St Patrick's Day makes March special

When you see Saturday morning light

You know everything’s going to be alright.

No work today, time to play

You can even stay in bed all day.

–

But March will be upon us soon

With much to see and do.

If you’ve got a minute to spare

Here are the month’s highlights for you.

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This could be called the month of film

With so much going on.

There’s a special London Film Day

And loads of premieres to go along.

–

Or if it’s music that you’re after

You don’t have to pay much or go far.

You could try the daily foyer music

At the National Theatre.

–

And of course there’s always St Martins

Swinging each week.

Just remember to book early

Or you’ll never get a seat.

–

Even though Easter’s in April

That’s not stopped the Southbank.

They’re having a chocolate festival

That will increase your waistband.

–

The Lates are on as usual

But they all look a little tame.

I’ve got my eye on the Late at Tate

Because lately they’ve upped their game.

–

East London, umm

Would I advise you to go?

Not late at night unless you’re a damn fool.

But this month it’s different

It’s East London 2010

They’ve got the London Word Festival

And the East London Commonwealth Games.

–

Just in case you think I forgotten the kids

You couldn’t be further from the truth.

There’re lots of little activities to go to

But no major events have yet come through.

–

So we come to the last

And I would say the best

It’s St Patrick’s Day this month

And that easily beats all the rest.

–

If you want to know what’s on in London in March read our daily blog because we will put daily events on there throughout the month. These are just a few of the highlights and the ones not to miss.

If you want to keep up with what’s on in London subscribe to our blog and you won’t miss out. Click the top right hand corner subscribe link.

Here’s a few more things to do: The Late at Tate Britain on the 5th, Bicycle Polo in Spitalfields on the 6th and 7th, live music in the evenings at the National Theatre, see the World Cup at Selfridges on the 10th, The Bounty Hunter film premiere on the 11th, free comedy nights at the Source Below, a vintage fashion fair on the 14th, the Gavin Bond photo exhibition, a David Bailey exhibition, Remember Me premiere on the 17th, free evening concerts in Waterloo, Mog the Forgetful Cat and author will be in London on the 20th, Marron Town play at St Martin-in-the-Fields on the 24th, Toploader play for free on the 23rd, the Late at the V&A on the 26th, the premiere of Clash of the Titans is on the 29th, Kids in Glass Houses play in HMV on the 31st

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Enjoy the Chinese New Year celebrations

Just in case anyone was in doubt about how multicultural London is, February proves the world is living in London.

There are two free events in particular that are perfect for the kids and that welcome everyone to share in their day of culture.

I didn’t hear about this event last year but it must have been a great success as it’s on again this year. On Sunday 7^th the Maslenitsa Russian Festival takes place at Potters Field, which is only about 5 minutes from London Bridge.

This next event is much more well known. The Chinese New Year celebrations are huge in London with events taking place around Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Chinatown. It all happens on Sunday 21^st.

As more events and things to do are announced I’ll post them here and in more detail on the daily blog.

So that you don’t miss out on great events why not subscribe to the blog, that way you can get all the info by email or your feeder. Click subscribe in the top right hand corner.

If film premieres are your thing then Thursday 11th you’ll want to be in Leicester Square for the premiere of Valentine’s Day. Then on Thursday 25th it’s the premiere of Alice in Wonderland.

The Royal Albert Hall have a lovely family event that the kids will love called Cinderella on Ice. You need to act quickly on this one because it’s only on from Wednesday 24th – Sunday 28th.

The National Portrait Gallery have an excellent exhibition starting on Thursday 18th by Irvin Penn, who’s probably one of the greatest photographers you’ve never heard of.

The Spitalfields Pancake race is always a good laugh and that takes place on surprise, surprise, Tuesday 16th.

The London Transport Museum Late sounds interesting this month. It’s themed as Commuter Love, hoping to cash in on Valentines, on the 12th February.

