Among the events going on this weekend, London’s arts scene offers up two gems – a musical piece in a cemetery and a collection of classic Marilyn Monroe portraits.

Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair at National Portrait Gallery
Opening on Saturday, this free exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery explores the most iconic pin-up of the 20th century, Marilyn Monroe, seen through the lenses of British photographers. The photos on show include Monroe’s favourite image of herself holding a rose in bed, taken by Cecil Beaton in 1956 in his Ambassador Hotel suite in New York. Other pictures cover the actress’s four month visit to Britain to film The Prince and The Showgirl with Laurence Olivier, a shot of Monroe meeting the Queen and selection of rare British magazine covers taken by André de Dienes and Milton Greene.
Until 24 Mar

Big Draw, Big Make at the Victoria and Albert Museum
One man’s scribble is another man’s masterpiece, and Roald Dahl illustrator Quentin Blake will be at the V&A on Sunday to inspire us at the launch of The Big Draw, a worldwide festival dedicated to drawing. CBeebies TV character Mister Maker will also make an appearance along with pop-up studios, drawing games, portfolio advice for older drawers and a battle between seven top cartoonists. All events are free but some need to be booked in advance.
30 Sep (The Big Draw runs from 1-31 Oct)

Pearly Kings & Queens Harvest Festival Parade

You’re guaranteed to spot royalty in London on Sunday, as the pearly kings and queens of the capital don their signature pearl-button-covered outfits or “smother suits” to march through East London. Each borough has a king and queen, thanks to groups who continue a working-class tradition started in Queen Victoria’s reign. Their annual parade starts at Guildhall Yard on Gresham Street at 1pm, and will include donkeys and carts.  The day rounds off with a church service at 3pm at St Mary-le-Bow Church.
30 Sep

The London Requiem at Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery is the venue for the first performance of a new choral work by English composer Benjamin Till. It’s a fitting location as The London Requiem was written after Till spent time in London’s majestic cemeteries, and the story is inspired by Londoners who have passed away. Organisers plan to create an “avenue of remembrance” using white balloons which each visitor can dedicate to the memory of someone for a donation. Tickets are from £15 and guests are advised to bring a torch and note that reaching the cemetery involves a 200m walk down a woodland path.
29 Sep

What are you up to this weekend? Post any events we’ve missed below.

Victorian Londoners ran into a rather serious space crisis – they ran out of room to bury their dead. So they commissioned seven grand new cemeteries for the city, now nicknamed the Magnificent Seven. Each boasts peace and quiet, beautiful architecture and fascinating history, and they’ve now inspired a brand new choral work which will premiere this Saturday night in Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington. The London Requiem was written after composer Benjamin Till spent time reflecting in the capital’s great cemeteries. If you fancy some graveyard exploration yourself, here are our top three.

Abney Park Cemetery (1840)
The Egyptian Revival-style entrance with hieroglyphics is one of the earliest examples of the style in a cemetery in the world. Another feature that marks Abney Park out among the Seven is its landscape, designed by George Loddiges who arranged exotic plants around the perimeter of the garden in alphabetical order, aiming to educate visitors. The park is now run as a nature reserve and memorial park with a small stone carving workshop that gives classes.

Notable internments: William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army, and many missionaries

Spot the monument: The life-size lion guarding the grave of Susannah and Frank Bostock, menagerists who brought African animals like lions to public attention in Britain.

Kensal Green Cemetery (1833)
Kensal Green is the oldest of the Magnificent Seven, designed with tree-lined avenues and gravelled paths wide enough for carriages to pass. In an new move continued by the rest of the Seven, most of the site was reserved for members of the Church of England but one area was for dissenters – those of other Christian denominations. It now covers 72 acres in Kensington and Chelsea and is an active burial ground today.

Notable internments: Engineer Sir Isambard Kingdom Brunel, merchant W H Smith and more than 650 members of the titled nobility

Spot the monument: The armchair-shaped gravestone for composer Henry Russell who died in 1900. It was constructed in reference to one of his 800 songs, My Old Armchair.

Highgate Cemetery (1839)
As its name suggests, Highgate offers sweeping views over London. The cemetery was so popular with Victorians that an extra 20 acres were bought in 1856, creating the East cemetery where Highgate’s most famous resident, philosopher Karl Marx, lies. The original West Cemetery can only be visited as part of a tour, and on Saturday afternoons the Dickens Tour takes you to the graves of the novelist’s wife Catherine, parents John and Elizabeth, sister Frances and brother Alfred as well as several of his friends buried in Highgate.

Notable interments: Karl Marx, novelist George Eliot and “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” writer Douglas Adams

Spot the monument: The family mausoleum of Julius Beer, millionaire owner of The Observer newspaper. It contains a life-size sculpture of his daughter Ada who died when she was just eight.

The London Requiem is on at Abney Park Cemetery on 29 September at 7pm. Tickets cost from £15.