August Bank Holiday Weekend is approaching! It celebrates (or mourns) the end of the British summer, preparing us for autumn.
With some of the biggest festivals of the year – Reading and Leeds, Creamfields, and SW4 festival, we won’t argue, us Brits know how to say a BIG goodbye to our mediocre summers.
Thank you universe though, this summer is the hottest since most of us can remember.
Here’s our guide to the August Bank Holiday Weekend 2018 in London.
Bank Holiday Weekend: Celebrate Europe’s biggest street festival
Notting Hill Carnival
Running this Sunday and Monday on the streets of Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London.
It celebrates Afro-Caribbean heritage and the multiculturalism of London through parades, food and music.
Transport options: get there via London underground or buses. Check TfL’s website before you travel, some stations will be closed if they get overcrowded.
Nearby underground stations:
High Street Kensington (Circle and District lines)
Holland Park (Central Line), Queen’s Park (Bakerloo line)
Shepherds Bush (central line)
Bayswater (Circle and District line)
Paddington (Hammersmith & City and Circle lines).
See more here: http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/
Dance the bank holiday weekend 2018 away at the legendary South West Four (SW4)
SW4 on Clapham Common
From Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th August, Clapham Common will be taken over by some of the biggest DJs and names in electronic music.
The event is for over 18s only and is accessible by public transport. The nearest underground station is Clapham Common (Northern Line). By train, the nearest station is Clapham High Street.
See more here: http://www.southwestfour.com/
Summer by the River festival: bank holiday weekend 2018
More London on the South Bank
The More London Free Festival hosts a season of free events, live music, theatre and film screenings. For its thirteenth year running, events and performances are hosted in the amphitheatre on the South Bank.
Including the Rivers of the World Exhibition and the Free Festival Theatre, there is plenty to see and do this weekend.
More London is near London Bridge and Tower Bridge in London, next to City Hall. London Bridge rail and underground station (Northern and Jubilee lines) is nearby.
See more here: http://www.morelondon.com/events/calendar/
Have a fantastic bank holiday weekend!
PEYOTITO in Notting Hill!
Peyotito moved into Notting Hill on the 4th of July and is run by Eduardo García, one of Mexico’s top chefs. It’s modern Mexican cuisine with a predominantly gluten and dairy free menu. There is nothing tacky about these tacos, we love it mucho!
‘Pulpo a la Mexicana’ – Peyotito’s Mexican style octupus with fresh lime and house made calamato!
Chilli & Passionfruit Margarita for a hot hot day!
Address: 31 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU
MK by Muriel’s Kitchen in Putney!
Muriel’s Kitchen in South Kensington, Soho and Richmond has now opened a takeaway spot in Putney. We want all those cute breakfast pots and yummy healthy quick lunches! Putney commuters say thank you Muriel!
Strawberries, blueberries, nuts, mango, coconut, shia seeds – breakfast bonanza!
Egg & Bacon Muffin, yum!
Address: 95 Putney High St, London SW15 1SS
ARLO’S in Balham
Anyone who’s motto is ‘serious about steak’ is confident about their signature dish. Arlo’s is opening its doors on the 20th of July in Balham and we’ve heard it’s going to be sizzlingly good! Get in line people!
Address: 1 Ramsden road, Balham SW12 8QX
CHICAMA in Chelsea
King’s Road is getting a new restaurant and it’s looking very impressive! The name is Chicama and the food is Peruvian seafood. Chicama’s beautiful Instagram account has made us all get very excited, so if it tastes half as good as it looks we know we’ll love it!
Yes. That is officially how heaven looks like…
Address: 383 King’s Road, London SW10 0LP
50% off food during their soft opening 18 – 31 July.
With a nice long weekend approaching, don’t sit at home and binge watch a serial on Netflix, get out and enjoy the city. We have searched the interwebs and come up with 8 fun things to do this Bank Holiday weekend.
1: Kyoto Garden in Holland Park
The garden first opened in 1991 as a gift from Kyoto to commemorate the long friendship between Japan and Great Britain. The design reflects key traits of Japanese gardens including stone lanterns, tiered waterfalls and plenty of Koi fish. The sound of water flowing over the tranquil waterfalls is often combined with squawks of nearby peacocks that wander through the park and all makes for a relaxing, interesting day out. Find out more information by clicking here.
2: Putt in the Park
If you find yourself in Wandsworth, Battersea or Acton this weekend, why not play a nice game of mini-golf? Whether you want to get the family out at the weekend and enjoy some wonderful coffee, delicious cakes and a hearty lunch or head down with friends and make the most of their fully licensed clubhouse – just turn up and play! Find out more info by clicking here.
