Things To Do In London This Weekend: 28-30 May 2016

Things To Do In London This Weekend is sponsored by Westfield's Beauty Unbound Festival — scroll down to find out more.

All weekend

Feast on a theatre dedicated to cakes and bakes at Foodies Festival.

WOMEN SPREAD THE WORD: The Southbank Centre hosts a screening of fascinating documentary Women Spread The Word. See the stories that 20 Afghani women have created with interviews, film scripts and memoir writing. Free, just turn up, 10am

FOOD: This year's Foodies Festival turns up the heat at Syon Park. With celebrity chefs, a theatre dedicated to cakes and baking, a mojito ship, beer brewing, vintage tea tent, a bar bus and street food avenue — your entire food and drink for the bank holiday is pretty much covered with this one. £25 (for three days), £16 per day, prebook, 11am

BANK HOLIDAY FAIR: Hampstead Heath will be packed with vintage entertainment this weekend for its traditional Whitsun Fair. Head to the Lower Heath for traditional fun including stalls, games and food. Roll up, roll up. Free, just turn up, 12pm

BABY DISCO: It's going to be retro fabulous this weekend at Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall. Kids under five can get grooving to a host of classic hits with Australian DJ, producer and mum of two, Monski Mouse. Parents can event get involved at this Southbank Centre event. £8 (per family ticket, up to four people), prebook, 3pm

Saturday 28 May

Get under the soil at Brompton Cemetery's Bioblitz today.

BIOBLITZ: Dig into nature at Brompton Cemetery's Bioblitz with a day full of events. From counting species, identifying trees and tracking mammals, to getting close to bees and and wiggling with worms, it's a great chance to learn more about nature. Free, prebook, from 9.30am

WALK EVERY STREET: For the ultimate St James walking tour, take this trip through its mews, courts, squares and throughfares. Under the expert leadership of award-winning guide Peter Berthould, you'll discover a new side to the area in this intimate tour packed with stories you won't find in the guidebooks, and stop off for a pint or two in local pubs. £35 +bkg fee (over 18 only, due to pub stops), prebook, 10am-5.30pm

NEWPORT GALLERY: Stay late at Newport Gallery this Saturday for Summer Lates. Tour the current Jeff Koons: Now exhibition until 10pm. Free, just turn up, 10am-10pm

STREET FOOD: It's a weekend packed with street food at Alexandra Palace. From pizzas, ice cream and BBQ, to Pimm's, waffles and a tiki bar, the Street Food Craft Beer Festival has something to tempt your taste buds. Free entry, just turn up, 11am

A DAY OF PUNK: Bring your shiniest safety pins to the British Library for a whole day of events exploring the Creative Revolution of Punk. Meet the musicians, designers, photographers and writers who turned rebellion into art. £19.76, prebook, 11am-8.30pm

LIMEHOUSE MARKET: Grab a deckchair and take it easy with Limehouse Social's market. Head under the DLR arches at Limehouse Basin for a weekend of food, drinks, craft, music, dance, cocktails and antiques for the launch of a brand new market. Free, just turn up, 11am, until 29 May

BUG HUNT: Go on the search for creepy crawlies at Strawberry Hill House today and make your own big beautiful bug. £2, just turn up, 1pm/2pm

SOAPBOX SCIENCE: The South Bank will be alive with the sound of science this Saturday. Soapbox Science features leading female scientists taking to their soapboxes to discuss and debate the latest discoveries. Free, just turn up, 2pm-5pm

BUDAPEST BAR: Shoreditch Arts Club turns Hungarian today with its pop-up bar celebrating all things Budapest. Craft beers, wines, street food and art — for one day only and entry is free. There's also a beer tasting for an extra charge, but grab your tickets fast — there are limited numbers for this one. £13.90-£15 (beer tasting charge), prebook, 3pm (beer tasting from 4.45pm)

TIM WELLS: Music and poetry collide at Vout-O-Reenees tonight with Tim Well's launch of Rising Poetry Magazine's 66th edition. Expect poems, performance and plenty of laughs. Free, just turn up, 7pm

DISCO SHED: Raising the roof at The Book Club this weekend, Disco Shed returns for a night of huge tunes spun by Ninja Tune/Solid Steel, DJ Food and Del Gazeebo, Dan Savidge and more. Disco, dancehall, reggae and ragga till the small hours of Sunday. Free/£5 after 9pm, just turn up, 8pm-2am

More things to do after this sponsor message.


Get insider tips at Westfield's Beauty Unbound Festival

For your most beautiful weekend ever, head to Westfield for bags of beauty-related goodness, in partnership with Hearst Magazines UK.

From 21-30 May, top beauty brands at Westfield Stratford City will offer free treats and tutorials — from Clinique's "Pep Pop Pow" make over to "Brow How" With Bobbi Brown. Bumble and bumble will be on hand providing catwalk-inspired hair styles, while Smashbox will reveal the secrets of contouring and strobing.

Drop into the pop-up #BeautyUnbound festival for free treatments and pampering sessions. Head to a masterclass with the biggest names in beauty from ELLE, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Red Magazine, top bloggers and experts from huge beauty brands.

Entry to Beauty Unbound Festival is free, expert masterclasses cost just £10 and include a gift bag worth over £60. Book your tickets here.

