Things To Do Today In London: Thursday 12 April 2018

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A colourful exploration of identity through dance.

What we're reading:

  • Street artist Pegasus depicts Trump as gun-toting Statue of Liberty in London.
  • The boxing club giving young Londoners a fighting chance.
  • Revealed: £1 billion plans for 'peace theme park' in Silvertown.
  • New arts and events space The Cause will promote mental health charities.
  • Smithsonian and V&A move ahead with collaboration at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Things to do:

LONDON COFFEE FESTIVAL: Get your caffeine fix at this four-day coffee festival. Today's industry-focused programme is tailored to those building a coffee-based career, with talks on breaking into the hospitality scene and latte art workshops. Those more into sipping than brewing have the whole weekend to enjoy events like an espresso-based mixology class and a coffee and chocolate pairing tutorial. Old Truman Brewery (Brick Lane), from £16.50, book ahead, until 15 April

FAMILY WALKING TOUR: Visit the stomping ground of Peter Pan and his Lost Boys, see where Captain Coram rescued foundlings and discover a building that turned into a much loved toy in this ramble around Bloomsbury. Kids will also be given the chance to blow off some steam at Coram's Fields playground, which happens to boast a seriously epic slide. Meet at Russell Square station, £5.50-£15, book ahead, 10.45am

ORPHAN DANCE: Gasworks gallery has been transformed into a ritual space for reimagining the relationships between humans and machines by artist in residence Osías Yanov. Discover pinwheels, peacock feathers and robot vacuum cleaners recontextualised as ceremonial objects. Gasworks (Vauxhall), free, just turn up, until 10 June

LOST IN MUSIC: Enjoy an interactive concert at The Foundling Museum, courtesy of violist and recent Guildhall School grad Henrietta Hill. Find out how composers translate their words and meanings into music and have a go at uncovering lost words hidden within Benjamin Britten’s Lachrymae. The Foundling Museum (Bloomsbury), free with museum admission (£11), just turn up, 1pm

TELLY CENTRE POP UP: The BBC's former digs, the Television Centre, is opening up its forecourt for a three day food festival. Chow down on tacos from London's favourite taqueria, sample sweet treats from Butterscotch Bakery and enjoy a live performance of your favourite telly theme tunes, courtesy of the BBC Orchestra. Television Centre (White City), free entry, just turn up, 5pm, until 14 April

London Coffee Festival offers more than your average cup of joe.

IN THE MIX: A pop up cocktail bar has arrived at community arts venue Rich Mix to celebrate the East End Film Festival. Let expert mixologists fix you Rich Mix's signature G&T, or spike your popcorn with a dusting of East London Liquor Company's finest botanicals. Rich Mix (Shoreditch), free entry, just turn up, from 5.30pm, until 29 April

THAI NEW YEAR: Celebrate Songkran at London's largest Asian food hall. Enjoy the soft melodies of the Khim and traditional Thai dances performed in full regalia as you slurp Tom Yum and devour beef Panang. Bang Bang Oriental (Edgware Road), free entry, just turn up, 6.30pm

TRUSTING TECH: Is the Cambridge Analytica scandal merely the tip of the iceberg? Join best-selling author Rachel Botsman for a bookshop conversation about how our relationship with technology has dramatically shifted our patterns of trust, and what this means for our day-to-day lives. Second Home (Shoreditch), £11.37, book ahead, 7pm

BLOOMSBURY TO BERWICK: Downton Abbey mastermind Julian Fellowes kicks off an evening dedicated to the Bloomsbury set with a chat about the bohemian Sussex art scene and its impact on his work. He'll then hand over to Revd Mary Sitwell and Linda Hallums for an illustrated, dramatised talk on a series of paintings by Vanessa Bell, her son Quentin, and her lover Duncan Grant that were commissioned to decorate the interior of a church in Berwick and are now desperately in need of restoration. The Royal Institution (Mayfair), from £22, book ahead, 7pm-9pm

IDENTITY: Dress to express for an eclectic evening of fashion and dance that celebrates the multiplicity of identity. Head to Shoreditch Town Hall  where maverick choreographer Tony Adogan shines a light on the freshest new artistic voices bursting out of east London. Shoreditch Town Hall, from £12.50, book ahead, 7.30pm, until 12 April

Good cause of the day

National treasure Alan Bennett chats to the Mayor of Camden about his much-loved book The Lady In The Van—the true story of author's friendship with an eccentric homeless woman in 1970s Camden. All profits will go to C4WS Homeless Project, a charity that helps homeless people rebuild their lives.