Totally Thames
Londonist is proud media partner to Totally Thames, the river-based festival taking place throughout September. Each weekend, we'll be bringing you our pick of Totally Thames events taking place on Saturday and Sunday. See individual events for prices and other information.
TALL SHIPS FESTIVAL: The largest fleet of Tall Ships to visit London in 25 years brings with it opportunities to board the Tall Ships moored along the Greenwich waterfront, fireworks displays, free cultural performances, music and entertainment and a crew parade and festival procession. 5-9 September
SENSORY FESTIVAL: Experience sights, smells and sounds of the London of a bygone era at the Thames SENSEation Festival on Northbank. Saturday and Sunday
TESTING LONDON'S BRIDGES: Kirkaldy Testing Museum in Southwark brings its metal testing machine back into action for one day only. See the machine that Victorian engineers used to ensure that the bridges they were building were safe. Sunday, 10am-4pm
Come join Londonist Afloat on the Thames on 20-21 September.
All weekend
PUB: Just want to kick back and relax with a pint and a packet of pork scratchings? Our pubs guide has information about all of the best pubs in London, organised by area for your convenience. Find a boozer near you, or see if your favourite made the cut.
MOSAIC WORKSHOP: Southbank Mosaics holds a weekend course in the Indirect Method of Mosaicing. All levels of experience are welcome, and you will make a mosaic to take home with you. £150, prebook, 6-7 September, 10am-4pm
ART FAIR: New Artists Fair takes place at The Old Truman Brewery. On show, a wide variety of artists covering all types of artwork, both originals and prints at prices ranging from £20 to £1,000. Mingle with the artists who will be available to chat. Free, 6-7 September, 12pm-6pm
UNLIMITED: Drop by the festival of theatre, art, dance, music, poetry and comedy from disabled artists at Southbank Centre. Read our preview. Check out the full programme here, till Sunday
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE: Find free dance and art in and around the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Deloitte Ignite begins. Read our preview. Free, Saturday and Sunday, from noon
TINY TALL SHIPS: As part of the Tall Ships Festival mentioned above, the Cutty Sark has a family weekend based around tall ships. Make your own mini tall ship, meet characters from the naval past, sing twilight shanties and more. Free with admission, just turn up, 6-7 September
LATE MATISSE: To mark the end of the blockbuster exhibition Henry Matisse: The Cut Outs, Tate Modern hosts a special opening. The gallery doors will stay open from Saturday morning at 10am until Sunday evening at 10pm. Join the gallery team for a night of talks, free film screenings and a specially designed food and drinks menu. £18/£16, prebook, 6-7 September
Saturday 6 September
CIRCLE WALK: Michael Brunström is leading a day-long circuit of the London Circle Walk (nearly 20 miles), starting in the middle of Tower Bridge, on the east (downstream) side of the road. See more info about the route here. 9.45am
BOOK FAIR: Conway Hall in Holborn hosts the Free Verse Poetry Book Fair. As well as the books on offer, there will be performances and a chance to meet people with similar book-based interests. Free, 10am-4.30pm
E5: Chatsworth Road Festival returns to celebrate Clapton's high street with games, bouncy castle, dog show, live music, sound systems, slow bike race, street food, pop up bars and an after party. Free, just turn up, 10am-9pm
LET'S SKETCH: Moleskine City Stories happens today in Covent Garden: take part in a live sketch event lasting for just one day. Mingle with experienced sketchers and take part in a learning session. Free, 11.30am-5.30pm
COLOUR COURSE: The National Gallery has a study day focused on The Meaning of Colour. Hear from art historians and artists who will explore different aspects of the Making Colour exhibition and discuss the symbolism of colour in different contexts. £25, prebook, 10.30am-4.30pm
SEVEN NOSES: You've got to spot them all to be in with a shot at infinite wealth. Join Pete Berthoud on this curious Soho tour that will test your observation skills as well as treat you to loads of stories about London's bohemian heart. Tickets £10, prebook, 11am-1pm
DOWN ON THE FARM: Surrey Docks Farm has an event celebrating Southwark Council's Cleaner, Greener, Safer Project, and some new solar panels for the farm. There will be food and music. 11am-2pm
DODGEBALL: The UK's largest dodgeball tournament comes to Wimbledon Park, bringing teams together to go head to head, and raising money for Mencap. Don't want to take part? There'll also be a family fun day going on with stalls and activities. £30+prebook to play, from 11am
VINTAGE FAIR: The monthly celebration of all things vintage is back at Spitalfields with vintage fashion, homewares, jewellery and accessories. Get into the groove and it could be your lucky day; street style snappers will be rewarding stylish shoppers with £5 vouchers and the opportunity to book in for a free vintage personal shopping appointment with an expert. Free, just turn up, 11am-5pm
HILARY MANTEL: The author joins New Statesman contributing writer Erica Wagner for a conversation about the Tudors, the challenges of historical fiction and the story behind her literary adaptations. Takes place at Aldwych Theatre. £20, prebook, 11.30am
DIG A LITTLE: Dig A Little Record Fair returns to the Forest Tavern in Forest Gate. The daytime meet-up is for anyone interested in music. Specialist sellers will be on hand with records to sell and trade and there’ll be DJs providing the music. Free, 12pm-6pm
DEATH DRAWING: The Art Macabre Death Drawing Salon returns to The Book Club in Shoreditch. The event explores death rituals around the world, and today it focuses on China. £10 in advance/£15 on the door, 2pm
