The Londonist Culture Crawl. Basically - don't sleep.
Friday 15 September
Starting today and continuing until 30 September, the London Design Festival takes over the Truman Breweries in Hoxton and infiltrates other parts of design-friendly London. London Design Festival, 15 - 30 September, details available here.
Some books are so full of wackiness, the eccentric characters, surreal situations and mind-bending twists and turns of the tale overflow from the page and onto the silver screen and stage. Having had an outing on screen already, Jonathan Safran Foer's novel Everything Is Illuminated gets the stage treatment next and is at the Hampstead Theatre until 14 October. Everything Is Illuminated, Hampstead Theatre, for tickets and information go to the Hampstead Theatre website here.
Saturday 16 September
Go to the Thames Festival. Seriously. There is nothing else worth seeing in London today. Go. Trust us - it'll be worth it.
Sunday 17 September
Horseman's Sunday unfolds, maintaining an equestrian spectacle started in 1968 to highlight the need to maintain stables along the north of Hyde Park and now developed into an annual day out. Starting at noon, the vicar of St John’s Church leads a cavalcade of over 100 horses and riders to the church, which was originally a protest but is now an excuse to see horseriding in the middle of town. Lots of activities, stalls, food and drink will be available. Bring your own horse if you have one. Horseman's Sunday, from 12noon, starting at St John's Church, Hyde Park Crescent, free. For more information, go to the St John's Church website here.
Simcha on the Square is another central London day out, fewer horses but more singers. Simcha on the Square is the 350th anniversary of Cromwell's invitation to Jews to return to Britain and the square is going to be packed with Jewish food, live performance, including klezmer bands, cantors, choirs, Sephardi and world music. Anyone who has been present when a Klezmer band starts playing and everyone gets up to dance will know that this is going to be quite a shindig. Simcha on the Square in Trafalgar Square, 1.00pm to 7.00pm, free. For more information go to the website here.
Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle will be performed at the Scoop at 9.00pm and this open air performance of the well-known morality tale about motherhood and judgement is in exactly the right place to combine a bit of theatre with the big finale of the Thames Festival. Caucasian Chalk Circle at the Scoop, 9.00pm, free. More information available here. Thames Festival finale, from 7.00pm at various locations along the Thames. More information available here.
