What we're reading:
- 1000s of London youths join #BikesUpKnivesDown protest.
- Short film shows rare celestial events turn London into a city of otherworldy wonders.
- National Gallery's £22 tickets revives debate over exhibition prices.
- Giant sculpture to float on Serpentine Lake.
- Canary Wharf: life in the shadow of the towers.
Things to do:
TIME TRAVEL CLUB: Was life for Victorian kids really so vile? Take your budding little historians to find out at The National Archive's Time Travel Club, where they'll learn all about 19th century childhood, from chimney sweeps to Queen Vic's own brood. Suitable for 7-11 year olds. The National Archives (Kew), £7.50, book ahead, 10.30am-12pm
ILLUSTRATION EXHIBITION: See artwork from international illustration exchange Pop Up Creators. 150 talented young artists and 18 professional illustrators, including Kate Greenaway winner William Grill and Beegu author Alexis Deacon, showcase ‘leporello’ format illustrated stories. Royal Overseas League (Mayfair), free, just turn up, 11am-6pm, until 20 May
WOODCUT WITCHES: In the 17th century, the Western world was gripped by an obsessive paranoia of witches. Jasmine Losasso describes the various ways these mythic creature were portrayed in pamphlets and woodcuts from the 1600s in this free talk, exploring what they tell us about stereotypes of gender, age and sexuality. London Metropolitan Archives (Clerkenwell), free, book ahead, 2pm-3pm
ORIGIN: Exciting news for metalheads — technical death metal legends Origin are engaging in a full-throttle sensory assault at The Underworld Camden, following last year's of release of their latest album Unparalleled Universe. Underworld Camden, £20, book ahead, 6pm
REWRITING EUROPE: Booker prize shortlisted novelist David Szalay chats to acclaimed Estonian writer Rein Raud about how literature is both reflecting and driving changes in Europe, and the role of fiction in global politics. Daunt Books (Hampstead), £5, book ahead, 6.30pm-7.30pm
SIR PETER BAZALGETTE: How do our bodies, the city's infrastructure and precision engineering relate to one another? Artist Eloise Hawser chats to Sir Peter Bazalgette — the great-great-grandson of Victorian civil engineer Sir Jospeph Bazalgette — about the buildings we manifest and inhabit. Arrive early to see Eloise's own exhibition inspired by subterranean infrastructure. Somerset House, from £7, book ahead, 7pm-8.30pm
FILM CLUB: Forget book clubs, film clubs are where it's at. Head to Genesis Cinema for a screening of indie flick Brigsby Bear, then stick around to participate in a live podcast discussion of the film. Genesis Cinema (Whitechapel), free, book ahead, 7pm
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU: Summer in New York City, 1936. Mayhem ensues when the eccentric Sycamore family play host to their daughter's ultra-conservative Wall Street in-laws in Pulitzer Prize-winning play You Can't Take It With You. Bridewell Theatre (Fleet Street), from £11.50, book ahead, 7.30pm, until 21 April
BEDROOM FARCES: Take in a trio of Noel Coward's classic one act plays. Bedroom Farces splices together dramas of the heart, bedroom and chequebook, with comedies We Were Dancing and Ways And Means and musical fantasy Shadow Play. Jermyn Street Theatre (St. James's), £30, book ahead, 7.30pm, until 20 May
CARNY DREAM: Award-winning chanteuse Camille O'Sullivan returns to London with a circus-themed affair that shows off her Chameleon-like vocal abilities. In The Carny Dream, she dramatically reinterprets the likes of David Bowie, Tom Waits, and Radiohead. Wilton's Music Hall (Whitechapel), £22, book ahead, 8pm, until 21 April
Good cause of the day
The Comedy Grotto is back at King's Cross boozer The Star of Kings, with another excellent line-up of comedic talent in aid of the UNHCR's Syrian Refugee Appeal. Let the likes The Mash Report's Rachel Parris and rising star Lolly Adefope tickle you silly, in the knowledge that all those belly laughs are helping to protect extremely vulnerable families on the ground in Syria.
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