3: Take a trip on the Thames
It may not be a fancy yacht out in the Mediterranean, but seeing the city from the Thames can be relaxing and exhilarating. If you are looking for a morning, afternoon or evening trip, there are cruises to fit your timetable and desires. Click here for more information.
4: Portobello Road Market
If shopping for unique gifts and eating exotic foods is more your speed, why not head to Portobello Road, the world’s largest antiques market with over 1,000 dealers selling every kind of antique and collectible. For more information click here.
5: Changing the Guard
Few things scream British louder than the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Now if haven’t seen it, why not do it this weekend? The show starts at 11:30am, and lasts 45 minutes, but be sure to get there early as crowds tend to gather. For more details click here.
6: The Science Museum
Immerse yourself into a world of imagination. The museum is designed for you to touch, interact and learn. This is perfect for children and adults alike to lose yourself in the fun and interesting environment. For more details click here.
7: Speaker’s Corner
Celebrate eccentricity from around the world at Speaker’s Corner, the last corner of the world where truly free speech is aired. Sure, you’ll hear some outrageous rubbish being spouted, but you might just catch something quietly revelatory, too. Either way, the beauty of Speaker’s Corner is the absence of the kind of hysterical self-righteous rage which plagues Twitter. Learn more about Speakers Corner and its history click here.
8: Hackney City Farm
There are few places in London where you can interact with pigs, donkeys, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, geese and more. So if getting dirty and hanging out with animals are more your thing, click here to get more details.
With the long Bank Holiday weekend nearly upon us, hopefully one of the above tickles your fancy. But if you do plan on just being lazy all weekend, we wouldn’t blame you.
The annual Ritherdon Road Street Party, sponsored by Jacksons, explodes in size on Sunday 22nd May with the introduction of a full music stage, tons of local entertainment and 50 stalls packing the road, which will be closed to traffic for the first time in the event’s history.
Running from 11am and 5pm, local residents and visitors from across London will once again enjoy a lovely Sunday afternoon family fun-filled event on Ritherdon Road, the parade of independent shops, cafés, restaurants and businesses located between Balham and Tooting Bec.
The free event will feature over 50 food stalls, boutique traders and exhibitors: from Vietnamese Street Food, ice cream, crêpes, halloumi and chilli dogs to jewellery, gourmet deli, luxury pet treats, quirky fashion and handmade toys. Visitors can also spend time in the Sambrook’s craft beer tent, taste a Whirly wine, gorge on a Lamberts’ hog roast or mix it up with the road’s regulars: Quirky Dovetail, Bodean’s, Spectrum, The French Café, Dee Light Bakery, Robbie’s Photographics and Gallery Midnight.
This year the introduction of a full music stage will add a dynamic focus to the day, with The Thumping Tommys, Tony Bowen (The Human Jukebox) and Tony Moore from The Bedford pub sharing the bill with The Balham Ukelele Society and The Haywood Sisters; while displays from professional street dance, salsa and ballet troupes will leave us all wishing we had the legs for it.
There’ll be games and giggles aplenty for the kids too, with laughter evangelists The Ministry of Giggles, a kiddies funfair ride, giant games, and bubbles and balloons courtesy of ‘back by popular demand’ Sassy Steve.
The Ritherdon Road Street Party on Sunday 22nd May is sponsored by Jacksons Estate Agents – raising funds and awareness for Beyond Autism and Wandsworth’s Rainbow School – with additional support from Places for People Leisure, the team behind Balham Leisure Centre and Tooting Bec Lido – who will be giving out free passes to their facilities on the day – and local dog walking and daycare experts Pawesome.
For further information check out the Ritherdon Road Facebook page.
1 Ritherdon Road Street Party Facebook event page accessed online 20 May 2016 https://www.facebook.com/events/225886191135182/
With temperatures this weekend looking to be higher in London than Ibiza, get out and enjoy the sun in one of the many fantastic parks and gardens London has to offer.
Chelsea Physic Garden
Founded in 1673, Chelsea Physic Garden contains the world’s oldest rock garden, made from fused bricks and flint, stones from the Tower of London, and Icelandic lava brought up the Thames by ship in 1772. Today the garden is also home to Britain’s first garden of ethnobotany (the study of the botany of different ethnic groups and indigenous peoples), and a Garden of Medicinal Plants, tracing the chronology of plant remedies over almost an acre, from ancient Greek herbs to plants that are likely to be used in future medicine. Illustrated information panels explain what you’re seeing, but there are also guided tours and walks, talks and workshops throughout the growing season. There’s also a shop where visitors can buy unusual plants, and a café serving very good homemade cakes.
