All week
A LOVE LETTER: Enter a vintage caravan and enjoy a cup of tea as you celebrate love after the age 0f 50. Art project A Love Letter features miniature diorama boxes and sound installations to share the voices of North Kensington’s community and their thoughts about love. Thorpe Close (North Kensington), free, just turn up, 12-14 March
CAMELLIA SHOW: Chiswick House & Gardens showcases its rare and historic plants at the annual Camellia Show. 33 different varieties can be seen in the listed conservatory, and you can enter a raffle for a chance to name an as-yet-unlisted species. Chiswick House & Gardens, free entry to gardens (donations welcome), just turn up, until 22 March
LANGLANDS & BELL: Artists Ben Langlands and Nikki Bell's exhibition, Degrees of Truth, looks at how architecture bears witness to the technological, political, economic and cultural relationships and changes of society. Newly-commissioned and borrowed artworks feature, including film, video, digital media, sculpture and installation works. Sir John Soane's Museum, free, just turn up, until 31 May
Monday 9 March
FREE PRESS: Is there a right to a free press and is this distinct from the freedom of speech of citizens in a democracy? A panel of experts discuss the topic, including where the limits of a free press might lie, and the limitations of maintaining a free press in the digital age. LSE (Holborn), free, just turn up, 6.30pm-8pm
Tuesday 10 March
FLOP CURATOR TOUR: Join curator Thomas Kador for a tour of the exhibition FLOP. It focuses on the failures that no-one wants to admit to, from ancient societies to modern-day medicine, including a lost language, and poisonous pills given to patients. On today's tour, Kador highlights some of the best failures on display. The Octagon (UCL), free, book ahead, 2.30pm-3pm
BLACK NURSES: Head to the Royal College of Nursing for a free, illustrated talk about black nurses in Britain before the Windrush. Hear about the lives of some of these women from the 1880s to the 1940s including Annie Brewster, Eva Lowe and Princess Ademola. Royal College of Nursing (Cavendish Square), free, book ahead, 5pm-7pm
LETTERPRESS PRINTING: Russell Frost, founder of east London's Hooksmith Press, hosts a printing workshop. Using iconic printed symbols from Russell's collection, have a go at setting a word or two by hand, and take home your handmade typographic masterpiece at the end. Nunnery Gallery (Bow), free, just turn up, 6.30pm-8.30pm
Wednesday 11 March
VICTORIAN ACTRESS: The V&A's free lunchtime lecture is by Renata Kobetts Miller, who discusses her book, The Victorian Actress in the Novel and on the Stage. Find out how how the Victorians understood the actress in relation to ideas about audiences, authenticity, sympathy, social class, and the home. V&A Museum (South Kensington), free, just turn up, 1pm-1.45pm
JAPANESE MARTYRS: Gresham Professor of Divinity Alec Ryrie gives a lecture about the brutal suppression of the fast-growing Catholic community in 17th century Japan. Find out how the crisis shaped myths of Japanese cruelty and the 250-year ‘closing’ of Japan. Museum of London, free, just turn up, 6pm-7pm
JORDAN BROOKES: Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Jordan Brookes is the latest comic trying out new work at Pleasance Theatre's work-in-progress season. Be one of the first to hear his latest material, which he currently describes as 'semi-improvised time-filling'. Pleasance Theatre (Islington), £5, book ahead, 7.45pm
Thursday 12 March
CORPSE ROADS: Ever heard of corpse roads? They were the paths taken by coffin bearers across the countryside, before enclosure put a stop to that in the 1700s and 1800s. Find out how digital landscaping could help rediscover some of the routes, and use factors such as elevation and distance can tell the stories behind them. Barnard's Inn Hall (Holborn), free, just turn up, 6pm-7pm
BLACK FLAMINGO: Keats House poet in residence Dean Atta talks about and signs copies of his new verse novel, The Black Flamingo. It's the story of a boy coming to terms with his identity as a mixed race gay teen, and later, a drag artist. Keats House (Hampstead), £4.50, book ahead, 7.30pm-9pm
LONDON'S LOST RIVERS: South East London Folklore Society hosts author Tom Bolton to talk about London's lost rivers. He's written two books about the capital's lost waterways, so he knows his stuff — find out how and why certain rivers come to be buried or mislaid. The Old King's Head (Borough), £5/£3, book ahead, 8pm
Friday 13 March
LONELY COURAGE: Historian Rick Stroud talks about the heroines of the Special Operations Executive who fought to free Nazi-occupied Europe.His book, Lonely Courage, tells the stories of the 39 female agents recruited from all walks of life, the training they underwent, and the brutal deaths that some of them faced at concentration camps. National Army Museum (Chelsea), free, book ahead, 11.30am
PROFESSIONAL WOMEN: The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919 was one of the most significant pieces of legislation in modern Britain, and should have opened the doors of the traditional professions to women — but what career opportunities did it really open up? Hear stories of the pioneering women who forged careers in the fields of medicine, law, academia, architecture, engineering and the church, paving the way for others to follow. National Archives (Kew), £5/£4, book ahead, 2pm-3.30pm
NORDIC COMICS: The comic and graphic novel industry is thriving in the Nordic region, and you can discover more about it at this event. Dr Nina Mickwitz from London College of Communication chats to Finnish comic artist Kaisa Leka and Karoline Stjernfelt, a comic book artist/author working in Copenhagen. They discuss contemporary comic cultures in the Nordic region, and share some of their own work. British Library, free, book ahead, 2pm-5pm
Saturday 14 March
VINTAGE KILO SALE: Update your wardrobe at Peckham Vintage Kilo Sale, where six tonnes of stock is laid out ready to be bought, dating from the 1960s. It's sold by weight, so you only pay for what you buy — perhaps as little as 75p if you just choose one item. The Bussey Building, £3/£1.50, book ahead for earlybird access only, 10am-4pm
ROYAL ENGINEERS: Take the kids along to a day of family-friendly activities focusing on the Royal Engineers. The soldiers of the Corps of Royal Engineers — also known as Sappers — are on hand to provide live demonstrations and talk about their role, which ranges from bomb disposal to bridge building, and they even had their own football club. National Army Museum (Chelsea), free, just turn up, 11am-5pm
TOY STORY: Screen 25's Family Film Club shows Toy Story 4. Turn up early to watch short film My Mom Vala ahead of the main Pixar screening, which picks up with the toys settling into their new life with Bonnie, after being given away by Andy. Harris Academy South Norwood, £5, book ahead, 1pm-4pm
Sunday 15 March
ST PATRICK'S PARADE: The main part of London's St Patrick's Day celebrations take place today. The free parade and festival sees floats processing from Hyde Park Corner, down Piccadilly and Haymarket and through to Trafalgar Square. Irish dancing schools and community groups show off their skills, with everyone welcome to watch. West End, free, just turn up, 12pm-6pm
GAMING MARKET: Russell Square is the place for the capital's gamers to be today, as the London Gaming Market comes to town. Browse and buy retro video games and board games, as well as computers, consoles, artwork and other merchandise. Royal National Hotel (Russell Square), entry £5 from 11am, or £2 after 12pm, just turn up, from 11am
RARE BIRDS MARKET: No winged creatures are for sale at the Rare Birds Market. Instead, it's a bohemian market with traders selling ethical and vintage fashion, homewares, artisan crafts and more. Workshops o on throughout the day, a live DJ provides the soundtrack, and food and drink are available to buy to keep energy levels topped up. 93 Feet East (Brick Lane), free entry, just turn up, 11am-10pm
