Things To Do In London This Weekend: 5-6 April 2014

Frock Me at Chelsea Town Hall, details below.

All weekend

OLYMPIC PARK: Home to sporting history in 2012, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park finally reopens fully this weekend for visitors to explore the famous sporting venues, public artworks, play areas, nature trails and 560 acres of beautiful parkland. Free, just turn up (although be warned it is likely to be busy)

YOUNG THEATRE: With 100 books under her belt, author Jacqueline Wilson is a giant in the children's fiction world (she's great, although we may especially love her for telling a young Londonista that she liked her coat back in the 90s). Her tale Hetty Feather is now being brought to the stage at Rose Theatre Kingston before touring nationally. £5-£23.50, prebook, until 19 April

CAFFEINE: Yes, get your caffeine kicks at the London Coffee Festival 2014. Brick Lane's Old Truman Brewery hosts the event with over 250 coffee and food stalls to choose from. Tickets from £11.50 a session, prebook, until 13 April

BEER: If you prefer a pint to a Puerto Rican single-origin flat white (we think that probably exists...) then our round up of beer festivals this month should tickle your fancy. There are three this weekend to choose from.

ANGELA LANSBURY: 'Nuff said. Not only is she performing in Blithe Spirit in the West End at the moment, she also has a Poplar-based film festival in her honour this weekend. Two words: Bedknobs. Broomsticks. £7+bf per screening (although Bed and Broomsticks is free), prebook

LONDON WALKS: If you want to keep on your toes this weekend, Footprints of London is offering 12 different guided walks — with themes ranging from London alleyways to Civil War connections around Cheapside. See website for full details

KEATS: Keats House is home to a couple of lovely events this weekend — first up is Keats in London walk, following the local haunts of the 'Cockney poet' (£8/£6, prebook, 11am-1.15pm), then it's time for an afternoon poetry reading focusing on how the poet linked love and death (free with admission to the house, just turn up, 3-4pm)

OPERATIC CABARET: Carmen gets a rather chatty makeover at St James Studio this weekend, as host Tony LaScala meets Bizet's temptress and questions her, talk show style, on her explosive love life. Part of the Opera Naked series. £22.50/£18.50, prebook, 8pm (Sat) and 3pm (Sun)

MARKETS: We've created a round up of shopping and market events for shop, browse and bargain-a-holics to enjoy this month

ART: We've created an April round up of London art openings too

THEATRE: And yet another for theatre openings in April. God we're good to you

Saturday 5 April

OUTLET FEST: A range of music, live art and dance from local groups, plus a treasure hunt for little ones, takes place at London Designer Outlet's Spring Festival at Wembley Park. Free, just turn up, 10am-6.15pm

FIRST SATURDAYS: A free all-day-long event where you can enjoy food, drink, live music, vinyl delights, an archive film screening and creative textile technique lessons. This is First Saturdays on Vyner Street, taking place at LimeWharf in Hackney. Free, just turn up, 11am-11pm

GOLDEN HINDE II: Celebrate the 41st birthday of Sir Francis Drake's reconstructed ship with stalls, games, music and performances on board the vessel, located on Cathedral Street by London Bridge. Free, just turn up, 11am-4pm

CHARITY BEER: Local craft beer brewer Hop Stuff, based on Woolwich Arsenal, opens to the public for its first charity fundraiser. 50p from every pint sold will go towards Help the Hospices. Free entry, just turn up, 11am-3pm

DRAGON BOATING: Try out this team sport and jump into a dragon boat for a paddle with Typhoon Dragon Boat Club, who host a free introductory event today at London Regatta Centre by Royal Albert DLR. Free, just turn up, 11am-2pm

OPTIMISM: Inner Space hosts a free talk in Shoreditch Town Hall on how to be a successful optimist. Feeling positive about it working? Then you probably don't need to go. Free, prebook, 11.30am

FREE FITNESS: To celebrate the launch of Victor's Lab, a new fitness studio in Peckham's Bussey Building, free taster sessions, arts and refreshments are on offer all day. Free, just turn up, from midday

ART TALK: Listen to Prof Ben Highmore discussing Haim Steinbach‘s practice in the context of the rituals of everyday life, at the Serpentine Gallery. The talk is connected to the current exhibition of Haim Steinbach. Free, just turn up, 3pm

MUSIC TRIBUTE: The Hanwell Hootie one-day festival presents 30 bands playing across six venues in Hanwell, in tribute to the man behind Marshall Amps. Free, just turn up, 4pm-11pm

CHILDREN'S THEATRE: Starting in the front gardens of St John at Hackney Church today is a promenade performance by Hackney Children's Theatre of The 127.5 Year Old Girl, a story about a young witch who can't get her spells right. Suitable for audiences aged 6+. £4+bf, prebook, 4.30pm and 6.30pm

LA BOHEME: The Metropolitan Opera's production of La Boheme gets broadcast live via satellite straight from New York into Barbican's cinema today. £35/£28, prebook, 5.55pm

DINNER DANCE: Food, drink and music combine as Dinner Dance celebrates the Disappearing Dining Club album launch in a yet-to-be-announced east London location. £56 (includes full dinner) /£21 (canapés and cocktails), prebook, 7pm-2am

