The World on Regent Street Festival

Shopping hub Regent Street is becoming a traffic-free zone this Sunday (12 May) to make way for fabulous global-themed festival The World on Regent Street. Shoppers can expect dazzling entertainment from across the globe, including Chinese drumming, tango lessons from Argentina, and carnival-style dancing and music from Trinidad and Tobago. Don’t miss it!

Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair

Vintage fashion lovers should hotfoot it to the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair this Sunday (12 May). As well as homing 50 stalls that will be stashed with collectables from big-wig fashion houses such as Dior, Westwood and Yves Saint Laurent, you’ll also find a vintage manicurist and an alterations expert. Refuel at the tea room where you can feast on Victoria sponge or gooseberry tart, served up on fine vintage china.

New Baby’s Clothes Shop

New to Shoreditch’s fashionable pop-up mall Boxpark is hip kid’s clothing outfit Monster’s Baby, which is known for its humorous baby attire. Pop along on Family Day on Sunday 19 May for doodling competitions and an appearance by street artist Ronzo who will be showcasing his Jonny Fu toys.

Craft Fair

Pick up one-off gifts at reasonable prices at the E17 Designers Market on the evening of Friday 17 May. Expect ceramics, vintage-inspired clothing, hand-made cards, bags, frames, jewellery, cakes and loads more.

Love is in the air in London’s shops and markets in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day on 14 February. If you want to find the perfect gift for your loved-one, London has a whirl of Valentine’s shopping events to tickle your fancy.

The spruced-up William Morris Gallery is hosting the E17 Designers Valentine’s Day Special this Saturday (9 Feb), where 20 artists will be selling their hand-crafted items, including prints and precious gems, corsages and customised cufflinks. Expect wandering minstrels, love poetry and choir singing. Entry £2. Children under 16 free.

In East London’s hip Shoreditch, pop-up mall Boxpark is hosting romantic events aplenty, including macaroon-making classes (from now until 13 Feb) and love-inspired nail designs by Boom Nails (14-17 Feb). Boutique lingerie brand Playful Promises will be offering 20% off its sexy stock, from lingerie sets to risqué satin corsets (14-17 Feb).

Carnaby Street is spreading the love this V-Day with shed-loads of inspirational gift ideas.

Head to the Marshmallow Apothecary pop-up (9-23 Feb) in Kingly Court to be prescribed a bespoke box of marshmallows. Lovers can feast on aphrodisiac flavours including ginger and chilli, which can be taken away or enjoyed in the café with a hot chocolate or cocktail. For handmade gifts, visit Kingly Court for the Craft Jam Fair and Market this Saturday (9 Feb, 12-7pm), which offers everything from cards and accessories to homeware and artisan food.

Sutra Kitchen vegetarian cooking school and deli is hosting a Valentine’s Day cooking experience for couples. Get steamy in the kitchen under the guidance of head chef Jay Morjaria and then enjoy your creations, including wild mushroom and thyme risotto. The class is £25 and includes a glass of bubbly. Email info@sutrakitchen.co.uk to book.

Put a smile on your Valentine’s face by popping into the newly re-vamped British perfume house Penhaligons, in Regent Street. The brainchild of UK designer Christopher Jenner, the plush emporium is all wood panelling, padded walls, onion dome chandeliers and ceiling roses inspired by Westminster Cathedral. Don’t leave without taking a sniff of signature scent Blenheim Bouquet, which was created in 1902 and worn by Winston Churchill and Oscar Wilde.

BMW Art Car. Image courtesy London Media Centre/London & Partners

From today a car park in East London hosts a unique collection of artworks. BMWs have been transformed by some of the world’s most celebrated artists including David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Don’t miss this fantastic, free exhibition – perfect for lovers of art and automobiles.

For the past 35 years, BMW has commissioned contemporary artists to decorate its cars. Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Jeff Koons, Frank Stella, Jenny Holzer, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, Sandro Chia and Matazo Kayama are among the artists involved.

