You’ve been to Notting Hill and Hackney Carnivals but just can’t seem to get the rhythm out of your system, so why not see what Woolwich Carnival has to offer.
In it’s 5th year the event will begin from 12pm – 7pm but the parade starts at 1.30pm in Royal Arsenal, ending in General Gordon Sq where the main stage has been set up, featuring a number of live acts and sound systems.
The parade will see local schools and communities get involved, and at the end of the day a King and Queen of the Carnival will be choose, so don’t forget to vote.
The Time: from 12pm -7pm on Saturday 14th Sept 2019
The Place: The Main Stage and end of the parade is located at General Gordon Sq, SE18 6.
Tickets: It’s Free Baby!
How to get there: Woolwich Arsenal the last stop on the DLR Line in Zone 4
It’s October 26th and you still haven’t made plans for Halloween, lets see if we can help.
DJ Yoda’s Stranger Things Halloween Party
Got a thing for the 80’s then get those white stilettos, stone washed jeans and back combed hair over to EartH in Dalston for DJ Yoda’s cult 80’s movie fancy dress party, 80’s costumes are MANDATORY.
EartH 11-17 Stoke Newington Road, N16 8BH
2nd Nov from 9pm, Over 18s Only Tickets available here
BFI Halloween Movie Screenings
Not into costumes, what a movie, BFI will be screening 2 Halloween favourites Shaun of the Dead followed by The Evil Dead on the 31st Oct, don’t forget your popcorn.
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, South Bank, London SE1 8XT
31st Oct from 6pm, Over 18s Only Tickets available here
Spooky Stories at Shakespeare’s Globe
Something spooky for the kids that doesn’t involve sweets, Terrifying Tales for Enchanted Nights hosted by Vanessa Woolf is a series of spooky stories and tales from around the world told in one of the worlds most famous buildings
21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT
27th Oct at 11am, suitable for 8 yrs old and older, children under 16 yrs old need to be accompanied by an adult Tickets available here
London Horror Festival
“The UK’s original and largest festival of live horror performances will return to the Old Red Lion Theatre from 7th October – 3rd November 2018.”
If you like your horror in living colour then a month of live performances, courtesy of the London Horror Festival will be right up your alley.
Old Red Lion Theatre 418 St John Street London EC1V 4NJ
7th Oct – 3rd Nov, for tickets and performance listings click here
One for the Poddles
Even dogs like to dress up every once in a while and what better time then Halloween. Dogs and their owners are invited to the Halloween Dog Walk and Show on the 28th Oct, costumes are welcomed but not mandatory.
Registration begins at 11am and the walk starts at 12, the show commences at 1pm from The Spaniards Inn on the heath. Bring your wellies.
The Spaniards Inn, Spaniards Road, Hampstead, NW3 7JJ
I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one, The Chuckle Brothers are going to be at the Kingston Hippodrome for Freshers Week. It’s been awhile since Freshers Week applied to me, but I might buy a ticket just so I can meet the Chuckle brothers…it’s the Chuckle Brothers!!!!!!
“To me, To you”, who knew The Chuckles Brothers recording a track with Tinchy Stryder, I can’t handle this.
If you’re a real Fresher and in the Kingston Upon Thames area on the 22nd September then head over to the Hippodrome for an evening with THE CHUCKLE BROTHERS!
I can’t say it enough. I’m so pleased they’re still working the circuit, good on you fellas :0)
The Time: Friday 22nd September from 10pm
The Place: The Hippodrome, Kingston Upon Thames, 1 St. James’ Road, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 2AH Surrey
Price: Early bird tickets start from £2.00, late entry tickets and tickets on the door cost more, from here.
Aspiring young film makers charge your cameras, finalize your scripts and get to filming because the Barnes Film Festive wants to show your movies to the world.
From September 29th – October 1st Barnes will be hosting their second annual festival showcasing the talents of movie makers under the age of 25 from across the Country. The submission deadline for the festival was initially set for September 1st but has been extended to the 15th due to popular demand.
A number of workshops, screenings & Q&A sessions along with an Opening Ceremony Gala and Competition Awards Ceremony will be on during the event. click here for the full schedule.
“Competition will be judged by leading film industry professionals, and will be screened during the Festival. Winners will be announced, and prizes awarded, during the Festival”
So if movies are the name of your game then head over to Barnes for tips on how to get into the Industry.
The Time: 29th Sept – 1st Oct
The Place: Various location around Barnes
Price: Tickets for the event start from £4, click here to purchase.
I cannot act, there isn’t an inch of me that should be on stage or in front of a camera (unlike a friend of mine who is A brilliant actor, I hate her!), the thought of improv literally scares me into a sweaty panic attack, but there’re those crazy bastards who thrive on that type of adrenaline, step forward the London Improv Theatre.
Established in 2016 by Jake Lyons, the theatre plays host to Improv performances such comedy, sketches, music and even magic, oh how I love me a bit of magic.
A number of performances are on over September including an acoustic showcase (showcase performances are on the first Saturday of each month) , ‘Scared Scriptless’ where the participates improvise scenes based on audience suggestions and ‘The Magicians Showcase’ which I may well attend myself (love me a bit of magic).
If you’re after an evening of impromptu theatre, or in the mood to joy in yourself, pop on over to Swiss Cottage, it won’t disappoint.
The Time: Varies
The Place: London Improv Theatre, 104-A Finchley Road, Londnon, NW3 5JJ
Tickets: Prices vary but generally start from £5/6 in advance.
For all lovers of indie games, get your backsides over to the Saatchi gallery on Thursday 16th Feb for the finally of the Google Play Indie Games Contest.
