43 Brilliant Things To Do In London | April 2024 Edition

Your April Agenda | The Best Of London, April 2024

Apparently, and incredibly, April Fool’s Day has actually been recognised by UNESCO as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ here in the UK.

Go ahead. Look it up. It’s true.

And while we wait, we can tell you about some of the other great things going on this month, including a controversial photography exhibition; a showcase of highly experimental (and frequency surreal) games; the return of an iconic jazz festival; a peek into the underworld of high-performance cars; a free party in an 18th century Neoclassical palace; a guided night-time walk with bat detectors & UV torches in London’s oldest botanical garden; a chance to visit a faithfully recreated 18th century chocolate house (and get drunk); some seriously decadent supper clubs; and a very risqué festival…

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POP UP EVENTS

1) The Moth Mainstage | Live storytelling in a beautiful chapel

Get ready to take the ol’ tear-ducts for a spin… because the emotion-fest that is the Moth Mainstage is back, live at Union Chapel at the start of this month. You’ll get personal true stories shared (without notes), and some live music (with notes).

Details: 3rd April | Union Chapel, 19b Compton Terrace, London, N1 2UN | £37
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2) The World Burlesque Games | Ooh, Vicar

In the spirit of the best burlesque, we won’t give away all the details about the World Burlesque Games (mostly because we don’t know all of them yet), but suffice to say it’s Europe’s largest and longest running International Burlesque competition, and it’s headed back into town the month. Expect a wide variety of events from a wide variety of performers.

Details: 5th & 6th April | Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12 7LJ | £26.95
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3) Now Play This | An experimental games festival

Now Play This is an experimental games festival – and given that it’s in its 10th year, it’s looking like the experiment was a success. It’s returning to Somerset House this month, and it’ll feature a dozen installations and pop-up games in the genres of video gaming, board games, and live action roleplay, all created by a range of artists, poets, activists, and game designers.

Details: 6th – 14th April | Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA | £9-£30
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4) Six Chick Flix | Two actors, half a dozen films, five star reviews

Described as “if Legally Blonde Pretty Woman Dirty Danced on the Beaches while writing a Notebook on the Titanic”, Six Chick Flicks is the work of two New York City comedians (Kerry Ipema & KK Apple), who eviscerate and evangelise their favourite movies in equal measure while singing, dancing, chatting, and laughing. Their Edinburgh run sold out, and the reviews have been stellar…

Details: 9th-13th April, 25th-29th June | Leicester Square Theatre | £18
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5) Lates at Somerset House | A free Shindig in an 18th Century Palace

Somerset House, having been around for about the past two centuries, has gotten into the Lates game rather late. But they’re here now, and they’re great. This spring they’re opening up their iconic courtyard & gallery spaces after hours to provide you with live bands, DJs, inflatable workshops (literally about making giant ballon things), street food from Chubby Dumplings, pop up bars, and more.

Details: 10th April | Somerset House | Free, but booking here is recommended
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Only 38 to go….

6) The London Coffee Festival | Espresso yourself

We like our festivals like we like our coffee: stimulating, satisfying, and in a very large container. And the London Coffee Festival is all of those things. You’ll find it at The Old Truman Brewery this month, and they’ve packed it with espresso martinis, latte art shows, coffee labs, unlimited tastings, coffee art projects, and more.

Details: 12th-15th April | The Old Truman Brewery, 150 Brick Ln, E1 6QL | £38
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7) Petrolhedonism Underground | If cars were supermodels

The gloriously names Petrolhedonism is an organisation devoted to bringing together the world’s greatest collection of hypercars, muscle cars, movie cars, classic cars, lowriders, sports cars, and more. They’re gathering them all together in Wembley this month for an indoor show, and guess what? It’s accessible by Tube.

Details: 13th & 14th April | Wembley Park | £25
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8) Music of the Movies: The Lord of the Rings and Beyond | We need a more epic word than epic

Nowadays, the word ‘epic’ just means ‘kind of cool’. But the scores from the movies that are being played live at the Royal Festival Hall this month (The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Avatar, etc.) are epic in the old-school, thunderstorm-summoning, empire-conquering, dragon-awakening, prophecy-fulfilling sense of the word. Prepare your spine for a solid tingling.