Beauty Unbound Festival takes place at Westfield Stratford City from 21-30 May 2016.

Things To Do In London This Weekend is sponsored by Westfield's Beauty Unbound Festival.


Sunday 29 May

Throw on your best costume and fly into Comic Con. Image: Dave Pearce

COMIC CON: Saturday's already sold out, but you can still grab tickets to this year's MCM London Comic Con at ExCel London. It's a packed programme of celebrity appearances and Q&As including Jessie Eisenberg, Warwick Davies and stars of The Big Bang Theory. £15, prebook, 9.30am-5pm, begins on 27 May 2016

WHITE LION: White Lion Sunday Gift Market pops up on Streatham High Road this week, offering artisan arts and crafts that are perfect for gifts. There's also hair braiding and customising, if you want to personalise your presents. Free, just turn up, 10am

KIDZANIA: A child-sized city where the kids are firmly in charge. Kidzania at Westfield offers little ones a chance to role play 60 activities, from becoming a fighter pilot or award-winning singer, to fighting crime in the police or putting out fires. It's a great chance to try out a future career while playing in a safe space. £74 (per family: special Sunday offer), prebook, 10am-8pm

PORTRAITS OF HACKNEY: See a new side to Hackney Wick with this day of art, film and music. Local artists will sell their work at Stour Space, then enjoy film screenings, live music, ice sculpture and more. £7, just turn up, 10am-11pm

SECRET UNDERGROUND CHAMBER: Meet at Bermondsey tube station and join a walking tour to the Brunel Museum's secret underground chamber. Go poking into the depths of the place Gulliver sailed from on his travels. Dig deep into the Grand Entrance Hall to Brunel's underground Thames Tunnel. £10/£8, just turn up, 10.45am

MIAMI VICE PARTY: For the ultimate bank holiday party, head to the roof at the Queen Of Hoxton for a Miami Vice & Rooftop Party. Think old school disco, retro grooves, giant games, cocktails and ice pops. Fancy dress optional. £5, prebook, 4pm-4am

MASKED BALL: Home House invites you to experience the Enchanted Garden Masquerade — a floral backdrop, interactive fashion show, paintings, live entertainment and cocktails. Mary Lennox would be jealous of this secret garden. £20 (+bkg fee), prebook, 7pm

POETRY READING: Poets from the floor are welcome at this informal reading at Torriano Meeting House. Tonight's line up features Leah Fritz and William Oxley. £4-£5, just turn up, 7.30pm

COMEDY: Prepare for riotous fun at tonight's Sunday Special at Greenwich's Up The Creek. It's the final show of the season, with Edinburgh nominee Pete Johansson, Tom Allen and Ian Smith. £7/£4, prebook, 7.30pm

Monday 30 May

Love your zoo and meet meerkats today. Image: Nigel Swales

LOVE YOUR ZOO: It's the start of Battersea Park Zoo's Love Your Zoo Week, and there's a huge selection of activities for all the family. Each day a different animal will step into the spotlight and today it's the turn of the meerkats. Make a badge, hear animal tales and see the keepers look after the cute creatures. £8.95/£6.95, just turn up, 10am

BIG PICNIC: Celebrate the Year of the English Garden with one huge picnic at Fenton House and Gardens in Hampstead. Bring some food and spend the afternoon with live music in this walled garden with its 300 year-old orchard. £3/£1.50, just turn up, 11am-7pm

MESSY MONDAY: It’s time to get stuck into play at Strawberry Hill House. From finger painting and foot painting, to waterguns and mud pies — prepare to get messy. £2 per child, just turn up, 11am

DON'T DRIBBLE ON THE DRAGON: Based on the Stephen Lee book, family-friendly show, Don't Dribble On The Dragon, features magic by the late Paul Daniels. It's a musical adventure about the importance of family at The Broadway, Barking. £10.50/£8.50, prebook, 2.30pm

OVER THE ROAD: Take a creative walking tour exploring the stories of the residents of Roehampton's Georgian houses with Over The Road — a historical project that gets you interacting with history. Meet at Roehampton House/Queen Mary Place to take a dive into the past. Free, just turn up, 4.30pm

BRAINIAC LIVE: For the kind of science you'll never get at school, Brainiac Live! bursts into Udderbelly Festival. Take a breathless ride through the weird and wonderful mysteries of science with explosions and daredevil stunts — don't try this at home. £16.50, prebook, 1pm and 3.30pm

COMEDY: All aboard The Good Ship for stand up comedy. From port to starboard, the evening's crammed with all things funny — Dane Baptiste, Kate Lucas, Joey Page, Simon King and more. £5/£4, just turn up, 6pm

UKULELE HOOTENANY: If George Formby did bank holidays, they'd probably end like this. Grab your uke (or rent one there for free) to jam away to classics, modern hits and plink to your heart's content — little stick of Blackpool rock, optional. Beginners and the uke-curious welcome at the Queen Of Hoxton. Free (£20 deposit to rent a ukulele), just turn up, 7pm

LOL OF THRONES: Game of Thrones isn't usually one for the laughs, but Kentish Town's The Rose and Crown turns Westeros for the evening with comedy night and screening of this week's episode. Free, prebook, 7pm