Clapham Common
Clapham Common provides an oasis of peace amid the busy traffic of south west London, with Holy Trinity Church, which dates from 1776, at its perimeter. A number of cafés, sporting facilities, two playgrounds and a skate park make the common a lively recreational facility for locals. Originally built in 1890, Clapham Common’s bandstand is the largest in London. After falling into disrepair in the 1960s, the bandstand was restored and reopened and now hosts a variety of open-air concerts during the summer months.
Battersea Park
Conceived to offer both pleasure and the regulation thereof in one of the capital’s dodgier districts, Battersea Park was opened by Queen Victoria in 1858. It now has so much going for it that it’s almost unfair. What other green space in the capital can boast Thames views, an art gallery (The Pump House) and a zoo. It’s so full of variety it’s impossible not to stumble upon something new each time you visit. Kids love Battersea Park: the pedalos on the charming, landscaped boating lake, the sights and smells of the walled gardens. Battersea Park’s adventure playground is superb, with plenty of original and imaginatively-built features. The climbing structures, slides and high climbing nets present unusual challenges for children aged 5+, and there’s a separate area for younger kids too. But really, it’s all about the animals. An enclosure apparently containing deer (they’re elusive) is fun, but Battersea Park’s ace is its family-run zoo, complete with lemurs, meerkats and pygmy goats. There’s the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home too.
So no matter your plans this weekend, be sure to enjoy a bit of sun while we have it.
1 Chelsea Physic Garden Accessed online 4 May 2016 http://www.timeout.com/london/attractions/chelsea-physic-garden
2 Clapham Common Accessed online 4 May 2016 http://www.timeout.com/london/attractions/clapham-common
3 Battersea Park Accessed online 4 May 2016 http://www.timeout.com/london/attractions/battersea-park
This weekend is London’s biggest waterside festival the Canalway Cavalcade. Little Venice’s postcard-pretty waterways will be awash with 130 decorated canal boats for this waterside festival, which takes place for three days over the May Bank Holiday weekend
Admission to this the iconic London event is free. View the spectacle of the decorated boats in the pool, or watch a Punch & Judy show in Rembrandt Gardens. As well as boating competitions and parades, there will be lots of activities to keep the children amused. Visit the tasty selection of food stalls, see what’s on offer at the real-ale bar, or peruse the stalls selling the weird and the wonderful. There really is something for everyone at this special event.
Use the hashtag #canalwaycavalcade to share your photos and experiences.
IWA Canalway Cavalcade is a unique waterway boat gathering organised by IWA volunteers, that has been taking place at Little Venice since 1983.
Festival Highlights
Saturday:
2:00pm Opening Ceremony
2:30pm Themed pageant of decorated boats
Sunday:
11:00am Boat Handling Competition (Supported by British Land)
12:45pm Blessing of the Boats by the Bishop of London
3:00pm Teddy Bears’ Picnic
8:00pm Music followed by a procession of Illuminated boats
Monday:
10:30am Boat Handling Competition (Supported by British Land)
1:00pm Awards Ceremony
3:00pm Procession
Opening Times:
Saturday 30th April: 10am – 6pm
Sunday 1st May: 10am – 6pm and 8pm – 10.30pm
Monday 2nd May: 10am – 5pm
Click here for more information on the IWA Canalway Cavalcade
1 IWA Cavalcade – 30th April – 2nd May 2016 https://www.waterways.org.uk/events_festivals/canalway_cavalcade/iwa_canalway_cavalcade
2 Photo credit http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/assets/0905/0000/0111/canalway17.jpg
The first London Marathon was held on 29 March 1981, more than 20,000 applied to run. 6,747 were accepted and 6,255 crossed the finish line on Constitution Hill. The Marathon’s popularity has steadily grown since then. According to the organisers, there were more than 38,000 participants in the 2015 race, the highest number in the London Marathon’s history.
Current course record holders are Wilson Kipsang for the men with a time of 2:04:29 set back in 2014 and Paula Radcliffe for the women at 2:15:25 set in 2003.
This years marathon is set to be its largest to date and the London Marathon’s one millionth finisher will cross the line during the 2016 race, a milestone in the history of the event celebrated by a #oneinamillion social media campaign which celebrates every finisher since the race started in 1981.
This year a total of 69 hopefuls will be attempting to set 55 new world records at the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 24 April in the ninth successive year of a record-breaking partnership with GWR. Click here for more details.
Road closure information for the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon is available here.
The London Marathon kicks off in Blackheath, South East London, through Woolwich, Greenwich, Isle of Dogs, Tower of London and London Bridge before finishing at The Mall past Buckingham Palace. See an image of the course below:
There are four separate start times for the London Marathon this year: 8.55am, 9am, 9.15am and 10.10am. Wheelchair competitors will set off at 8.55am followed by paralympic runners competing in the IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup at 9am.