Jeff Koons shares his enthusiasm about the project: “These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy. You can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy.”

The BMW Art Cars are on display for two weeks only from 21 July until 4 August in the multi-storey car park on Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch ( described by organisers the ICA as a “brutalist landmark”). The exhibition is part of the London 2012 Festival.

Which artist would you choose to decorate the car of your dreams?

The team behind boutique festival Winterwell are hosting a truly terrifying Victorian-themed Halloween party this Saturday (30 October) at Village Underground in Shoreditch.

With live cabaret performances, music and DJs, revellers will be transported back through the mists of time to a London where dangers lurked on every street corner and murderers haunted Scotland Yard.

Guests will be encouraged to participate in a range of dastardly activities; from a visit to Dr Jekyll’s lab to being shaved by Sweeney Todd. Only the bravest of the brave will be able to face certain perils, such as eating an infamous pie from Mrs Miggins’ kitchen.

Visit London blog readers have the chance to win a pair of tickets to Winterwell’s Halloween Party in London. Simply email winterwell@hotmail.co.uk with “Visit London blog giveaway” in the subject bar and tell us what Halloween costume you’re planning to wear in the comments below.

Enter if you dare!

Entries close at 10am Friday 29 October. The winner will be notified via email.

Jenny and I enjoyed a tasty, healthy and – best of all – cheap lunch at Innocent’s pop-up cafe in Shoreditch today.

Housed in the historic Tramshed building, the café is decorated with growing lettuces, tomatoes, herbs and strings of fairy lights. For just £5, you can enjoy two nutritious courses, providing your five a day in one meal.

From today’s menu, we tried the beetroot and horseradish pierogi, tomato toasts, root vegetables with goat’s curd, and sweet potato brik. All were delicious. We didn’t have time for dessert, but our neighbours’ spiced fruit sorbet and rice pudding brûlée looked amazing.

If you’re inspired to make your own healthy food when you get home, you can pick up a free pack of recipe cards as you leave. The café was packed today and places are filling up fast, so book now if you want to try it for yourself.

Innocent Café is in Shoreditch until 8 October 2010. If you’re a London foodie, don’t miss London Restaurant Festival, which kicks off on Monday - book your Festival Menus now!

Last night I went to the launch of London’s first-ever drive-in cinema.

Located in a large carpark in the Old Truman Brewery off Brick Lane, the Starlite Drive-In consists of about 20 brand new Volvos parked in front of a big screen for your viewing pleasure.

For the launch, the cars were the stars: we were invited to explore the three types of Volvo provided (a convertible, a sporty 2-door model and a 4×4) – by sitting in the driver’s seat, playing with radio and sun roof controls, and honking the horns (although this was discouraged!). There’s no need to bring your licence though, as all the cars remain stationary and the engines are firmly off. We only saw a short promo film, but tonight and tomorrow cinema-goers will watch Dirty Dancing and Grease.

Catering and entertainment was provided by The Brickhouse nightclub, which backs on to the carpark. There was a brief speech from Damien Barr – the visionary behind the Starlite Drive-in:

“We all grew up with the drive-in dream. But it never happened in Britain because we don’t have the space, the weather, or that car culture. I wanted to update the idea and make it work for an urban, eco-conscious audience and this seemed the perfect way to do it.”

After which, we were treated to 1950s-style performances – retro singers, burlesque and a hula hoop girl.

I’d love to say long live the drive in but Volvo Sarlite Urban Drive-In is open for two nights only in London, before relocating to other spots around the UK.

Let’s hope it returns next year!

Excitement is building in anticipation of tonight’s World Cup match between Brazil and North Korea.

Join the fun with a Brazilian carnival parade through central London! At 6pm tonight the Brazilian School of Samba musicians accompanied by carnival dancers in full costume will parade from Oxford Circus to Tiger Tiger near Piccadilly Circus, where the Brazil match will be shown.

It’s free entry to Tiger Tiger to watch the game.

