What To Book In London This March

From sure-fire hit shows at Tate Modern and the Royal Academy through to art fairs, highly anticipated theatre productions and an avocado pop-up from Amsterdam, this month London is packed with must-see installations and events. Here’s what to see and where to go before 31st March…

GRAB A BARGAIN HERE: Asceno

On Wednesday 13th March, luxury swimwear and sleepwear brand Asceno is opening its doors for its spring sample sale. Taking place at its Exmoor Street store from 10am-8pm, this free event will offer fashion fans up to 80% off previous season collections. Perfect timing – we’re already plotting this year’s summer holiday plans.

2-4 Exmoor Street, Ladbrook Grove, W10 6BD; 13th March

Visit Asceno.com

BE PREPARED HERE: The Baby Show

The Baby Show ExCeL is a three-day event for pregnant mums, babies and parents to be. Taking place at ExCeL London, the show offers a family-friendly shopping and advice experience where you’ll find everything for pregnancy, bump, baby and you. Alongside an array of baby brands, boutiques, not-on-the-high-street products and exclusive show offers, there will be an exciting line-up of speakers taking to the stage across the three days, giving advice on sleep, birth, breastfeeding, weaning, health and wellbeing. Experts include Lucy Shrimpton (The Sleep Nanny), birth guru and author of The Positive Birth Book Milli Hill, maternity nurse and baby sleep expert Sarah Norris (The Baby Detective), nutrition expert and author Madeleine Shaw and best-selling author and weaning expert Annabel Karmel.

Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, Canning Town, E16 1XL; 1st-3rd March

Visit TheBabyShow.co.uk

DECORATE YOR HOME HERE: Affordable Art Fair

Whether you know your Hockneys from your Hirsts or are simply looking to dip your toe into the world of contemporary art, at the ‘Battersea Spring’ edition of the Affordable Art Fair expert gallerists will be on hand to help you choose the perfect piece to suit your space, taste and spend. Alongside 1000s of artists and over 100 galleries, the fair will feature a programme of workshops and talks on this year’s theme of colour. These include Faber-Castell and illustrator Alice Nyong’s workshop ‘Kaleidoscope of Colours’, Bloom & Wild’s bouquet making classes and the NSPCC’s art therapy workshops. Experts from the The British Institute of Interior Design will also be giving talks on this season’s key trends and how to best express yourself through colour.
 
Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, Queenstown Road, SW11 4NJ; 7th-11th March
 
Visit AffordableArtFair.com

LEARN ABOUT WINE HERE: Berners Tavern

Berners Tavern at The London EDITION has launched a new series, ‘An Introduction to Wine’, which kicks off on 11th March. Held in the restaurant’s private dining room, sessions will be hosted by the restaurant’s director of wine, Matteo Montone (who has the highest level WSET diploma and recently achieved his Advanced Court of the Master Sommelier). These informal classes aim to teach the basics of wine tasting, the correct terminology to use and ultimately equip guests with the skills to approach a wine list with confidence. Priced at £30 per person, the event will have 12 spaces available per session. Guests who choose to dine at Berners Tavern following the class will also receive 15% off the total bill.

The London EDITION, 10 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 3NP; 11th and 25th March
 
Visit BernersTavern.com

SEE A NEW EXHIBITION HERE: Tate Modern

This month, Tate Modern is hosting the first large-scale exhibition of Dorothea Tanning’s work for 25 years. It brings together 100 works from her seven-decade career – from enigmatic paintings to uncanny sculptures. Tanning wanted to depict ‘unknown but knowable states’: to suggest there was more to life than meets the eye. She first encountered surrealism in New York in the 1930s. In the 1940s, her powerful self-portrait Birthday 1942 attracted the attention of fellow artist (and future husband) Max Ernst. A highlight of the exhibition is the room-sized installation Chambre 202, Hotel du Pavot 1970-3. This sensual and eerie work features bodies growing out the walls of an imaginary hotel room.

