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Listings
BLOOD: Today’s opportunity to donate blood is at St Olaves Parish Hall on Fenchurch Street. Free, see site for terms and conditions.
BEER: Get hop happy as two different beer festivals are currently on. It is the penultimate day of the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival, while the London Craft Beer Festival opens today for the weekend. Take a look at our guide if you're unsure which to go for (or which to go for first). See site for full details.
FOOD: If you're more of a foodie then you won't be disappointed today, as two food festivals start for the weekend: FEAST at Battersea Park and Streatham Food Festival. See sites for full details, both until 18 August
JAZZ: Canary Wharf Jazz Festival launches for the weekend. Headlined by Soweto Kinch, Omar Puente and Carleen Anderson. Free, just turn up, until 18 August
GARDEN PARTY: Kick back in Crystal Palace Park tonight at the Crystal Palace Garden Party. It's on for three days and tonight there is an extended set of authentic Pink Floyd songs from tribute band Just Floyd. £16.50 (prices vary depending on the day), prebook, until 18 August
PEDAL ON: Get on yer bike and pedal on down to Pedal On UK today in Victoria Park, held by the cycling charity Sustrans. Cyclists can get a free breakfast and there will be BMX displays, live music and free bike checks. Free, just turn up, 8am
OUTDOOR THEATRE: Be a spectator or a puppeteer at Capses by Laitrum — an outdoor theatre experience at Southbank, as part of the National Theatre's August Outdoors season. Free, just turn up, 12-3pm and 4.30-7.30pm
MUSEUM LATES: Unwind after work with a spot of culture at the British Museum, National Gallery or National Portrait Gallery. Free, check websites for closing times and events
APSLEY HOUSE: Visitors can enjoy after-hours wandering and talks at the grand metropolitan mansion Apsley House this month, with late Friday night openings. It has the biggest naked Napoleon you ever did see. £6.70/£6, just turn up, 6-8pm
LATIN LATE: Experience the vibrancy of Latin America at this special late opening for adults at the Horniman Museum. Relax to live music, hear Mexican stories, catch some circus acts (hopefully not literally), and even tango in the Victorian Conservatory. Book quick, Horniman events usually sell like hot cakes. £3, prebook, 6-9pm
GARDENS: Landscape designer Dan Pearson asks: why are gardens good for you? At the Royal Academy, as part of the Richard Rogers event programme. Free with an exhibition tickets (which costs £8), just turn up, 7pm
ELVIS POETRY: Mark the anniversary of Elvis’s death with poetry inspired by the King at Walthamstow Library, hosted by Forest Poets and Steve McLean. Free, prebook, 7pm
ELVIS OPEN-MIC: If you want to channel the King yourself then head to Waltham Forest Libraries for an Elvis-themed open-mic night. Whether it's singing, poetry, rap, or spoken word, all are welcome to take part. Or just watch. Free, just turn up (if you want to perform then email [email protected]), 7pm
ROLLER SKATE: The Friday Night skate starts at Wellington Arch. Anyone who feels competent on skates is welcome to join. Free, just turn up, 8pm
Good Cause of the Day
Today, football freestyler Matt Wolstenholme is raising money for the mental health charity Mind by going around the perimeter of Wembley Stadium. While doing keepy-uppies. Backwards. Matt holds the world record for the 'longest distance juggling a football' at 20km, so he knows his balls. A cause close to his heart, Mind provides support and advice to anyone suffering from a mental health problem. You can support Matt and help raise money by visiting his JustGiving page.
London Connection Puzzle
So far this week we've given you the clue-words KARL, TERESA and GIACOMO. The final clue is WOLFGANG. That's your lot. Think you know the London connection? No need to email in, as a few people have already guessed it.
From Londonist’s Archive
On this very day last year, we had an existential crisis and tackled the question: Does London Exist? We're OK now.
London Weather by Inclement Attlee
Did anyone visit the 'Rain Room' in the Barbican earlier this year? Basically, it was a long, curvy space with an interminably leaky ceiling. Sensors monitored one's progress through the room and turned off the downpour wherever one chose to step. One was thus able to walk with impunity through the inundation while remaining completely dry — unless one was a pillock.
Buoyed by its success, the Barbican has now scaled up the concept and installed a much more ambitious version over the whole of London. Thousands of sprinklers have been taped onto the clouds, and will be switched on today. But — and here's the clever bit — as with 'The Rain Room', the deluge will only trouble spaces upon which nobody is standing. We're assured that there's absolutely no chance of software failure, and you will be 100% safe and dry if you leave the house without an umbrella. Trust me, or my name's not Inclement Attlee.
[Editor's note: your name's not Inclement Attlee.]
