No, Field Day was not sunny. Nor were there enough toilets (again). Waiting in a queue for one hour to relieve yourself and thus missing an exemplary array of alternative muscial talent is not acceptable. Nor is it fun. I could pay £30 and use my own toilet, thank you very much. Now that we have got these negative points over and out, we shall move on. Maybe. Because despite these faults, Field Day......

Rain, rain, go away…flirtatious spring-like temperatures and halcyon moments of direct sunlight belie this week’s forecast for April showers. At least that leaves plenty of time to soak up indoor activities on the cheap before we jet our wellies and get on with the picnic season. Monday: One of our favourite tucked-away speakeasy-esque bars is holding a book club tonight with the theme Dark Heroes. This ain’t no run-of-the-mill Richard & Judy-style book club:......

We haven't got outside today but from this Londonist perch it's looking and sounding like the harbingers of Armageddon are wreaking their dirty havoc on us. Yet, whilst one old lady just walked past with an inside-out umbrella held defiantly above her rain-bonnetted, anoraked, stumbling personage, the postie just sailed past in short shirtsleeves. Tell us, what's it like where you are? Satellite picture of London from BBC Weather at 10am today.......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 21st January 1976: Concorde’s first commercial service, from London to Bahrain (and Paris to Rio de Janeiro) commences. Tuesday – 22nd January 1876: The Royal Aquarium opens in Westminster. It would be demolished just 26 years later and replaced by the Methodist Central Hall. Wednesday – 23rd January 1571: The Royal Exchange in the City of London is officially opened by Elizabeth I. Over the next few hundred......

The weather is just frightful. And likely to stay that way. At least Londonist can wear their new floral wellies. A growing lobby reckon they’d leave London if Boris gets in. Probably a similar lobby to the ones who are saying that they’ll eat their hats if he gets in. This could be fun. Asda get tough on rogue parkers. Rail firms are to pay compensation for all that New Year hassle and delay.......

Last Thursday, Amnesty International brought Guantánamo Bay to London's American Embassy to mark 6 years since its opening and, more importantly, to raise the profile of the campaign to close the notorious detention centre. A replica prison cell was installed outside the Embassy and an all night vigil held. Kate Allen, Amnesty's Chief Executive, was one of the prisoners. The following morning, protestors joined the powerfully visual demonstration dressed in orange boiler suits and......

Londonist went on a sojourn to Manchester recently, and loved the place. Home of iconic bands, incessant rain, pretty canals, and some of Britain's most interesting modern architecture outside London, Manchester has a lot to offer. If only there were a way to get there that didn't involve spending half your life savings on an overpriced, inflexible rail ticket. Never let it be said that Virgin Trains can't spot an opening in the market.......

To be honest the rain and coldness is kind of making us not want to go to gigs at the moment, preferring instead to wrap ourselves up warmly at home. But if we did, this is what we'd be bouncing at. Monday: The biggie tomorrow is of course Led Zep at the O2, but you've more chance of meeting Santa than getting tickets for that. So instead, forget the dinosaurs and try something new......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 26th November 1983: An armed robbery at the Brinks Mat warehouse near Heathrow Airport becomes the largest heist in British history, as £25 million worth of gold bullion is pinched. Tuesday – 27th November 2000: 10-year-old schoolboy Damilola Taylor is stabbed in the leg and dies in Peckham, south London. The following six years would see several trials and re-trials over the killing, finally culminating in the......

Harumph. Last night saw a wee splash of rain and a whole load of inconvenience in London. And this rather disgruntled Londonista was caught up in it. It’s not that we are spoiled brats and can’t cope without our PCs and tellies for an evening. By all accounts a snuggly, fire-lit night in, cooking pancakes over candles and making conversation with each other, never did anyone any harm – why the thrice weekly power cut......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 19th November 1558: Queen Elizabeth I travels to Highgate on her accession to the throne. She is met by the bishops and escorted through London. Tuesday – 20th November 1992: Fire sweeps through Windsor Castle, causing £40 million worth of damage to over 100 rooms. Wednesday – 21st November 1695: The great composer Henry Purcell dies at his home in Westminster. The cause of his death in......

Although not quite a snowy Sunday night in Prague as depicted in the above photograph by Touch co-founder Jon Wozencroft, last week was a substantially chilly one in South London. Thanks to the Atmospheres Festival, however, we were able to derive much warmth from the ambient music, field recordings and, well, ale present at the events. As we previewed recently, London-based audiovisual label Touch closed their year of 25th anniversary celebrations with a week......

As Sunday evening's "home" fixture at Wembley for the Miami Dolphins against the New York Giants edges ever closer we interview Brian Tennent, Londoner and chairman of DolFan UK, the only UK-based Miami Dolphins fan organisation officially recognised by the club itself. What first attracted you to the NFL in general and supporting the Dolphins in particular? When it was first regularly broadcast on Channel 4, it looked more exciting and glamorous than UK......

Travis Bickle: All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets. Below is a genuine conversation this Londonista has had whilst walking through Camden - Drug dealer: (over the hubbub of "skunk, weed, hash, skunk, weed") AK47? Anyone want AK47? Londonist: (to friend, perhaps a little too loudly in hindsight) Bloody......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 22nd October 1809: The Croydon Canal, linking Croydon to Deptford via Forest Hill, is opened. Requiring 28 locks to overcome the gradients of the route, it would never become a commercial success, and would be closed just 37 years later. Tuesday – 23rd October 1731: A fire breaks out in Ashburnham House in Westminster, damaging much of the Cotton Library – a renowned collection of Middle English......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 15th October 1881: The Royal Comedy Theatre (now simply known as the Comedy Theatre) opens in the West End. Tuesday – 16th October 1987: In the early hours of the morning, a huge storm of hurricane intensity wreaks havoc across London (and much of the rest of southern England). Wednesday – 17th October 1814: At the Horse Shoe Brewery on Tottenham Court Road, a colossal vat containing......