At 9.15am the elite women runners will start and at 10am the elite male runners, anyone competing in the British athletics and England Athletics championships and thousands of amateur runners will get going.
1 WELCOME TO THE VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON Accessed online 22 April 2016 https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/
2 Photo credit London Marathon 2017 Accessed online 22 April 2016 https://genesisuk.org/events/london-marathon/
This year’s event takes place on St George’s Day itself, 23 April, between 12pm and 6pm. You can see Trafalgar Square decorated in red and white for England’s national day and join in the free themed activities with live music, family games, dance and storytelling. Plus, watch celebrity chefs give live cookery demonstrations and sample traditional English fare from the food stalls, inspired by St George’s Day’s 13th-century origins as a national day of feasting.
History of St George
St George is the patron saint of England. His name is most commonly associated with the legend of St George and the Dragon. In the mythical tale, George obtains glory by slaying a dragon that is terrorising the countryside and is about to eat a beautiful princess. George survives the ordeal by invoking the sign of the cross. As a mark of their gratitude, the local citizens all convert to Christianity and seek to copy George’s chivalrous, princess-saving behaviour. The story is loosely based on a real-life George who was born around 280AD and grew up to become a Christian soldier of the Roman Empire. The myth of St George and the Dragon in England was known prior to the Norman Conquest in 1066, but the idea of George as the nation’s patron saint probably caught on around William Shakespeare’s time. In Shakespeare’s play Henry V, the English troops are famously rallied with the cry “God for Harry, England and St George!”.
1 Feast of St George in Trafalgar Square 2016 Accessed online 20 April 2016 http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/8726328-feast-of-st-george-in-trafalgar-square
The Department for Energy and Climate Change would like to engage with experts, academics, organisations, members of the public and other stakeholders to give us their views about proposals to improve the energy performance of heating systems.
Currently heat accounts for around 45% of our energy consumption and a third of all carbon emissions. The UK boiler market is the largest in the world, worth at least £1.3 billion per annum with well over 1.2 million new boilers sold every year just in our homes. In England, 27 million homes use a boiler as the principal technology to provide heating.
The long-term goal is still to move towards more sustainable sources of heat, but the role for conventional systems is expected to remain significant well into the 2030s.
The intention of the DECC is to use an Open Policy Making process that brings together those inside and outside of government interested in contributing to our policy and thinking. They want help in co-designing policies to make sure that they will work in practice, and this process will ensure that different points of view and expertise are taken into account; and that challenges and opportunities are well understood before any firm proposals are made.
To meet the carbon targets most of the cost-effective scenarios require zero carbon emissions from heat in buildings by 2050, with an on-going role for gas heating systems into at least the 2030s. With this ongoing role it feels right to consider ways to improve performance, save carbon and reduce bills from conventional heating systems, as long as it can be cost effective.
Since setting minimum standards in 2005, advances in technology have kept the UK at the forefront of the global boiler market. The DECC would like to consider whether the time is right to raise those standards, and what are the benefits and risks if they do.
For more information regarding the DECC click here.
1 Heat in Buildings Accessed online 18 April 2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/heat-in-buildings
On Saturday 7 May at Brockwell Park, London or Saturday 21 May at
Windsor Great Park, Windsor the UK’s first obstacle course where animal lovers can compete in 2.5km and 5km runs with their dogs to raise money to help care for all the dogs and cats at Battersea.
For those more pampered pooches that only want to dip their paws in but still be part of the fun, Brockwell Park is the challenge for you. Set in urban London, you can expect to get a little mucky without ruffling your fur too much. This event is open to families with children 8 years old and over. The Windsor Great Park course is for those true mucky pups that want to get stuck in for some real muddy fun. Prepare to get your paws dirty! You must be 18 years old or over to take part in this event.
We ask each participating adult to raise a minimum sponsorship target of £100 and for children to raise a minimum sponsorship target of £20 to help care for all the dogs and cats here at Battersea. The amazing two and four-legged runners that took part in the Muddy Dog Challenge 2015 raised a fantastic £40,000 for the Home.
To register for Muddy Dog Challenge click Brockwell Park or Windsor Great Park
Registration fees:
Adult entry (over 18 years old) until 1 May – £30
Children (must be 8 years old or over and participating with an adult) – £15
Dog entry £8.50
As part of your registration you will receive a finisher’s medal, t-shirt and goody bag. If entering a dog, they will get a free bandana to show off to all their pals in the park. You will also receive fundraising and training support for you and your dog.
If you have any event queries please email events@battersea.org.uk or call 020 7627 9295.
1 Muddy Dog Challenge 2016 Accessed online 4 April 2016 http://www.battersea.org.uk/apex/webarticle?pageId=muddydogchallenge