Things To Do In London Today: Wednesday 11 September 2013

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Check out the world's largest lava lamp at the Royal Festival Hall shop from today.

Listings

PORTRAITS: Artist Jonathan Yeo displays his portrait work and the many subjects who have sat for him, at the National Portrait Gallery. Free, just turn up, until 5 January 2014

WORLD'S LARGEST LAVA LAMP: Yes. You read that right. The world's largest lava lamp (over 2.4 metres tall) will be displayed at the Royal Festival Hall shop from today as part of London Design Festival 2013. Free, just turn up, until 30 September

ENDING EXHIBITIONS: Some fantastic London exhibitions are closing their doors this Sunday. This is the last week for Poetry in Sound at the British Library, Rainforest of the Sea at Horniman Museum, Sensational Butterflies at the Natural History Museum, Visions of the Universe at the National Maritime Museum, and the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery. All until 15 September

CHOCOLATE: A new chocolate-inspired restaurant-bar opens today in Covent Garden, to celebrate the launch of a new Belgian chocolate drink from a famous liqueur brand. Collaborators include Bompas & Parr, Blanch & Shock, and Petra Storrs. £17.50 (lunch)/£25 (dinner), prebook, until 16 September

BASKET CASE: Join City Guide Sue King at Guildhall Library as she launches the late view of The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers exhibition with a tour of baskets depicted in works of art. £10, prebook, 6pm

CODING: Sociable hack nights for those who want to use coding for social good at Mozilla Space on St Martin's Lane. Bring a laptop. Free, just turn up, 6-9pm

BOOK CLUB: Michael Dobbs is in conversation with Literati at Grosvenor House. £20 (includes a copy of his new book A Ghost at the Door), prebook, 6.30pm

CULTURE 2: The second talk in the Architecture Foundation series asks: can established planning and preservation measures be adopted to protect more radical forms of culture? £3.30, prebook, 7pm

LONDON SUBURBS: If you missed him yesterday, you can catch Dr Nick Barrett again at Chipping Barnet library, talking about London’s suburbs. Free, just turn up, 7pm

COMEDY: Stewart Lee’s organised a fundraiser for Resonance FM at the Bloomsbury Theatre. Also on the bill are Shazia Mirza, Robert Newman, Lewis Schaffer, Rosie Wilby and Baconface. £20/£17.50+bf, prebook, 7.30pm

FREE FILM: Catch a screening of Skyfall (get there early for a seat) at the first in a series of free films at More London, London Bridge. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: The Night Shift is the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s laid-back, late night, contemporary classical music programme, and tonight it is at The Old Queen's Head in Angel. £12/£10, prebook for cheaper tickets, form 7.30pm

POLARI: Damian Barr hosts Polari at the Southbank Centre, with Lois Walden, Bernardine Evaristo, Susie Boyt and Nick Field. £5, prebook, 7.45pm

MYTH & LEGEND: Cabaret Roulette at Madame Jojo’s is a new type of cabaret experience, in which eight established artists of disparate styles are given two months in which to create a new act based on a theme chosen by the audience. Tonight’s theme: Myths and Legends. £12/£10, prebook, 8pm

SWING DANCE: Get a swing dance taster lesson at the Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch, before putting your new moves into practice with a live swing band. £5, just turn up, lesson starts at 8pm

Good Cause of the Day

House of Fairy Tales is a London-based children's charity, who are raising money to set up London's first Saturday Art Circus school for children. Due to open in October, The Art Circus will include four puppet theatres, a film studio, a photographic studio, spaces for printing, ceramics, publishing, costume wardrobe and prop-making, a cinema showing films including those made by children, and a theatre. It will be run entirely by artists, performers and educators, and free for children of all ages to attend. Find out more about the project and how you can get involved via their Kickstarter page. Pledge deadline is 17 September.

London Connection Puzzle

Yesterday's clue-word was PRINCE GEORGE. Today's is BUCKINGHAM. If you think you've got the London connection (and this week's is a tricky one), email matt@londonist.com. Another clue tomorrow.

From Londonist’s Archive

How does one Become The Lord Mayor Of London? CGP Grey put together this video in 2012 to guide you through the intricate steps.

London Weather by Inclement Attlee

Ever heard this old Cockney saying?

Red sky at night...Shepherd's Bush is alight;
Red sky in the Morning...ton Crescent is burning;
Red sky at noon...apocalypse soon!

I haven't either. I just made it up. It's one of those days where the actual forecast is so tedious (clouds, perhaps late rain), that you're better off with a half-arsed fake proverb that makes no sense.