All weekend
NOW PLAY THIS: This is the final weekend of experimental games event Now Play This at Somerset House. Build your own mini golf course, take part in a classic murder mystery with a twist, or browse the programme for other things to see and do — plenty of the activities are family-friendly too. Until 14 April
LONDON COFFEE FESTIVAL: Get your fill of caffeine and then some, at the London Coffee Festival, a four-day extravaganza of tastings, demos, competitions, shopping and more at The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. Head to The Lab for talks, debates, demos and workshops led by experts, and see 16 baristas go head-to-head in the Coffee Masters competition. 11-14 April
HISTORY FEST: William Dalrymple, Dr Nicola Clark, Brian Cox and Clive Myrie are some of the guest speakers at HistFest 2024, a weekend of history talks at the British Library. Topics include espionage in the second world war, plague nurses, and the rise of the East India Company. 11-14 April
PETROL HEADONISM: Once again Petrol Headonism Underground takes place in Wembley's underground car parks across two days. Retro, classic and modified vehicles, hypercars, supercars and bikes are on display in this family-friendly event. 13-14 April
VINTAGE POSTER MARKET: Browse through thousands of film, music, travel and tourism posters, as well as posters on plenty of other topics. The Vintage Poster Market takes place at Gipsy Hill Brewery, with street food vans on site, and books, maps and fashion magazines on sale alongside the posters. 13-14 April
RANJIT SINGH: Discover the life and legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Wallace Collection's new exhibition. It delves into the rise of the Sikh Empire, featuring glittering weaponry, exquisite jewellery and historic artefacts. Visitors journey through Singh's reign, experiencing his military prowess, political acumen and enduring cultural impact. 10 April-20 October
YINKA SHONIBARE: British Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare's new exhibition, Suspended States, opens at Serpentine South Gallery, inviting visitors to take a critical eye to the history of trade, migration, colonialism and ecological impact. New and recent works are showcased, including installations, sculptures, and woodcut prints — all challenging Western iconography and exploring pressing global issues. FREE, 12 April-1 September
Saturday 13 April
BOOKS IN THE PARK: New literary festival Books in the Park pitches up at Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham for a day of events for both adults and children. As well as talks, there are poetry and fiction writing workshops for adults, and a scavenger hunt for kids. From 9am
DEAF DAY: City Lit's annual Deaf Day is a celebration of Deaf culture, offering Deaf and hard of hearing people a chance to get together, socialise and celebrate Deaf provision and the Deaf community. Hearing people are also welcome, including those who work with the Deaf community, are learning sign language — or are simply interested to learn more. FREE, 10am-4pm
VINTAGE FAIR: Head to The Engine Rooms in Highgate for the Pop Up Vintage Fair, a gathering of vendors hawking vintage clothing, accessories, home decor, and more. You can pay extra for earlybird entry and see the goods half an hour before the general public. Food and drink — including pizza from 67 Sourdough — is available on site. 10.30am-4pm
SUPERTRI E: Real life and virtual racing blend together at the supertri E World Championships, which you can watch at the London Aquatics Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It's a highly competitive triathlon event in which participants go against one another in real life in the pool, and in virtual races for the running and cycling segments, on smart trainers and self-powered curved treadmills. 5.30pm-9.30pm
RAINBOW NATION GALA: Alexandra Palace hosts the Rainbow Nation Charity Gala, a variety performance by members of the Rainbow Nation Dance Academy. The organisation supports eight LGBTQ+ charities, and tonight's show includes a choir, pole dancers and ballet. Age 18+. 6.30pm
SECRET OF GRAVITY: Diver, pilot and physicist Claudia de Rham is at the Royal Institution to give a talk about her new theory of gravity. Her experience in all three disciplines, along with research by other scientists, has allowed her to reimagine the theory of massive gravity (mavity?) to uncover the secrets of dark energy. 7pm-8.30pm