SAKURA: Pop-up bar Candlelight Club celebrates the Japanese festival of cherry blossom (sakura) with a specially crafted dinner menu, live music and Japanese whisky. £20, prebook, 7pm-midnight

ORCHESTRA: Join Southgate Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Adrian Brown, in a memorial concert dedicated to Dr. Hans Engel — the Orchestra's long-standing Chair and cellist. £12/£10, prebook, 7.30pm

CHOIR: Dulwich Choral Society presents a Best of British concert at St Barnabas Church in Dulwich Village, performing works by Elgar, Stanford Walton and Parry. £16/£8, prebook, 7.30pm

DRIVE-IN: You'll need to be quick to nab tickets to tonight's Drive In Film Club screening of Grease, at Alexandra Palace. Screenings continue until 11 April so if you can't make tonight there are more opportunities to see films such as True Romance and Gravity. £22 per car (regardless of occupancy), prebook, 7.45pm

SENEGAL: To celebrate Senegal Independence Day, Rich Mix in Bethnal Green hosts an evening of West African music and dance. £10/£8, prebook, 8pm

Sunday 6 April

VINTAGE FAIR: Curated by award-winning vintage maestro Judy’s Vintage Fairs, this fair at York Hall in Bethnal Green offers fashion, furniture, crafts and antiques. £3/£2, just turn up, 10.30am-4.30pm

FROCK ME: Vintage dealers from around the UK and France come to Chelsea Town Hall to offer clothing, textiles and haberdashery. Plus a pop-up 1940s-style cafe. £4/£3, just turn up, 11am-5.30pm

KITES: Dick Van Dyke's wishes for us all to go fly a kite are being met today on Streatham Common, at the 16th Streatham Common Kite Day. There'll be aerial displays, kite suppliers, plus food and local community stalls. Free, just turn up, 11am-5pm

PUPPET: Fashion and Textile Museum on Bermondsey Street offers a paper puppet workshop today, where visitors can take inspiration from the displays to colour their own creations. Free with exhibition ticket (£8.80/£6.60), just turn up, 11.30am and 1.30pm

SERPENTINE HOME: Join a Serpentine Galleries family day and help transform the gallery house into a home, with materials available to design and create objects and 'furnishings'. Free, just turn up, midday-5pm

GOATS: Yes. Goats. Goats racing, in fact, at the Oxford-Cambridge Goat Race at Spitalfields Farm. If you're a caprine lover then get yourself down there, no ifs, no butts. Sorry (not sorry). £10 (proceeds go to charity), just turn up, 1-5pm

SUSHI & STRINGS: An interesting combination of events at London Jewish Cultural Centre: a (kosher) family sushi-making masterclass (£25/£20, prebook, 2pm) followed by a string quartet performance by Brodsky Quartet (£20, prebook, 3.30pm)

DANCE: Dance UK and the Association of Dance of the African Diaspora presents a twist on the traditional afternoon tea dance at the Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden. This fundraising event offers a Spanish-themed high tea, plus live dancing and an auction with dance-related prizes. £75, prebook, 2.30-5.30pm

TAOIST WALK: Join a philosophical walk around Regent's Park and learn about the spirit of Taoism (religious tradition of Chinese origin) and stories from the Lieh-Tzu (one of its fundamental books), with Jean-Marc Pierson. Free, just turn up (meet by Regent's Park Garden Cafe), 2.30-4.30pm

SCRIPTS: Budding writers are welcomed to Rich Mix's ScriptReadEast, a live script-reading event to support writers by showcasing their work with professional actors and a live audience. £5/£3.50, prebook, 3-6pm

BOAT RACE: The 160th Oxford-Cambridge boat race, taking place between Putney and Mortlake, is watched annually by millions. If you want to see it in person, here's a list of London pubs where you can catch the action with a pint in hand. Race starts at 5.55pm

FILM: Second Chance Cinema offers an opulent film screening experience at Bethnal Green's Town Hall Hotel, with gourmet food, cocktails and, oddly, chocolate cigarettes. Tonight's film is Nebraska, starring Bruce Dern. £12-£29, prebook, 6pm

BUMPS IN THE NIGHT: Comedy, film and music on the theme of the supernatural, phobias and nightmares comes to the Lexington on Pentonville Road courtesy of Ghouls' Night Out.  Fancy dress encouraged. £9/£7, prebook, 7pm

CHOIR 2: London's largest amateur choir, Barts Choir (started by a group of nurses at St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1965) performs Bach's dramatic St John Passion at Cadogan Hall, with all proceeds going towards The Eve Appeal. £25/£19.50, prebook, 7.30pm

COMEDY: Damian Clarke and Henry Paker headline tonight's Twice As Nice Comedy club at The Grove in Hammersmith. £5+bf, prebook, 8pm

Other good stuff

Catch up on all latest features, see what we like in theatre and arts and browse more things to do in London.

What have we missed? Let us know what’s going on this weekend, leave a comment or email tips@londonist.com.

For daily ideas of things to do in London subscribe to our emails.