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, as was the weather. However, with three weeks left before the plucky programme of open air events finally finishes, the almost biblical proportions of rain we've previously been subjected to seems to be staying away so we'll be heading to South Bank to see what we've been missing.
This week, the ladies of Mimbre will do their last performances of acrobatic, gymnastic and architectural The Bridge on Wednesday and Thursday, Rag Roof Theatre recreate the social history of dance with couples going through the steps enjoyed by earlier generations between the 1920s and 1950s in Shall We Dance? on Friday and Saturday, and the golden era of musicals in the 1920s and 1930s are brought back to life by the Charleston Chasers on Saturday evening.
Get to the patch of fake lawn outside the National Theatre in time for the 6.30pm start for the post-work performances or better still, head inside the building and go to the top floor terraces where there are pre-theatre bars and good views of the action below. We still advise taking umbrellas with you, but the way the programme seems to be encouraging everyone to get up and dance as the festival draws to a close, we also advise bringing a partner who won't tread on your toes too much. And keep those toes tapping for the Bank Holiday Weekend - we hear word of a big three-day dance-off... watch this space...
Watch This Space, outside the National Theatre, from tonight until Saturday 18 August. For full programme details, go to the Watch This Space website here.
