Rob Eagle’s video highlights some of the brilliant free things to do in London, from the British Museum to the Hunterian Museum.

The film won the Raindance Film Festival award in UCL’s London for Free competition.

London Turns On Its Christmas Lights
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Central London! This is the big week for London’s Christmas lights. Following Harrods’ Christmas Parade last week, look out for festive twinkles coming to Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby, Covent Garden, Westfield, and Greenwich Market to name but a few. From now until Christmas, shopping in London after dark will be a real treat as all the main shopping areas show off their finest festive trimmings. Enjoy!

Superga Opens in Carnaby
Italian shoe brand Superga has opened its second London store. Superga’s trademark vulcanized rubber soles can now be browsed and bought at 13 Newburgh Street in Carnaby. The brand was born back in 1911 Turin under the stewardship of Walter Martiny. After the war Superga reopened with a new mission to bring high-quality footwear to the people of Italy. Look out for the 2750, the so-called “People’s Shoe of Italy”. British Superstar Rita Ora is the face of their Spring/Summer 2013 campaign; if you can’t wait til then, pop into the new Carnaby store for fantastic shoes galore.

Lucy in Disguise Launches The Drama Parlour
On Thursday there’s a new hair studio opening inside Lucy in Disguise in Lexington Street. Billed as a one-stop shop and salon, tucked away in the eclectic comfort of the vintage boutique, you can have your hair tamed, teased and whipped into shape by Victoria Saunders, with her individual, one-to-one service. Working alongside her will be Sarah Hill, a fantastic hairdresser, if you are bored with your barnet or frustrated with your fringe, the Hair Mistress and team are here to revamp and revitalize your look! There will also be a “Menu of Make-up looks” inspired by styles from the 1920s to the 1960s for you to choose from, created by make-up artist Holy Silius. Click here to find out more.

Keith Brymer Jones in Seven Dials
Another week; another fab Seven Dials pop-up shop. This time, British ceramicist Keith Brymer Jones is showcasing his full collection of beautiful, useable and practical objects at 15 Shorts Gardens. I really like his Word Collection: classic typewriter font stamped objects, with honest descriptors like “coffee” or “bowl”, and more quirky statements like “don’t panic” and “overworked and underpaid”. Look out, too, for the Punk range, where famous rock quotes are cleverly re-worded (“Sex, Mugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll”), and printed on safety-pin pierced mugs. As well as plates and mugs, the pop-up stocks baby gifts, pet bowls, kitchen items like aprons and jugs. There’s also the first home fragrance collection from the brand including soaps, scent diffusers and candles. Keith Brymer Jones is in Seven Dials until 27 November.

Carl Warner at Westfield Stratford City
If you’re shopping at Westfield Stratford this weekend, don’t miss your chance to check out some free food art while you’re there. Food artist and photographer Carl Warner will be at Westfield Stratford City from today until Sunday 11 November. Carl will also be making an appearance, showing how he puts his work together in a series of demonstrations from Friday to Sunday, between 1pm-5pm each day in the Great Eastern Market on the Lower Ground Floor.

 Click here for more images and info.

Michael Kors Opens in Covent Garden, 25 Oct
Award-winning American designer Michael Kors is opening a shop on James Street in Covent Garden on Thursday this week. The store will stock a mix of accessories, jewellery, eyewear, watches, and fragrances from the MICHAEL Michael Kors brand, as well as some of his ready-to-wear collection. This is the sixth Michael Kors shop in the UK, including one on Regent Street and one in Westfield London.

Muji Reopens in Carnaby Street, 25 Oct
Everyone’s favourite Japanese lifestyle store, Muji is reopening on Carnaby Street on Thursday. The new shop offers a range of furniture, fashion, stationery and homewares and accessories with emphasis on simple, functional design. If you’re into minimalism, you’ll love this place. Thursday also sees the launch of their Christmas gift range. Show up on Thursday between 6 and 9pm to help them celebrate the opening and you can enjoy a free Kirin Ichiban beer and 20% discount on all items. Just email events@muji.co.uk for your free ticket.

Story-telling with UGG Australia at Selfridges, 27 Oct-17 Nov
To celebrate the launch of UGG Australia’s new children’s storybooks, the brand is hosting Story Time sessions with a costumed storyteller in Selfridges this Saturday. Look out for the enchanting story-telling sessions in the new footwear area on the fourth floor. UGG Australia are running the free story-telling afternoons between 2 and 4pm on 27 October and 3, 10, and 17 November.

Foodie Fun for Kids at Westfield Stratford City, 27 Oct-4 Nov
This half-term, kids can indulge in some spooky foody fun at Westfield Stratford City. From Saturday 27 October until Sunday 4 November, between 11am and 4pm (Mon-Sat) and 12 til 5pm, kids can make a range of scary snacks including coffin cookies, creepy cupcakes and Frankenstein potato heads. Taking part is free, but you need to join the Westfield Kids Club to participate. Simply join at the Concierge desk on the first floor, near John Lewis. Kids even get a free goodie bag when they join.

