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Tea Break
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SCHOOL HOLIDAYS: Wednesday is hump day, which means we're halfway through half term. If your bunch are getting restless, why not try grave-robbing, Lego or a Frozen singalong to keep them happy?
BEER FESTIVAL: The Clapham Junction Beer Festival begins today at Clapham Grand. Expect over 200 cask real ales, plus new wave craft brewers and an international bottle bar, plus craft cider. £6, prebook (but pay on the door), until 20 February. Psst... get the lowdown on the rest of this month's London beer festivals.
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN: Edith Nesbit's classic children's tale puffed into a specially made theatre — complete with steam locomotive — before Christmas, and has been thrilling audiences old and young ever since (see what we thought of the production ★★★★☆). Originally running until March, the run has now been extended for a further six months. Prebook, until 6 September
JEWISH EAST END: Tour guide Stephen Burstein leads a guided walk around Stepney and Whitechapel, in association with London Jewish Cultural Centre. See the secret 300 year old Jewish cemetery hidden within an astonishing modern setting, meet a Jewish boxing champion and a world renowned hairdresser and stand on the very spot where a young Winston Churchill directed the notorious 1911 Siege of Sidney Street against Jewish anarchists. £15, prebook, 10.30am
TREASURE ISLAND: Rich Mix screens National Theatre's Treasure Island, a stage adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic seafaring novel. We gave it ★★★★☆ when we saw it live on stage. Age 10+. £7.70/£6, prebook, 1pm
PUB SCIENCE: The topic covered in this month's PubSci meet up at the Old King's Head in Borough is baby laughter. Special guest is Dr. Caspar Addyman works who at the Babylab at Birkbeck, University of London. He specialises in the study of learning in the first few years of life and has researched such topics as how we learn our first words and how our sense of time develops. Donations welcome, just turn up, 6pm for 7pm start
UTOPIA EXPERIMENT: Stanfords in Covent Garden is the venue for an evening with Dylan Evans, author of The Utopia Experiment. In 2006, Evans left his job and moved to the Scottish Highlands to found a community called The Utopia Experiment. £3, prebook, 6.30pm
DISCOVERING PLACES: As part of Royal Geographical Society's Discovering Places series, the focus is on Uzbekistan. The evening features a panel of experts on Uzbekistan who talk about their experiences and answer questions from the audience. Exhibitor stands provide further information, travel ideas and inspiration. Given you wanderlust? Travel the world without leaving London. £12/£7, prebook, 7pm-9pm
THE MAN WHO: Neurological vignettes based on the Dr Oliver Sacks novel The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, courtesy of upcoming theatre group Pooka Productions. Upstairs at the Bussey Building, Peckham. £8 plus booking fee, prebook, until 21 February
CALEDONIAN PARK CLOCK: Hear all about plans to conserve the grade II listed Caledonian Park Clock Tower and reopen it for local people, and build a visitor centre. Takes place at Islington Town Hall, organised by Islington History Society. £1, 7.30pm
COMEDY: Katherine Ryan headlines Knock2Bag at Bar FM in Shepherd’s Bush, plus sets from Brian Gittins, Matthew Crosby, Yuriko Kotani, Cheekydinner and Spencer Jones. £8, prebook, 7.30pm
MUSIC HALL: Lauderdale House in Highgate recreates the traditional Victorian music hall, with songs and dancing. £5, just turn up, 8pm
LIVE MUSIC: The Hermes Experiment, a contemporary quartet made up of harp, clarinet, soprano and double bass, play a gig at The Forge in Camden, which is themed around rhythm and explores influences from jazz to minimalism. See other great gigs happenings in London this week. £10/£8, prebook, 8pm
For more things to do around London, why not try…
…Wingit? Available on Android and iPhone, Wingit is a smart (and free!) little app that solves the problem of “I want to do something now, but what is going on nearby?”. With just one tap, Wingit finds your location, scans social media and sends the best events happening nearby, straight to your device. From performances to pop-ups, screenings to street art, download Wingit today on the App Store or Google Play to see what’s going on just round the corner.
This week’s Things To Do In London is sponsored by Wingit.
Good Cause of the Day
Head to Hackney Empire tonight for a singalong screening of The Sound of Music, hosted by Christopher Biggins and celebrating the film’s 50th anniversary. Book your tickets here.
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