Hope springs eternal! Yes, spring has sprung at last, and it couldn’t have possibly come sooner. Sure, it’s supposed to rain all week, but at least it’s warm(ish) rain. Get out there and take advantage of the coming season of rebirth, and don’t forget to indulge in some illicit hugging (see what's on for Sunday).

Monday: London writer/filmmaker Daniel Frampton, author of Filmosophy and host of the club of the same name dedicates evenings to the exploring the philosophy of great filmmaking. Tonight is the showing of Claire Denis’s The Intruder, a haunting film inspired by French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy’s memoir. 7 pm, free, at Roxy Bar and Screen.

Tuesday: It’s finally warm enough for your perennial ice cream craving to seem reasonable! Today’s the day to take advantage: those chubby Vermonters Ben & Jerry are celebrating their 30th annual Free Cone Day. So, you adorable Chunky Monkey you, go ahead and duck out of work anytime from 1 to 5 pm and indulge in a free cone at any of these stores. Just don’t forget one for the boss.

Wednesday: Head over to BBC studios to listen to a free Orchestral Shakespeare concert by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, including Midsummer Night’s Dream Suite, As You Like It Suite, and Romeo and Juliet. Free, 7.30 pm, book tickets here.

Thursday: May Day, May Day! Morris dancing, maypole merriment, mayoral maneuvering, and more. Get crafty at Late Night at the Museum of London, when the museum stays open until 9 pm with a fully stocked bar and arts and crafts galore: learn the ropes of knitting with Stitch and Bitch London, and learn how to make a moustache like the Londoners of yore. From 11 am, Mayday revellers Fowlers Troop and Deptford Jack in the Green mark the start of spring by traversing London with musicians in tow. They have pub breaks a-plenty on the schedule, so you just may catch ‘em.

Friday: May ’08: 40 years after the uprisings in Paris that inspired serious change in the French cinematic landscape. A collection of experimental work by Goddard, Fromanger, Pommereulle, and others at 7 pm at the Tate Modern. £5, £4 concessions, booking recommended. For other May ’68-dedicated events around London, go here.

Saturday: Fancy a frosty early morning swim? No? What if I told you free food was involved? Join the other brave Esther Williams-wannabes for free croissants, coffee and OJ at the breakfast swim at Parliament Hill Lido to celebrate the opening of its summer season. Because butter-laden pastries and swimming are the perfect hangover cure. Free, 9-10 am.

After your refreshing swim, head over to check out the new exhibit of photography by the McCartney wife we liked. This impressive exhibit of Linda’s photographs from the 60s thru the 90s run the gamut from rock stars to landscapes, including some moody, sexy ones of Paul in Venice. James Hyman gallery, free.

Sunday: Who doesn’t love a good hug? Well, the English, apparently. Our national partiality towards the sacred personal space was revealed in a study that we previously reported on, in which an anthropologist watched pairs of people talking in cafes and coffee shops and counted the number of times that they touched each other in one hour. London ranked a measly 0 times compared to Puerto Rico’s 180 and Paris’s 110. Yikes. It’s high time we willingly invited someone into our personal space, and Random Huggers Day Random Huggers Day deems that time nigh. Designated Huggers spread cheer and warmth from 11 am – 2 pm in Covent Garden and on the South Bank.

Or, you could just stay in and avoid all fun in solidarity with the nation’s under-25s currently undergoing the hell that is exam time.

Image courtesy of Matt Eason's flickrstream