The Spring Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia

Discover the reasons why crafts have become so popular at the Knitting and Stitching Show, which celebrates all things textile. Anyone with an interest in making their own clothes, gifts or other items will love the extensive range of stalls, which sell everything you need to perfect your creations. There are also helpful workshops, daily fashion shows and the chance to meet renowned designers and authors. Adult tickets are £15. 14-17 Mar

Maslenitsa Russian Festival in Trafalgar Square

Enjoy a lively celebration of Russian culture in Trafalgar Square this weekend, as the Maslenitsa festival celebrates the end of winter. Families can enjoy live music, dance and theatre performances, as well as a special marquee for children. Stalls will dotted around the square, selling everything from traditional handicrafts to Russian culinary specialties such as blini. The event starts at 1.30pm and entry is free.  16 Mar

HMS Belfast’s 75th Birthday Bash

Launched in 1938 on St Patrick’s Day, HMS Belfast was the largest and most powerful cruiser in the Royal Navy for many years. You can explore her rich history and pay tribute to her distinguished past at this special birthday celebration, at which you can meet veterans, see simulated gun firing and take part in a range of special family activities. Admission to the celebration is included in the ticket price, which costs £14.50 for adults. 16-17 Mar

St Patrick’s Day, Various Venues

Join in the fun as London turns green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and most Irish pubs and restaurants around the capital will host special events and menus in honour of the occasion. A highlight of the day will be the St Patrick’s Day parade, which sets off from Green Park  towards Whitehall at 12pm and contains a colourful variety of floats and participants – don’t miss the giant inflatable dragon designed by Keith Payne, who has worked with renowned rock groups such as the Rolling Stones. There is also a lively St Patrick’s Day celebration in Trafalgar Square, which features traditional Irish entertainment, a comedy tent and a food market. 17 Mar

The 27th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival at BFI Southbank

This year’s London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival has a bigger programme than ever before, featuring a diverse selection of films divided into ‘hearts’ ‘bodies’ and ‘minds’ categories. You can watch feature films, shorts, documentaries and archive classics, as well as attend special club nights at weekends. Many films are being premiered at the festival, which kicks off with a gala showing of ‘I Am Divine’  on Friday night. See the festival website for full programme details and ticket prices. 14-24 Mar

London’s cinemas are offering up another splattering of fearsome films this Halloween, from hammer horror to kitsch comedies. Can you keep the popcorn steady?

St Barnabus Church, Ealing
What could be more chilling than Murnau’s silent Nosferatu (1922) with a live organ accompaniment on Halloween night? Try watching it in a church. Head to St Barnabus Church, Ealing to see this black and white Expressionist classic.

• Nosferatu (1922) Wednesday 31 Oct, Doors 7pm, screening 8.30pm

Prince Charles Cinema
The Prince Charles Cinema is screening Terence Fisher’s classic Dracula (1958), starring Peter Cushing as vampire hunter Van Helsing, and Christopher Lee as the eponymous blood-sucker.

Horror fans can also get their teeth stuck in to a special Halloween double bill of the original The Exorcist (1973) and critically-acclaimed Spanish horror film [REC] – a film crew, an abandoned mental institute and no way out. What could go wrong?

• Dracula (1958): Tuesday 30 Oct 8:45pm
• [REC] (2007) and The Exorcist (1973) Double-Bill: Monday 29 Oct 7pm and 8.45pm

BFI Southbank
As well as Raimi’s breakthrough horror film The Evil Dead (1981), and the longer US cut of Kubrick’s horror masterpiece The Shining (1980), the BFI Southbank is taking a more cerebral approach – and not in the cannibalistic sense.

League of Gentlemen and Sherlock star Mark Gatiss follows up his acclaimed BBC Four series “A History of Horror” with Horror Europa, a feature-length assessment of European horror cinema with an accompanying Q&A session.