Carnaby street turns 50 this year and will be running various events throughout the year to mark the occasion. It all begins on Friday 26th with a photography exhibition.

St Martin-in-the-Fields always seem to have something worth going to see and one of the higlights this month is the Salsa they have on Wednesday 10th. But there’s plenty on there and pop along sometime this month for a good night out.

The Southbank Centre can always be relied on for putting on good events for children. The Imagine festival starting on Saturday 6th is one you should definitely go to with the children.

The Unicorn Theatre is usually good to go to when you’re in London with children and this month they have a storytelling season starting on Tuesday 2nd – Sunday 21st

Below are other posts worth reading:

1. What’s on in London in March

Start the year with the New Years Day Parade

London in January is not everyone’s cup of tea, it’s often cold, wet and gray. Yet in many ways it’s one of the best months to visit because of the things to do and bargains to be had. If you like shopping, eating out and going out, then January is the month for you.

Here are a few things to do and as more events are announced I’ll put them here and on the daily blog.

The Royal Academy of Arts have started doing behind the scenes tours of the gallery so that you can find out more about the exhibitions and the gallery. The first tour is on Tuesday 12th.

And of course don’t forget about the Van Gogh exhibition starting on Saturday 23rd.

The Little Angel theatre is a theatre that does puppet shows for children. If it was in a more central location it would be world renowned, it’s that good. But it isn’t the easiest venue to get to so few people know about it. If you’re here with young children it would be worth the effort going.

Sticking with the kids activities theme, visit the British museum this month. They have quite a few activities for the family and many of them are free.

There’s a big film premieres this month that should be interesting.  Invictus is on Sunday 31st and it’s hoped Matt Damon will turn up. Be sure to look at our Premiere Guide if you plan on going.

Most people know about the delights of Somerset House especially at this time of year with the ice rink. There is however a good free tour that they do every Thursday and Saturday. It’s very popular so you need to get there early to take part.

Brian Moore is one of the best rugby players England have ever had and he’ll be signing his new book in Leadenhall market on Wednesday 20th. Expect queues.

Also doing signings will be Matthew Reilly at Waterstones in Leadenhall Market on Thursday 21^st and Kathy Lette, Deborah Moggach and Xiaolu Guo at Waterstones at Piccadilly on Tuesday 19^th.

If you like jive and swing music and didn’t party too hard on New Years Eve head to the Southbank Centre on Saturday 2nd. The Jive Aces, one of the UK’s top jive and swing bands is playing for free.

Also at the Southbank on Sunday 3rd January they are holding a free Ballroom dancing event from 12 – 7pm. Anyone can go along for a free lesson or just to have a dance.

I often mention Canary Wharf because every so often they put on some great events there and because of its location it’s not crammed with tourists. On Friday 15^th to Saturday 16^th there’s a very good ice sculpting festival taking place and you can even have a go at ice sculpting.

The Late at the Tate Britain is on Friday 8th. It’s a very strange one this month and it’s definitely not mainstream. If you like something different and challenging this is for you.

Strangely The Science Museum hasn’t yet announced what Late they’re holding this month. It’s unlike them as they’re pretty good about that sort of thing and I only hope the same people who organised last years brilliant events are still about. The date to keep free is Wednesday 27^th.

One of the great things about doing this blog is letting people in on some of the secret London events. This one is for families and is fantastic. It’s the Barbican Family Film Club held every Saturday morning. You don’t have to be a member just get your ticket in advance and you’re good to go.

If you like jazz music but don’t like the high prices, go to St Martin-in-the-field on Wednesday 6^th, The Fabulations will be playing. There’s only unreserved tickets left right now, so if you want to see them you better hurry.

The comedy venue I’m highlighting this month is Amused Moose, it’s another one of those hidden venues that most visitors to London miss. The best night is Saturday at the Soho venue and prices are very reasonable.

