Things To Do

Jason Allen 14/03/15


17 Things To Do In London This Weekend

London Weekend Guide | 15th-17th March 2024

This weekend’s got so much going on, it’ll knock you right into next week.

First off, there’s a new cocktail joint opening in Soho from an award-winning bar team; as well as a chance to have an actual rainbow fight; check out a sleek new karaoke joint from Sweden; take in some large-scale artworks dangling in an indoor rainforest; watch an iconic movie in an iconic space (with a live orchestra); check out a pop up from the chef behind Bubala; drink in a pub from a cult classic TV show; and go to a party. With 50,000 people.


The Best Things To Do On FRIDAY 15th March

1) Three Sheets Soho | Opening today 

three sheets soho

Three Sheets are multiplying. The Dalston bar (which previously sat on the World’s 50 Best Bars list for five years in a row) is finally getting a sibling, and it’s set to open in Soho this Friday. The Venning brothers are coming up with a new cocktail menu for the site on Manette Street, alongside a short list of wines and Champagnes by the glass and – get this – an all-day food menu, too…

Details: Opening 15th March | 14-15 Manette St, W1D 4AP | book here

2) Festival Of Colours: Holi 2024 | Throw some shades

Get ready to paint the town red. And yellow. And blue. And orange. And pink. And green. Because Cinnamon Kitchen is setting up an all-white party pod to help celebrate India’s festival of colours, Holi. It’s basically a huge, all-white play pod in the middle of Devonshire Square, meaning it’s completely weather-proofed too. You’ll be given a set of all-white overalls to put over your regular clothes, then let into the main space with a virtually limitless supply of paint-powder for a 30-min rainbow fight.

Details: 15th-25th March | 9 Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YL | £15+

 3) Moyagi | A sleek new karaoke destination from Sweden 

moyagi karaoke bar opening soon

There are very few times when you can scream in euphoria at half a dozen of your friends & coworkers simultaneously, but karaoke is one of them – and London is about to get a ridiculously fun new private room destination to do it in. Moyagi is originally from Sweden, and it’s opening its first international location this weekend (and Nudge Members are getting a tidy discount, too).

Details: Opening 15th March | 5 Cavendish Pl, London W1G 0QA | Nudge Members are getting 50% off all booth bookings for up to 4 people from 15th-29th March. Find out more HERE.

4) BFI Flare | LGBTQ+ Film Fest

BFI Flare is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ film festival, and this will be the largest BFI Flare yet. Not only will there be dozens of feature films & shorts, but you’ll also get a talk by Elliot Page, a discussion by a film set intimacy coach, and something called Mr Ted’s Big Fabulous Interactive Quiz.

Details: 13th to 24th March | BFI Southbank, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XT


The Best Things To Do On SATURDAY 16th March, and SUNDAY 17th March

5) Barbican Conservatory Lates | Art in an indoor rainforest

Hidden amongst the brutalist Barbican Centre and estate, The Barbican Conservatory is a glass-bound rainforest boasting over 2,000 species of tropical plants and trees, several exotic fish, and the works of one Indian Sculptor. Because right now it’s host to installations from Ranjani Shettar, who has filled the space with his signature large-scale suspended sculptures. And you can see them after hours in spacial late-night openings on weekends throughout March & April.

Details: 15th – 17th March (and throughout March & April) | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS | Free (tickets required, book here)

6) Prelude | A pop up bar from the team at Oriole

prelude

Oriole, the excellent cocktail bar & live music venue that spent three years in the World’s 50 Best List, is coming back this week. It’s getting 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. And it’s looking mighty good…

Details: From 13th March | 23 Slingsby Place, Covent Garden, WC2E 9AB

7) Lord of the Rings at the Royal Albert Hall | The fellowship of the strings

Kicking off their season of movies with a live orchestra (which will involve flicks like Raiders of the Lost Arc, Top Gun: Maverick, Ghostbuster, etc.) the Royal Albert Hall is playing the Lord Of The Rings, The Return Of The King this weekend, with a live orchestra. No word on whether they have a horn section of Gondor though.

Details: 14th-17th March | Royal Albert Hall | £30+

8) Midnight Apothecary St Patrick’s Day Special | Toast to St Pat, toast marshmallows

Okay, bear with us for a moment.

According to legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock (aka the three leafed clover) to teach people about the Holy Trinity. The earliest written version of that story was given by Caleb Threlkeld in 1726 – who was a botanist. The Midnight Apothecary serves up botanical cocktails. Cocktails are often served with ice cubes, which in bar-speak are referred to as ‘rocks’ – making them sham rocks.

