winning head chef and owner of The Test Kitchen, and MasterChef: The Professional 2016 winners, Jane Devonshire and Gary Maclean cooking up delights.
Price: Tickets here
Where: Blackheath, London SE3 0UA