Below are other posts worth reading:

1. What’s on in London in March

You know it's the start of Christmas when the tree arrives in Trafalgar Square

I love December in London, it’s easily one of the best months for events and things to do. I don’t know what it is about this year but there seems to be more things than ever before and many of them are free.

As more events are announced I’ll post them here and on the daily blog.

Although many fantastic Christmas events have already started such as the Winter Wonderland, the Covent Garden events and the Cologne Market. Christmas hasn’t really arrived in London until the giant Christmas tree is put up in Trafalgar Square.

This year the tree goes up on Thursday 3^rd with carol singing and the turning on of the tree lights starting from 6pm.

Also from Monday 7^th to Tuesday 22^nd there will be carol singing by different choirs and groups at the base of the Christmas tree. Anyone can join in with the singing and it takes place each evening.

December in London also sees a lot of film premieres, they’re mainly family orientated, but this year they have the premiere of Sherlock Holmes. It stars Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr so you know it will be a packed event for the red carpet dance. The premiere is on Monday 14th. Have a look at our London Film Premiere Guide for tips on going to premieres.

Various funfairs also turn up in London this month. You have the funfair in Leicester square, although small is a lot of fun, the funfair at the Winter Wonderland is always good and the O2 funfair is huge and partially indoors so if the weathers bad you’ll be ok.

The Chocolate Festival is a must for you chocoholics, it’s at the Southbank between Friday 11th and 13th. You’ll be able to buy and try excellent chocolate and take part in demonstrations/workshops.

This next event says so much about London at Christmas. I mean who’s ever heard of a Christmas Pudding race. Well if you head to Covent Garden on Saturday 5^th you’ll see what a Christmas Pudding race looks like and you’ll shake your head in disbelief.

As if having the tree in Trafalgar Square wasn’t enough, there will also be a full size Polar Bear ice sculpture in the Square from Friday 11th for about 10 days. It’s there to highlight the effects on global warming and when it melts will just leave an iron carcass.

Also in the Square on Wednesday 16th an events called Feeding the 5,000 is on to highlight the amount of good food that is wasted. Go along and you can get a free lunch.

You shouldn’t forget about the theatre in London either at this time of year because it’s the best time to go. Many shows are quite full which makes the whole atmosphere a lot better which the actors seem to respond to. Also with our 2 for 1 offers you’ll see a show at a great price.

So far and a big surprise to me is the lack of book signings for this month. Usually there are multiple signings going on each week up to Christmas, but so far I’ve only heard of two big name signings. The first is Twiggy, she’ll be at the National Portrait Gallery on Friday 4^th doing her only signing. The second is Delia Smith doing a signing on Thursday 3^rd at John Lewis.

The Barbican Centre is one of those venues people often forget about even though that have great events there. One of the best things they have on from Wednesday 16th to Thursday 31st is a children’s cabaret with music, comedy and magic. The children will love it and you’ll love the venue.

As much as I love London one of the things I never look forward to is Christmas shopping. In December it doesn’t matter what day or time you go, it’s going to busy. My advice to you is to try and do the shopping on Saturday 5^th because it’s a traffic free day. More space on Oxford and Regent Street makes the whole shopping thing a lot easier.

You know one of the things you have to admire about Selfridges, is that they realise we live in the Internet age. So unlike other stores that just sell things, which you can get over the Internet, Selfridges puts on events to get you in their store and then sell you something.

Here’s a taste of what they have planned for December. On Thursdays they’ll have the Queen of Drag, Jonny Woo and his friends doing comic versions of various pantomimes, all on stilts. Fridays sees Jonny host a Gay Bingo event. While on Saturdays they’ll have short Panto performances of Aladdin, live music by bands, and Children’s workshops with face painting.

The World Press Photography exhibition is a must see event and is on at the Festival Hall until Sunday 13th. It’s a free event an will open your eyes to what’s happening in the world.

December isn’t the best month to visit comedy clubs because many of them either close early because of Christmas or they’re booked out for office/company parties.

