Stay late at the Kew Gardens Orchid Festival. James Gifford-Mead©RBG KewThings to do LOVE BEER: Love Beer London is a three-day keg festival celebrating the best craft beer made in the south-east of the UK. More than 90 breweries from London and beyond are confirmed. The Cause (Tottenham Hale), from £12, book ahead, 13-15 February STEVE MCQUEEN: Artist Steve McQueen is the man behind the recent billboards featuring schoolchildren — and Oscar-winning film 12 Years A Slave, too. In a new exhibition, Tate takes us through his 25-year career as an artist and film maker, in which he's covered drug-related murders, the civil rights movement and the labour conditions of gold mine workers. Tate Britain, £13, book ahead, 13 February-11 May EXHIBITION PREVIEW: Get a preview of the Fashion & Textile Museum's new exhibition, Out Of The Blue, and meet designer Tricia Guild OBE. The exhibition is about Guild's interior design company, Designers Guild, which she founded in the 1970s, and the influence it has had on our use of texture and patterns. Fashion & Textile Museum (Bermondsey), £15-£45, book ahead, 10am-12pm Meet Tricia Guild at the Fashion & Textile MuseumIMPERIAL LATES: Future Commuter is the theme of a late-night opening at Imperial College. Experts offer an insight into what the future of transport might look like, including electric vehicles with Shell, a VR experience based on cycling in London, and wearable tech that tells you when you're too tired or drowsy to be driving. Imperial College (South Kensington), free, book ahead, 6pm-9pm GALENTINE'S DAY: Leicester Square's legendary Prince Charles Cinema hosts a Galentine's Day double screening. Take your friends along to watch Greta Gerwig's 2018 directorial debut Lady Bird, followed by 2019 hit Booksmart. Prince Charles Cinema (Leicester Square), £10 per film, book ahead, 6.15pm/8.30pm ORCHIDS AFTER HOURS: You could visit the Orchid Festival by day. Or you could make a special trip to Kew, for one of the Orchids: After Hours evening openings. The first one takes place tonight, with live music, dancers and cooking demonstrations on an Indonesian theme, plus a chance to see the orchids illuminated at night. Kew Gardens, £18, book ahead, 6.30pm/8pm Rosie Wilby presents The Breakup MonologuesWITH LOVE: Just in time for V-Day, National Archives opens its With Love exhibition, featuring love letters from within its holdings. Peruse romantic ramblings from a queen, a prime minister and other figures, telling stories of heartbreak, passion and disappointment, at this night preview opening. Kleenex at the ready, we think. National Archives (Kew), £12/£9.60, book ahead, 7pm-9pm BREAKUP MONOLOGUES: Comedian and author Rosie Wilby hosts a live recording of her podcast, The Breakup Monologues — just in time for Valentine's Day. Hear Wilby and her guests looking back over their past relationships and break-ups, plus divorce parties and issues such as ghosting. Poplar Union, £9/£7 book ahead, 7.30pm Enjoy late night jazz at the Royal Albert HallMERMAIDS: South East London Folklore Society's February talk is about mermaids. Hear about different versions of merfolk which exist in cultures around the world, and trace where such myths originate. The Old King's Head (Borough), £5/£3, book ahead, 8pm LATE NIGHT JAZZ: Stay up late and enjoy an intimate jazz gig in the Elgar Room. Bassist Daniel Casimir and vocalist Tess Hirst perform, off the back of the release of their debut album, These Days. Royal Albert Hall, £12-£16.50, book ahead, 9.30pm London weather with Inclement Attlee Our idiosyncratic weather forecaster returns, keeping you up to date on London's skies. What a beautiful day lies ahead, full of glorious winter sunshine and crisp, clear skies. That's if you live above the cloud-line. For Londoners on the ground, it's going to be a miserable, wet Thursday I'm afraid. Contact Mr Attlee with any weather-related thoughts or pictures by emailing [email protected]; subject line "For Mr Attlee". Tube ponderings with Barry Heck Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground. Hammersmith (Piccadilly & District) is an infinitely charming station. Shut up. It is. The bustling stop features a mosaic wall, salvaged masonry from an earlier version of the station, a novelty clock, and a book swap, among other features. My favourite diversions, though, are these tube-carriage planters, which brighten up the ticket hall. Beautiful. Follow Barry on Twitter @HeckTube. Good cause of the day Coming up in September, Global Street Art will host the inaugural London Mural Festival. The two-week festival, running 1-13 September, will bring together some of the world’s finest street artists and muralists to paint the city. As the list of artists grows so does the need for walls to paint! If you are a property owner, occupier or work in real estate they'd love to hear from you. What we're reading The Airbnb scam taking over London. How London got rid of private cars — and grew more congested than ever. Time called at The Lord Clyde in Borough. Someone recorded a timelapse of Storm Ciara over London. |