From 3pm the 20 finalists will showcase their games for public voting, the event continue with the top 10 with the most votes will then be announced, those 10 pitching their games and then the awards ceremony.
If this sounds like your kinda thing, plus you like free-ness, click here to pre-register your attendance.
The Time and Date: Thursday 16th February from 3pm
The Place: Saatchi Gallery, Duke Of York’s HQ, King’s Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY
Tickets: Are free baby, register your attendance here for the event
Contact: Go here for more details events.withgoogle.com
Go show your support for Indie creators, it could be you one day!
In a dark, dark town there was a dark, dark street and on that dark, dark street lays Chief Coffee. Â Well Turnham Green isn’t that dark, and neither is the street Chief sits on (it’s not really a street either, more of a mews), but this was the best opener I could come up with.
Meet Chief Coffee, the caffeine establishment located in a Victorian bottle factory that boasts a pinball lounge in the basement.
Situated just off Turnham Green Terrace, Chief Coffee servers a variety of artisan coffee drinks with a variety of artisan beans, none of that Btarsucks rubbish, if you know what I mean.
In-house treats like sandwiches and pastries provided by local vendors are made daily, but you want to know about the pinball machines right?
Grab your Cappuccino, hand-made cinnamon bun and wonder downstairs where you’ll find pinball machines of the Ghostbusters, Game of Thrones and Star Trek variety, to name but a few.
At present there are 9 machines residing in the Chief underground meeting room, which I’ve been told by my band of spies can be hired out for private events, if you’re interested email here.
If you happen to be in West London and are in dyer need of caffeine, I highly recommend popping into Chief. The staff are lovely, the building is stunning and the pinball is awesome…oh and the coffee is pretty OK too :0)
The Place:Â Â Chief Coffee, Turnham Green Terrace Mews, London W4 1QU
The Time:   Mon-Fri 8am-5.30pm  Sat 9am-7pm  Sun 10am-5.30pm
Contact: Â For more information email Chief Coffee here
The Yuletide festivities have come & gone and you’re fulfilling your New Years resolution of going to the gym, but you’re lagging, you feel your resolve starting to waiver, the enthusiasm you felt on the 4th Jan seems to have buggered off by the 14th, what to do???
You could stick with it, push through the ‘wall’ and battle on. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact ‘Big Up’ to you for persevering.
If you’re REALLY struggling you could consider joining an independent gym / Personal Trainer who might offer a personalised approach to training and keep you interested in the sweaty world of fitness.  If this sounds more like it then take a goosey gander at the suggestions below.
Road to Fitness UK
A jack of all trades and master of most Road to Fitness UK offers Personal Training, Martial Arts Tuition, First Aid Courses, Sports Massage and I think they also do stand up comedy…but only if you ask really nicely.  Based in Loughton (but they travel throughout London), the company has been going for 6+ years so can aid in your fitness goals however big or small.
Based in Islington North London Gemma Ridley offers Home / Gym PT sessions, outdoor workouts, High Intensity cardio classes and Boxing sessions for all levels of fitness. I would recommend doing her cardio classes but only if you don’t mind being a wee bit wobbly legged afterward.
gemmaridley.co.uk
If Self Defence is more your thing then head over to Apolaki Krav Maga London in Bethnal Green, London’s only full time Krav Maga Academy.
Krav Maga: “a form of self-defence and physical training, first developed by the Israeli army in the 1940s, based on the use of reflexive responses to threatening situations.”*
Specialising in Krav Maga Self Defence, Dirty Boxing and 1 on 1 Self Defence sessions, the school also offers Apolaki SPD – Self Protection for Dwarfs. A bespoke self defence system designed by Eugene Grant and Apolaki Krav Maga Chief Instructor Kelina Cowell, the system is  designed specifically for the body types and threats experienced by people with restricted growth  syndrome.
The land of the cool (Hackney) are playing host to Hackney Flea Market’s DIY Arts Market on Sunday 6th September.
Lots of handmade goodies, both the edible and non foodie kind, lovingly produced by skilled artisans, crafters and people who just love to create will be on offer for you lucky people.
If old skool vinyl records, hand flattened plates, one-off embroidered patches or sculptures of semi naked ladies (look at pic above) are your thing then get your arse down to the market, make the most of your Sunday damn it!
Kids, how quickly they grow up, going from your cute little cherubs playing dress up, to young adults starting their careers, scary times for everyone especially you (unfortunately you can’t protect them forever).
So your little peanut (that’s what my family called me as a child…but never stopped) decides that they want to do something creative, they’re not sure what exactly but do know that that is the path for them, they just need to narrow down the options. The best way to do this is to test the waters, but as a ‘grown up’ you know nothing is that simple, nobody wants to give you a chance without first having some experience, but you can’t get that experience without someone giving you a chance, the irony is laughable unless you’re living it. Enter the Round House to the rescue.
This wonderfully round building offers a bunch of courses and workshops in creative writing, interactive theatre, music production, web design and practically every other creative field you can think of.
If you, or your child, are between 11-25 – sorry old people – and want to explore the many creative realms, I strongly urge you to have a looky here. You’ll get advice and tips from industry professionals, meet new people with similarly mad hair, but most importantly you’ll receive experience in the field you later hope to work in. It may not be a job but colleges, universities and employers love to see evidence of your dedication, so go for.
It’s never easy choosing a career path, hopefully the Round House will help making that decision sightly more bearable.
The Time:Â The workshops times and start dates vary, check the website for more details.
The Place: RoundHouse, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8EH
