Things To Do In London Today: Friday 4 October 2013

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The King's Cross street food market celebrates its first birthday. See below.

Listings

BLOOD: Today’s opportunities to donate blood are at Stoll in Fulham and City Temple by Holborn Viaduct. Free, see site for terms and conditions

NICE BAPS: We're sure you're all already aware, but today in Cinnamon Bun Day! Nordic Bakery is selling special, limited edition buns to celebrate.

FORGOTTEN SPACES: Remember the Forgotten Spaces exhibition, which showed (among many other ideas) Aldwych Station reclaimed as a swimming pool? Well, it's back, and scattered throughout the catacombs of Somerset House (themselves a forgotten space, until they were rehabilitated for shows like this a few years ago). Free, just turn up, until 10 November

MALAYSIA: 20 Malaysian restaurants park up in Trafalgar Square selling food and ingredients to take home, as well as live entertainment and an art exhibition, for Malaysia Night 2013. Free entry, just turn up, 12-10pm

MUSIC TALK: ICA Executive Director Gregor Muir talks to music producer and DJ Arthur Baker at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on The Mall. £5, prebook, 1pm

COMMUNITY: Moorlands Estate Community Centre Park in Brixton is the setting for a community performance, combining physical foolery, storytelling and music. Free, just turn up, 2pm

REGULAR MUSEUM LATES: See in the weekend with a spot of culture at the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Royal Academy or National Portrait Gallery. Free, check websites for closing times and events

THEATRE: Imelda Staunton and Jim ‘Carson’ Carter talk about their experiences of working at the National Theatre in the NT’s temporary venue, the bright red Shed. £4 / £3, prebook, 6pm

FOOD PARTY: The KERB street food market in King's Cross is one year old today (at least under the name KERB...the basic offering was around under the sobriquet 'Eat Street' for a while before that). To celebrate, there's a big party in the West Handyside Canopy beside St Martin's, with music, craft beer and, obviously, lots of good street food. Free entry, just turn up, 6-11pm

WRITERS TALK: Linton Kwesi Johnson and Caryl Phillips talk to Maya Jaggi about their work and lives at the British Library, as part of Black History Month (which has a lot of stuff going out around the capital). £7.50/£5, prebook, 6.30pm

MUSEUM TOUR: The Wallace Collection is opening up its doors for a special, after-hours tour tonight, where attendees can journey through European art, music and fashion with a glass of wine in hand. £20, prebook, 6.30-9pm

SPY LATES: The Churchill War Rooms holds a rare late opening with a theme of spies and spying. Dress up if you like. Enjoy a cocktail. Tell everyone you're called Maurice and that the geese are flying south for winter. £17, prebook, 6.30-9pm

BOOKFEST: At the Wimbledon BookFest, pass your judgment on a short story competition (£7.50) or see John Sessions and José Maria Gallardo del Rey present Spanish poetry in English (£15). Prebook, 7.30pm

LE COMEDY: Marcel Lucont is an extraordinairement French character from Alexis Dubus, playing tonight at the Bloomsbury Theatre. Expect poised bon mots, national stereotypes and lots of wine. £13.50/£11.50+bf, prebook, 8pm

ROLLER SKATE: The Friday Night skate starts at Wellington Arch. Anyone who feels competent on skates is welcome to join. Free, just turn up, 8pm

COFFIN DODGERS: A club night for the more "mature clubber", the sensitively named Coffin Dodgers Disco, is open to anyone over the prehistoric age of 28 for a good old-fashioned knees-up. £6.50+bf, prebook, from 10pm


Ticket Alert

Every day in October we’re bringing you a selection of last minute deals from our sponsor StubHub. Today’s deals are:

  • Laura Mvula at The O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire  at 19:00, from £21.78
  • Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Albert Hall at 19:30, from £28.76
  • Micky Flanagan at Wembley Arena at 20:00, from £57.50

*Please note these prices are correct as of 2pm, 3 October 2013

For more info on these events as well as other upcoming live events in London check out  http://bit.ly/1fW7Jah

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Good Cause of the Day

As well as being Cinnamon Bun Day, today is also World Animal Day. To mark it, The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust  — an organisation that carries out work in Kenya, rescuing and hand-rearing orphaned baby elephants — is holding an International March for Elephants. Marches will take place in 15 cities worldwide and call on international governments to recognise their responsibility in combatting illegal wildlife crime. Meet at Forum Magnum Square (SE1 7GL), sign up online, 10.45am (march starts at 11am)

London Connection Puzzle

We've had three clues already, and the fourth is revealed today. The full quartet are BREWER STREET, MONMOUTH STREET, CLERKENWELL GREEN and GROVE ROAD. Spotted the London connection? One person has, so no need to write in. The solution will be revealed on Monday.

From the Archive

We have produced some varied articles on 4 October over the years. Last year, we brought you news that London's first whisky distillery in 100 years was to start production, plus a look at London's great houses. In 2010 there was a London tube strike-based poem. But most importantly, most hard-hittingly, most provocatively: in 2009 we brought you this.

London Weather by Inclement Attlee

London's weather is like an elevator: it has its ups and downs and always drops to a lower number when you really want it to go up. The proverbial fart-in-the-lift is provided by breezy winds throughout the day. The heavy downpours during the morning commute might represent some kind of sprinkler system. Later on, the doors will open (clouds will part) to reveal sunny skies. And with that laboured analogy, my transformation into Alan Partridge is complete. Monkey tennis, anyone?