Last Friday, London was treated to a tantalising glimpse of the exotic at the third annual Malaysia Night in Trafalgar Square. The event, which attracted thousands of people despite the rain, demonstrated the huge variety of Malaysia’s culture and provided a spectacular start to London’s 2012 Malaysia Week.

The event was officially opened by a group of Malaysian luminaries, including Dr Wong Lai Sum, Dr Syed Kamal and renowned shoe designer Jimmy Choo. Speaking at the event, member of the London Assembly James Cleverly pointed out that ‘Malaysia has a huge affinity with London’, explaining that the city’s diversity is an important factor in the close links between the two locations.

After the dignitaries cut the huge ribbon on stage, London was treated to spectacular entertainment that included colourfully-attired dancers, a spellbinding fashion show and haunting melodies from musicians using traditional Malaysian instruments. Around the square, stalls representing London’s best Malaysian restaurants sizzled with freshly cooked delights that ranged from traditional curries to sumptuously plump Malaysian pancakes.

Fortunately for those now hooked on Malaysia’s many delights, the South Bank is hosting Malaysia Week from now until 10 October. Here you’ll  find cultural exhibitions, traditional board games and, of course, the country’s delicious cuisine. As those who attended Malaysia Night will attest, the wealth of what’s on offer will even make you forget it’s raining!

London is enjoying superb weather for this weekend’s annual Mayor’s Thames Festival as you can see from this photo. It was taken yesterday in The Scoop and you can see Tower Bridge in the background. And it’s not over! I’ll be heading down to the river later to enjoy today’s festivities and the spectacular parade and fireworks this evening. The event coincides with the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony.

Have you ever been to the Mayor’s Thames Festival? What was your highlight?

London’s best stores and shopping districts are taking part in Fashion’s Night Out on Thursday 6 September: a celebration of shopping that runs all over the world. If you’re into shopping, you don’t want to miss this! Here are some of London’s highlights:

Seven Dials
Seven Dials will be celebrating Fashion’s Night Out with complimentary drinks, makeovers and special offers across many of Seven Dials’ beauty salons, fashion and lifestyle stores and restaurants. Seven Dials is a really lovely area for shopping in London, so make sure you take advantage of the freebies on offer.

John Lewis Oxford Street
Top London department store John Lewis Oxford Street is also joining in with Fashion’s Night Out. John Lewis is displaying the exclusive new Somerset by Alice Temperley collection in a live catwalk show between 6 and 9pm. There’ll be a DJ in store creating the perfect fashion party atmosphere, while you can enjoy delicious Charbonnel & Walker chocolates and a complimentary drink. And the John Lewis Beauty hall will be full to the brim with this season’s key products, ready to create wonderful new looks. I can’t think of a better excuse for an early evening make-over before heading out into London’s West End!

Liberty
At Liberty, you’ll have the chance to meet Jonathan Saunders who’ll be in store running a photobooth where you can get involved in #showusyoursaunders: pose in your finest Jonathan Saunders wares for a photo with the man himself. In addition, Roksanda Ilincic will be signing exclusive hand-drawn sketches of her AW collection for you, and working with her muse and model Jade Parfitt. Jade will be on hand to model Roksanda’s designs and advise you on your purchases. Head up to the Shoe Lounge on the first floor where there’ll be a Victorian Fun Fare-styled photobooth where you can pose for photos in funky masks and accessories. If you’re a scarf fan, don’t miss the Liberty scarf styling team on the ground floor, who’ll be demonstrating a myriad of ways to wear your finest Liberty scarves. On the same floor, you can visit hair colourist Josh Wood and his team, who’ll be taking over the Liberty beauty hall. Finally, Cointreau has created a special cocktail menu to celebrate FNO, exclusively for Liberty shoppers, which you can sample in the Cointreau satellite cocktail bar on the first floor.

UGG Australia Piccadilly
Take a trip to NYC via the UGG store on Piccadilly on Fashion’s Night Out. For one night only, UGG will channel Manhattan with NYC-inspired treats for customers on the night. All shoppers on the night will receive an exclusive UGG Australia shopper with any purchase to carry their goodies home, while a DJ will spin iconic New York-themed songs to get shoppers in the Empire State of Mind; and the apple-flavoured cocktails will also give you a real “taste” of the Big Apple! Finally, there’ll be a classic yellow New York cab parked outside the store, where shoppers can enter hourly competitions to win all of the UGG goodies stowed in its “trunk”. Simply pick a car key from the basket in-store and if your key fits the lock, then the “booty” is yours!

