Imagine sitting in a Victorian warehouse, all wrapped up against the cold, sipping a rum-laced hot chocolate and listening to a top notch spoken word performer tell dark and fantastical fairytales, then heading off to see an art installation, watch a couple of short films, hear a band and maybe catch a puppet show.
Imagine no longer: the Crick Crack Club's Festival of Fairytales for Grown Ups takes over the Bargehouse behind the OXO Tower for five days in December, turning the five storey building into a treasure trove of performance and delight. The core is the fairytales: two for adults each evening (one on the final day) and four daytime performances for families, all different stories and tellers. Do you want to hear about Scandinavian gods or how to settle a debt with a chicken? Gory deaths and grisly fates? Take your pick.
Before and in between each performance there's plenty of time to wander through the building and discover what else is happening, or just hit the bar. We also love their list of things you should know; apparently the Bargehouse gets very, very cold (take mittens).
The Festival of Fairytales for Grown Ups runs 11-15 December at the Bargehouse, SE1. Tickets for evening shows are £5.95 online / £6 on the door, and for family shows £4.36 online / £4 on the door. If you live in the SE1 9 postcode there are some free tickets available to the family shows.