However the comedy club I’m highlighting this month is open all through December and because it’s held in a theatre it doesn’t get booked by office parties too often. The clubs called Just the Tonic and it takes place every Friday and Saturday.

There’s no real need to tell you about the New Years Eve Fireworks as your guidebook should have all the details. What I will say is, if you want to get a good view and be right by the river you’ll need to get to the river at least 3 hours before midnight to get a really good spot.

Enjoy London this month it will be fantastic.

Below are other posts worth reading:

1. What’s on in London in March

Lord Mayor's Show is one of the best events in London

I‘m sure part of the reason you’ve come to London is to capture some of the history. As Londoners we very much take it all for granted, except it seems for the Lord Mayors show which always has a good turnout. And it’s not just because it’s a free event.

The streets will be packed with people watching the parade who will be, even if they don’t know it, taking part in something that goes back nearly 800 years.

If it’s history you’re after, the Lord Mayors Show is it. The show’s on Saturday 14^th and starts at 11am with a fireworks display starting at 5pm.

Regardless of your thoughts on war Remembrance Day will be on Sunday 8th. As the name says it’s a time to remember the people who have died through war. A parade of veteran and current soldiers takes place along Whitehall from 10am.

The Lates at the London Transport museum return this month, they’ve been hit and miss in the past, but hopefully this season will be better. Unusually for a Late it’s not free but costs £7, still not sure why they charge and other Lates don’t! The event is on Friday 6th and starts at 6.45pm – 10pm.

The official start to Christmas has always been when the Christmas lights are turned on on Regent Street. Well this year it takes place on Tuesday 3^rd, but unlike other years, the lights on Oxford Street and in the City of London will also be turned on at the same time.

That’s not all though, to mark the occasion there will be live street concerts at Oxford Circus and on Regent Street, with the lights being turned on at 5pm by Jim Carey and Colin Firth.

This all fits in nicely with the premiere of Disney’s A Christmas Carol. It also takes place on the 3^rd and with the stars Jim Carey and Colin Firth already here, the other stars of the film will also be doing the red carpet dance. This promises to be one of the biggest film premieres of the year.

Talking of films, the Children’s Film Festival at the Barbican starts this month. The idea behind the festival to use film for learning and fun is an inspired idea. Held over two weekends, Saturday 21^st, Sunday 22^nd and Saturday 28^th, Sunday 29^th, the festival has films, workshops and special events for all the family.

There’s so much on offer at the festival that if you’re coming over to London with your family, this is definitely one place you have to visit. Click the link above for pricing and booking etc and treat the kids to something different while you’re here.

What can you say about the London Jazz Festival. If you’re into jazz no explanation is necessary, if you’re not, none will do. So for all the jazz fans and those vaguely interested, it kicks off on Friday 13^th at various venues and keeps on going until Sunday 22^nd November. Click the above link to find something to float your boat and enjoy.

Winter Wonderland in London makes Christmas feel like it's already here

Saturday 21^st sees the opening of the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. This event is always very popular and is the perfect way for you to get into the Christmas spirit. There’s the biggest ice rink in London, a massive big wheel to ride on and lots of other rides for children as well as adults.

It being Christmas there’s also a Christmas Grotto with Father Christmas and a traditional German Christmas market selling food and various other Christmas items. It’s free to enter the Wonderland site but to go on the rides etc there is a fee.

The British sense of humour is famed the whole world over and London has some of the best comedy clubs in the country.

The comedy club, it’s actually a permanently moored boat, I’ll be highlighting this month is the Tattershall Castle. Like I said earlier it’s on a boat, so don’t go looking for a castle. The best nights are Fridays and Saturdays and it costs £12.50 to get in.

The club sometimes has surprise top name guests and the standard of comedy is very high. This is another one of those excellent venues that many guidebooks fail to mention.