• The Evil Dead (1981) Sun 28 Oct, 9pm; Saturday 3 Nov, 4pm; Sunday 4 Nov, 8.40pm
• The Shining (1980) Wed 31 Oct, Fri 2-Fri 16 Nov, various times
• Horror Europa (2012), Sun 28 Oct, 6.15pm

Rio Cinema
Aiming for a few more laughs than frights, the Rio Cinema, Dalston is resurrecting Ghostbusters (1984) for a late night screening the weekend after Halloween. Keep an eye on those marshmallows.

• Ghostbusters (1984) Sat 3 Nov, 11.30pm

Below are four Valentine’s Day cinematic highlights – all with tickets still available at the time of writing:

• To Have and Have Not at BFI Southbank
  Bacall and Bogart star in this romantic war-time classic, loosely based on Hemingway’s novel of the same name. Bacall’s first film is worth it for her most famous line alone: “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve…?” 8.45pm.
  BFI Southbank, SE1 8XT
  www.bfi.org.uk

• Harold and Maude at Rio Dalston
  An alternative Valentine’s Day treat, Hal Ashby‘s 1971 classic is the story of Harold, 20 and Maude, 79 to a soundtrack by Cat Stevens. Intriguing, surprising and unforgettable. 6.45pm
  Rio Dalston, E8 2PB
  www.riocinema.org.uk

• Breakfast at Tiffany’s at Riverside Studios
  Love it or loathe it, nothing quite says romance like Blake Edwards‘ Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The Riverside Studios are also providing a three-course Valentine’s Day meal, plus a glass of prosecco and a ticket to either screening for £35. How can you say no to Audrey Hepburn and a glass of something sparkly? 6.30pm and 8.50pm
  Riverside Studios, W6 9RL
  www.riversidestudios.co.uk

• Romeo + Juliet at The Round Chapel
  See Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo + Juliet in the atmospheric surroundings of The Round Chapel, Hackney. Teenage angst has never looked so good. The bar is open from 7pm, and the film starts at 8pm.
  The Round Chapel, E5 0PU
  www.experiencecinema.com

7 February 2012 marks 200 years since Dickens’ birth and institutions and organisations all over the world are staging a variety of cultural events to celebrate.

The programme, called Dickens 2012, is being co-ordinated by the Charles Dickens Museum and Film London and patrons include Sir Derek Jacobi, Peter Ackroyd and Claire Tomalin.

In London – the city that Dickens more than anyone else helped to document and mythologise – venues include the British Library, BFI Southbank and of course the Charles Dickens Museum. The main highlights are:

• Dickens and London at the Museum of London
  See original Dickens’ manuscripts and discover what London was like in Victorian times. Until 10 Jun
• Dickens on Screen at the BFI Southbank
  The largest ever retrospective of film and TV works based on or inspired by Charles Dickens. Until 28 Feb
• A Hankering after Ghosts: Charles Dickens and the Supernatural at The British Library
  Discover Dickens’ fascination with the supernatural and how it features in his writing. Until 4 March
• Charles Dickens: Life and Legacy at the National Portrait Gallery
  A unique collection of prints, drawings, and photographs illustrating Dickens’ life and circle. Until 22 April

Other Dickens 2012 events are at the V&A Museum of Childhood, the V&A itself and there’s even a Dickens book club at Foyles bookshop. (My 2012 resolution is to finally finish Little Dorrit).

For more information on Dickens 2012 visit www.dickens2012.org. And use the comments below to let us know if you’ve enjoyed any of the bicentenary events, or even your favourite Dickensian London spot.

Dickens often walked the streets of London at night to piece together ideas for stories and characters. This exhibition takes you on a similar tour of Dickensian London, showing how the city he called his “magic lantern” inspired his famous tales.

Like any Dickens novel, there’s plenty of information about the grimy, poverty-stricken side of London in the 1800s. But there are also cheerier aspects on display, such as a beautiful painting of people enjoying Hyde Park in the summer, strolling, relaxing and playing – just like Londoners do today.