Or, if you’re in the East End, head to Favela Chic to see the match on the big screen and be entertained by samba rock with Adriano Trinidade before and after.

Read our guide for more places to watch the World Cup in London.

On a recent sunny Saturday, I put on my best Sherlock Holmes hat and joined five friends to solve a murder mystery presented to me as”Murder Killed the Radio Star”  courtesy of A Door in a Wall.

The day started at the Vibe Bar in Brick Lane where about 100 people convened to get their briefing, including a list of possible suspects and clues to locations all across London.

This is where the fun started: having pinpointed certain areas to find clues about our suspects, we headed to the city. We covered great mileage including The Barbican, The British Library, The British Museum and Soho to name but a few.

The clues were hidden by ingenious methods of using shops or museums to display pieces of information. We also met with several actors throughout the day who offered gossip for some insights.

After about five hours of running around, with the occasional hop on a bus or tube to save our ailing feet, we returned to Brick Lane to write down our findings and to name our culprit.

We didn’t win, despite identifying the correct suspect, but to be honest after such a great day I don’t think people cared if they had won.

I can’t recommend this enough as this was one of the best days I have spent in London and the bonus was I have  discovered some hidden gems in the city. The company (A Door in a Wall) that organises the event set it up originally for friends but when they realised what fun they all had, they opened it up to anyone.

It takes about three months of preparation to make each day happen, which didn’t surprise me as the level of detail was amazing.  I won’t tell you how much as that might spoil the next event.

I will hopefully be solving the next murder sometime soon. Perhaps I will be Miss Marple next time and perhaps I will see you there. Find out more at www.adoorinawall.com

The Brickhouse on Brick Lane in Shoreditch is a newish London venue (opened 2007) that hosts a range of comedy, cabaret and club nights.

Inside, it’s a cool, three-tier space with dining tables and a cocktail bar on the ground level, more tables and lounges on the spacious mezzanine and the quirky “bed bar” on the top floor.

I went along last night for the “comedy Tuesday” although it turned out to be more of a cabaret Tuesday, with burlesque performances from Spencer Maybe and Kiki Kaboom (both excellent) as well as an acrobatic act from Colombian artist Andre Phillipe and comedic chaos from “Katinka” the Russian (via Croydon) ballerina.

Admittedly the burlesque acts were both downright amusing and highly enjoyable – just the kind of burlesque I like: clever, cheeky acts with great “stories” and a sensual sense of fun. And the fold-down stage is a nice touch.

Unfortunately I have to report audience attendance was a little folorn – whether due to the fact it was early in the week, pouring rain or whatever. I’d recommend the venue, and the show but maybe plan your visit for a time when it’s likely to be more buzzy: Thursday-Sunday should do the trick!

Check out www.thebrickhouse.co.uk for a full list of what’s on at The Brickhouse.

You can see Kiki Kaboom in action at London Burlesque Week: 20-25 April.

Did you arrive at Heathrow’s Terminal 1 on Sunday?

Then chances are, you were given a proper London welcome by a group of Pearly Kings and Queens, for a traditional cockney knees-up!

The Pearlies greeted passengers with the spoons and a good ol’ rabbit.

We’re told even the terminal announcements (normally broadcast in the best Queen’s English) were read in traditional rhyming slang:

• Take care on the apples and pears
• Saucepan lids are not permitted to ride on the baggage trolleys

Mike Brown, Chief Operating Officer at Heathrow, said, “We’re trying to bring some of London’s unique characteristics to Heathrow, to entertain passengers but also to show off some of the city’s history and its culture.”

William McCarthy arriving from Auckland said, “I have never seen anything quite like this; what a welcome to the UK!”

Pearly Queen of Islington, Phyllis Broadbent said, “We’ve never been to Heathrow before, it’s rather exciting! The Pearlies are a London tradition and this is London’s airport; now people arriving from all over the world have seen us!”

Did you see them? Let us know what you think of the Pearly party!