New Music 20×12 Weekend at the Southbank Centre
Beat boxing, fire artists and even giant wasps are promised in this weekend of musical premieres and activities at the South Bank Centre. Twenty new pieces have been commissioned for 2012 as part of the London 2012 Festival. They’re all 12 minutes long and are inspired by the dynamism of the Games. You can fit rather a lot into 12 minutes – take the short opera Our Day, which tells the story of Olympic gold medallist Mary Peters against the backdrop of the troubles in Northern Ireland in 1972. Most events are free but some workshops are ticketed.
13-15 Jul

Bastille Day celebration at Canada Square Park
This not-so-British celebration is part of the City of London Festival which runs in June and July. Bring your own wine and cheese to commemorate the turning point in the French revolution when the Bastille prison in Paris was stormed in 1789. The anniversary is France’s national day, and so it’s fitting that French acts will perform in Canada Square Park in Canary Wharf in the afternoon and early evening. Entertainment starts with euro ska jazz from Santa Macairo Orkestar, followed by young musician L whose songs are twists on French music, and finally the KKC Orchestra which fuses hip-hop and electro swing.
14 Jul

Vietnam Summer Festival at Spitalfields Market
Vietnam is proudly waving its flag at this brand new festival at the renowned Spitalfields food market, where food stalls from different regions will offer tasters of dishes like the classic Pho noodle soup - often eaten for breakfast in the country. If you’re feeling energetic, try out traditional Vietnamese games like jute-bag jumping (much like sack races in the UK) or the intriguingly named “dragon-snake”, a complex group game involving a script, a doctor and a very angry dragon.
14 Jul

Rioja Tapas Fantasticas at Potters Fields Park
It will be fiesta time on the South Bank for this celebration of top Spanish cuisine. Raise a glass of red, white or rosé Rioja wine in Potters Fields Park, overlooking Tower Bridge. Tapas – the perfect walk-and-eat cuisine – will be on sale from London’s Spanish restaurants and live Spanish music and cookery demonstrations are also on offer. You might return as a wine buff after some workshops and wine walks with experts Olly Smith and Susy Atkins.
14-15 Jul

What are you up to this weekend? Post your tips below.

From a Spanish roof garden to Spanish art and the best Spanish eateries, Spain in London blogger Jon Yeomans guides us through the perfect Spanish day out in London for our World in London series.

The last census recorded around 22,000 Spanish people living in London – around 40% of the entire Spanish population of the UK.

London has long been in thrall to Spanish customs and tastes – from the rash of tapas bars in the West End to the Iberian brand names colonising the high street. Zara, Mango and Bershka are among the Spanish stores making an impact on British wardrobes and wallets.

There are few better places to start a day in “Spanish” London than on the west side of town, where generations of Spanish people have settled.

Portobello Road on a Saturday seethes with Spanish tourists. It is also home to R Garcia & Sons, a Spanish deli selling everything from olives, chorizo and paella pans to Fillipino brand chocolate and papery turron sweets. Head to the café next door for great coffee and slow service, or stop by Galicia restaurant further up the street for an authentically grungy tapas experience.

Heading into town, step out of the shopping and eating whirlpool of Kensington and into a slice of Granada. The Kensington Roof Gardens sit atop an old department store and feature a Moorish-influenced garden based on the Alhambra palace. Visitors are advised to phone ahead to check opening times.

Continue the trail of Spanish traces in London with a visit to the National Gallery, home to a fistful of fine Spanish art. Goya, El Greco and Zurbarán are all well represented, while Velázquez’s The Rokeby Venus is one of the highlights of the museum’s collection.

Round off the day with tapas in one of the West End’s plethora of Spanish restaurants. Barrica in Fitzrovia won the Time Out award for Best Spanish Eating and Drinking 2010 for dishes such as pork and oxtail meatballs, and chicory leaves with picos cheese.

Barrafina in Frith Street is a popular and authentic take on a Barcelona tapas bar. (Hispanophile owners Sam and Eddie Hart based it on Barcelona’s legendary Cal Pep) while Tierra Brindisa on Broadwick Street is the Soho outpost of the acclaimed Borough Market deli, which specialises in cured hams.

Or for a more informal atmosphere, try Pix in Covent Garden. This pintxo bar offers snacks at £2.50 a bite along with great wine – a fine way to end the day.

See more of Jon’s recommendations at www.spaininlondonblog.wordpress.com. We reckon this is a pretty comprehensive list, but if you’ve got more tips for enjoying Spanish culture in London, share your knowledge in the comments below.

I’m lucky enough to have been shown round many of London’s hotels. I’ve nosed round suites, inspected toiletries on offer and nodded approvingly at iPod facilities. But last night, the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel topped them all and let me stay overnight and experience the hotel first hand.

First off was the delicious food in the hotel’s restaurant. We were treated to a selection of tasty Portuguese tapas (the Pestana group is Portuguese) including lamb meatballs, tomato and mozzarella skewers, sweet potato and squid, and mussels. For a main course, I had chicken and chunky chips with a specially made piri-piri sauce that we all agreed should be bottled! And dessert didn’t disappoint: chocolate soufflé with fruit skewers (perfect for dipping into the melted chocolate centre.)

After marvelling at the view from Swissotel The Howard last week, I was also hugely impressed at the view of Battersea Power Station from the Pestana. You can also see the London Eye, Battersea Park and even into the trains running alongside (but the windows are triple-glazed, so you don’t hear them.)

Staying in the hotel made me appreciate London in a new way. It was an evening of pure relaxation, secure in the knowledge that my laundry, washing-up and household chores were miles away and there was happily nothing I could do about them!

The room has all the amenities you’d expect from a four-star hotel including an iPod dock, big bed, huge shower, safe, and tea and coffee making facilities. It also has an interesting design feature: a window between the bedroom and bathroom covered with a blind. The control for the blind is on the bedroom side, so you can peep into the bathroom if you’re curious as to what your partner/roommate/colleague is getting up to!

After a lovely breakfast, I headed to the office (covered in fluff from the brand-new towels), thinking I could get used to this executive lifestyle!

The Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel and Spa is open now

This marriage made in heaven involves first choosing your wine and then allowing the talented Pinchito chefs to match the tapas to the wine.

Pinchito Tapas is a young, funky, friendly and informed tapas restaurant. We loved it because the all the action takes place around the bar. This is not because we’re obsessed with drinking (well, not totally) but because we loved the sociable, buzzy atmosphere – and it reminded us of Spain.

My friend and I had the tough job of sampling the menu. We were given eight different wines with matching tapas. It was a delicious, easy and exciting experience. Surprises included Campo Viejo Gran Reserva 2002 served with morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), caramelised apple, cabrales (Spanish cheese) and golden onions and rocket.

The menu we tried costs £30. For that you get eight generous samples of wonderful wines and are inundated with delicious matching tapas, things that you probably wouldn’t choose yourself, but actually work brilliantly.

The Viva el Vino menu is available until Janaury 2010 and if you’d like to try it, it’s best to book ahead. We’ll definitely be back for more

Do you have a favourite Spanish restaurant in London?