Taste of Christmas at Excel London

Make this year’s Christmas dinner extra special by stocking up on tips, recipe ideas and special ingredients at this festive food fair. Taste of Christmas not only features demonstrations from top UK chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Michel Roux Jnr, but there are also lots of tempting stalls at which you can buy ingredients, find unique gifts or simply enjoy seasonal dishes from top London restaurants. Book tickets. 7-9 Dec 

Fourth Plinth: Contemporary Monument, at the ICA

Standing in the northwest corner of Trafalgar Square, the Fourth Plinth was originally intended to hold an equestrian statue but lay bare for more than 150 years. Since 1999, however, the space has played host to  temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, which have been delighting and baffling London in equal measure. A new free exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts explores the recent artistic history of  the plinth, as well as reactions to it. Until 20 Jan

Chocolate Festival at the Southbank Centre

Put down that giant tin of Quality Street and head over to the Southbank Centre for a taste of what you can really do with a cocoa bean. Not only can you sample your way through endless chocolatey delights, but top chocolatiers such as Paul A. Young and Damian Allsop will be on hand to show you how their tempting confections are made. Entry is free. 7-9 Dec

The British Military Tournament 2012

See incredible displays of military skill and precision at this spectacular annual event in Earl’s Court. Not only does the British Military Tournament highlight the accomplishments and dedication of Britain’s armed forces, but it also raises money for charities that support the military family. This year’s event celebrates The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and features hundreds of troops, horses and vehicles participating an astonishing variety of re-enactments, competitions and displays – including the legenday Field Gun Run.  Visitors also have a chance to try their own skills in the Tournament Exhibition Area. Adult tickets start from £29.25. 8-9 Dec

Royal College of Art Christmas Fete

Christmas gifts don’t get any artier than this: the Royal College of Art in Kensington is hosting its first-ever Christmas fete, at which you can buy original items straight from the students that made them. Not only can visitors pick up gifts for prices as low as £2, but they will also have the opportunity to view the College’s 175th exhibition for free. The fete is open from 12pm every day. 6-9 Dec

Pantomimes, various venues

This weekend sees the opening of many pantomime shows in London. (Oh no it doesn’t! Oh yes it does…) From lavish productions featuring famous faces to smaller affairs just for grown-ups, there’s something to get everyone laughing, groaning and entering into the spirit of a quintessentially British silliness. For a full list of London pantomimes, see our guide.

More events in London

The UK’s first David Bowie film festival opens at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) on Friday. I had a chat with its curators to find out how the project came about.

How Bowiefest was born

For a performer who is now notoriously reclusive, David Bowie is strikingly present in London. The British rock icon’s music featured in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, and next year the Victoria and Albert Museum will display Bowie’s extravagant costumes in an exhibition.

But Bowie’s substantial and eccentric work as an actor has – surprisingly – never been celebrated with an event in the UK. This realisation hit the festival’s curators Natasha Dack and Oli Harbottle when they were out one night at the Hot Docs documentary festival in Canada last year.”We realised we were both massive Bowie fans,” says Oli. “A Bowie film festival had never been done and it seemed like a no-brainer – films are such a big element of his career. It’s been a crazy path ever since and we can’t believe that we’re the lucky ones that had the idea.”

The pair approached the ICA, a venue whose rock pedigree includes gigs from Pink Floyd and The Clash, not to mention a move-for-move re-enactment of Bowie’s final performance as his character Ziggy Stardust, organised by artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard in 1998.

Natasha and Oli whittled Bowiefest’s content down to eight films focusing on classic movies from the 1970s and 1980s, such as fantasy film Labyrinth where Bowie rules over Jim Henson’s puppets as the Goblin king Jareth. There are also two documentaries following Bowie on stage and talks with directors Alan Yentob and Nicolas Roeg.

Compare Bowie’s otherworldly film roles like an alien in The Man Who Fell to Earth with performances such as his turn as a WWII prisoner of war in Japan in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, and it could be hard to spot a connection. But one thread runs through all of his characters, according to Natasha: “There is a unifying theme with the characters he played: he’s always been an outsider in films. That’s quintessential Bowie.”

Ziggy Startdust was the iconic stage persona Bowie took on for barely a year, before “retiring” the character in London at a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon (now the Hammersmith Apollo) in 1973. That night is the subject of one of the festival’s documentary films, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

The documentaries have had few cinema outings, explains Oli: “People rarely get to sit in the cinema with other Bowie fans and watch these amazing moments. In Cracked Actor, which follows his 1974 Diamond Dogs tour, you see Bowie at his most creative. But he also looks and he acts very vulnerable and emaciated – it’s a real insight into him as a person because he talks about creating his personas.”

Bowiefest takes place from 31 August to 2 September at the ICA. To book tickets visit bowiefest.net.

This weekend’s a corker: the Paralympic Games have arrived, St Paul’s is open late and Kings Cross is staging a festival with a truly delicious concept.

