What To Do This Weekend 01.08.24

Brazilian beauty brand Sol de Janeiro is preparing an immersive experience with Outernet London. Using a giant LED screen and AV tech, the three-day brand activation promises to bring the beaches and essence of Rio de Janeiro to Soho. Count on Brazilian music performances, summer refreshments and free samples of the brand’s hero products –  cult Bum Bum Cream included. 

Charing Cross Road, Soho, WC2H 8LH; 2nd-4th August

Visit SolDeJaneiro.com

You don’t need to go all the way to Edinburgh to catch the best in emerging entertainment talent. Camden’s fringe event gives Scotland’s most famous festival a run for its money. Until 25th August, Londoners can discover underground gems from the worlds of theatre, stand-up, sketch, dance, cabaret and spoken word. Tickets are cheap – plan a day of multiple shows, with pit stops in some of the area’s famous pubs. Our pick is comedian Amy Gledhill, who was nominated for Best Show at the UK National Comedy Awards, and will be performing this Sunday at Queen’s Head Street comedy club The Bill Murray.

Various locations; until 25th August

Visit CamdenFringe.com & Dice.fm

From music video looks to tour costumes, the V&A has curated a selection of Taylor Swift’s most iconic outfits in a new free exhibition. Each one documents a chapter in her career – from Fearless to 1989 to Folklore – as the exhibition explores one of the world’s biggest cultural phenomena. 

Cromwell Road, South Kensington, SW7 2RL

Visit VAM.ac.uk

Just over an hour from London, Heckfield Place is one of the UK’s best hotels – and its intimate farm-to-table supper series is worth travelling for. It’s headed up by the estate’s culinary director and top chef Skye Gyngell. Guests will gather at a long communal table where a menu made from the very best Home Farm ingredients will be served. Dishes will be paired with biodynamic wines from Heckfield’s most trusted vineyards. Up next, on 17th August, is the ‘Time of Abundance’ supper club.

Heckfield Place, Heckfield, Hook, RG27 0LD

Visit HeckfieldPlace.com

Cult Notting Hill spot Eggbreak is back with another collaboration. Its latest partner is Singaporean café Old Chang Kee – known for its curry puffs. Starting this week, Eggbreak will be serving its take on the Singaporean breakfast dish nasi lemak – coconut rice with lemongrass and pandan leaf aromatics. Eggbreak’s iteration will combine Old Chang Kee’s homemade sambal and chicken curry with fresh cucumber, crispy fried egg, onion and chillies – find it at the original Notting Hill café and Eggbreak’s new long-term residency at Shoreditch's The Hoxton. But this is a collaboration that goes both ways. At Old Chang Kee’s locations in Covent Garden and Fitzrovia, there will be a special Eggbreak BBQ pulled lamb puff – a Singaporean hot savoury pastry filled with tender lamb and boiled egg. 

Various locations

 Follow @Eggbreak_LDN & @OldChangKeeUK

Everyman’s summer outdoor cinema has popped up again at the Grove hotel – a 90-minute drive from London. In the property’s Walled Garden, the line-up of films includes cult favourites like Notting Hill as well as recent hits like Priscilla and One Life. The al fresco screenings can be booked by hotel guests or diners at the hotel’s various restaurants – try great British classics at The Stables or fine-dining South Asian cuisine at Madhu’s. Make a weekend of it with an overnight stay and take advantage of the luxury spa and heated outdoor pool and beach – with tickets for the Everyman thrown in with all room bookings. On the bill this weekend are Grease, Pretty Woman and One Day. 

Chandler's Cross, Watford, Herefordshire, WD3 4TG

Visit TheGrove.co.uk

Hello Dolly is an old-school Broadway throwback that director Dominic Cooke is breathing new life into – with a little help from tour-de-force Imelda Staunton. The new London Palladium show has all the best bits of the original staging – old-timey New York set design, foot-stomping chorus numbers and charming wit. It stays true to Thornton Wilder’s 1938 farce, which tells the story of a match-making middle-aged widow who is looking to live and love again – and has her sights set on a millionaire. 

8 Argyll Street, Soho, W1F 7TF; until 14th September

Visit HelloDollyLDN.com

Sloane Square eatery Azzurra – known for its sustainable ‘boat to table’ ethos – is doing bottomless oysters to celebrate National Oyster Day. On Monday 5th August, you can enjoy freshly shucked shellfish for 60 minutes at £20 a head – with platters of a dozen oysters at a time delivered to your table. We’d grab a side of the courgette string fries with the Sicilian lemon salt. 

127-128 Sloane Street, Chelsea, SW1X 9AS

Visit SevenRooms.com

Launching this month, Wylde Table is a roving culinary series that brings together top chefs and seasonal produce in spectacular locations. The inaugural retreat is at nine-bedroom Duredon House – a private estate on Exmoor. Book in for two nights between 9th and 19th August to enjoy exclusive chef’s table experiences – complemented with wines from the in-house sommelier – informal kitchen demonstrations, group foraging and plenty of outdoor activities exploring the North Devon coast. The first chef up is Kate Austen, a Great British Menu winner and the youngest female head chef of Copenhagen’s two Michelin-starred AOC.

Farm, Duredon, Minehead, TA24 7SW; 9th-19th August

Visit WyldeTable.com

Tickets are now on sale for Bridge Theatre’s 2025 production of Richard II. Shakespeare's tale of feuds and tyranny is one of his greatest history plays – a story of England on the cusp of all-out war due to a politically incompetent king. Jonathan Bailey is taking on the title role, having become known for his work on Netflix’s Bridgerton and Fellow Travellers. 

3 Potters Fields Park, Tower Bridge, SE1 2SG; 10th Feb-10th May 2025

Visit BridgeTheatre.co.uk

London-based hair stylist Mitch Zidu has opened a new salon in Islington. Specialising in balayage and colouring, Studio58 offers the full spectrum of treatments using its in-house organic line of products: from ammonia-free colouring and all-natural hair treatments to sophisticated colouring and precision cuts. The salon itself offers a luxe experience, with Scandi-inspired interiors throughout.

171 Upper Street, Islington, N1 1RG

Visit Studio58London.com

The grounds of Ashridge House, with its neo-Gothic architecture and sprawling greenery, may seem an unlikely spot to host Europe’s largest live street art festival. But the blend of old and new only fuels the creativity. This Sunday, the event begins with live painting sessions where visitors can see artists at work, such as Curtis Hylton, Liam Bononi, WRDSMTH and more – all known for their distinctive styles. If you can’t make it this weekend, the artworks will remain on display until 15th September, so there is plenty of time to plan a day trip.

Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 1NS; until 15th September

Visit AshridgeHouse.org.uk