Things To Do This Weekend In London: 17-18 June 2023

Things to do this weekend is sponsored by London Transport Museum.

All weekend

LEE VALLEY ICE CENTRE: After being announced four years ago, the brand new Lee Valley Ice Centre opens on Saturday. It's a whopper, with two Olympic-sized ice rinks, a cafe, gym and other facilities — ideal for cooling down on a warm summer day. From 17 June

RIVER STAGE: Dance troupe James Cousins Company take over the National Theatre's free outdoor River Stage on South Bank this weekend. The programme consists of contemporary performances by the professionals, along with salsa and line dancing classes, live music, a chance to hear from Arlene Phillips, and plenty more. FREE, 16-18 June

GREAT EXHIBITION ROAD FESTIVAL: South Kensington institutions including the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Imperial College, Royal Geographical Society and V&A come together for the Great Exhibition Road Festival, a weekend celebrating science and the arts. FREE, 17-18 June

WEST END LIVE: Musical theatre fans should head to Trafalgar Square for West End Live, a free, two-day festival starring the cast of all manner of West End shows. This year, stars of Mamma Mia!, Six, Frozen, The Lion King and dozens of other shows are scheduled to appear on stage — including the casts of a couple of shows which haven't even opened yet, so we're crossing our fingers for some cheeky previews. FREE, 17-18 June

LAST WORD FESTIVAL: This year's Last Word Festival at Camden Roundhouse wraps up this week. Final events include Desert Island Dubplates — a take on the radio series which reflects the diaspora of youth culture in Great Britain today — and Nuclear Children, a dark comedy about mental health and submarine accident. Until 18 June

A PINCH OF VAULT: You may have heard: VAULT Festival is running a spin-off festival, A Pinch Of Vault, and this is its final weekend. Highlights include Next Door, a work-in-progress show about suspicious deaths and city living, and Waiting For Change, which is set in the future at a time when the climate crisis has intensified and activists face an ethical dilemma. Money from the festival goes towards finding VAULT a new home, after it announced that it's being kicked out of its Waterloo venue. Until 18 June

MELTDOWN: Meltdown Festival continues apace for its final weekend at Southbank Centre. Catch a performance by queer Asian cabaret group The Bitten Peach, drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova, and all-female/non-binary DJ collective Loud LDN, among others. Until 18 June

TASTE OF LONDON: Foodies will want to head to Regent's Park for Taste of London, the huge, food-based festival which brings dozens of London's best-known restaurants together to feed the hungry visitors. It's also a chance to discover up-and-coming London chefs and food businesses, take part in tastings and watch masterclasses. 14-18 June

WANDSWORTH ARTS FRINGE: There's heaps going on for the Wandsworth Arts Fringe this weekend. Choose from family-friendly puppetry performance Queen of the East, an art and architecture walk, a film festival curated by people with learning disabilities, and plenty more. Until 25 June

LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE: Going on throughout the month, London Festival of Architecture is a celebration of the city's buildings and spaces, through events including talks, debates, exhibitions and tours. Highlights this weekend include a suburban safari through Golders Green, a walk through Brixton focusing on women mural artists, a walking tour focusing on the future of the West End, and SO much more, in addition to ongoing installation such as the Urban Playground in Fen Court. Until 30 June

ROYAL ACADEMY SUMMER EXHIBITION: A highlight of the London art calendar every year, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition brings together established and rising artists to display their work. Prints, painting, film, photography, architectural works and sculpture all feature, and the theme this year is Only Connect, from the famous quote in Howards End by E.M. Forster. Expect it to be very busy this first weekend. 13 June-20 August

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Discover London Transport Museum’s Depot at these fascinating open days

Been to London Transport Museum's Acton Depot yet? Stuffed with historic tube trains, buses, maps and loads more, it's all the amazing stuff they couldn't fit into the iconic Covent Garden location. It's usually off-limits to the public but on special open days, you can access this unique museum store… and there are three happening this June!

'The Big Build' Depot open days (16-18 June) are inspired by the 160th anniversary of the London Underground. Talks, workshops and family events delve into the construction and evolution of the world's most famous underground system. Meet costumed characters; step into a Victoria line cab; make a personalised Oyster card holder; and take a ride on the Depot's miniature railway! (Sat and Sun.)

And that's just the start of your journey — there's so much more to do at London Transport Museum's Depot! Discover more about what you can get up to from 16-18 June — and book tickets — by visiting the LTM website.

Saturday 17 June

WATERPOINT TOUR: A rare chance to take a guided tour of The Waterpoint, which was constructed in 1872 to supply water to the rapidly growing steam railway network at St Pancras, and designed by the office of Sir George Gilbert Scott. The Grade II listed water tower offers views of the gasholder at King's Cross, and the area around St Pancras station. 10am-4pm

FAMILY FILM CLUB: Take the kids along the pop-up open-air cinema in Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf, for a free screening of last year's animated film Lyle Lyle Crocodile. It's unreserved seating on a first come first served basis, so get there in plenty of time to blag a good spot. FREE, 10.30am

CITY OF LONDON WOMEN: Camden Wanderings and the City of London Women Project join forces to offer a walking tour celebrating the lives and achievements of extraordinary women and non-binary people (past and present). Start at UCL's Petrie Museum and wander through Somers Town, King's Cross and Camden. FREE, 11am-1.30pm

BRITISH ACADEMY SUMMER SHOWCASE: The Windrush legacy, the importance of green space in cities, little-known women who shaped the world, the necessity of refugee camps, and aerial archaeology are just some of the topics covered in the wide-reaching and free British Academy Summer Showcase. It offers the public a chance to hear from researchers in the social sciences and humanities, through workshops, talks and panel debates. FREE, 11am-5pm

