Things To Do In London This Weekend: 27-28 July 2013

Brick Lane chess by Maki Aoyama

All weekend

OPEN EAST: Visit the newly open north bit of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the family-friendly Open East Festival. There'll be two live music stages, local bands and community groups, wandering puppets, bouncy Stonehenge, loads of food stalls and more. Plus you can watch the Anniversary Games athletics live on the big screen, as it happens on the other side of the park. Tickets £9.50 adults, £6 kids, 1.30-10pm

J-CULTURE: Hyper Japan is back at Earl's Court for a three-day showcase of Japanese culture, food, technology, cosplay and more. Tickets £12 online, £15 on the door, check website for opening times and full programme of events.

TRIATHLON: ExCel-Royal Victoria Dock hosts the London Triathlon all weekend, and it's free to watch the athletes swimming, running and cycling for glory. Check out the spectator info here. Free, just turn up, from 10am

FRINGE: The Balham Free Fringe offers over 60 hours of free comedy, theatre and music at The Bedford. Free, just turn up, Friday from 6pm, Saturday and Sunday from 2pm

HORSEBALL: Watch France compete against Britain in this all-action, mounted ball game at Lee Valley Riding Centre. Free, just turn up, 10am-5pm

VAUXHALL: Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens Summer Festival ends with a Saturday of arts (music, dancing, crafts) and a Sunday of sports (5-a-side football, welly wanging, egg & spoon). Check the Facebook event for details. Free, just turn up.

TOWER BEACH: Explore Tower of London's moat and beach and have Fun on the Foreshore with Thames 21, environmentalists and archaeologists. Free, just turn up, 11am-4pm

SUMMER PARTY: Enjoy two days of live performances, late opening and (hopefully) sunshine at Gabriel’s Wharf Summer Party on the lovely South Bank. Free, just turn up, 1-8pm

REVEREND BILLY: Battersea Arts Centre presents two nights of music and satire with the outlandish and anarchic Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir. Adult tickets £12, under 12s £2.50, both nights 8pm

JAZZ: Ealing Summer Festivals get jazzy from Wednesday evening with Ealing Jazz Festival in Walpole Park. From Friday-Sunday, the music goes on all afternoon and evening presenting dozens of local and international acts. Day tickets £5, weekend ticket £8, 2-10pm

STREET FOOD: Feast in the Fields is back at The Brewhouse, London Fields.

PROMS: The Proms roll on with a Wagner weekend. Here’s how to prom. Tickets from £5.

Saturday 27 July

SOHO: Walk every street of Soho in one day, meet local characters and learn tons with Pete Berthoud. Tickets £35, 10am-6pm

DNA: Photo 51, an art exhibition exploring the impact of the discovery of DNA, welcomes visitors to an Open Day at King’s College London’s Strand Campus today with workshops, talks and hands-on activities (extracting DNA from a strawberry anyone?). Free, just turn up, 11am-5pm

FAN MUSEUM: It's open day at The Fan Museum, Greenwich. Curator-led tours, fan making demonstrations and children’s sessions are all on offer. Free for local residents with ID,  £4 otherwise, just turn up, 11am-5pm

AUTHOR ENCOUNTERS: Young readers can join a football-themed author session at Dalston Town Tales, with children's writers and illustrators in attendance. Free, just turn up, 11am-5pm

COCKNEYS: Have a knees up in Mile End with the Cockney Heritage Festival. Free, book your ticket, 12-3pm

COSTA DEL CAMDEN: Summer is here and lazy days on the beach can now be found in London as Camden Beach returns to Roundhouse. Sand, deckchairs and the option to be back by bedtime. We love a London summer. Free, just turn up, 12-11pm

STREET FAIR: The Manor Gardens Centre celebrates its 100th birthday with a street fair featuring live music, entertainment, food and games. Free, just turn up, 12-6pm

CIDERDOG: Newly re-launched Borough pub The Miller starts as it means to go on, with a cider festival that features ciders, perries and ales from more than 50 producers at £2.50 per pint. Free entry, just turn up, 12-11pm

STREET PARTY: The Sands End Public House hosts its annual street party in Fulham today, complete with food, bar, music, retail stalls and children’s activities. Free, just turn up, 12-8pm

DANCE: Take workshops in samba and bossa nova at Chelsea Theatre with Ragroof Dance. Free, just turn up, 2.30-4.30pm

POT LUCK: The Albert community space hosts the Pot Luck summer party in South Kilburn.  An evening of art, dance and live music will be free to enjoy, while money raised from food and drink sales will go towards the continued life of this creative hub. Free, just turn up, 4pm-late

BELLY DANCING: Canning Town Caravanserai is the venue for a Bellydancing showcase by Dance Oasis with live music, kids play area and food & drink. Tickets £10, starts 5pm

MOVIE MARATHONS: Choose between Studio Ghibli (9pm) and a VHS all-nighter (9.30pm) at the Prince Charles Cinema.

Sunday 28 July

SUMO: Take part in or spectate the amusing Sumo Run in Battersea Park. There's a mass inflation at 9.30am, followed by the 5km race, plus family friendly activities to keep everyone entertained. Free to watch, just turn up from 9.30am

MAKERS AT THE MILL: Visit The House Mill, a grade 1 listed, 18th century tidal mill (Bromley-by-Bow tube) and you'll see a group exhibition from 10 artists and makers focused on traditional arts & modern crafts. Take a guided tour of the mill for £3. Open 11am-4pm

CHARLTON: The area's annual Horn Fayre takes place at Charlton House, with “traditional children’s rides and races, dog show, beer tent, music, food and much more”. Free, just turn up, 11am-4pm

BRICK LANE: Visit the "tongue in cheek" village fete in the gardens of St Matthews Church, off Brick Lane, for quirky sideshows, raffle, live music and comedy, local traders and a dog show. Free, just turn up, 12-7pm

BRIXTON BOLT: Find out who's the fastest in Brixton with the Brixton Bolt races on Pope's Road. £1 to enter, free to watch. Racing starts 1pm

PARK POETRY: Wax lyrical and enjoy a picnic at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, with Poetry in the Park 2013. Free, just turn up, 2pm

STREET ART: Take a tour around unique street art in Dulwich, created by street artists as part of this year's Dulwich Festival and based on paintings from Dulwich Picture Gallery’s permanent collection. £12, prebook via iab@streetartdulwich.org.uk, 2-5pm

VARIETY: A retro afternoon of singalong entertainment fills the Variety Bunker at the George Tavern, E1. Free, just turn up, 3pm

FREE FILM: The Duke Mitchell Film Club screens Adjust Your Tracking: The Unknown Story Of The VHS Collector –  a film that tells the story of the underground VHS culture and the collectors who still hanker after those tapes at the Roxy Bar & Screen. Free, just turn up, 7pm

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