Details: 13th April | Royal Festival Hall | £19.50+
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9) In the Round Festival | Great bands on a circular stage

Housed in a former train depot where carriages could be rotated and sent off on different tracks, the Roundhouse was transformed from a glorified shed to Camden’s home of culture and performance back in 1966. Now, it’s hosting the In The Round Festival, in which you’ll see an eclectic lineup of bands & performers take to its spectacular circular stage, ranging from Samara Joy, to a Joni Mitchell tribute Bombay Bicycle Club & Emeli Sandé.

Details: 18th – 27th April | The Camden Roundhouse, NW1 8EH | £10+
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10) Roof East | Raising the games

For the past few months, life in Stratford has been roofless. Or rather, Roof East-less. But no more, thanks to the return of this bunting-strewn outdoor oasis filled with high-altitude games, cocktails and deep-fried cookie dough. Expect crazy golf, neon-lit bowls, batting cages, cocktails, an open-air cinema, and a lot more.

Details: Reopens 18th April | Floors 7 & 8, Stratford Multi-Storey Car Park, E15 1XE | Free entry
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11) Nature After Dark Walk | See the critters in London’s oldest botanical garden

The 300 year old Chelsea Physic Garden comprises 3.5 acres of secret, walled gardens filled with 5,000 curious plants. And this month, you can head down there under the cover of moonlight to check out the critters that come out at night. You’ll get a drink, an ecologist, a couple of bat detectors, some UV torches, and hopefully a little animal magic.

Details: 19th April | Chelsea Physic Garden | £20
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12) Spirited Decadence: The Art of Chocolate and Gin Tasting | Get tipsy in an 18th chocolate house

So, the people at Greenwich Royal Naval College are recreating an old-fashioned, 18th century chocolate house. And presumably because the entire population in the 18th century was basically permanently blotto on everyone’s favourite bathtub liqueur, they’re inviting people in for a special gin & chocolate tasting there, too. You’ll get to hear a little history, sample some very old fashioned hot chocolate, get a guided tasting of gin, have a cocktail, and more.

Details: 19th April | Old Royal Naval College, SE10 9NN | £49.50
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13) The World Photography Awards | ‘Put on an exhibition and make it snappy’

Juicy Controversy Alert: last year’s winner of the World Photography Awards turned out to be AI generated. The organisers tried to give the award to the photographer anyway. He refused to accept it. It was something of a kerfuffle. Anyway, everyone’s going to be scrutinising the images on show this year verrrry carefully to make sure there was a pulse involved. But whatever the case, they’ll be absolutely stunning…

Details: 19th April – 6th May 2024 | Somerset House | £15
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14) Rocketman Live | Tiny Dancer, big screen

If there was ever a movie that would challenge a live orchestra, it’s this one. The rip-roaring story of Elton’s rise, fall, and levelling-out has some sensational musical moments, and you can see them at the Southbank Centre this month…

Details: 20th April | Royal Festival Hall | £29.50+
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15) Brew//LDN | 100+ beer brands, and you

If you thought Brew LDN – hitting Between The Bridges this month – was just about beer, cider, spirits, beer, street food, live music, beer, and a little more beer, then you’d be wrong. There are also apparently non-alcoholic beers too.

Details: 24-27th April | Between The Bridges, The Queen’s Walk, SE1 | £10+
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16) Brick Lane Jazz Festival | Nudge Member Perk

If you’re a fan of both music and roads named after building materials, we have some good news for you: the Cement Avenue Kazoo Fiesta Brick Lane Jazz Festival is coming to town 26th-28th April. And although they sell out every year, they’re holding a few highly discounted tickets back just for Nudge Members (+1), with 30% off the price…

Details: 26th-28th April | The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL | £19.50+ (30% off for Nudge Members, find out more here)
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17) Classic Car Boot Sale | Drive a hard bargain

The Classic Car Boot Sale is essentially the city’s biggest, briefest vintage market, selling old-school threads, music, and bric-a-brac from a parade of beautiful vintage motors. It’s like a shop and a museum smooshed together. If you’re planning driving there, just make sure to park around the corner.

Details: 27th & 28th April | Granary Square, Kings Cross, N1C 4AA | £7
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18) Beats & Boards | Music & board games at the Tate Modern

Haseeb Iqbal is a broadcaster, DJ, writer, and now the man in charge of the Tate Modern’s newest alliterative series of Lates. It’s called Beats & Boards, and it takes place at The Corner. Head down, and you’ll be able to play board games (From scrabble, ludo and chess to Ghanian board game Oware and South Asian tabletop game Carrom) while being delightfully entertained by the live DJing.