ROLLER DISCO: Every Saturday night, Roller Nation in Tottenham hosts a roller disco with a soundtrack of songs from the 1970s-1990s, plus laidback soul and funk tunes. Age 18+. 7pm-1am
MACBETH: Catch a reworking of Shakespeare's Macbeth at Brockley Jack. The tale of power and revenge is set in the near future, at a time when mankind is establishing a new hierarchy, having risen from the ashes of an apocalypse. Tonight's the final performance. 7.30pm
MUSIC OF THE MOVIES: Music from The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Hobbit, Avatar and other films is performed live by the London Concert Orchestra in a special show at Southbank Centre. 7.30pm
ELTHAM CHORAL SOCIETY: The 80-strong Eltham Choral Society takes over Holy Trinity Sloane Square for a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah. 7.30pm
THEIR MAJESTIES: Outrageous hosts Asifa Lahore and Shepherd's Bush are back at the Oval Tavern in Croydon, for a Saturday edition of Their Majesties — a rollicking few hours of drag and cabaret in LGBTQ+-friendly surroundings. We'd recommend booking a table. 8pm-12am
Sunday 14 April
SPRING PLANT FAIR: Browse and buy garden plants from expert growers hailing from all over the country at the Garden Museum's Spring Plant Fair. Great Dixter Nursery in East Sussex and Beth Chatto Garden in Essex are among the organisations taking part, with a programme of talks and workshops throughout the day. 10am-4pm
VINTAGE FAIR: Another chance to splash out on vintage togs, this time at the Frock Me! Vintage Fair, which returns to Chelsea Old Town Hall, with 60 dealers selling their wares. 11am-5.30pm
WOOLWICH WORKS TOUR: Take a free guided tour of Woolwich Works, a 300-year-old building within the Royal Arsenal site which is now used as a theatre and events space. Hear history spanning kings, queens, fireworks and Suffragettes — and find out how the building was repurposed and restored for its current use. The tour takes place most Sundays. FREE, 11am
SPURS V LEICESTER: Spurs's Womens team plays at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon, in what is their first ever FA Cup semi-final — which is against Leicester City. Tickets are at competitive prices, too. 12pm KO
THE ROYAL BALLET: Barbican Cinema hosts a Royal Opera House Live screening of a trio of Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan's one-act ballets. Begin with his first major work, Danses Concertantes, followed by Different Drummer, about a soldier's descent into madness. The programme concludes with Requiem, MacMillan's 1976 work for Stuttgart Ballet. 2pm
LDN WRESTLING: International wrestlers take on the best British stars in LDN Wrestling at Fairfield Halls in Croydon. It's a family-friendly show, suitable for all ages, with children's tickets available. 3pm
AYRES ON A SHOESTRING: Poet, comedian, songwriter and presenter Pam Ayres teams up with TV's Gyles Brandreth for Ayres on a shoestring! Fry's delight! And a touch of Hinge & Bracket... a snappy show of live musical performances of the music of opera/theatre composer Louis Mander. It's happening at OSO Arts Centre in Barnes. 3.30pm
JEANNE DU BARRY: The Soho Hotel offers a preview screening of new film Jeanne du Barry, before its UK release next week. It tells the story of Jeanne Bécu, the daughter of an impoverished seamstress who scandalises the Court of Louis XV by becoming his last mistress. It's followed by a Q&A with lead actress and director, Maiween and costume designer, Jurgen Doering. 4.30pm-7.30pm
GOLDEN AGE OF SWING: The 30-piece Down for the Count Swing Orchestra commandeers Cadogan Hall in Chelsea for a performance of Songs from the Golden Age of Swing. Hear tunes by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Nat 'King' Cole and Peggy Lee in this lively show. 6.30pm
LATIN MUSIC FESTIVAL: La Linea Latin music festival takes place at several venues around central London over the coming weeks, including a performance by long-running, Mexican-born but California-based band Los Tigres del Norte, at the Eventim Apollo tonight. Browse the full festival programme. 7pm
MANNI & REUBEN COE: Authors Manni and Reuben Coe are at Southbank Centre, chatting to actor Sally Phillips about their memoir, brother.do.you.love.me. It's the story of how Reuben, a 38-year-old with Down's Syndrome, broke his silence after a year of struggling, sending his brother Manni a single text message: "Brother, do you love me?". 7.45pm
JITTER KINGS: Seven-piece jazz band the Jitter Kings continue their residency at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho, playing jazz music from the swing era and Dixieland. 8pm