My favourite exhibits were:

• Handwritten letters by Charles Darwin, plus one of his own inkwells
• A display of period doorknockers (straight out of A Christmas Carol!)
• Dickens’ writing desk and chair

Also, Museum of London have added to their excellent app collection with Dickens: Dark London, a gorgeous-looking, graphic novel app, with monthly additions, available from 9 December.

Dickens and London, Museum of London, 9 Dec-10 Jun (admission charge). Get two-for-one entry to Dickens and London with our special offer

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More….

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens in 2012 with more Dickens-themed activities in London:

• The Charles Dickens Museum: See where the author lived between 1837 and 1839
• Meet Ebenezer Scrooge: Visit one of Dickens’ most famous characters in the grottos of Museum of London and Museum of London Docklands between 27 December and 1 January, and win a prize if you can cheer him up!
• The British Library: Charles Dickens and the Supernatural examines how Dickens used supernatural phenomena in his stories. Until 4 March
• BFI Southbank: Dickens on Film showcases archive footage of classic Dickens adaptations and examines his contribution to film and television history. 15 December
• Charles Dicken’s London: Our guide to the London landmarks featured in Charles Dickens’ novels

Karolina Kolodziej from the Polish Cultural Institute tells us where to find a taste of Poland in London for our World in London series.

Since 2004, the cultural picture of the UK’s capital has dramatically changed. “The Poles are coming!” the British newspapers shouted. And so we came… in quite big numbers actually (some estimated the total at one million!).

Polish shops (polski sklep) sprang up in every London borough and our rustling language can be heard on practically every street corner.

But our relationship with the UK goes way back and has for a long time influenced cultural life in the capital. Bonnie Prince Charlie was the son of James Francis Edward Stewart and Polish aristocrat Maria Klementyna Sobieska, daughter of the Polish King Jan III Sobieski.

Funnily enough, Poland Street in London’s Soho was named in honour of King Sobieski, who won the Battle of Vienna in 1683 defending Europe against the Ottoman Empire’s army.

The Second World War saw the Polish flying aces fighting in the Battle of Britain and our mathematicians helping to break the Enigma code. After the war, Polish soldiers and their families settled down in the UK, many of them in London, choosing areas such as Ealing and Hammersmith to build their new lives.

The next generations became prominent individuals in the capital’s cultural life, from composers, musicians, artists, to museum and gallery directors, film producers and directors, designers, architects… the list goes on.

So find your Polish London! Here are a few clues on how to discover it:

Try our food delicacies. Be brave and venture into one of London’s many Polish shops, buy some kieÅ‚basa (polish name for sausage) for the barbeque and try our bread.

Visit one of the Polish restaurants. We highly recommend Baltic in Southwark or The Knaypa in Hammersmith, which serve modern Polish cuisine and great vodka cocktails.

See some Polish contemporary art. Works of PaweÅ‚ Althamer, Zbigniew Libera, MirosÅ‚aw BaÅ‚ka, Wilhelm Sasnal and Artur Å»mijewski can be seen in Tate Modern as well commercial galleries such as Gagosian or White Cube. You can also check out London’s branch of Warsaw gallery Lokal 30.

Look out for Polish classical and jazz music. Our orchestras, bands and soloists visit the UK capital very regularly with concerts in venues such as the Barbican, Southbank Centre or Wigmore Hall.

Every March, we host the Polish Film Festival Kinoteka with the crème de la crème of Polish cinematography being screened at the Riverside Studios, Prince Charles Cinema, BFI Southbank and the Barbican.

Don’t forget to grab a Polish read. Books by established writers such as MiÅ‚osz, KapuÅ›ciÅ„ski and Mrożek, as well as contemporaries including Huelle, Tokarczuk and Krajewski, are available in every good bookshop. And for a real literary treat, visit the British Library and ask for the Polish Collection, to see the historical gems as old as 15th century.

So no excuses - Polish London is out there and within easy reach!

Check out the Polish Cultural Institute website www.PolishCulture.org.uk for regular updates on what’s to come. And let us know your Polish London recommendations below…

By day an economist and by night a freelance scribe, Serbian expat Mal Božić takes a day off to play flâneur in London as part of our World in London series.