VINTAGE KILO SALE: Wardrobe in need of a summer overhaul? Get yourself to Lambeth Town Hall for the Brixton Vintage Kilo Sale. Nine tonnes of vintage clothing dating from the 1960s onwards is available to buy, and you pay by weight. It's £20 a kilo, but there's no minimum (or maximum) spend. 11am-5pm

BITCHIN' BRUNCH: Sharp-witted comedy queens and fierce lip-syncing acts keep you entertained at Savage Garden's Bitchin' Brunch, while you get stuck into prosecco, bellinis or mocktails plus a two-course meal. If any brunch is going to wake you up, it's this one. 12pm

POSITIVE SPIRITS: Calling all environmentally-conscious cocktail lovers! Positive Spirits is a celebration of sustainable spirits that promises to excite the palate while being gentle to the planet. Head to Shoreditch’s White Rabbit Studios for bottomless (!) samples of alcoholic and non-alcoholic spirits, mixology workshops, talks, live demos, and entertainment. We’ll drink to that. Tickets from £14.99. 1pm-6pm (sponsor)

LGBTQ+ LIMEHOUSE: The Museum of London Docklands and The Urban Rambler, Nick Collinson, offer an LGBTQ+ tour of Limehouse. Wander around London's former Chinatown, and an area once popular with foreign sailors, hearing about the LGBTQI+ history of the area and contemporary community. The walk stops in a few LGBTQI+ friendly pubs along the way. 2pm

ALICE IN AERIALAND: Windmill Gardens, alongside Brixton Windmill, hosts open-air, aerial circus theatre production Alice's Adventures in Aerialand. It's adapted from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and has been developed to be accessible to all, including those living with dementia. Take along a blanket or chair and a picnic to enjoy during the show. 2pm/6pm

WAR TO WINDRUSH: The Imperial War Museum hosts an afternoon of talks and performances to mark the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush docking in Tilbury. Hear from historians, actors, broadcasters and poets about Caribbean contributions to the second world war, and how the Windrush generation has shaped Britain as a modern multicultural society. 2pm-8pm

CLOWN FESTIVAL FINALE: The London Clown Festival has been going on all week, with its final two events at Soho Theatre tonight. Catch the only full-length official London preview of Healing King Herod before it heads to Edinburgh, or fast-paced physical theatre show Akimb Theatre: No One. 7pm/8.45pm

RICK ASTLEY: This year's Hampton Court Palace Festival comes to a close with a headline performance by Rick Astley. Head into the grounds and enjoy a picnic before the show begins — and swot up on the real-life London location of the 'Rickroll Bridge' where Never Gonna Give You Up was filmed. 9pm

Sunday 18 June

FATHER'S DAY: Consider this your reminder to pick up a card, and maybe a box of chocolates or a new book, for your dad on Father's Day.

THEATRELAND WALK: Join a guided tour of the West End's theatre district, with a focus on little-known Black performers and productions which have graced the stage throughout history. Hear about the 'Beyonce of the 1950s', connections to the US Civil Rights Movement, and how racist tropes and stereotypes were overcome. 10am-12pm

SECOND-HAND SUNDAYS: Alongside its regular Sunday market, Horniman Museum introduces Second-Hand Sundays, an occasional event with a focus on repurposing, reusing and recycling. Browse and buy second-hand clothes, games, toys, books, unwanted gifts and more. 10am-3pm

VINTAGE FASHION FAIR: More than 100 dealers from across the UK descend on Kensington Town Hall for the Frock Me Vintage Fashion Fair. Browse and buy rare vintage and antique clothing, jewellery, textiles and more dating from the Victorian period onwards. 11am-5.30pm

THE CIRCUS BUS: As part of the Summer of Play programme of events in Wembley Park, Tish & The Circus Bus are in town. The free event is a chance for families to try out circus skills including aerial hoop, stilt walking, spinning plates, juggling and more. FREE, 12pm-6pm

SARFRAZ MANSOOR: Author, broadcaster and screenwriter Sarfraz Manzoor is at OSO Arts Centre in Barnes this afternoon, talking, among other things, about his childhood in 1980s Luton as a working-class British Pakistani, and how it was transformed by a certain Mr Bruce Springsteen. 4pm

FRINGE PREVIEWS: Collywobblers Comedy has a double bill of Edinburgh previews, at the Railway in Streatham Common tonight — both Darren Harriott and Abandoman get up on the stage, to try out their new shows before taking them north of the border. 7pm

EXODUS: Rich Mix hosts a production of play Exodus: Asia, Africa, Europe, which is based on real-life stories of Indian migrants in Uganda who came to live in England after they were expelled by former Ugandan president Idi Amin in 1972. A headmistress and a seamstress are among the characters whose experiences feature. 7.30pm

EARTH AND STARS CONCERT: While Luke Jerram's Gaia is installed at Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington — and is free to visit — there's a whole programme of events going on around and underneath it. Tonight, that takes the form of a concert by candlelight beneath the replica of Earth, with Icon Strings playing a mix of popular classical music, and classic pop. 8pm

MUSICAL THEATRE RAVE: A night out for West End fans, the Musical Theatre Rave is exactly that — a party night featuring tunes from the biggest stage musicals, with DJ sets, live performances and lip sync battles. Expect to hear an eclectic mix of tunes from the likes of Hamilton, Mamma Mia!, Grease, Frozen, and plenty more. This month's event acts as an after party for West End Live. 9pm

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