Details: 2nd, 11th, 18th, 25th April | The Corner at Tate Modern, SE1 9TG | Free
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19) The Great Murder Mystery | Partner Content

Finally, stepping into a Sherlock Holmes story isn’t just a pipe dream anymore.

Because The Lost Estate – the exceptionally talented team behind sell-out experiences like The Greatest Night of the Jazz Age and The Great Christmas Feast – have just launched their latest show: The Great Murder Mystery. Set in the midst of Victorian London, it’s an evening that promises to immerse you in one of Sherlock’s most remarkable cases, with live music and first-class storytelling from a troupe of spellbinding performers. And while they conjure the desolate moors of Devonshire and the study at 221b Baker Street before your very eyes, you’ll be tucking into a three course Victorian feast…

Details: Throughout April | The Lost Estate, 9 Beaumont Avenue, W14 9LP | £149.50+, book here
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20) The Moonwalkers | The closest you can get to the lunar surface without rocket fuel

If you have even the slightest curious inclination to see The Moonwalkers – a new immersive show about the moon landings, narrated in the soothing baritone of Tom Hanks – then you should just lean into that feeling and book the tickets, because it’s an absolutely beautiful, enthralling, and genuinely quite moving experience. You will get goosebumps. And the less you know going in, the more blown away you’ll feel coming out.

Details: Until 13th October 2024 | Lightroom, 12 Lewis Cubitt Square, N1C 4DY | £25
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21) Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] | A murder mystery with a twist

The team behind Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] have found a way to put on a show without the hassle of doing rehearsals for it, and made it into a selling point. Laziness or genius? Maybe it’s both. But either way it looks amazing, and will probably sell out. The idea is that it’s a murder mystery with a twist, in that new celebrity guests star as the detective each night, without having seen a script beforehand. Hilarity ensues.

Details: Until 4th May 2024 | Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP | £15 (standing), £57-£100 (sitting)
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22) TT Cinema | Cult Films & Cocktails

What with the cocktail bar housed in the old Victorian police cells, the rooftop restaurant, the rare bottle shop, the cocktail workshop and the rooftop bar, it might have escaped your attention that TT Liquor also has its own tiny little cinema, too. So consider this a timely reminder that if you can snag one of its 50-odd seats, you’ll be treated to a cult film (this month’s flicks include Vertigo, A History Of Violence, Wayne’s World, Death Becomes Her) and a themed cocktail to go with it.

Details: Throughout April | TT Liquor, 17b Kingsland Road, E2 8AA | £15
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23) Check out an Exhibition

As much as you probably love staring at your own walls, there are some pretty first-class bricks propping up the ceilings of London’s many galleries. And here’s what’s adorning them this month… Check out our guide to the best exhibitions in London right now.
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24) Go To The Theatre

You may laugh. You may cry. You may throw up, or potentially do all three. See The Best Shows On At The Theatre Now

 

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POP UP RESTAURANTS
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25) Dusty Dinners | At The Dusty Knuckle

Chef Eric Wan (formerly of Dinner by Heston) runs a Vietnamese popup inspired by his heritage – and now it’s popping up at The Dusty Knuckle. Expect the likes of fried lemongrass chicken; pork belly with caramelised fish sauce & pickles; and roasted pineapple with salted coconut cream.

Details: 5th April | The Dusty Knuckle, E8 3DP | £50
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26) Untapped at The Sea, The Sea | £75 tasting menus from rising star chefs

The Sea, The Sea have decided to lend their beautiful alien steampunk spaceship style chef’s table space to some up & coming chefs. And by ‘up & coming’ they mean people like Will Stoyle & Zoe Donadio (Silo, Apricity); Ben Tonks (The Seahorse); and Budgie Montoya (Sarap)… But the best bit? The full tasting menu is only £75, which is a bargain for what you’re getting…

Details: 14th, 21st, 28th April | The Sea, The Sea, 337 Acton Mews, E8 4EA | £75
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27) Makan! | A Malaysian Supperclub By The Dinner Ladies

The Dinner Ladies are back, and this time Head Chef Nikika is cracking the spine on her family recipe book for some classic Malaysian dishes. Expect welcome cocktails, canapés, and six family-style courses.