FOLK CULTURE: Sutton House in Hackney has a free Ceilidh with traditional music and dancing. Free, booking required (see website for more information), from 2pm
HIGHRISE: Three rooftops across London host a joint party with very different line ups: Dalston Roof Park plays host to electronica while Rockwell House in Shoreditch has house music. Netil360 near Victoria Park goes more for grime performances. £8, prebook, 3pm-10pm
VEGAN DRINKS: Kabaret@Karamel in Wood Green hosts an afternoon of vegan drinks and food. Definitely one for no-meat eaters. Free, just turn up, from 6pm
CLUB NIGHT: The Beautiful Octopus Club at Royal Festival Hall is a multi-media club night, celebrating the best of learning disability culture. It consists of 20 DJs across five stages, as well as live dance, theatre and poetry performances. Free, just turn up, 7pm-12am
1922 PARTY: This month's Prohibition Party takes place at a secret central London location, with the good and the glamorous partying like it's 1922. For an extra fiver, join in a Charleston dance class before the real fun begins. £25/£30, prebook, 7pm/8pm
PUNK: Trawl through the punk rock history of Soho with this walking tour. Meet outside Carphone Warehouse by Tottenham Court Road tube station, £7, 11am
MUSIC RECITAL: The Armenian Embassy the Tekeyan Cultural Association has joined forces to present the Violin and Piano Recital of Virtuoso Favourites at St John’s Smith Square, in Westminster, featuring renowned Armenian violinist Ani Batikian. £10-£20, prebook, 7.30pm
STEWART LEE: The comedian is back from Edinburgh Fringe and celebrating his return at Union Chapel in Islington with a post-fringe bash. £20/£18, prebook, 7.45pm
CHARITY GIG: Distant Echo, a band dedicated to covering songs by The Jam, The Clash, Specials and Madness, have a charity gig at the Canterbury Arms in Stockwell. All money raised will be shared between Childline Rocks and Trinity Hospice. £5, prebook, 8pm
KATE BUSH: Feeling Gloomy, a club devoted to playing sad music, has a Kate Bush themed evening. Takes place at The Phoenix in Cavendish Square. £5, prebook, 10pm
MOTOWN MUSIC: Live music venue Barfly in Camden has a Motown & Soul Special, with live music from Dirty Soul Rockers, Black Knight and Kris Widakay. Plus, it's free to have a go on the Monte Carlo-style roulette table, with the chance to win drinks. £5/£4, prebook, 10pm
Sunday 7 September
FOOD ASSEMBLY: Nunhead Food Assembly has its family-orientated launch event at The Ivy House pub in Nunhead. There will be music, face painting, quizzes and a chance to meet local producers who will supply food to the assembly. Free, prebook, 10am
BUS GARAGE: It's the last of the series of Bus Garage Open Days, and although Dartford Bus Garage is slightly outside the realms of London, being in Kent, we reckon it's still worth a mention. Take a 15-minute round trip on a heritage bus, see up to 30 different buses, including plenty of heritage models, and ride a bus through a bus wash. Free, just turn up, 10am-4pm
FAMILY FUN: The Little Angel Theatre hosts a free Summer Party, open to the whole family. There will puppet making, parades, cakes and live performances. Free, just turn up, 1pm-5pm Please note that we previously incorrectly said this event was on Saturday
CHARITY SHOP: For one day only, the St Paul’s YHA hostel has a pop-up charity shop. Clothes, jewellery, shoes, bags and random belongings left behind by guests or kindly donated by travellers will be available to buy. Free, just turn up, 10am-5pm
DOGS REUNITED: Battersea Dogs Home has its annual reunion day in Battersea Park. Anyone can join in the day full of canine fun, including dog shows, family activities and celebrity judges. All money raised goes towards caring for the animals at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Free, just turn up, 11am-4.30pm
WALKING BOOK CLUB: Daunt Books in Hampstead is the start point for a literary walk across Hampstead Heath, discussing William Trevor’s novel, Love In Summer. Free, 11.30am
FARM FESTIVAL: Spitalfelds City Farm has a weekly summer market and cafe. Handmade products, such as crafts, pickles and preserves will be on sale, plus there's DIY crafts, folk music and more. 12pm-6pm
JEWISH MUSIC: Klezmer In The Park is a Jewish music festival organised by the Jewish Music Institute, and taking place at the Regent's Park Bandstand. There's also a kids zone with crafting, face painting and a balloon band. Free, just turn up, 12.15pm-6.30pm
SIGN LANGUAGE: The Design Museum runs its monthly British Sign Language tour of some of the more interesting objects from the exhibition. Free, just turn up, 2pm
GEEKATORIUM: As we warned you a few weeks back, The Geekatorium comedy night is making a comeback at a new venue, The Phoenix in Cavendish Square. Tonight's victim is Iain Lee of The 11 O’Clock Show fame. We hear that Lee goes weak at the knees for anything to do with the TV show Lost, so it wouldn’t surprise us if that’s his specialist subject. £5, prebook, 7pm
BURLESQUE: The Battersea Barge hosts a burlesque show featuring graduates from School of Cabaret and Burlesque, happily coinciding with World Goddess Day (yep, apparently that's a thing). £10-£15, prebook, 7pm
LITERARY SALON: The inaugural East End Literary Salon takes place at Ophelia in Dalston. See rehearsed readings of plays by five upcoming playwrights including James Paul Avery and George Brant. Pay what you can, prebook, 7.30pm
Out In London This Weekend? Share It With Friends
Say goodbye to missed opportunities and hello to bethere — a new app that allows you to share your London plans with friends on Facebook ahead of time. It’s a “check-in” for the future, allowing you to link up with friends and find out the next ‘place to be’. Because who needs to know about a great party after it’s over? It's also totally free, give it a go via the App Store.
This edition of the weekend guide is sponsored by bethere.
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