What we're reading
- The story of the naming of the London boroughs.
- Five hour queues expected when this dumpling restaurant chain opens in London.
- Could east London get a new local town council?
- Photos from London's largest Santa Run.
Things to do
FOOD FESTIVAL: Feast on festive food in the decadent surroundings of a royal palace. The Hampton Court Food Fayre brings food traders, cooking demonstrations and celebrity chefs to the palace courtyard for a Christmas themed food festival. Stock up your kitchen cupboards in time for Christmas, or buy presents for your foodie friends. Hampton Court Palace, £19.20 (includes Palace entry), book ahead, 7-9 December
ALPINE RESORT: No ski trip booked this year? No problem — an Alpine resort opens in Victoria today. For eight days, events include Christmas film screenings, a silent disco, carol concerts, special Christmas cocktails and more. Nova and Cardinal Place (Victoria), free entry (charge and booking required for events), 7-14 December
BAILEYS TREAT BAR: Love Baileys? You're in the right place, as the Baileys Treat Bar returns to Covent Garden. Drink cocktails out of a chocolate reindeer, or customise your (Baileys-spiked) hot chocolate or latte with toppings of your choice. There are plenty of vegan options too. 9-11 Shorts Gardens (Covent Garden), free entry, just turn up, 7-22 December
THE TULIP: Intrigued by planned new skyscraper The Tulip? The building team J. Safra Group and architects Foster + Partners invite local residents and businesses to find out more about the plans and have a say, with the consultant team on hand to answer questions. 20 Bury Street, EC3A 5AX, free, just turn up, 12pm-3pm
TEA DANCE: No partner needed for this tea dance — just turn up and Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango and Rumba the afternoon away. There's also a raffle, so it may well be your lucky day. Cecil Sharp House (Camden), £5, just turn up, 1pm-4pm
LANTERN PARADE: Follow a lantern parade through the streets of Aldgate, beginning at Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School, and ending at Aldgate Square, where the winter fete and lighting of the Christmas tree takes place. Aldgate, free, just turn up, from 4pm
CAROL CONCERT: As carol concert venues go, this one's pretty impressive. Enjoy festive music from The Royal Holloway University Chapel Choir in the Waterloo Gallery at Apsley House, home of the Duke of Wellington. Apsley House, £20-£25, book ahead, 6.30pm
SWING DEN: New to Swing dance and need to practice the steps? Swing Den is aimed at beginners (although everyone is welcome), with a taster lesson followed by an evening of social dancing. No need to bring a partner. Bishopsgate Institute, £10/£8/£5, book ahead, 7pm
MAMMA MIA: Watch the second instalment of the Abba-themed film franchise, starring Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Pierce Brosnan and, bizarrely, Cher. It's both a sequel and a prequel, flicking between the present and the time when Sophie's mother was Sophie's age. Harris Academy South Norwood, £8.50/£7/£5, book ahead, 7.45pm-10.30pm
FESTIVE FOLK NIGHT: Here's an evening of festive music that's a bit different from your usual carol concerts: performers local to SW16 take to the stage, including alt-folk band Farrago, singer-songwriter Bity Booker, and singer Sherika. Hideaway (Streatham), £8/£6, book ahead, 8pm
COMEDY: Geoff Norcott's comedy show — an extension to his sell-out Edinburgh residency — is about the speed at which the world is changing, and whether 'tradition' is becoming a dirty word as everything modernises. Leicester Square Theatre, £14/£12, book ahead, 9.30pm
Good cause of the day
Tonight, it's the turn of Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice to host a fundraising carol concert, taking place inside the Old Royal Naval College with music from the Trinity Laban Choir. More information and tickets here.
