Things To Do In London: Thursday 13 November 2014

If you’ve not already done so, you can subscribe to these daily listings and have them delivered to your inbox at 7pm each evening, so you have enough time to plan for the day ahead. Alternatively, subscribe to Londonist Daily to hear about events further in the future. And help spread the word to your friends who haven’t discovered us yet!

National Portrait Gallery has a free-entry late tonight. Details below

Listings

NEW EXHIBITIONS: Two of our must-see exhibitions start today: the retrospective of controversial artist Allen Jones at the Royal Academy (£10, until 25 January 2015) or the annual Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery, which showcases the work of some of the most talented emerging young photographers from around the world (£3, until 22 February 2015)

RECORDING BRITAIN: John Ruskin Prize exhibition kicks off at Trinity Buoy Wharf today. This still relatively new prize brings an exhibition of drawings, paintings, prints and textiles by 23 artists to Trinity Buoy Wharf. If you’ve never visited the venue, this is a good chance to explore the area. Free, until 30 November

IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE: The Apple store in Regent Street hosts a three-day festival called Finding the Future. There will be panels and presentations with special guests: topics include careers in A&R, music marketing, songwriting and live music. All the events are free but you need to book your space in advance — see website for full programme. Free, 3pm-8.30pm daily until 15 November

MUSEUM LATE: National Maritime Museum opens its door after the normal opening time and hosts an evening of fun activities. There will be themed workshops, a photobooth and music, plus see the museum's current exhibition Ships, Clocks & Stars. £5/£4, prebook, 6pm

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY: Late Shift happens tonight at the gallery: this free entry event gives you access to the collection and fun activities. Discover and debate a wide range of artists and sitters, join the conversation with talks, exhibition tours and philosophy salons or have a drink at the bar. Free, just turn up, from 6pm

CHARITY GIG: Rock Against Violence happens tonight at the O2 Academy in Islington, featuring: We Used To Make Things, The Fourfits, DB Cohen and The Beatrix Players. The bands come together to raise money for Solace Woman’s Aid charity, which provides support to over 4,000 survivors of domestic and sexual violence each year. £10, prebook, 6.30pm

ART TALK: The Trouble Club in Soho hosts an art talk featuring contemporary artist Miriam Elia and Jesse Darling. They talk about contemporary art and creative research. £10, prebook, 7pm

GEORGIAN LONDON: Head to the Old Operating Theatre Museum for a talk about Georgian Surgeons and the dark stories about the search for bodies to dissect in Georgian times. To book the event, you need to email the museum at curator@thegarret.org.uk or contact them by phone: 0207 188 2679. £6.50/£5, 6.30pm

DOC SCREENING: Head to Rich Mix in Shoreditch for the screening of Emptying the Skies, a documentary about a group of pan-European bird lovers who devote their lives to the protection of rare species of songbirds. After the screening there will be a QA with the directors Douglas and Roger Kass via Skype. £7/£5, prebook, 8pm

BLOOD: Today’s opportunities to donate blood are at Hammersmith Town Hall and the usual donor centres. See site for terms and conditions. Scared of donating blood? Watch our video.

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.


Have You Tried …

Wingit? Now available on Android as well as iPhone, Wingit is a smart little app that solves the problem of “I want to do something now, but what is going on nearby?” Using your location, Wingit scans social media to find cool stuff near where you are and brings it straight to your phone. From performances to pop-ups, screenings to street art, download the free app today on the App Store or Google Play to see what’s going on just round the corner.

Londonist September

This week’s Things To Do In London is sponsored by Wingit.


Good Cause of the Day

Help FoodCycle to fundraise money for their new campaign Breadline Challenge which helps poor people get meals. They're asking supporters to live off a food and drink budget of £2.10 a day for a week, starting on Monday 24th November. To participate they want you to raise at least £50, but it's up to you whether that's achieved through sponsorship or donation. Register now on the website.   

From The Archive

They're everywhere: last year we did a round-up of London's top 10 ghostsigns.