A daily post, highlighting the best things to do around town today (that aren’t fully booked). We welcome additions in the comments.
Events
ARTS: The Nour Festival of art from the Middle East and North Africa begins today in Kensington and Chelsea. No events are programmed for today, but do take a look through the programme, which lasts two months. A series of artworks and photos themed around tea and coffee can be seen on Portobello Wall from today. All day
PHOTOS: Photomonth, East London's misleadingly named photography festival, which actually sprawls over more than two months, begins in earnest. Over 20 events and exhibitions open today alone, in venues that range from libraries to pubs...even police stations. Check out the programme here. All day
ARTY PHYSICS: The Jiggling Atoms exhibition opens at the Rag Factory, Heneage Street, Spitalfields. 25 artists sat through five lectures about particle physics, then dashed back to their canvases, moulding wax and knitting needles to create works inspired by the madness of the quantum world. The show runs till 7 October and is free. All day
PROCESSION: If you're in the West End, somewhere between the law courts and Westminster Abbey, look out for a procession of cars carrying judges in full regalia. Ian Visits tells us that today is the start of the legal year, and their learned m'lords and m'ladies are heading to the Judges Service at the Abbey. 11am-11.30am
FREE FOOD: We hear that Tortilla Mexican restaurant on Market Place, just north of Oxford Circus, is giving away free Californian burritos to the first 100 people who turn up after midday. The promotion is something to do with a new Will Ferrell DVD, and you'll need to utter the password "I’m here for the house of my father!”. 12-2pm
ODDBALL DINING: New restaurant and ping pong venue Bounce (main image) opens at 121 Holborn, supposedly the same site where the sport was invented in 1901. Tables (of both kind) are no doubt booked up for opening night, but pop along early to take a look. 4pm
LITERATURE: Publisher Picador celebrates its 40th birthday with what our literary correspondent eloquently describes as a "metric fuckton of excellent writers", including Jon Ronson, Jackie Kay, Stuart Evers, Naomi Wood and Ed Docx. Yours for £9.50, prebook here, 7pm
SHARD: Gift certificates for the Shard's viewing gallery are supposedly on sale from some point today.
ART: Today is also the press view for the Turner Prize 2012, so expect Tate Britain to be all over the news tonight.
Random Fact Of The Day
London and the South-East contain an estimated 30,000 wild parakeets. No one's quite sure how the green blighters first escaped into the wild, but they're now an unmistakable and noisy presence in many of London's larger parks. Theories abound on where the founding pairs escaped from, including the set of African Queen or the private aviary of Jimi Hendrix. If you'd like to find out more about the birds, Project Parakeet will perform the next population count on 7 October, and needs volunteers. Image of a Peckham parakeet by Tubb in the Londonist Flickr pool.
Weather
"It's been raining for the whole of October," you'll be able to quip until at least midday. The tenth month gets under way with heavy downpours, till someone deletes the clouds in late afternoon. Mild all day. BBC Weather.
Secretly Hidden False Rumour Of The Day
The New Bus For London is powered entirely by balsamic vinegar. While cheaper than diesel, the unorthodox fuel does add a certain eau de chipshop to the buses. Have a good sniff of your seat next time you board one.
