Things To Do In London: Wednesday 17 December 2014

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Sara Pascoe is at Battersea Arts Centre

Listings

CHRISTMAS IS COMING: And we have a bumper page of all the festive goings on in London. We’ll be updating it throughout December, so keep checking back.

SCIENCE MUSEUM: Engineer Your Future kicks off today at the Science Museum. The new exhibition takes place at the Wellcome Wing on the third floor and focuses on the great potential of engineering in shaping the world we live in. Free, until December 2017

COMEDY: Join sketch trio Sheeps and guests for a lot of festive silliness at Invisible Dot in King’s Cross, as the boys put on their annual Christmas bash. £10/£8.50, prebook, until 21 December

THEATRE TOUR: Take a backstage tour of the National Theatre. Depending what's going on, you could see rehearsals, prop and costume-making all happening on site.£8.50, prebook, 12pm

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: Adoption charity Coram hosts Festival of Lights in Brunswick Square. The community celebration features a historical walk of Thomas Coram’s London, free entry to the Foundling Museum from 4pm, a steel band, carol singing, a lantern procession and a specially created projection onto Coram’s building. Free, just turn up, 4pm-6.30pm

LITTLE DONKEY: The Wintershall Nativity, which features live animals, takes place at All Souls Church on Langham Place. See photos of rehearsals here. Tickets tend to sell quickly for this one. £20.50/£10.50, prebook, 4pm/6.30pm

TIM BURTON: It's day one of a Tim Burton-a-thon at Hackney Picturehouse. In advance of the release of his new movie, Big Eyes , there are two days dedicated to the director. Tonight watch Edward Scissorhands followed by Corpse Bride. Continues tomorrow. £6, prebook, 7.30pm

SOME VOICES: Alternative choir Some Voices present Baz Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet at St Johns in Hackney. The 100-strong choir and 1000+ audience members are divided into the houses of Capulet or Montague for this interactive performance inside the church. The performance is followed by Capulet's Masquerade Ball. £12, prebook, 7.30pm

HOLLYWOOD WOMEN: Professor Sarah Churchwell demonstrates why women were in charge during Hollywood's golden age: the 1930s. Head to pop-up women's members club The Trouble Club on Lexington Street. £10, prebook, 7pm

SARA PASCOE: The comedian is at Battersea Arts Centre showcasing her UK tour, Sara Pascoe vs History, in which she shares her romantic history, existential theory and cultural insights. £9-£15, prebook, 7.30pm

BRASS BAND: The Trans-Siberian March Band is a well established London-based Balkan Brass Band which tonight brings high-energy and flamboyance to Rich Mix in Shoreditch. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

BLOOD: Today’s opportunities to donate blood are at St Olave Parish Church on Fenchurch Street, St Michaels and All Angels Church in Blackheath, St Pauls Centre in Enfield, 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.


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Good Cause of the Day

Book ahead for Stand up for Shelter in February. The comedy show at the Hammersmith Apollo features Eddie Izzard, Josh Widdicombe, Sara Pascoe and more. Money raised goes towards supporting families facing homelessness.

From The Archive

Back in 2013, things got very foggy here in London town. Take a look at these photos of London in the fog.