Details: 18th April | Studio Z, 537 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8QB | £55
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28) Sprung Superclub | By Brown Butter

Brown Butter is the work of a couple of guys who met on MasterChef (and both reached at least the semis), then decided to cook up their own supperclubs. They’ve only had one so far, but it went down a treat, and sold out nearly instantly, thanks to inventive dishes like guinea fowl karaage with pickled blackberries & Szechuan chilli oil; or Jerusalem artichoke baked Alaska. The menu for their spring supperclub has yet to be announced, but it’s likely to be a belter…

Details: 19th April | Hatch, E9 6AB | £70
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29) Dost | Indian comfort food in Notting Hill

Every Thursday & Friday night, the folks at Dost take over Notting Hill’s Eggbreak cafe, and turn it into a little supperclub serving Indian comfort food. That means prawn naan toast, crab samosa, coal-cooked tamarind tomahawk steaks, butter chicken, masala fries & gravy, you name it. Dost thou fancy it?

Details: Thursdays & Fridays in April | Eggbreak, 30 Uxbridge St, W8 7TA
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30) Uncle Hon’s | China meets Texas meets your mouth

Luk Man Hon used to sell second-hand records, and he was perfectly happy doing that. Then, he happened to pass through Texas on business, ate some BBQ there, and decided that was now what he wanted to do with his life. So he came back to the UK, bought a smoker, and set to work. Now he has his own residency at All My Friends, and it’s returning this month…

Details: Throughout April | All My Friends, Unit 1, Hamlet Estate, 96 White Post Ln, E9 5EN
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31) Black Cactus BBQ | Ludicrously huge burgers in a brewery taproom

Popping up at the Exhale brewery taproom as of this month, Black Cactus are an old school, Texas-style BBQ outfit who make everything that can in-house using sustainable techniques, and higher welfare meat. The end result? Oak-smoked, dry-aged, ex-dairy cow rib cap & brisket burgers topped with the likes of smoked ox cheek, bourbon ketchup, and red miso, as well as huuuuge BBQ platters covered in a small farmyard’s worth of meat.

Details: 25th April – October | Exhale Brewery Taproom, Blackhorse Road E17
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32) The Good Front Room | Caribbean food, levelled up

The Good Front Room is a pop-up restaurant brought to you by Chef Dom Taylor, who won Channel 4’s Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef by impressing Le Gavroche’s Michel Roux with his unique cooking style that blends his Caribbean heritage with his South London upbringing. It’s a wonderful popup, but it’s ending this month…

Details: Until 30th April | The Langham Hotel, 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, W1B 1JA
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33) Lucky’s Hot Chicken | AKA ‘senseless heat’

Nashville Hot Chicken is here to stay, and the people at Lucky’s Hot Chicken are here to prove it with a pop up at the Mikkeller Brew Pub in Exmouth Market. Expect chicken served at heat levels that range from ‘country’, through to ‘hot’, ‘XXX’ and the worryingly simple ‘good luck’.

Details: Throughout April | Mikkeller, 37-39 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QL
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34) Fat Whyte Slims | A preorder only, weekend burger bar from Whyte Rushen

When Whyte Rushen does a burger bar, he smashes it. And that’s not just a semi-intentional pun on the smash-burger he’s serving (alongside ones with prawn patties & grilled pineapple, or pork with hot sin Bbq & crispy seaweed), but it’s mostly about the fact that he’s serving a – get this – burnt Basque cheesecake milkshake spiked with rum. Oh yes.

Details: Weekends in April | Unit 3, 143 Mare St, E8 3RH
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35) Ixta Belfrage at The Standard | Border-Flitting Food From A Lauded Chef

Ixta Belfrage’s running a pop up in The Standard hotel’s gorgeous ground floor restaurant & terrace, featuring some of the best dishes she’s come up with during her storied career, which has seen her write cookbooks, run the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, and put on some ludicrously good supperclubs. Taking inspiration from her family heritage, it’s a concise menu of dishes that, while short, impressively manages to incorporate Brazilian, Italian and Mexican influences…

Details: Until 22nd June | The Standard London, 10 Argyle Street, King’s Cross, WC1H 8EG | Book here
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36) Jackson Boxer at Selfridges | Uberchef meets department store

Chef Jackson Boxer has taken over The Corner in Selfridges this winter for a popup (albeit one with no end date) to fill the gap while he sorts out another of his own restaurants. His first couple – including Orasay and Brunswick House – weren’t too shabby, so this ought to be a belter. Dishes include smoked butter noodles with Madagascan pepper, XL diver scallop with artichoke, and a fried veal sandwich. Yes please.

