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ArcelorMittal Orbit
To get you excited for a half-price visit to the controversial Olympic icon, have a browse through our pictures of the red metal twisty creation. Blot on the landscape or futuristic delight: what do you think?
Things to do
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ARCELORMITTAL ORBIT:
Get half-price entry for two at Anish Kapoor's Olympic sculpture and see views reaching up to 20 miles around from the 80 metre-high deck. Until Saturday, £15, prebook, 10am
DOG ART:
St Martin's graduate Robert Clarke describes himself 'a dog painter, not a painter of dogs'. Fine distinctions aside, his one-man show Hair of the Dog at Cricket Fine Art is an opportunity to enjoy his doggy portraits on wood panels, and admire the different breeds he's captured. Until 26 September, free, just turn up, 11.30am
COOKERY CLASS:
Learn to cook a three-course meal in three hours with Mint Cookery's qualified and experience chefs. Choose from French, Italian or Mediterranean cuisines and pick up trade secrets along the way. Walthamstow, also weekends until December. £28.95, prebook, 1pm or 5pm
HUGUENOT TALK
Find out about Huguenot society and settlement around London in the late 17th century at Guildhall Library this evening. Dr Robin Gwynn speaks about how the community was affected by the Plague, the Great Fire and refugees. Wine reception included. £5, prebook, 6pm
COMEDIANS CINEMA CLUB:
Watch professional funny people get together on stage to improvise their way through Jaws at The Phoenix behind Oxford Street. There's also stand-up and a live podcast recording about the film and its themes. £6, prebook, 6.45pm
PSYCHOPATH TALK:
Ex-SAS solider and writer Andy McNab and Oxford research psychologist Kevin Dutton take the stage at The Royal Institution where they'll discuss the concept of 'the good psychopath'. Mayfair, £12/£8, prebook, 7pm
KNITTING PARTY:
Get Your Knit On with Wool and the Gang at The George IV in Hammersmith. Get to grips with those big needles, learn from the experts, walk away wearing your newly-crafted snood, and afterwards hone your technique at home with video tutorials. £30, prebook, 7pm
COMEDY:
Diane Spencer is recording her Edinburgh show at the Backyard Comedy Bar in Bethnal Green, so be prepared to laugh long and hard. £6, prebook, 7pm
CONTEMPORARY OPERA:
New London-based theatre and opera company And So Forth present their inaugural interdisciplinary show in Peckham tonight. Two actors, a singer and a pianist will perform Damsel/Wife/Witch at Caroline Gardens Chapel, exploring gender expectation through fairy tale. Until Friday, £15, prebook, 7pm
BALLET:
All-male troupe Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo come to Holborn's Peacock Theatre from across the pond. See their take on Paquita, Esmerelda, Pas de Deux and a little bit of Swan Lake. Until 20 September, £49, prebook, 7.30pm
CHURCH CONCERT:
Chamber group The Orchestra of St Paul's makes its St Martin-in-the-Fields debut with a programme of Mozart, Dvořàk, Borodin and Tchaikovsky. £14, prebook, 7.30pm
LUNA CINEMA:
Tonight's offering from the al fresco screening team is the Italian classic Cinema Paradiso. See Tornatore's Oscar-winning masterpiece in Dulwich Park, £14.50, prebook, 7.30pm
Good cause of the day
If the last night of the Proms is too mainstream for your liking, head to Friday I'm In Love's alternative Common People Prom, and support homelessness charity Crisis while you're at it. Get rocking and rolling at this 'massaoke', a mass singalong, with live bands playing anthems and lyrics projected on giant screens. £25/£20, prebook, 8pm
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Find more London events in our Free & Cheap events listings. Want to see your event in these last-minute listings? Email us at [email protected] at least 48 hours before the event, and we will consider it for inclusion. Note: due to high volumes of email, we can't always reply.