When you get the EPok London Pack we tell you about events like this and also give you 2 for 1 discounts at various restaurants in London. We also have essential articles to read about London such as  How to Choose a London Hotel. Visit epok.com for more details.

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1. What’s on in London in March

The Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square was the most unusual sight this summer

The nights are drawing in, it’s getting colder and the fainthearted and old fogeys are staying in. Great, because now it’s not so crowded, yet there’s still loads going on. Even if all I’ve got is half a beat left in me, I’d still want to play in London.

Here are just a few highlights of what’s on in London this month. If you’re here on vacation there’s lots more to do than your guidebook tells you. As more events are announced I’ll post them up.

The London Film Festival starts on the Wednesday 14th and promises to be the best one ever. As usual there’ll be lots of actors and directors you’ve never heard of. But this year a number of A-list stars have said they are coming to London to help promote their movies and we’re talking George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson to name just a few. If you like doing the red carpet spotting you’ll be in movie heaven. It all comes to a close on Thursday 29^th.

The big premiere of the week is Fantastic Mr Fox, on Wednesday 14^th. George Clooney is one of the many A-listers in this animation and I can see this premiere being huge so take your packed lunch and get there early.

October sees the end of even by English eccentricity standards the strangest exhibition ever. Since the 6^th July every hour someone has got onto the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square to do whatever they felt like. Some people have entertained the crowds others have annoyed them, but most notably none of them have left a defining memory. So was the whole thing worth it, dam right it was, because if we can’t have something crazy and fun like this, we may as well all be robots. It all comes to an end on Wednesday 14th and the word is something special is being planned for the day.

It doesn’t look like the Lates at the museums are that good this month so I’m only mentioning the Late at the Tate. It’s on Friday 2^nd and it’s all about contemporary classical and experimental music. Hang in with me, I know it sounds out there, but click the nonclassical link and you’ll see why I think it will be worth going along.

You can tell all the book publishers are starting to gear up for Christmas with the increase in the number of book signings taking place. Three that you might want to queue for are the signings by Stirling Moss, Ian Botham and Steve Redgrave. If I have to explain who any of these legends are, these are not events for you.

You can see Stirling Moss at the Waterstones in Piccadilly on Saturday 3^rd. Ian Botham at Waterstones in Canary Wharf on Monday 5^th and Steve Redgrave at Waterstones in Leadenhall Market on Tuesday 20^th. All of the signings are at 12.30 – 1.30pm and I can safely say if you just turn up at 12.30 and think you’re going to get in, you don’t know what legend means.

Tango fever comes to an end in Spitalfields this month. Thursday 8^th is the last day for free Tango lessons and the Tango dance night. If you know how to Tango get there between 7pm and the finish at 10.30pm and if you’re a beginner get there at 6.30 for a free half-hour lesson.

Being the most multicultural city in the world you never have to wait long for a cultural festival to be held in London. In London we take it for granted, as a visitor it’s one of the first things you’ll notice. London really is a city of all nations. Well on Sunday 4^th it’s the turn of the Hindus, Sikhs and Jains with Diwali, The Festival of Light. There will be celebrations in various parts of London and in Trafalgar Square a free event with stalls, music and other entertainment takes place from 2pm – 7pm.

Also upto Saturday 10th is the Brick Lane Curry Festival. If you’ve never had curry or you think you’ve had curry, go to this festival to taste the real deal. Most of the restaurants in the area will have special menus or entertainment during the festival.

On vacation it’s always hard coming up with something that will interest children. Luckily Somerset House hold free family workshops on Saturdays with various activities for children aged 6 – 12. The workshops start at 2 pm to 3.30pm and are certain to keep them entertained.

The 02 Centre in London is a great venue for events and starting at the end of October, Disney on Ice will be there. This is a fun family event that sells out quickly; it’s on from Wednesday 28^th – Sunday 8th November so get your tickets online now.