On my first day as a Londoner, above the entrance to the Knightsbridge serviced apartment building where I was staying, I saw this plaque (below). It turns out I wasn’t the first Serbian resident there. Encouraged by those Serbs who came before me, I set out to discover my own virtual little Belgrade within the cultural maze of London.

Here’s a typical trek through it.

Most Serbs start the day with a good, strong coffee. It may as well be from Monmouth in Covent Garden (filteruša for the Mitteleuropa northerners, a latte for the Italianate Belgraders, and for my southern compatriots: the nearest Turkish restaurant for your strong black stuff).

Properly fuelled, it’s a short Boris-bike spin to Daunt Books for some paper media. Its exceptional Balkans section includes the stunning memoir of a Serbian Londoner, by Vesna Goldsworthy. Read it, weep, laugh, then call your mother to tell her you love her.

Heading further west, it’s time to be confronted by one of Serbia’s eminent enfant terrible. Marina Abramović is back in town for Frieze and she will be treating us to a retrospective at the Lisson Gallery. For all who couldn’t make it to her run at New York’s MoMa this year, here’s your chance to catch up with the godmother of performance art.

By now hungry, I might head up to Maida Vale’s Babylon Supermarket for its industrial quantities of Plazma, a delicious, evil calorie-bomb biscuit to which Serbs get addicted during toddlerhood.

For something daintier, it has to be afternoon tea at Claridge’s. This legendary hotel is the birthplace of Alexander II, the current Serbian Crown Prince, born at a time when continental elites were camped out in London waiting for the Second World War to end. To ensure Alexander’s claim to the throne, Churchill’s government temporarily placed suite 212 under Yugoslav sovereignty.

With the sun setting, it’s over to the Southbank for a glass of an oaky red at the BFI, before catching a Serbian film. The recent month-long Goran Paskaljević retrospective was a treat. Really, a fitting bookend to a rewarding day in London.

Do you have any more tips for enjoying Serbian culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

Right now, many of us are caught firmly in the grip of footie fever. But we do feel for those of you who don’t want to watch the World Cup in London.

With this in mind, our good friends at BFI Southbank are hosting an Alternative To The World Cup film season.

What better way to escape the World Cup madness than by settling down in a darkened cinema to watch one of the classics such as:

• All of Grace Kelly’s films including Hitchcock’s Rear Window
• A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood
• Kubrick classic A Clockwork Orange
• Eco thriller Soylent Green with Charlton Heston
• Tilda Swinton’s latest I Am Love
• Manga movie Ghost In the Shell 2: Innocence

Lucky for you, BFI is offering 10 pairs of tickets to any film during their June and July seasons to celebrate their alternative to the world cup campaign. And we want to know, what’s your World Cup alternative?

Leave a comment below and email filmcompetitions@bfi.org.uk with Visit London World Cup in the subject by Friday 25 June to win.

Read competition terms and conditions

Last week, we celebrated the birthdays of Dirty Dancing and The Lion King by demanding to know about your favourite London musicals… Thanks to everyone who commented.

Today, we’re touching up our white face paint and donning a big black cloak and some fangs to cackle and ask: what are your plans for Halloween?

London’s fairly bursting with fantastic events this weekend. You can catch some really scary films at the Prince Charles Cinema, Halloween goes 3D in Covent Garden, there’s a collection of spooky shorts at the BFI Southbank, and you could get more that you bargained for at the Film4 FrightFest Halloween All-Nighter! at the ICA.

Creepy culture vultures will enjoy In The Dead of Night at the V&A Late this week; there’s also the rather special-sounding Day of the Dead Celebrations at the British Museum on 1 November.

With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, there are plenty of club nights going ghoulish for the night. London clubs as varied as Heaven, Plan B, Notting Hill Arts Club, Vibe Bar, Pacha and Mass are among the 50-plus clubs doing something special for Halloween.

There’s also loads of Halloween fun for kids to get involved in, from craft to pumpkin carving, and creepy animals. 

Let us know what you’re up to!