Things To Do In London: Friday 18 July 2014

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Enjoy a Carnival-themed Late at London Transport Museum. Details below.

Listings

BLOOD: Today’s opportunities to donate blood are at Mobile Donor Unit in Surrey Quays, The Ecology Pavillon in Mile End and Ilford Town Hall. See site for terms and conditions

POETRY INTERNATIONAL: Southbank Centre’s Poetry International festival, founded in 1967 by Ted Hughes, has poetry, film and spoken word from artists from all over the world. This year it forms part of the Festival of Love. Several events take place each day. Until 21 July

TAXIDERMY: NatSCA (Natural Science Collection Association) presents a one-day Taxidermy Conference, taking place at its headquarters in King's Cross. The event brings together representatives of a variety of disciplines working with taxidermy, in order to share knowledge, stimulate discussion and encourage collaboration. £35+bf, prebook, 9.30am-4pm

MEXICAN EXPERIENCE: Spend the afternoon with Hilary Simon, the curator of the Made in Mexico exhibition at the Fashion & Textile Museum, for a mezcal tasting masterclass and special ceviche menu at Santo restaurant in Portobello Road. £40+bf, prebook, 2pm-5pm

MUSEUM LATE: London Transport Museum hosts a Carnival-themed Late. Get into the groove with samba dance workshops, make a traditional styled carnival mask or have your face brightly painted, enjoy curator talks and a carnival quiz. £10/£8, prebook, 6.45pm

DANCING SHOES: Bishopsgate Institute opens the doors of its historical hall and transforms it into a ballroom. Nicky Miles plays Ballroom and Latin tunes to get you on the dance floor and keep you there. £10/£8+bf, prebook, from 7pm

BARBICAN: Jerry Dammers' Spatial A.K.A. Orchestra and Reggae Ensemble perform tonight at Barbican Hall. Expect jazz intertwined with hip hop, dubstep and even drum and bass. £17.50-£25+bf, prebook, 7.30pm

MAGIC NIGHT: Madame Jojo's in Soho hosts Magic Night, featuring electric magic, human puppets, blindfolded mind readers and  a multi persona comedian. £12+bf, prebook, 7.45pm

THEATRE: Rose Theatre in Kingston's production Waterghosts is on stage at All Saints Church in Kingston upon Thames. The play is about a group of people who find a sound recordist's equipment and discover that this documents an otherworldly ceremony seemingly conducted near water. £8/£5, prebook, 8pm   

COMEDY: Hop aboard the Tattershall Castle and enjoy its floating comedy club across from the London Eye. You can choose between standing and sitting tickets. £10-£13.50+bf, prebook, 8pm

MUSIC: American artist Dean Friedman performs with his band The South Street Fusion Project, tonight at The O2. Expect an eclectic mix of original jazz, rock, pop and world music. £25+bf, prebook, 8pm

MORE MUSIC: Bitch 'n' Monk and Laura Moody perform tonight at the Vortex in Dalston. Bitch 'n' Monk plays groovy West African rhythms while Laura Moody is a cellist, vocalist and singer-songwriter.£9, prebook, 8pm

SHOTGUN WEDDINGS: Take part in a fake wedding party at Salvage City in Ladbroke Grove. Dress up, dance with strangers and enjoy the best part of any wedding — the knees-up. This event is part of InTRANSIT Festival. £12/£10+bf, prebook, 20.30pm

HOT HOT HOT: It's supposed to be the hottest day of the year to date, so make the most of it at these rooftop bars, beer gardens and lidos. If you want to cool down, try some of our favourite ice creams or icy cocktails.

Find more London events in our Free & Cheap events listings. Want to see your event in these last-minute listings? Email us at hello@londonist.com at least 48 hours before the event, and we will consider it for inclusion. Note, due to high volumes of email, we can’t always reply.


Good Cause of the Day

Join a foreshore clean-up at the Isle of Dogs today. The event is in partnership with Ganga Action Parivar (GAP) and celebrates the relationship between the river Thames and the Indian river Ganges. Wellies, gloves, litter pickers and soft drinks are provided. Free, just turn up, noon-2pm

From the Archive

On this day last year we visited Stepney Farm Cafe, which is part of the City Farm. If you've never been there, this is a good occasion to try it out.