So that you don’t miss activities like these and to get money saving offers when you’re in London. Visit epok.com.

Also if you want to know what the weather’s likely to be, here’s a monthly breakdown. London weather monthly forecast.

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As things get back to normal from the holidays and the nights slowly start drawing in, this month sees the last of the summer outdoor events. The one that you don’t/won’t be able to miss is the Thames Festival. But also try to see the end of the activities at the Scoop and the Watch This Space events at the National Theatre.

As more events are announced I’ll post them on the daily blog.

Fireworks in London on the River Thames

The Mayor’s Thames Festival is on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th and it’s brilliant. I mean they have something for everyone, there’s music, dancing, fireworks, it’s just a great celebration and so much fun. I don’t really have to tell you to go along to this one because with so much going on, if you’re in London, you’ll get swept up by it all anyway. It starts at 12 noon and goes on until 10pm on both nights.

Watch This Space at the National Theatre has been pretty good although the weather did let us down on a quite a number of occasions. Events are on till the end of the month but only on Fridays to Sundays.

There’s something about watching a film outdoors on a big screen on a nice warm evening. You sit there with friends/loved ones have a few drinks, it’s relaxing and it’s great. So Kudos to the people at the Scoop for running outdoor films in London in September!

The films start at 7pm but you need to get there early if you want a good spot. This event will be packed as Londoners display their eternal optimism that the weather will be good. The fun kicks of from Wednesday 16th.

The Southbank Centre has so much going on it’s easy to miss some of the wonderful events happening there. For instance if you’re feeling a bit tired or just want to chill out, go there at around 5.30 on a Friday and head for the Front Room. At that time they usually have live jazz, folk or improvised music being performed by artists you might not know, but who are exceptionally good. It starts this month on Friday 4th with Thomas Truax, who was described as one of the  five or ten best singer songwriters in the world, you’ve never heard of.

Also another highlight at the Centre this month is the return of the Slow Food Market, from Friday 18th – Sunday 20th. You can buy and try traditional and seasonal food as you wander among the stalls. Definitely worth having a look.

If you like Nick Cave you’ll be very happy because  he’ll be signing his latest book at Waterstones on Piccadilly on Tuesday 8th at 6pm. With his popularity this event will be over attended and as queuing is on a first come basis, you need to get there early or they won’t let you in. And if you’ve got young children you may want to go to the Piccadilly branch on Saturday 19th as they are having an activity day for The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pop-Up Book.

Also the Waterstones bookstore in Leadenhall Market is having something of a sports theme this month. Mike Atherton on Monday 14th, Mark Ramprakash on Monday 28th and John Motson on Tuesday 29th will all be signing their new books.

The Royal Opera House is way out of my price range. So when they have events like the Deloitte Ignite Festival, it’s a great chance to go along and hear something different.

The festival is on from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th with many shows being free. The popular events always go very quickly so if you’re coming over get your ticket now from the link above.

This month the Tower of London holds a music and arts festival which I have to say is a strange venue. It sounds like it should be great because there’ll be Opera, Jazz, classical and world music, but I still think it’s a strange place to hold it. The event starts on Thursday 10th and ends on Sunday 20th.

London has some spectacular buildings that either only residents or workers in the building can go into. Some of these buildings have incredible views across the city and are just amazing. This is why it’s worth getting the programme for the Open House Weekend on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th.

The programme will let you know what buildings you can get into and is essential as many buildings will have limited viewing. This event only happens once a year so do something your friends missed.

The comedy club I’m highlighting this month is the Comedy Cafe because they are consistently putting on great shows. Yes it’s a bit out of the way, it’s 5 minutes walk from Old Street, but it is worth it.

When you get the EPok London Pack you not only get a what’s on in London sheet for your stay in London. You also get discounts on restaurant meals and going out. Visit epok.com for more details.

Also if you want to know what the weather’s likely to be, here’s a monthly breakdown. London weather monthly forecast.

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