Details: Throughout April | Selfridges, Oxford Street, W1A 1AB
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37) Lee Westcott at Bottle + Rye | The Typing Room Chef Comes To Brixton

Lee Westcott’s got so many awards and accolades under his belt, he’s going to need another belt just to hold the old one up. The former Typing Room chef cut his teeth at the likes of Noma, Per Se and Restaurant Tom Aikens; scored rave reviews for his solo debut; and comfortably won a Michelin star within 7 months for his Herefordshire restaurant Pensons. The only thing he doesn’t have, currently, is a place to cook. So while he’s scouting out the perfect site for his next project (an East London pub, apparently), he’s cooking up a French feast at Bottle + Rye for the next six weeks or so. Expect anchovies on toast; aged sirloin tartare; and hearty bouillabaisse to share.

Details: Until end of May (ish) | 404-406 Market Row, Brixton, SW9 8LF | Book here
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38) Tiella at the Compton Arms | Italian food in a classic North London boozer 

The Compton Arms always gets in great residencies. The last two – Four Legs and BELLY – both impressed massively, so they took a slight risk with Tiella because a) it’s not named after a body part, which seems to be the theme here, and b) it’s the debut of Italian chef Dara Klein, who has not yet helmed her own restaurant. But luckily, it turns out that she almost literally grew up in her family’s restaurant kitchen, and soaked up experience the whole time, then worked her way up through the ranks at places like Brawn, Trullo, and Sager + Wilde. So – surprise surprise – that risk has paid off…

Details: Throughout April (Weds-Sun) | Compton Arms, 4 Compton Avenue, London, N1 2XD
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POP UP BARS

39) Bar Azul Takeover | Feat. Nightjar & Henson’s

The newly opened Bar Azul (housed within Marylebone restaurant Bellazul) will be popping its collaborative cherry this Bank Holiday Monday with a takeover by Giueseppe Quartaroro from Nightjar and Dario Menichelli from Henson’s Bar & Social – two pretty decent drink jockeys. They’ll each be creating a trio of bespoke cocktails inspired by their respective bars, and you’ll get to drink them.

Details: 1st April | Bar Azul, 43 Blandford Street, W1U 7HF
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40) The Rebellious Wine Club | Unpretentious Wine Tastings

This may come as a surprise, but The Rebellious Wine Club likes to do things a little differently. For one, their tasting evenings are distinctly unpretentious. And for two, they’re hosted by trailblazing women in the wine industry. This month Roxane Dupuy will talk about how she helped guide Sketch to its 3rd Michelin Star as their head somm…

Details: 18th April | B&H Buildings, 42 Northampton Road, Clerkenwell, EC1R 0HU | £39

 

41) Bar Night at Novelty Automation | Pop up bar in a surreal arcade 

Novelty Automation has some truly weird arcades. There’s a Money Laundering cash drop, an ‘Auto Frisker’ that will pat you down like a mechanical bouncer, and a ‘Small Hadron Collider’ among many others. It’s like satire meets surrealism meets stainless steel. And for one night a month, there’s a pop up bar there too.

Details: 4th April, 5-9pm | 1a Princeton St, Holborn, WC1R 4AX
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42) Prelude | A pop up bar from the team at Oriole

Oriole, the excellent cocktail bar & live music venue that spent three years in the World’s 50 Best List, is coming back later this year. But before that, it’s running a three month popup called Prelude to road-test some new ideas (like a food menu, for one) and pave the way for the official relaunch in a gorgeous space at The Yards in Covent Garden. It’s like a teaser trailer, but for booze.

Details: Until June | 23 Slingsby Place, Covent Garden, WC2E 9AB
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43) Campfire Cocktails At Midnight Apothecary | Firepits, marshmallows & cocktails

It’s gotten juuuust warm enough for Midnight Apothecary to reopen their botanical rooftop bar. You’ll start your evening in their charming fairylit urban garden, complete with salvaged garden furniture, firepits, and thriving vegetable and herb patches, and if you fancy you can take a tour of the Brunel Tunnel shaft too…

Details: 19th & 20th, 26th & 27th April | The Midnight Apothecary, Brunel Museum, Railway Avenue, London, SE16 4LF | £8
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Looking for more inspiration? See all the best things to do in London