Things To Do In London This Weekend: 17-18 January 2015

All weekend

Festival of Disobedience is on at the V&A

PUB: Just want to kick back and relax with a pint and a packet of pork scratchings? Our pubs guide has information about all the best pubs in London, organised by area for your convenience. Find a boozer nearby, try a new place, or see if your local’s in there.

MODEL ENGINEERING: The London Model Engineering Exhibition is back at Alexandra Palace. See everything from traditional model engineering, steam locomotives and traction engines through to Airfix kits, operational miniatures and modern gadgets and toys including futuristic rockets and remote control trucks, boats, aeroplanes, helicopters and robots. £8.50-£11, prebook, 16-18 January

TRAVEL SHOW: Fancy a holiday with a difference this year but not sure what? The Adventure Travel Show is at Olympia London, giving you the chance to chat to representatives from travel companies, listen to talks, take part in travel writing and travel photography seminars, and more. £8-£15, prebooking recommended, 17-18 January

FESTIVAL OF DISOBEDIENCE: The V&A Museum's weekend-long Festival of Disobedience exhibition features work from students from the six colleges of the University of the Arts London exploring student activism and responses to arts cuts. Free, just turn up, until 18 January

Saturday 17 January

Treat the kids to a trip to the Puppet Barge

OLD MAPS: Walk with old maps exploring the neighbourhood south of Southwark Street. Find traces of an industrial past and many buildings whose current use obscure their origins. It is an area on the verge of gentrification. Along the way, encounter Bella Burge, Octavia Hill and the young Charles Dickens. £8/£10, prebook by emailing oldmapken@yahoo.co.uk, 11am

PUPPET SHOW: It's opening day of Puppet Barge's latest children's show, Red Riding Hood and the wolf who tried to eat her. Moored in Little Venice, it's an ideal show for kids and the young at heart. £8.50-£12, prebook, 11am/3pm

ART TOUR: Join the Contemporary Art Society for an art gallery bus tour across the West End. Directors, curators and artists will be on hand to give introductions at each stop. £90/£100, prebook, 11am-4.30pm

ISLINGTON WALK: Footprints of London guide Sue Sinton Smith leads a walk behind the busy streets of Essex Road and Upper Street. Learn about some of the people who lived here in the past and find out how and why the area has evolved to become one of London’s most sought-after postcodes within one of London’s poorest boroughs. £10/£7.50, prebook, 11am

BALL IN THE HALL: Wallace Collection hosts a free afternoon of family activities to celebrate the opening of the Great Gallery. Explore the paintings, get your photograph taken, learn some dance moves and win prizes. Free, just turn up, 12pm-4pm

EXPLORE ZOOLOGY: Grant Museum of Zoology welcomes families and the curious for an afternoon of hands-on specimen based activities. Free, just turn up, 1pm-4.30pm

MATHS ON TOAST: Head to St Pancras Square Children's Library for a free creative family maths afternoon, based on the theme of shapes, with activities including colouring and construction. Aimed at kids aged 5-12 and their grown ups. Free, just turn up, 2pm-5pm

MUM'S SALE: The Mum2mum Market at Teddington Baptist Church offers parents a chance to buy good quality second hand baby products. £2, just turn up, 2pm-4pm

SCARY TALES: British Library hosts a family-friendly storytelling event. Join authors Sally Gardner, Chris Priestley, Chris Riddell and Julia Eccleshare for an afternoon of Gothic and nightmarish stories. £5/£4/£3, prebook, 2.30pm

TEST FIRE: The regular session of playing, making games and talking about street games takes place in Shoreditch. £5, prebook, 4.30pm

MIDNIGHT APOTHECARY: The Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe celebrates the traditional old Twelfth Night with a special cocktail event. Midnight Apothecary pop-up cocktail bar will provide drinks: during the night there will be music, sing-alongs and a special live performance. £5, prebook, from 6.30pm

FOLK MUSIC: Cecil Sharp House in Camden has a double bill of live music tonight: Cumbrian singer-songwriter Maz performs songs from her recently released album, This Willowed Light. Also performing is Cambridge five-piece folk troupe, The Coach House Company. £12, prebook, 7.30pm

TIGER COUNTRY: This play about the busiest time of year for the NHS, which has been on at Hampstead Theatre since December but seems all the more relevant now, is being live streamed on the last night of the run. Donations welcome, from 7.30pm

NERDS: Festival of the Spoken Nerd, whose blend of science and comedy comes highly recommended by us, record their 2014 Edinburgh show for posterity at Bloomsbury Theatre tonight (and Friday, too). £17.50/£15+fees, prebook, 7.30pm

ARAB COMEDY: Arabs Are Not Funny at Rich Mix in Shoreditch gives a new wave of stand-up comedians representing the Arab world a chance to showcase their talents. The headliners are Welsh-Egyptian comedian Omar Hamdi and Somali-British stand-up and actor Prince Abdi. Hosted by Tunisian comedian Marouen Mraihi. £10/£8, prebook, 8pm

EBOLA FUNDRAISER: Head to Ritzy in Brixton for a night of Afro music to raise money for the UK Sierra Leone Ebola Response Taskforce. £6/£7, prebook, 8pm

FOLK CLUB: The Cellar Upstairs is a weekly folk club, which meets at The King and Queen in Fitzrovia. Expect professional guests every week, supported by resident singers and musicians, and performers from the floor. Tonight's guest is Jeff Wesley, Northamptonshire farmer by day, English traditional singer by night. £6/£7, just turn up, 8.15pm

Sunday 18 January

Go on a treasure hunt at Tate Britain Gallery

SUNDAY ROAST: Nothing says Sunday like a full roast dinner. Have a look at our choice of the best Sunday roasts in London, or check out your other food options.

VINTAGE SALE: Head to York Hall in Bethnal Green to buy vintage clothes by the kilogram. Five tonnes of menswear and womenswear will be available to buy at a rate of £15 per kilo (usually 4-5 items). £1.50, just turn up, 10am-4pm

ANIMAL TREASURE HUNT: For this animal themed treasure hunt, players need to solve clues to find the artwork containing the animals. Then, complete puzzles and answer questions about it. The trail offers a chance to explore the Tate Britain Gallery. £10, prebook, 1pm

MEMORIAL TOAST: The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich gives homage to Admiral Lord Nelson with a commemorative toast today. Join the commemoration which will take place in the Painted Hall, where his body lays. £3, just turn up, 3pm

OPEN MIC: Allsortz is an open mic night giving singers, rappers, dancers, comedians and spoken word artists a chance to showcase their talents. Takes place at Rich Mix in Shoreditch. Free Tweet @Allsortz1 to gain entry, 7pm-11pm

COMEDY: It's the last night to catch joyful, rubber limbed silent comedy show Kraken from Trygve Wakenshaw at Soho Theatre. £12.50-£17.50, prebook, 7pm


Other good stuff

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