On Saturday, the Royal Court had already taken over their own building with performances and decided that they would send some of it over the road and out into the open air - Sloane Square to be precise - to complete their domination of the area. There was a bit of moustache / attache case madcap madness, some sort of romance that involved two boys and a girl, umbrellas, fake moustaches, red balloons and briefcases...
...that ended with true love blossoming with a kiss under open umbrellas, unleashing a flashmob-style moment wherein the gathered crowds all opened their umbrellas too and filled the square with smiles and the unusual sight of a few dozen people following two swooning lovers around the square and down the stairs into the Royal Court bar, all brandishing open umbrellas without a speck of rain to be seen.
More pictures of the event available here.
Sunday was special. The clocks leaped forward an hour, Mother's Day took over the city (what did YOU do for that special lady in your life?) - and for some reason, the South Bank decided to take everything they normally do inside and chuck it all outside for the day.
There was live music on the Tate to Tate boat, the Globe Theatre sent their actors and musicians out on to the riverwalk in full Shakespearean dress and 16th century musical glory, a ruddy huge flower sculpture called Flora in Bernie Spain Gardens that the public was invited to complete with their own floral contributions and a few films shown on the flytower of the National Theatre that must have been rather rained out on Friday night.
What Londonist caught sight of strolling along, walking off a particularly good Mother's Day lunch was a surprisingly entertaining (despite the rain) Buster Keaton-type silent comedy performed in the square outside the National Theatre by a very energetic trio of performers .
Special applause goes to the pianist who played non-stop for the hour-long performance and kept the audience of toddlers with their young mums and dads, ageing mothers and their uncomplaining twentysomething sons and daughters engaged in the slapstick silliness taking place over three floors in the open air.
More pictures of the event available here.
If the grey and slightly drizzly first day of spring holds this much outdoor excitement for London, bring on summer. Bring. It. On.