If our enthusiastic dance previews didn't inspire you to go as far as actually parting with cash for contemporary dance then perhaps you could cut your teeth on free events happening as part of London's International Festival of Contemporary Dance: Dance Umbrella. If you work near Liverpool Street then, this lunchtime or any lunchtime in the next 29 days, you can stumble across Paul-Andre Fortier performing "Solo 30x30" whilst you nip out for a......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 1st October 1868: St. Pancras Station is officially opened as the London terminus for the Midland Railway, despite its construction being incomplete. Part of the buildings would form the iconic gothic St. Pancras Chambers, which housed the Midland Grand Hotel. Tuesday – 2nd October 1909: Twickenham Stadium hosts its first ever rugby match, with Harlequins beating Richmond 14-10. Wednesday – 3rd October 1975: After three days of......

Judging from the deluge that hit parts of the capital Monday morning, a rain dance is the last thing soaked Londoners need this week. Lucky, then, that we're actually talking about the Raindance Film Festival, which opens on Tuesday night. Now in its fifteenth year, Raindance has matured from a youthful dalliance as the edgy alternative to the LFF to become one of Europe's most highly respected film festivals, and a proving ground for......

Tired of watching the cohort of British heroes cast rudely aside at the world's premier tennis event each year, London has finally given our boys a fighting chance by creating a tournament that surely offers Tim Henman (pictured), Andy Murray and his doubles-specialist brother Jamie their best ever hope of hoisting individual silverware aloft in the capital. They've only got three dangerous foreign types to overcome this Saturday in Betfair Turbo Tennis and you're......

Remember Derek? Our very own secret agent? Well he's still roaming the capital with his water pistol. He's not too happy with the pseudonym but appears to have forgiven us. And what a busy week he's had. First, there was a stakeout at an embassy. Sorry, even we don't know which one. Then he kills people and then has to do it again. Now before we go any further, let us stress to the......

Here's what else has been going on while you've been at The Notting Hill Festival: This weekend's news: It's possible there could be a new Thames Barrier built. More people have been shot in North London. Toddler dies in swimming pool. Authorities agree to give bus drivers more toilets. How nice. Mum fights web drug dealers. Hooray for cyber mum! And here's what we think might happen next week: Pete Doherty arrested. Again. Amy......

We're skint again! We've spent all of our money on festivals only to find that we've spent hours standing in the rain listening to the bands we didn't really want to see but our best mate wanted to because they fancy the singer. This means that yet again, we can't go and do any of the things we want (and yes we're sulking). We can't go to any of the gigs we'd planned to,......

Confusion Over the past few weeks we have been speaking to a number of different people involved in politics. MP's, councillors, people with strong opinions and people with no political opinions. Basically, you are either really into politics or you're not. There are not that many people who sit on the fence on this point. A lot of people are not interested in politics because they find it confusing and intimidating. This apathy is......

The Proms are a marvellous institution. Remarkably diverse musically, accessible, world class and - crucially - cheap as chips, they are the soundtrack to summer in London and we are privileged to have them on our doorstep. It was with an eager step that we hied ourselves to the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday afternoon for the sold-out 48th Prom, despite the glowering sky and hint of rain in the air. Arriving at around......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 20th August 1989: The Marchioness pleasure boat collides with the dredger Bowbelle under Cannon Street Railway Bridge, causing the Marchioness to sink rapidly. 51 of the pleasure boat’s 132 passengers drown. Tuesday – 21st August 1920: A boy who would be named Christopher Robin Milne is born in Chelsea, West London. His father, the author A. A. Milne, would use him as inspiration for the Christopher Robin......

QPR 1 Leyton Orient 2 Loftus Road Tuesday 14th August, 2007 It seems every time Londonist attends Loftus Road, the visitors score two. On Tuesday night John Gregory, manager of Championship side Queens Park Rangers, was left to rue the injuries, loan arrangements and appendix operations that left him with only one pair of fit strikers as his lacklustre charges struggled to chase a League Cup tie that visitors Leyton Orient, from the division......

Tourist season in rain-soaked down-town London, and all the big museums are, shall we say, a tad busy. But Londonist always has something up its sleeve for a rainy day. And for those of you inclined towards higher aesthetic planes, we would strongly recommend the Design Museum in Shad Thames, more particularly their current exhibition featuring the works of ‘starchitect’ Zaha Hadid. It is hard to over-state the achievements of this prolific lady –......

It's not too late to enjoy London's outdoor events but it really has become a case of pouncing on any bit of fun going when the sun shines and hoping the rain stays away until the music stops. We've previously brought to your attention the Watch This Space festival which has been faithfully providing free outdoor performances outside the National Theatre since the beginning of July, but were frankly a bit lukewarm about it,......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 13th August 1977: Hundreds of protesters clash with police at a National Front march in Lewisham, south-east London. About 400 Socialist Worker Party members had gathered to try to prevent the National Front march, but had been prevented by police, leading to attacks on the police themselves and over 200 arrests. Tuesday – 14th August 1821: The funeral procession of Queen Caroline, wife of George IV, makes......