Things To Do In London Today: 28 September 2012


A new daily post, highlighting the best things to do around town today (that aren't fully booked). We welcome additions in the comments.

Events

  • WEAR RED: Today is Wear Red Day, in support of London's Air Ambulance. Don that crimson skirt, scarlet lipstick or cardinal's robes (or maybe just a tie), and donate at least £1 to this important charity.
  • FREE MUSIC: City Showcase, a cross-London festival of new music, runs 9-13 October, but today's your last chance to register for a wristband to get into certain gigs for free.
  • CANNIBALISM IS FUN: If you've ever wanted to dig your teeth into a human face without incurring a custodial sentence, head to Smithfield Market where a pop-up butcher is offering edible (but fake) human body parts for sale. 9am-6pm
  • FREE FOOD: The Royal Albert china company serves up free tea, macaroons and cakes from a van in Fitzroy Square. You're also encouraged to dress up in quintessentially British garb. Free, just turn up 11am-5pm
  • TATTOOS: The London Tattoo Convention starts today in Tobacco Dock, Wapping, also running Saturday and Sunday. Get a new tat, or simply watch the work of the world's best artists and enjoy the live music. £20 per day, tickets on the door only, 12 noon-2am
  • SCIENCE FUN: Queen Mary University of London needs your help to create a LEGO universe at its Mile End campus. Our tip: arrive late with a vacuum cleaner, and suck up all the bricks in a black hole stylee. Free, just turn up, 3pm-9.30pm
  • MORE SCIENCE FUN: The Natural History Museum holds a special Science Uncovered late opening with hundreds of scientists skulking round the building, keen to talk about their work. Free, just turn up, 4pm-11pm
  • ART: South London Art Map presents another Last Friday, when the south's galleries hold events and late openings. Of the many highlights, we like the look of the live shadow puppetry, used to explore the work of computer genius Alan Turing (MOCA, Peckham). 6-8pm (shadow puppets, 7pm)
  • SPACE: Catch astronaut Michael Foale at Kew Gardens, talking about his experiences growing plants in microgravity. Now we'll finally know if algae can be trained to sort tiny screws in space. £2, just turn up. 6pm
  • FILM: The final film in the More London Free Film Festival — West Side Story — screens at The Scoop. Free, just turn up. 7.30pm
  • COMEDY: Daniel Kitson MCs an evening of sketches, stand-up and oddball characters at Kings Place, at a charity gig in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. Pre-book, 7.30pm
  • OTHER LATE OPENINGS: As usual, the British Museum is open till 8.30pm, the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery stay awake until 9pm, while the two Tates, the V&A and Royal Academy are dirty stopouts until 10pm. All free and just turn up

Random Fact Of The Day

Have you ever spotted this simple graffito around town? It's the work of Turner Prize-winner Mark Wallinger, who you might also remember from his Fourth Plinth piece Ecce homo, and his recreation of Brian Haw's protest. In 2010, Wallinger scrawled his first (and appropriate) name onto dozens of walls around town. Many of the Mark marks still remain, especially in Soho. Where have you spotted them?

Weather

All you need to know is that is should be both warm enough and dry enough to stand outside for your Friday night beers.

Secretly Hidden False Rumour Of The Day
Belgravia is so posh that it's actually pronounced beau-graviana.