Summer Lates at St Paul’s Cathedral
Take advantage of extended opening hours and free entry at St Paul’s Cathedral on selected nights during the Paralympic Games. Sir Christopher Wren‘s English Baroque masterpiece tends to invoke hushed awe, so it’s appropriate that the Summer Lates openings are intended for quiet reflection. Guides and priests will be on hand to  explain the cathedral’s history and spiritual life, while organ notes drift around you. The cathedral floor will be open from 6pm until 9pm with a short service at 8.45pm, and the cool underground crypt will be selling “Best of British” refreshments until 10pm.
31 Aug, 3 Sep and 7 Sep

London Live at Trafalgar Square
As the Paralympic Games take the stage in the UK’s sporting summer, BT London Live has moved its site offering free London 2012 celebrations to Trafalgar Square. You’ll be able to try out Paralympic sports like sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis, chill out to live music or watch coverage of the Paralympics on a giant screen. It’s free entry and unticketed – just turn up.
Until 9 Sep

King’s Cross Ice Cream Festival
The organisers of the King’s Cross Ice Cream festival don’t just want you to eat the cool white stuff. They’re calling on ice cream fans to get hands on with the creative process, from milking a cow at the petting farm to experimenting with the latest nitrogen technologies to whip up some frozen delights. The festival is being held in the new Granary Square in Kings Cross and will showcase the best local ice creams from London and the South East.
1-2 Sep

Bowiefest at the ICA
The first ever festival dedicated to David Bowie’s film career will touch down at the Institute of Contemporary Arts this weekend for screenings, talks and a Bowie themed party on the opening night. Re-aquiant yourself with cult classics from the 1970s and 1980s like Labyrinth, where Bowie played Jareth the goblin king, alongside a cast of puppets from Muppets creator Jim Henson. 
31 Aug-2 Sep

Chelsea AutoLegends
Classic cars will take over Royal Hospital Chelsea‘s grounds on Sunday, as the third Chelsea AutoLegends event brings motoring fever to west London. The bill includes supercar and rally car parades and the chance to meet celebrities like five-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell. One exciting addition is the festival’s new celebration of women in motorsport, fronted by model and race driver Jodie Kidd. Another highlight will be seeing Bloodhound SCC, a car that looks like a rocket with good reason: its team are trying to break the elusive 1000mph speed barrier.
2 Sep

Got another event to add to our list? Add it in the comments below.

Calling all London cinema buffs! Win a year’s worth of movies at ICA, as well as a family ticket to BFI IMAX and a BFI DVD package.

You’ll get two tickets per month throughout 2011 to use at ICA, which has a unique programme of world cinema, artists’ films, independent documentaries and international film festivals.  Plus there’s all the excitment of BFI IMAX, the UK’s biggest cinema screen! And finally, a load of DVDs to enjoy at home.

To win this fantastic film prize, all you have to do is enter your details here

The 2010 Hide&Seek Weekender kicks off tonight at the National Theatre. We caught up with game designer Holly Gramazio to find out more.

What’s the Hide&Seek Weekender all about?
The Hide&Seek Weekender is a free annual weekend full of social games and playful experiences. These are games that artists, theatre-makers, designers, writers and all sorts of other people have come up with over the previous year – some of them have actors, some of them have running around, some of them have arguments or singing or balloons or GPS or pretty much anything really.

Do Londoners like playing games?
Definitely. This is our fourth year, and each year we’ve had many more players than the year before. The area around the National Theatre is a fun place to play. Passers-by tend to come to the Southbank with an expectation that something interesting will be going on, and they can be really keen to get involved.

Can anyone join in?
Yes. A lot of our players are 20- or 30-somethings, but we get all sorts: people who are younger or older, students, families. There are lots of different games, from really energetic out-and-about games to around-the-table stuff that’s a bit more like parlour games, so there’s something to suit everyone.

You can sign up for individual games on the day. Some places in each game are reserved until shortly before it starts for people who just walk up. People do pop along for just one game… though often they stay for one or two more afterwards!

Which bit are you most looking forward to?
The Sunday afternoon because we’re finishing up with a game of Pass the Impossibly Large Parcel, from 815agency. It’ll be on Theatre Square outside the National Theatre, the place with the great big astroturf armchairs, and the idea of a two-metre pass-the-parcel among giant furniture is just gorgeous.

Hide&Seek Weekender, Olivier Foyer at the National Theatre, 18:30 to 10pm on Friday 9 July, 12:00 -18:00 10 & 11 July. Hide & Seek party at the ICA on Saturday night (£6 in advance, £8 on the door). www.hideandseek.net and www.ica.org.uk

COMICA – The London International Comics Festival
The Comica Festival runs at the ICA from the 5-26 November and explores the world of comics, graphic novels and manga. Events include workshops, lectures, exhibitions and films.

We’re intrigued by the Uncle Hans-Peter Party, a live comic event where the audience are required to wear masks and collectively assume the persona of Uncle Hans-Peter – dress code smart casual; lederhosen optional.

Prices for Comica events vary, some are free. The Uncle Hans-Peter Party is on 17 November and costs £10.

Manga: Professor Munkata’s British Museum Adventure
Leading Japanese Manga artist Hoshino Yukinobu has created an exhibition featuring his manga character Professor Munakata having an adventure at the British Museum.

As usual, the museum are putting on a great free programme of events about the exhibition including gallery talks, lectures and family digital comic workshops. The exhibition is free and runs from 5 November – 3 January 2010.

30 Years of Viz at the Cartoon Museum
Viz, Britain’s adult comic celebrates its 30th birthday with an exhibition at The Cartoon Museum. Love it or hate it, this lewd, rude comic has scores of fans including Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson. If you’re looking for an offensive exhibition in London, don’t miss this one! 4 November – 24 January 2010.

Caped Crusader Exhibition at Orbital Comics
Orbital Comics is one of the best comic shops in London and they hold regular comic themed events. The Caped Crusader Exhibition (1 -13 December) will feature lots of postcards doodled and scribbled on by artists, performers, writers and musicians with links to the comic book and science fiction universe. If you’ve ever wondered what Brian Blessed, Russell Tovey, Doctor Who, James Earl Jones and Batman would doodle on a postcard, you’re about to find out. The postcards will be sold for charity.

The London Zine Symposium
The London Zine Symposium is a place for anyone interested in fanzines, small press, comics or radical writing to meet up, swap ideas, buy something new to read and attend workshops about zines. Yes, 3 May 2010 seems like ages away, but put it in your diary now and you won’t forget it.

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!