Top 5: Unmissable Events in London This WeekendBy Alicia Grimshaw
There’s lots of fantastic events and activities happening in London this weekend. Why not embrace the weather with a trip to a Uruguayan food fair, or ditch your phone in favour of a digital detox festival. Whether you’re into yoga or beer, we’ve got something for everyone. Here’s 5 ideas for this weekend in London:
1. For Vino and Vibes: Urban Food Fest
What: Prepare for the arrival of South America’s hottest new food trend, as Uruguay crosses the Atlantic Ocean for Urban Food Fest this summer. Feast on succulent, mouth-watering Chivito and some of the finest wines Uruguay has to offer, this Saturday (20th).
Why: Leading Uruguayan winery Bodega Garzón has teamed up with Urban Food Fest, one of London’s buzzing street food markets, to bring you a taste of the country’s delicacies. On the menu is Chivito, a traditional sandwich-style dish consisting of a thin slice of tender, flavoursome filet mignon, mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh olives, all inside a fluffy soft bun. There’s plenty of wine to go round, along with a whole host of other nibbles and alcoholic tipples.
Price: Entry to Urban Food Fest is free with drinks ranging from £3.50 to £6.00 and dishes from £2.50 to £8.50.
Where: 162-167 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6HU
2. For Bending and Brunch: Sunday Funday’s at Santa Monica Sky Lounge
What: Sunday Funday’s are a big thing in Santa Monica, it’s ensuring a Sunday is a fun day, usually involving some form of work out and a few drinks (cocktails). Enjoy Santa Monica’s Sunday Funday this Sunday (obviously), at Santa Monica at Sky Lounge.
Why: Sunday Funday consists of a 75 minute yoga class at the rooftop lounge overlooking the stunning backdrop of the City followed by a fresh juice station. Yoga starts at 9:15am -10:30am and welcomes everyone to stay onwards for a tasty brunch – bottomless available too! Classes are for all levels including beginners up to advanced Yogis/Yoginis. Mats are supplied but changing facilities are limited so it is recommended to arrive wearing your yoga wear. Bring sunglasses and sun cream – just in case.
Price: £15 per class. Book here
Where: 12th floor of Doubletree by Hilton – Tower of London, 7 Pepys St, EC3N 4AF
3. For a Digital Detox: LOST Festival
What: LOST Festival will return to a secret woodland location just outside of London with a 24-hour hedonistic celebration of art and music. Providing a multi-sensory experience LOST is at the forefront of the latest festival trend – providing festival-goers with the opportunity to lose themselves for 24 hours within an intimate, beautifully designed location. Leave your phone at home, and hop on a blackened out bus from London to take you to the ultimate artistic escape.
Why: Kicking off on Saturday (20th), Legendary selector and all round good guy Rob Da Bank will providing musical accompaniment to the festivities from his bottomless record bag, he’ll be joined by London DJ’s such as Two Inch Punch and crews such as B.A.R.E amongst others. On the art side in the LOST WOODS, Alice Kilkenny will be creating incredible visual installations fresh from touring her work with Sting, John Costi who has recently shown at The Koppel Project, Light Eye Mind, and Tate Modern will be bringing his unique inimitable art and spoken word to proceedings.
Price: £50. Last few tickets remain – buy yours here.
Where: A top-secret woodland near London. See the full line up here.
Photo Credit: Zoe Savitz Photography
4. For Beer and (Chinese) Buns: Pilsner Urquell x The Duck and Rice
What: With the nation abuzz about craft beer, how it is made and what ingredients are used, we’ve fast become perfectionists on the way the beer is poured. Although this may not seem like an important factor in the journey from beer making to drinking, Pilsner Urquell is on a mission to open our eyes to just how crucial it is to the taste of the beer.
Why: Pilsner Urquell, the original Pilsner from Plzeň, Czech Republic, will be hosting a beer pouring masterclass at The Duck & Rice in Soho. You’ll learn the art of the Czech way of pouring Pilsner Urquell three ways, along with how to pour your own Pilsner,all finished off with a delicious Cantonese pub lunch with your very own pint. The event kicks off on Saturday (20th) at 12pm and lasts for two hours.
Price: £35 per person, which includes the masterclass, a pint and a pub lunch. To reserve a space please call 02033277888 or email reservations@theduckandrice.com
Where: The Duck and Rice, 90 Berwick St, London W1F 0QB
5. For Grooving and Grub: Small Plate Sessions
What: Kick off the weekend in style with a unique daytime party which mixes small plates of creative food, with delicious disco and naughty underground electronic music. Happening on Saturday (20th), this all day extravaganza will take place at the world’s largest co-living building, The Collective Old Oak.
Why: The line up for the first small plates session includes; Jack C (Krankbrother Resident), Giles Smith (Secret Sundaze) and Anthony Difranesco (WYS! Fabric). Innovative chef, Ben Spalding is behind this new musical and food venture – so prepare to chow down on tasty grub such as, sticky piggy ribs seasoned with bonfire salt, and mango crème fraiche; smoked mackerel tortillas with teriyaki broccoli and soured cream, and for pud – praline with crispy pastry, Crunchie dust and iced marjoram.
Price: Tickets are £10 and permits entry to the festival, along with one small plate of food and a pint of Frontier lager or a glass of wine. Tickets here.
Where: Old Oak Lane, London, NW10 6FF
One for your diary…
What: Meatopia festival will return to London’s Tobacco Dock from the 2nd-4th September; there will be a new Friday night ‘Late Shift’, the traditional Saturday festival day and a carnival themed Sunday for all the family. Returning for its fourth year, this weekend-long event of meat, fire, music and drink, sees some of the world’s leading chefs cook with their favourite meats over live fire, explore whole carcases and create signature plates you simply wouldn’t be able to experience anywhere else.
Why: Professor Green will be headlining the Friday night ‘Late Shift’ with a DJ set alongside Andy Smith(Portishead), MC Zani and Bass 6, DJ Tofu and Temple Funk Collective. There will also be an eclectic programme of music across the weekend, from brass bands to roaming musicians to acoustic jams and DJ sets from Norman Jay MBE and Jazzy B. This year’s line up promises a weekend of interesting and unusual demonstrations by top international chefs, such as: Francis Mallman, who will be taking to the stage on Friday night, and Ramael Scully and Yotam Ottolenghi, who will be exploring their love of Middle Eastern cuisine. Other chefs include; Dan Doherty (Duck & Waffle), Neil Rankin (Temper), Selin Kiazim (Oklava); Tomos Parry (Kitty Fishers), Tom Adams (Pitt Cue) and Brad McDonald (Shotgun).
Price: Tickets are available to purchase online now, priced at £22.50 for admission to the Friday night, Saturday SOLD OUT and £30 for the Sunday. Book here
Where: Tabacco Dock, Tobacco Quay,Wapping Ln, London E1W 2SF
Photo Credit: Tom Gold
