Looks like it's going to be beautiful weather this weekend, and thank all relevant deities for that because there's a bundle of outdoor frolics to be had this coming Saturday and Sunday.
Start the weekend early with Moulin Rouge, showing free this Friday at The Scoop as part of the More Movies season on Friday night. Trip along after work with cushions, a picnic and extra points go to whoever starts a sing along to the key songs.
Then on Saturday, the best place to be is on the South Bank because the Coin Street Festival is back and kicking off with a Latino party par excellance. Get to the Carnival de Cuba for the start at 12noon and be the first to try the special Daiquiri Carnaval, prepared with fresh mango, guava, passion fruit, strawberries and Cuban rum. Yes, it's going to be that kind of open air festival and let's not forget the best imported Cuban music and a massive conga line too - guaranteed to be of a far better quality than the traditional drunken birthday / wedding / Irish wake type conga. This one will have drums. Lots of drums. And dancing. Oh yes, there will be dancing... Food, drinks, music and performances will be available throughout the day; entry is free and events start at 12noon outside the Oxo Tower on South Bank.
While on South Bank and if you can tear yourself away from the rum, the Latin rhythms and the big screen TV showing the World Cup that the Carnaval de Cuba crew are providing, pop into the Globe theatre for Sam's day. Every year, the theatre celebrates the birthday of founder Sam Wanamaker with a programme of free workshops, demonstrations and platform discussions for the general public - and is also a good chance to have a sneak around the place without committing to a full-length Shakespeare performance. Entry is free, events start at 10.00am and finish at 5.15pm. The free swordplay workshop at 10.00am looks like the most fun.
If you're not going near South Bank and would prefer to do your Culture Crawl locally, there is always a private garden nearby that is going to be open to you over the weekend. Open Garden Squares is your chance to poke around the green spaces normally closed to the public. There will be flowers. And wine. Lots of wine. There is an entry fee that will get you access to all the gardens you can see in two days; wine is served at each venue. Go here for more information.
For a more restful (and indoor, football free) no cost activity, head to the new glass fronted shopping centre Cardinal Place in Victoria for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)international photo exhibition titled Animals in Focus . The exhibition is "a compelling selection of 45 images showing some of the best and worst of man's treatment of animals around the world" and is a good chance to see the new SW1 Gallery which is situated on the roof of the Cardinal Place shopping centre. Entry is free and the exhibition is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 6pm and Saturdays 10am to 4pm. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
If you're too busy watching football to complete your Culture Crawl on Saturday, the Carnaval de Cuba and Open Garden Squares runs through both Saturday 10th June and Sunday 11th June.
