What we're reading
- Taxes and Brexit vote pushed London house prices down.
- A building in Elephant and Castle has a giant banana on top of it.
- Mayor of London opens emergency homeless shelters.
- Look at this gorgeous mural on Clerkenwell Road.
- Yes, this is Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Holmes and Watson.
Things to do
WINTER MARKET: It's your last chance to visit Southbank Centre's Winter Market. Get your hands on drinks, food and handmade gifts. Free, just turn up, until 8 January
UNDERWEAR HISTORY: Ever wondered about the evolution of underwear? Visit the V&A's Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear exhibition and discover the history of underwear and how cut, fit and design reveal issues of gender, sex and morality. Various prices, book ahead, until 12 March
FAREWELL TO CHRISTMAS: Enjoy a glass of mulled wine and carol singing as the Geffrye Museum in Hoxton bids a Farewell to Christmas. Wrap up and get cosy around a fire in the garden. Free, just turn up, 3.30pm-5pm
FRIDAY NIGHT FOLK: Enjoy an evening of relaxing music at Southbank Centre, with a performance from multi-instrumental acoustic trio Bristol Kane. Free, just turn up, from 5.30pm
EXHIBIT A: Get philosophical at Rich Mix and explore the ideas of indifference, nobility, ignorance and more. Artists Tisdale and Murrell use Exhibit A to investigate the concept of celebrity and notoriety and how these qualities are presented to the public. Free, just turn up, from 6pm
PHAROAHE MONCH: Relax with a drink and some live music at Camden's Jazz Cafe. Enjoy a performance from hip-hop lyricist Pharoahe Monch as he presents his newest material. From £22.50, book ahead, from 7pm
SWING DANCING: Swing into 2017 at Bishopsgate Institute. A class tailored especially for beginners (though all are welcome), Swing Den is a chance to learn something new while meeting people and having fun. £8/£5, book ahead, 7pm-11pm
LAUGH LIVE: Ginglik Productions provides the laughs for Laugh Live at Kensington Roof Gardens. A compilation of musical sketches, mouthy parrots and a free cocktail for the first 50 guests will set your weekend off nicely. £15, book ahead, 7.30pm-10pm
CLUB NIGHT: Somerset House's Skate Club Nights continue on the ice rink. Join electronic music festival Dimensions for a night of fun and music on the ice, and warm up with a cocktail in the Fortnum's Lodge afterwards. £17, book ahead, sessions from 8pm
SCARED TO DANCE: Let loose with Scared to Dance at the Shacklewell Arms in Dalston, with guest DJ Charles Watson from Slow Club, and a mixture of sixties, indiepop and new wave music. £4/£6, book ahead, 11pm-3am
Good cause of the day
UNITE FOR HAITI: Book ahead to join the UCL Humanitarian Institute and Thinking Development at a special reception on the 7th anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. Celebrate the opening of the new Centre Rosalie girls' primary school, which was destroyed in the earthquake, and fundraise to help move onto the next stage of reconstruction. £10/£8. book ahead, 6pm-10pm, 12 January
Art Review
MESMERISING WATER DROPS: Sebastian Gordin has created abstract vitrines where water drips down to hypnotic effect. One display is obscured by frosted glass while others are less obscured but still designed for viewers to reach their own conclusions as to what’s happening in each scene. It’s all surreal, but mesmerising. Sebastian Gordin: If animals didn’t exist at Rosenfeld Porcini Gallery, 37 Rathbone Street, W1T 1NZ. Until 11 February, free. ★★★★☆ [Open Tuesday-Saturday].
