As we mentioned briefly before, Thursday brings the East 2008 Festival. For six days, a cornucopia of performances, exhibitions, workshops, food and other events ensures entertainment with emphasis on promotion of the best of East London. Here’s our pick of the mix: 6th March: F-EAST - artists Wiebke and Nicholas Morgan cook a meal from 12 recipes from a Nigel Slater cookbook, and serve it for visitors as an exploration into ownership and the......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 3rd March 1982: The Barbican Centre is opened by the Queen. After 15 years of construction, at a cost of £161 million, the centre would become the largest performing arts centre in Europe (as well as being voted the ugliest building in London). Tuesday – 4th March 1882: Britain’s first electric trams go into operation in Leytonstone, East London. Wednesday – 5th March 1856: The second Covent......

Sometimes, you've got to wonder how they do it. The ballet dancers, the orchestras, the actors, singers, directors and conductors - what does it take to get them into the state we see them in for the final product? Are there hissy fits, tiaras and tantrums or lots of tea breaks and group hugs after each scene is rehearsed? Open Rehearsal is the weekend to find out and be as nosey as you like......

Dance can often seem an intimidating or impenetrable art form for the non-pointy toed punter so here are our top 4 recommendations for shows to see in the rest of 2007. All will blow your mind in different ways. Go pop your dance cherry on the coolest shows around. Zero Degrees 16-20 October, Sadlers Wells Another chance to catch this unique artistic collaboration between dancers and choreographers Akram Khan and Sidi Labi Cherkaoui, composer......

Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break. Waterside Café Barbican Centre EC2Y 8DS Map Average Lunch Price: £8 Rating: 8 out of 10 There’s no middle ground when it comes to the Barbican. Londoners either love it or hate it. To those readers who love this futuristic concrete wonder, read on. Barbican’s Waterside Café, located lakeside at the Barbican Centre, might not offer the best meal......

It's a kid-friendly crawl this weekend, by which we mean there's lots of stuff to see and do that would please children and the perpetually nostalgic. Get your scarf, woolly hat and mittens and go out to play. Until 3 December Toys@Oxo 2006 is the annual show from the British Toymakers Guild and everything on display is also for sale. The automata, dolls, teddy bears, puzzles and games, glove puppets, hobby horses, wooden toys......

La Linea, the London Latin Music Festival will be held at the Barbican Centre this year and the line-up which starts today is looking good. For six years the festival has been all about defining and re-defining contemporary Latin music, and considering Latin music can encompass flamenco, classical Spanish guitar, Afro-Cuban hip-hop, Argentinian electronica, samba and bossa nova among other forms that's no small task. Previous festivals have brought Gotan Project, Seu Jorge, Pink......

The shock of being back at work after the torpor of the Christmas holidays is a little bit like a cold that won't quite go away, you can't quite shift that nagging horrible feeling that's stopping you feeling 100 per cent. To blast away the last vestiges of evil, try these gigs: As usual we've only listed gigs where tickets are still available as far as we know. To get your gig or event listed......