Now we’ve either blown this sh*t wide open …or we’ve just found an odd coincidence that explains why The Midnight Apothecary is a great place to celebrate St Pats.

Details: 16th March | The Midnight Apothecary, Brunel Museum, Railway Avenue, London, SE16 4LF | £8

9) Chuck’s | NYC smash burgers at Carousel | Last day

The incubator space at No.23 next to Carousel has finally said goodbye to Poons (noooo) and is now saying hello to Chuck’s (yaaay), which is coming all the way from its native New York to sling its signature smash burgers. And this is sadly its last weekend, so if you want flattened patties topped with cheddar, pickles, white onion, and house-made special sauce on a potato roll, get in there now.

Details: 1st – 16th March | 23 Charlotte Street, W1T 1RL

10) Helen Graham x Oranj | Bubala’s head chef hits a wine bar

Helen Graham has managed to turn a vegetarian restaurant – Bubala – into one of the hottest places in town. No mean feat. And now she’s flexing some more of her meat-free culinary muscle at the East London wine bar Oranj, where she’ll be serving up an array of Middle Eastern dishes that all go well with wine.

Details: 5th – 30th March | Oranj, 14 Bacon Street, E1 6LF

11) Gingerline’s The Grand Expedition | The OGs of immersive dining are back

For anyone who’s feeling out the loop, Gingerline was the pioneering immersive dining experience when it started out back in 2010. The set-up was always the same: the night’s events would be a complete mystery to guests, who were only texted the location on the day itself. Guests were then variously rolled through flavour machines, pushed through paintings, dipped into ballpits, sat in airplane seats, and more. All while eating a tasting menu. With cocktails.

And now, they’re back.

Details: 6th March – 12th May | The Launchpad, Miller’s Avenue Entrance, Arcola Street, Dalston, E8 2DJ | £99+

 


SUNDAY 17th March

 

12) St Patrick’s Day Parade | A party with 50,000 people

The St Paddy’s parade is always a big affair, with roughly fifty thousand people on any given year. For 2024, we can expect a procession filled with Irish marching bands & dance troupes making its merry way from Hyde Park Corner through to Trafalgar Square, where it’ll settle into concerts, performances, food demos (from Anna Haugh no less) and more.

Details: 17th March | Starting at Hyde Park Corner at noon | Free

13) Sunday Papers Live | Talks, roasts, quizzes, and relaxation

If relaxation was an art form, then Sunday Papers Live would be its Louvre. You see Sunday Papers Live takes everything great about Sundays – roasts, long walks, quality sofa time, those gloriously oversized newspapers, etc. – and distills it all down into a kind of serenely laid-back pop up utopia. And it’s landing in the gorgeous One Marylebone this very Sunday…

Details: 17th March | One Marylebone, NW1 4AQ | £20-£39

14) It’s Always Sunny On St Paddy’s Day | The gang throws a party

For one night only The Windmill in Brixton will be turning into Paddy’s Irish Pub from It’s Always Sunny, only better. Because this one will have a whole bunch of live acts, and everyone will be doing Charlie-esque things. If you’re a fan of the show, you won’t want to miss it. You know, because of the implication.

Details: 17th March | 22 Blenheim Gardens, SW2 5BZ | £10

15) St Paddy’s At The Sun Tavern | Other places are green with envy

Sun Tavern fun birthday drinks

The Sun Tavern already has London’s largest Irish Whiskey collection, so it seems like a pretty decent place to celebrate St Pats. And frankly, it is. Because they’re also throwing in special £9 cocktails, complimentary oysters from Oyster Boy, a live Cèilidh band, a DJ, and more.

Details: 17th March | 441 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 0AN

16) David Bowie – A London Day | Unseen ’90s pics in a stunning space

On a single day in late December 1992, photographer Kevin Davies spent the day with David Bowie shooting hundreds of stills for an album promo. They picked out a couple they liked, and promptly forgot about the rest – until now. Those forgotten images have been unearthed, and put on display for the first time ever in the stunning Fitzrovia chapel, all for free…

Details: 1st-20th March | Fitzrovia Chapel, 2 Pearson Square, W1T 3BF | Free

17) The Fourth Plinth | Choose Nelson’s next plinth pal | Last day

Do you know who chooses the artwork that goes on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square? It turns out you know them very well, because it’s you. Head to the National Gallery this weekend (and until mid-March) and you’ll get to see the proposed artworks, then vote for the one you like the most.

Details: Until 17th March | The National Gallery | Free


Fancy escaping the capital? Check out our newly-refreshed pick of amazing day trips from London