Bankside, SE1 9TG; until 9th June

Visit Tate.org.uk

HAVE A DRINK HERE: The Enchanted Garden

To celebrate the change of the seasons, South Place Hotel’s rooftop terrace has been transformed into an ‘Enchanted Garden’. Partnering with Martin Miller’s Gin to create a range of five botanical cocktails, guests can head over to the botanical wall where they can pick from a range of green garnishes to add to their cocktail. Over the course of March, there will be range of activities including ‘Ginternational Women’s Day’ on 8th March, and screening of Mamma Mia! on Mother’s Day (alongside some extra treats from Diptyque, which also provides the floral fragrances in the garden) on 31st March.

3 South Place, City, EC2M 2AF; until 30th April
 
Visit SouthPlaceHotel.com 
 

BOOST YOUR CAREER HERE: The Ivy Soho Brasserie

This month The Ivy Soho Brasserie will launch its ‘In Conversation With’ series, celebrating career-driven women across industries. The first evening will be held on 11th March and will be co-hosted by Lucy Williams, fashion, travel blogger and brand consultant and Louise Troen, International VP Marketing & Communications at social networking app, Bumble. Guests are invited to join the women for an evening of discussion covering topics such as perfecting the work-life balance, the everyday struggles of being a successful business women and more. The evening will take place from 6:30–8:30pm in the restaurant’s private dining room, where guests will be served champagne and canapés.

26-28 Broadwick Street, Soho, W1F 8JB; 11th March
 
Visit TheIvyCollectionEvents.giftpro.com

GO BACK IN TIME HERE: The Royal Academy

Bringing together works by Renaissance artists such as Titian, Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Dürer and Cranach, the RA’s The Renaissance Nude is set to shed light on a visual tradition at its most vital moment. This highly anticipated exhibition will explore important changes in the art world of the 15th and 16th centuries via a selection of exquisite works. From full-scale paintings to jewel-like miniatures, bronze statuettes to anatomical studies, they contrast idealised beauty with the ageing body, and public images with more intimate, private works. Together, they offer an insight into a visual tradition that became central to European art, which still resonates with artists and audiences today.

Burlington House, Mayfair, W1J 0BD; 3rd March-2nd June

Visit RoyalAcademy.org.uk

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1999 HERE: Scala

Originally a cinema built in the 1920s, Scala has cemented itself as an essential hub for clubbing and live music since 1999. On 20th March, the venue will celebrate 20 years of hosting live music. To mark the occasion, Scala will be turning back the clocks on entry fee and bar prices for one night only to give Londoners the chance to party like its 1999 – think £3 drinks aplenty. British indie ones-to-watch The Orielles will provide the soundtrack to the evening, joined by multi-instrumentalist Mellah and rock’n’roll newcomers Crewel Intentions. Then on 23rd March, legendary LGBTQ+ club night Popstarz will make an appearance for the first time since it’s ‘last ever party’ in 2014. We predict an epic night out.
 
275 Pentonville Road, King’s Cross, N1 9NL; 20th and 23rd March
 
Visit Scala.co.uk

CELEBRATE WOMANHOOD HERE: Southbank Centre

Women of the World Festival returns to the Southbank Centre on 8th-9th March in honour of International Women’s Day. Featuring two days of truly impressive and inspirational panels, this year's line-up includes legendary writer Angela Davis in conversation; award-winning journalist and author Naomi Klein speaking to Jude Kelly; the launch of major new international anthology New Daughters of Africa edited by Margaret Busby; comedy from Jo Brand; a world premiere from Women’s Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer; and a talk with bestselling author, blogger and campaigner Chidera Eggerue, aka The Slumflower. Elsewhere, Annie Lennox will lead a conversation on global feminism; Julia Gillard – the first woman prime minister of Australia – will talk about her mission to dispel the myths about female leadership, plus Lily Allen will read from her 2018 book My Thoughts Exactly.

Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo, SE1 8XX; 8th-9th March
 
Visit TheWowFoundation.com

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