Watch this space for more info on Fashion’s Night Out. Or you can follow them on facebook or on twitter with the #FNO hashtag

With one week to go to the London 2012 Olympic Women’s Marathon on 5 August, we thought we’d share this fab video of the route with you. This will be the same course for the Men’s race on 12 August.

Are you going to watch the race? Let us know where you’re planning to stand. And if you take any great photos, don’t forget to share them in our flickrpool!

Tourists often ask if they can go on a day trip to Stonehenge from London (the answer is yes). But now this English icon has come to the capital. Well, sort of…

Sacrilege is effectively a massive bouncy castle, the creation of Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller. Unlike the real Stonehenge, visitors are encouraged to interact with the structure and wow, is it fun! Adults and children alike jump and run with expressions of pure joy (and ultimately exhaustion) on their faces. My young family and I loved the experience so much, we went back to North Greenwich the next day for more. It’s free and no ticket is required.

Part of the London 2012 Festival, Sacrilege is touring the UK and is in London between now and the end of the Olympic Games on 12 August. The remaining London stops are:

• King Edward VII Park, Brent (25 Jul)
• Paddington Recreation Ground (28 Jul)
• Cheam Park (29 Jul)
• Ravenscourt Park (31 Jul)
• Hampstead Heath (1 Aug)
• Clapham Common (2 Aug)
• Burgess Park (4 Aug)
• Barra Hall Park (5 Aug)
• East Ham Central Park (7 Aug)
• Crystal Palace Park (9 Aug)
• Alexandra Palace (10 Aug)
• Christchurch Green (11 Aug)
• Waterworks Nature Reserve (12 Aug)

For full details see London 2012 Festival. So, will you be making a date to get in touch with your bouncy inner child? Now the school holidays are here, what’s your favourite London destination for family-friendly fun?

On Monday evenings, The London Library opens its doors to non-members, who can take a free guided tour of this important literary institution.

Set up in 1841 by Thomas Carlyle, who had grown tired of the British Library, the London Library was founded on the principle that members should be able to enjoy the riches of a national library in their homes.

The ever-expanding collection contains more than 1 million books, over 90% of which are on display and can be borrowed by its members.

We started our tour by following the wonderful smell of old books up the stairs to the stacks containing the Science and Miscellaneous books in the library.

The London Library’s collection focuses on arts and humanities and has its own unique cataloguing system. This system places quite a few books in the catch-all category of Science and Miscellaneous. Here you’ll find anything from horse-shoeing to human sacrifice sitting alongside each other on the shelves.

From up here, you can get some idea of the size of the library – looking down through the slightly unnerving metal grille floor (a Victorian air conditioning system) you can see many storeys below, all packed with books.

We also peeped into the library’s main reading rooms – offering complete silence for members to read and write in.

Next we headed down to the basement (featured as the scene of a murder in an episode of New Tricks last year). This is where the library keeps its archive of periodicals, plus every single copy of The Times newspaper. Even the toilets (also in the basement) have a story to tell, as they are designed by Turner prize-wining artist Martin Creed.

The library has had, and continues to count, many famous writers among its members, including Charles Dickens, TS Eliot, Seigfried Sassoon and Simon Callow. But the library stresses that you don’t have to be an esteemed author to join, membership is open to all.

If you love books, I thoroughly recommend taking The London Library tour. It’s free and makes for a really interesting hour, where you’ll see books of all shapes, ages and sizes; find out about the library’s history, and potentially start planning the day you can join up and write your best-seller!

The London Library tour, Mondays, 6:30pm. Places are limited so booking is recommended. Phone +44 (0) 20 7766 4704 or email visits@londonlibrary.co.uk to reserve a place

Fancy watching a free Olympic Test Event this weekend?

The London 10km Marathon Swimming International takes place in the Serpentine in Hyde Park, and is free to watch. This swimming event is part of the London Prepares series, the official London 2012 sports testing programme.

You can watch the action from a number of spots around the Serpentine on Saturday.

The top 60 swimmers in the world have been invited. Up to 40 athletes will compete on the Serpentine, each swimming six laps of the 1.67km course.

Competitors to look out for include:

• Liverpool-born Spyridon Gianniotis, who’s competing for Greece (he’s the 10km gold medallist from the recent FINA World Championships in Shanghai)
• German Olympian Thomas Lurz (the silver medallist from Shanghai)
• Martina Grimaldi from Italy, who took silver in Shanghai
• Marianna Lymperta from Greece, who took bronze in Shanghai

David Luckes, Head of Sport Competition at the London 2012 Organising Committee says, “The London 10km Marathon Swimming International will be used to test the Marathon Swimming course in Hyde Park as well as many of LOCOG’s operations.

“We are delighted to be able to run such an event with a high level of international athletes and look forward to giving the public an opportunity to witness world class sport for free this weekend.”

The women’s race starts at 10am and the men’s race starts at 2pm.

For more information about the free event, including entry lists, visit the London Prepare series website.