What To Do This Weekend 13.07.23

FILL YOUR BOOTS:

Emilia's Summer Pasta Festival

Italian restaurant Emilia's Crafted Pasta is hosting London’s first pasta festival at its Canary Wharf outpost on Sunday 16th July. Restaurant service will stop for the day to make way for a street food festival with live music, pasta-themed masterclasses and family activities. Guests can order dishes and drinks from the fresh pasta stations and outdoor bars, before taking a seat in a deckchair, on a bench or on blankets by the river. You can also take part in pasta tastings and cookery classes for adults and children (book these ahead via the link below), while singers and DJs perform. Italian gelato will be available for dessert.

12 George Street, Wood Wharf, Canary Wharf, E14 9QG; 12-7pm

Visit Eventbrite.co.uk

REFRESH & RECYCLE YOUR WARDROBE:

Fashion District Festival

London’s Fashion District Festival takes place this week at Spitalfields. A celebration of sustainable fashion, the event is supported by London College of Fashion, UAL, with over 40 free events, including pop-ups, swap shops, styling masterclasses and interactive experiences. Highlights include an upcycling and embroidery class tonight at 6.30pm hosted by sustainability creator Lydia Bolton; a festival fashion pop-up shop on Friday and Saturday; and a printing workshop for kids on Saturday. You’ll also find shopping corners from rental platform Loanhood, second-hand designer marketplace The Cirkel and upcycling fashion marketplace Alterist, while repair service Circular Threads will be on hand for any alterations. Check out the full schedule and book classes via the link below.

Various sites; 11th-16th July

Visit Fashion-District.co.uk

GET DATE NIGHT RIGHT:

Picturehouse Outdoor Cinema With Little Moons

Picturehouse is back with its outdoor cinema experience, popping up at various locations across the UK this summer. Head to pop-up screens in Dulwich, Norwood Park, Brighton, York and Norwich to watch blockbusters, new releases and family friendly films including Romeo & Juliet, Mamma Mia!, The Little Mermaid, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Wes Anderson’s latest Asteroid City. Guests can bring chairs and picnic blankets, and choose from a selection of Little Moons from the ice-cream van.

Various sites

Visit Picturehouses.com

TREAT YOURSELF:

Lobster & Chips Feast at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

On Saturday 15th July from noon to 3pm, Rathfinny Wine Estate is hosting a special sparkling wine lunch at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in Knightsbridge. Guests can sit on the terrace to enjoy a selection of seafood dishes, curated by the team at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, paired with Rathfinny wines and cocktails. The menu includes oysters, smoked mackerel and rhubarb, paired with Rathfinny’s 2018 Classic Cuvée; lobster claw cocktail with the 2018 Blanc de Blancs; lobster tail and chips with the 2018 Blanc de Noirs; and eton mess with the 2018 Rosé. Tickets cost £175pp.

66 Knightsbridge, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA

Visit SevenRooms.com

GET YOUR CULTURE FIX:

Avedon: Glamorous Exhibition at Hamiltons Gallery

Mayfair gallery Hamiltons has opened an exhibition showcasing the work of Richard Avedon, widely acknowledged as one of the pioneers of modern photography. With a career that spanned 60 years, Avedon photographed everyone from Jean Shrimpton and Ingrid Boulting to Twiggy and Tina Turner. This exhibition includes some of those shots, as well as others from his portfolio, all centred on the theme of glamour. Look out for the portraits of Coco Chanel and Andy Warhol.

13 Carlos Place, Mayfair, W1K 2EU; until 11th August

Visit HamiltonsGallery.com

TAKE THE KIDS OUT:

Kaleidoscope Festival

Need some summer activities for the kids? Kaleidoscope Festival returns to Ally Pally this weekend with a range of family friendly attractions, music and performances. Hot Chip and George Fitzgerald will headline the main stage, while Joe Lycett and Nina Conti have things covered over on the comedy stage. Kids can explore the pirate ship, watch performances at the Tootles + Nib stage, learn how to beatbox, try their hand at circus tricks and watch the world’s tallest bubble maker do tricks. Parents can order drinks from the bar while kids tuck into mini burgers and milkshakes from the food stalls. Tickets start from £10.75.

Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY

Visit Kaleidoscope-Festival.com

Steven Joyce

CELEBRATE BASTILLE DAY:

Maison François

France celebrates its national day this week and you can get in on the action at Maison François, which is hosting a Fête de l’Escargot (snail festival) on Friday 14th July. Celebrations will kick off at the neighbouring Chequers Tavern with escargot-related entertainment, including a snail race and freshly baked baguettes piled high with buttery garlic snails. A traditional accordion player and mime act will set the scene, before guests head to Frank’s, the bar below Maison François, for a Gallic feast. Dishes will include crudités like anchoïade, tapenade, panisse and aioli; confit de canard with a niçoise salad; and a classic tarte aux fraise – all while waiters keep glasses topped up with Minute Rosé. Tickets cost £60.

34 Duke Street, St James's, SW1Y 6DF

Visit MaisonFrancois.London

MEET THE GIRLS:

Sketch & Spritz at Isla at The Standard

The Standard hotel has launched free Sketch & Spritz sessions at its ground-floor restaurant Isla. Every Sunday from 3pm to 5pm, guests can sit at the terrace to order two-for-one spritzes and enjoy an afternoon of drawing. Each week florist Hattie Flower will create a tableau of flowers for botanical illustrations and abstract drawings. The perfect activity with the girls.

10 Argyle Street, King’s Cross, WC1H 8EG

Visit StandardHotels.com

PLAN A DAY OUT:

Everyman Secret Garden Cinema at The Grove

The Grove in Hertfordshire is one of our favourite hotels near London, so we were pleased to hear Everyman’s Secret Garden will reopen its outdoor cinema there on Friday 14th July. Hotel guests and The Grove’s restaurant diners can curl up with bean bags, popcorn, snacks and drinks while enjoying a movie on the big screen. Films this year include Frozen, The Lion King, Notting Hill, Pretty Woman and Top Gun: Maverick. If you’re not staying, book dinner at The Glasshouse, The Stables, Madhu’s at The Grove or Verde Kitchen – the summer pop-up restaurant in the walled garden.

Chandler's Cross, Watford, WD3 4TG

Visit TheGrove.co.uk

TRY NEW FLAVOURS:

Chef Series at Albie at The Hoxton, Southwark

Albie at The Hoxton, Southwark is hosting a new chef series this summer. Over the next few months, various chefs will take to the kitchen to deliver flame-grilled dishes served on the terrace alongside Monkey 47 cocktails and live music from a rotating list of DJs. First up, Ana Da Cosa – one of the Two Hot Asians – will cook a selection of dishes every Sunday throughout July, each celebrating her Chinese heritage. Plates include sweet and sour aubergine with sambal, grilled cod with garlic and coriander sauce, charred pickled baby onions with sichuan and orange vinaigrette, and salt and pepper chips. Finish the meal with Ana’s Pandan ‘Crack Pie’ – her twist on the milk bar pie.

40 Blackfriars Road, Southwark, SE1 8NY

Visit TheHoxton.com

ENJOY A SPECIAL DINNER:

Tātā Eatery x The Sea, The Sea Hackney

Cult pop-up restaurant Tātā Eatery returns to London with a kitchen takeover at The Sea, The Sea in Hackney. Over the next month, diners can enjoy meals at a 14-seater chef counter which are inspired by Mediterranean and Asian flavours, and made with produce from Cornwall and the south-west coast. Details will remain under wraps until you’re at the counter – but if Tātā’s previous residencies are anything to go by, you can expect good things.

337 Acton Mews, Hackney, E8 4EA

Visit Resy.com

SHOP NEW BEAUTY:

Refy Pop-Up

Regular readers will know the SL beauty rate team rate Jess Hunt’s brand Refy, so we were pleased to hear it’s opening a pop-up today in Soho. The brand’s first lifestyle concept, The Studio, will stock the brand’s bestselling products, including the Brow Sculpt, cream bronzers, and the new tinted lip glosses. Visitors can also book workout classes, from Pilates and yoga to sound healing, before stopping at the coffee bar for vanilla or matcha lattes. Don’t forget to pick up a goodie bag…

19 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 4DT; 13th-16th July

Visit RefyBeauty.com

GO OUT OUT:

Omera

On Friday 14th July queer dance collective Feel It will celebrate its second birthday with a party at Omera nightclub in London Bridge. The line-up includes DJs like Eats Everything, Michelle Manetti and Feel It resident Joshua James. Drag queen Jodie Harsh is hosting the event so expect guest appearances from names in the LGBTQ+ community, high-octane performances, and lip sync battles. Tickets on the door cost £20 and the party will continue until 5am.

6 O'Meara Street, London Bridge, SE1 1TE

Visit OmearaLondon.com